Kenneth Wingle’s 24″ Seaview
These pictures are of the “Monster’s in Motion” 24″ Seaview. The body is one solid piece with the add on pieces(tower, fins, engines)etc. I sent it to the car body shop to have it painted by a pro. Bruce Linkchorst used a white primer and then a special gunmetal /ultrazine spray enamel for the body color.
The pieces are made of high impact resin so we glued it together with Quicktite superglue gel. Then I sealed the windows from the inside with Elmers stick all so the Seaview could go underwater and the bulkhead remain dry.
Here is a trick you might not have thought of. The lights underneath and main navigation at front were just “HOLES”–so I poured some Elmers “STICK ALL” in the holes and when it dries it looks just like real sealed power lamps that light up. When light hits the clear part it actually lights up! I discovered that by accident.
The most important part of the Seaview is the bay windows which your eyes are automatically riveted to from front view. So since the bulkhead section has a wall and you can slide the whole section in and out I decided to try and have the actual TV interior inside the model. This was easy and you can do it as well.
Just use a video capture device like Snappy, Snazzi etc. or take a pic off the TV with your digital camera if you have some footage from the Voyage series. Then bring it up on your computer and resize it so it’s fits into the Seaview bulkhead (1 3/4″), I resized it using Corel Draw. Then just print it out at high resolution (720/1440 dpi), cut it out, and past it into the model using rubber cement.You can light it up for photography by using a small penlite bulb.
I added a little weathering around the intake valves as would normally been see (light black streaks). This version sits in the water very nice and needs only a few small strips of styrofoam underneath to balance it out and make it sit horizonal in the water.
The model is very photogenic! It is accurate but not an exact replica–there is a curvature defect of the fins if you put it next to a studio comparison but for 95% accuracy and a $150.00 price tag I’d say it’s quite a bargain for those fans who love the futuristic and sophisticated design of the world’s coolest submarine.
Kenn Wingle
