1/77th Scale Static Nautilus

[Michael Laubach]

I have had this for many many years and have gotten back to building this sub. I purchased it before The Nautilus Drydocks Models were available. I did purchase the Salon kit from Nautilus Dry Docks.It is fabulous! I am adding pics from my FB page to show progression of the build.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

too small,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Michael Laubach]

I just found that out. I hope to get this fixed.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

I have had this for many many years and have gotten back to building this sub. I purchased it before The Nautilus Drydocks Models were available. I did purchase the Salon kit from Nautilus Dry Docks.It is fabulous! I am adding pics from my FB page to show progression of the build.

That's more like it, Michael. Good looking so far. Lay down to the inside of the lenses some orange doped with clear -- this to give that 'incandescent' look to the light sources. Much more 'real' looking than the stark white-blue of the LED's.

David

[Michael Laubach]

Thanks Dave! I am definitely going to do that to the inside of the lenses. I was using a 9 Volt battery for testing, but will be using a 5 volt switching wall transformer for power. I think that may take down the brightness a little, but I definitely want to coat the inside of those lenses to give that incandescent look. I'll keep posting photos as I go along.

[Michael Laubach]

I did do a light orange see through on the exterior lights. The top hull is not attached yet to the lower hull. I have also added a ladder with LED light in the dorsal fin hatch.

[Michael Laubach]

I have attached the upper hull to the lower hull. I made plastic cut outs for the salon and wheelhouse. I have primed the boat in flat gray.

[RCSubGuy]

Coming along nicely! The TI boats, if you can lick the soft resin and air bubble issues, do build into fine looking models. The rivets are way over-scale, but from a distance, and especially for RC where you want to see that kind of thing from a distance, they look great!

Looking forward to more updates!


Bob

[Michael Laubach]

Thanks for the very kind words Bob! The TI Nautilus is a huge challenge because of those issues! Milliput is a big plus with this kit! I have thoroughly enjoyed the Nautilus Drydocks Salon Kit. That was an excellent addition to this project! I can't thank you, David, and all the people who have put their build threads online enough for all of the excellent tips,information,instruction, etc. It has been an excellent benefit!

[Michael Laubach]

Here are some shots of the boat with the initial coat of Dark Steel.

[Michael Laubach]

After the Dark Steel has dried and cured for 48 hours, I plan on adding some metallic paint called flat chestnut to my airbrush for a light dusting on the Nautilus. These are the paints I'm using.

[Michael Laubach]

After the Flat Chestnut dusting has dried and cured, I am going to airbrush the rivet lines with a mixture of Gunship Gray and Flat Black. After this has dried, I am going to do a wash with the mixture of fine iron filings in watered down elmers glue. Once that has dried, I plan on using VHS solution sprayed onto the boat. I have small bottle sprayers from work. Before anyone asks, VHS is a solution of vinegar/hydrogen peroxide/salt.

[Michael Laubach]

Here I have added the light dusting of the flat chestnut.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Adventures in chemistry!

David

[Michael Laubach]

I changed my mind about shading the rivet lines. I did add the iron filings mixture to the plate seams. It is more pronounced now because it is wet. I have to let this dry, then spray on the VHS solution.