Proteus by Moebius Models

YES this is wonderfull modeling an im lovin the light up parts as i think it brings the model to life very well done sir an im enjoyin your build an i whatched the film only yesterday on tv an throughly enjoyed it an got the book an another called destination brain but keep this comin as i look foeward to seein what you will build next in this mini sub brilliant modelin
chrisb
 
Thank you gentlemen. Your feedback and encouragement make all the hours I put in worthwhile... :cool:

Modeling along...

Pilot's control dashboard painted and decaled before attachment to support ring.
I had some leftover gauge decals from the kit decal sheet since I used the Paragrafix photo-etch backlit film for the control panel on the black wall instead. The leftover decals luckily were the right size to fit the dashboard:


Proteus WIP-158 by Steve J, on Flickr

Since the above image was taken, I reworked the head of the pilot, thinning the face overall and narrowing the nose.
Someone commented on my last pilot profile image that Babe Ruth was piloting the sub and it helped me determine why it was I had not been quite satisfied with the figure up to point. I had gotten too close to the work to see what it needed to look more like the live actor in the film.
He is repainted now and I believe I have improved the figure.

Anyway...

Laser rifle…
After reworking the tip and forward extension of the barrel I primed the shaft with gloss black enamel.
Next will get a coat of metallic silver:


Proteus WIP-159 by Steve J, on Flickr

Since the above image was taken I have reworked the rifle yet again and made some nice improvements

The laser rifle was chopped apart in the front and reorganized to match the look in the film, more or less.
I used a tiny pearlescent glass bead for the tip.
The final two coats will be MM Pontiac Engine Blue Metallic.brushed on.
I bought a bottle of it seven or so years ago for just this build and I kept it sealed this whole time.
When I finally unscrewed the cap the paint was as fresh as a new bottle.
Thank god for a good factory seal.
Raquel is catching a nap on the couch prior to getting her makeup and paint applied.


Proteus WIP-160 by Steve J, on Flickr

Pilot dashboard painted and decaled (repurposed or hand made from leftovers) then glued to the cockpit ring.
Will get a flat coat then selective gloss coat on the dials.


Proteus WIP-161 by Steve J, on Flickr

Thermostat or something looking like an intercom or transistor radio (?) for the forward inner lab wall above the sink.
This one got some silver foil treatment :


Proteus WIP-162 by Steve J, on Flickr

Lab microscope screencap expanded:


Screencap - Microscope by Steve J, on Flickr

Gemologist binocular microscope with 360 degree swiveling head:


Gemologist Microscope by Steve J, on Flickr

Matches microscope seen in the film. Perfect for me to use as a guide for making a reaaaaally tiny one for the lab in my sub:

Pilot Capt. Bill Owens screencap I used for reference:


Pilot - Capt. Bill Owens by Steve J, on Flickr

Have a few more new images in the camera.

Lots to follow but she's reaching critical mass soon.
Coming together quick aside from a few things like the reworking the rest of the figures which will add weeks to the build.

Guess I should tell Stephen Boyd to look at that flashing red light on the reactor control panel soon... :oops:
 
So much teeny tiny detail.
Stroke of luck matching the microscope!
What is silver foil? (I know nothing)
 
BarleyBop said:
So much teeny tiny detail.
Stroke of luck matching the microscope!
What is silver foil? (I know nothing)
Click to expand...
Also referred to as bare metal foil. it is very thin and easily torn.
You carefully cut it to cover anything that looks like bare metal on a model and gently peel it for the backing paper. Then you apply some special (like thick white glue) adhesive to the part before sticking it down and giving it a good rub. Some BMF comes with adhesive backing so you don't need to brush on more.
Any excess foil can be trimmed away easily using a sharp exacto knife with minimal pressure.
Done correctly you get a nice metallic look that can be burnished down into even the smallest grooves or reveal the finest surface detail. Great for grillwork and vents. You can also apply stains over it for a weathered metal look.
 
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Time for an update. If you guys like small stuff wait 'til you see this tiny LED strip I had to solder for Captain Bill Owen's pilot bubble.
The only thing tougher to solder, in my opinion, is magnet wire.

Here we go guys...
Starting off with some micro detail painting.

i masked around the silver laser focusing crystals (?) on the base using liquid mask. after drying I removed the mask using double sided Gorilla tape which is much stickier than regular scotch tape:


Proteus WIP-163 by Steve J, on Flickr

Laser and target test fitting, The laser was painted silver followed by an two coats of Pontiac Engine Blue enamel.
Not perfect but I think it looks much more like what was seen in the movie now:


Proteus WIP-164 by Steve J, on Flickr


Proteus WIP-165 by Steve J, on Flickr

Test fit of lab sink and starboard cabinet wall sub-assemblies.
Under cabinet lighting looks great using 3 millimeter diffused flat top LEDs.
No such lights were shown in the movie but I took some artistic license and added them anyway as i wanted some illumination in the back to show off my scratch made sink faucet and microscope:


Proteus WIP-166 by Steve J, on Flickr

Light test of lab cabinet wall was a success. I also added a small LED to the right of the sinks over the centrifuge:


Proteus WIP-167 by Steve J, on Flickr

Test fit of lab port wall, couch, and forward wall. So basically all the lab subassemblies:


Proteus WIP-169 by Steve J, on Flickr

Aft wall of main cabin with handles added to control panel. Looks good. I used I used brass wire bent to make the U-shape then brushed them with silver after gluing with CA:


Proteus WIP-170 by Steve J, on Flickr

One SMD LED lights the whole panel:


Proteus WIP-171 by Steve J, on Flickr

Changing gears...

