Engel Nautilus build with OTW cylinder

[steveneill]

It's been awhile since you have seen me here building a Sub but when Steve Fisher asked me to build his boat for him I thought it might be good to build a boat again. And using one of Bob's cylinders made it even more attractive. I have used them many times in y own boats and love them.

This kit is really different from my own Custom Replicas Nautilus. The lack of rivets on the lower hull is a bit perplexing to say the least. And there are many parts left off this kit I'll have to scratch. Not to mention all the rivets I'll have to add.

But the kit is really cleanly made. Engels usual class act.

So far I'm working on getting the hull together, adding all the parts and getting the lay of the land as they would say. Made some simple plex bulkheads to mount the WTC. This cylinder fits like a glove and leaves me plenty of room. It's nice I can get the Ballast tank directly over the CG.

More to come.
Steve

[steveneill]

My studio has been really busy so this weekly video covers many other topics besides sub building but all the build so far is included.

[thor]

Hey, Buddy. I am very happy to see you are still on this side of the grass....

[steveneill]

Well of course. I have certain graves to piss on still.

[southern or]

My studio has been really busy so this weekly video covers many other topics besides sub building but all the build so far is included.

This brings back some memories from my short time at the RPF and the debate over if QMx stole the Polar Lights Enterprise refit kit and added an astronomical price tag to the final product.

[steveneill]

Ah...that model was not over priced I wouldn't build you one for 5 grand. It takes a couple of months, lots of materials and skill to build that model finished and all lighted up. They have it mass made in China thus the cheap 5000 grand price tag. I stopped building models for collectors and fans because any Tom, Dick or Harry will build you that model for around 800 these days. After materials they might make a whole 500 bucks. This 66 inch scratch built Enterprise is being built for a museum.

[bigdave]

My coffee is hot.
Tick Tick Tick. BD

[southern or]

Ah...that model was not over priced I wouldn't build you one for 5 grand. It takes a couple of months, lots of materials and skill to build that model finished and all lighted up. They have it mass made in China thus the cheap 5000 grand price tag. I stopped building models for collectors and fans because any Tom, Dick or Harry will build you that model for around 800 these days. After materials they might make a whole 500 bucks. This 66 inch scratch built Enterprise is being built for a museum.

Nah, the question that was raised and never answered was 'why is what appears to be a resin cast 1/350 Polar Lights kit model being sold for (at the time) $5k?' They want $7k for it now, but a lot of people got suspicious when the Polar Lights defects were present on their resin model. It was never a question of the value of a scratch but model, but a question of integrity. Being the same scale, with the same defects, made a lot of us question their practices and question if it was even a true scratch build. Studios and master builders can and have built the PL kit for people for $1,200 to $2,000 depending on what is wanted. It just raised a bunch of questions that QMx never addressed. I moved before I could start my PL kit and now I don't have the room to paint it because it can't fit in my mini booth. The sub's two colors and I'll just spray it in the garage or outside.

I don't buy Star Trek models because I build them myself, but three of my models that I bought are in the $5k range because they are professional scratch built models that are lightyears ahead of my skill set. I doubt anyone would've said a thing if QMx's Enterprise refit was a different scale and didn't have a kits defects. For us, it'd be like you saying that this Nautilus was a complete scratch build from the design up. It isn't, but you're a better builder then I am so chances very good it'll come out better then if I made it so its value will and should be higher AND you said it was a kit to start with.

I must say though, I like your build. No sagging there, unlike the Unobtainium Enterprise of old.

I do feel your pain though. I used to be a Director of Photography and an audio engineer. I can't compete with amateur "pro" bids and I'm absolutely DONE and over with the "can you FIX the problems we now have from the teen we hired?"

[steveneill]

[steveneill]

It's not all Enterprise but Nautilus too. Here's a couple of pics for BDs coffee. Dive planes are in I got the rudder built too but not installed yet. Also the WTC bulkheads are installed and padded so they don't scratch Bob's beautiful WTC.

[steveneill]

You tube screwed up my video by loading it without sound. So it's removed, renamed and uploading again. Ill post later.

[steveneill]

I see I never did re post the last show but now that the 66 inch Enterprise is done for the Musuem of Science Fiction I am back to the Nautilus. There's a little bit about it at the end of this show but lots more this week.

Getting the dive planes hooked up.






Rudder mechanics installed the ugly hole gets covered up by a brass plate. In had clearance problems with the even wall thickness of the layup in the tail it took a lot of grinding to get the control arm to move smoothly.

[steveneill]

Here is the missing video. I did not included the other three leading up to 64 because they were about the Enterprise only a god know that will never see water.

[steveneill]

Got everything connected today. Rudder, dive planes, propulsion. Next up to hook up the radio and check that all systems are working properly. Add the prop guard and get on with the modeling part of it. More tomorrow.

[steveneill]

This ship is warped and doesn't even have nacelles. The hull has sat for a long time in the box and I have not been able to level this polyester hull no matter what I do. I could have flat sanded it but that would have cut into the rivets. So good ole Evercoat putty to the rescue and no one will be the wiser. I didn't like their method for closing the hull so I'm sing my own that was most successful on my 66 inch Custom Replica Nautlius. Tung in the back and the ram in the front locks it down. This makes it simple and fast to get under the hood. The salon window blisters are attached to the upper hull. The wheel house was really warped. So bad it wouldn't sit flat, not even remotely. But that was cast in urethane resin so it retained its memory and returned to its original shape with a heat gun. More tomorrow.