1/35th, 66" long Disney Nautilus

[RCjetdude]

Working on the running gear now. I designed and 3D printed a motor mount, bracket for the ESC/Cap and mounts and standoffs for the ballast tanks which are 140mm fillable ornaments. I will also be using two water tight boxes to house some of the electronics. In the end the motor, ESC and breather/hatch servo will be in the wet. The Rx, Air pump, gas backup servo, pitch and rudder servos, AD2, BLM and remote on/off module will be in the boxes. Carbon fiber plates are epoxied to the hull to mount the motor and both boxes. The boxes are held in place with Velcro straps.

[Prowler901]

So very impressive!

[RCjetdude]

Some lighting progress.

[Merry Boozer RC]

RCjetdude the green looks great especially with the helm interior. Is this a kit I should have asked you from the start but where did this actually come from.... and is it possible for a fellow crazy modeler to acquire one.

[OV10]

I do a lot of Disney Imagineering modeling and you hit the jackpot with the 66". I also have one of these tucked away, waiting to be finished. I'm looking forward to finishing mine, but in the mean time, I look forward to your build.

Czonio Now that is another interesting aspect about you that I'll bet even TJ wasn't aware of. This Binghamton area is loaded with modeling talent too

[RCjetdude]

It was a kit produced by Custom Replicas. There were somewhere around 200 kits sold over about a 10 year period. The detail of them is insane!! I can't imagine what went into producing the kits. Unfortunately they have been out of production for awhile now and very rare. I have been told by Bob Martin of The Nautilus Drydocks who was the main distributor back then that most are probably in a box waiting to be built or for the owner to pass away. Earlier this year he got one back he had built for a customer that fell into the later category that had not been touched. It was completely finished and ready to run. I remember watching his YouTube video of that particular boat. He went though it and tested it out to make sure everything worked and listed it on his website. It sold in less than 24 hrs. for $6K! I am the second owner of mine and got it as is without running gear for a fraction of the price. I don't think it was on his website for an hour so they do occasionally show up for sale but you gotta keep an eye out for them. Bob is in the process of producing a 1/48th kit of the Nautilus which I believe is close to being available. That scale puts it around 50" if I recall. I was holding out for one of them before this monster became available. From what I can tell of Bob's work it will be top notch. He currently sells a 1/77th scale which is about 31" long and very nice. The radio equipment is the biggest issue right now for the RC Sub captains and I hope a solution can be found. Bob may still have some stock of VEX radios that would be more than enough for your typical sub such as the Nautilus.

[Prowler901]

That's going to look awesome in the water. Especially after sunset.

[RCjetdude]

One of two ballast tanks. A 5-1/2" sphere with 12V solenoid installed and mounted in a 3D printed frame that I designed.

[RCjetdude]

Trying some different lighting approaches in the wheelhouse to simulate the look in the attack scenes.



zero

[RCjetdude]

Lighting is done.

[Prowler901]

That's absolutely beautiful! Amazing work!

[Elbee]

[QUOTE=RCjetdude;n253718]Lighting is done./QUOTE]

RCJD, That is just too much fun, right there. Brings a smile to my face. The night scenes in the film of the Nautilus running toward the doomed ship seemed so daunting at the time. Obviously, left an impression on me. Very nice work. Best, LB

[schaffer hasse]

Hallo sir congratulation on your work i reallylike your ballast

sphere,if you want to share you 3d file thank you in advance
best regard
Marcel

[RCjetdude]

I had the opportunity to talk Subs tonight on the Merry Boozers RC show. It was a good time.

[Merry Boozer RC]

I had the opportunity to talk Subs tonight on the Merry Boozers RC show. It was a good time.

Absolutely amazing job Steve. It’s always our pleasure to host you on the show. You are truly one of the top customization wizards 🧙♂️ and your subs are true works of art. Loved getting to share this with our community no you just been to let me drive one 😉

[Elbee]

Hallo sir congratulation on your work i reallylike your ballast sphere,if you want to share you 3d file thank you in advance best regard Marcel

SH, Welcome to Hobby Squawk. There are great modelers here with good advice. Glad you are on board. Best, LB

[RCjetdude]

She floats! I have begun sea or rather pool trials. It trims well at the waterline.

[Twowingtj]

Awesome! Looks great Steve.

[Prowler901]

Oh man! That's so cool. She's riding with a good bubble.

[RCjetdude]

Got it trimmed pretty good finally. It has taken about a week of work to get it to this point. I ended up swapping the forward ballast tank and watertight box so that the tanks are more symmetrical on the length of the hull. I also added a buffer tank to pull air from when blowing the ballast tanks as the pump was drawing a significant vacuum on the watertight boxes by themselves. It did require the addition of lead weights to compensate for the extra buoyancy but performs considerably better in all respects as a result. Static dive trim, waterline trim, surfacing trim, rate of descent/ascent, etc. I plan to remove just enough lead to make it slightly positively buoyant with the tanks fully vented. Overall very pleased at this time. It was a bit frustrating while I worked through a radio issue but I believe it was being caused by the antenna being too close to the main power cables. I have become too spoiled with modern day 2.4 GHz radio technology and forgot how finicky the old FM PPM systems were.

Here is how the inside of the hull looks.