I decided to uber detail the Paragrafix photo-tech brass rudder vanes (which replaced the kit provided vanes) using thin plastic sheet cut to a width of .020 inches per the Paragrafix instructions.
Care had to be taken to get them to fit properly as to their individual lengths and angles:


Proteus WIP-172 by Steve J, on Flickr

After cladding the vanes in thin styrene strips to thicken them (more like what was seen in the film) and gluing on the riveted frames I sprayed with a coat of Duplicolor primer:


Proteus WIP-173 by Steve J, on Flickr

That's all for now as we are nearing our one hour limit to complete this mission.
I kid but only slightly. My lovely wife is bugging me to finish this build so I can assist in packing as we will, hopefully, be moving to a retirement community across town in a fee months and she wants me spending my time on the move preparations.
Real life getting in the way of modeling once again!
Sheesh! :rolleyes:
 
BarleyBop said:
Okay, tell her we'll let you move as long as you have a bench over there for our future entertainment and edification!
...and correction: we loves that small stuff!
Click to expand...
Thanks BB! Yes, I held out for the two bedroom apartment with a den which will become my new workshop. Kind of a step up from working in the old garage. There is also a modeling workshop on the top floor; from what I could tell it appears there are mostly wooden airplane builders thereabouts so I'm sure my sci-fi ships will fit right in hanging from the ceiling there.
 
Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Moving right along...

I added the internal neck anatomy decal to the chart projector and lit it up. Looks very cool:


Proteus WIP-174 by Steve J, on Flickr

Upper hull was sprayed externally with Duplicolor black for light blocking:


Proteus WIP-175 by Steve J, on Flickr

Wiring was run under the floor of the interior section for the forward patient monitoring screen:


Proteus WIP-176 by Steve J, on Flickr

Upper hull sprayed with Duplicolor light grey primer:


Proteus WIP-177 by Steve J, on Flickr

A hole was drilled/carved out and a DC power jack was inserted into the aft end of the sub:


Proteus WIP-178 by Steve J, on Flickr

The DC power jack was glued in with Plastic Surgery brand CA afterwhich I packed AVES epoxy putty around it:


Proteus WIP-179 by Steve J, on Flickr

I laid some masking tape down to limit the damage my cutting and grinding might cause to the floor.
There wasn't enough clearance under the floor so I cut out an opening in the floor under where the couch fits:


Proteus WIP-180 by Steve J, on Flickr

The couch does a nice job covering the power jack and associated wiring:


Proteus WIP-181 by Steve J, on Flickr

I decided to tackle the ring lighting for the pilot dome on top.
This 0603 SMD strip from HDA Modelworx equired tape to hold the strip and wires in place for soldering.
The LED I soldered to was already burnt out when I decided to swap out the manufacturers 26 gauge wires for 30 AWG solid kynar wire.
The LED was sacrificed as all that was needed were two + and - places to solder the wires to.
I had enough strip to overlap the dead LED with a live one so no gap in the dome ring:


Proteus WIP-182 by Steve J, on Flickr

The LED strip was afixed to the dome collar using clear diuble-sided Gorilla tape. I smeared the bare wires with liquid electrical tape for insulation. The wires feed downward thru two holes into the interior. The overlap will cover over the unlit soldering section:


Proteus WIP-183 by Steve J, on Flickr

Next time I'll show you guys the ring powered up... thanks for your attention and comments!

:cool:
 
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So we've been watching piecemeal and enjoying; for reference, about where are you at in terms % complete, or timescale wise?
 
VERY nice bit of modeling i think this will look a great model when done
chrisb
 
I drilled two small holes at the rear of the dome ring and passed the wires thru. This went much better than I anticipated:


Proteus WIP-184 by Steve J, on Flickr

Light test of my dome ring lights. I used warm white LEDs to match the ones in the movie:


Proteus WIP-185 by Steve J, on Flickr

LIghts as seen from inside the dome opening. Sweet!:


Proteus WIP-186 by Steve J, on Flickr

Test fitting of upper and lower hull halves with rudder.. I had already opened the aft lab windows before the taking this pic. I will cut two sections of thin clear styrene sheet to make the lab viewable from outside the sub:


Proteus WIP-187 by Steve J, on Flickr

Last thing for the day was making two jet nozzles to replace the kit molded ones. I used two sizes of aluminum tubing; one tube for the nozzle and a slightly larger tube cut into thin sections for the three rings:


Proteus WIP-188 by Steve J, on Flickr


Proteus WIP-189 by Steve J, on Flickr

More to come once I take more pics!
 


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