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Seaquest DSV Stinger conversion

Sharkmouth

Information Overload
Staff member
Shawn sent my son Monogram's 1/20th scale Sea Quest DSV Stinger in a trade. I had informed him that I had built the kit years ago for a friend but it turns out I built the main submarine. You know the one, it looks like a Klingon marital aid.
:evil:

Anyway, the Stinger is supposed to be a pursuit submarine which chases and destroys pirate submarines.

SeaQuest-StingerBoxArt.jpg


My son handed me the kit and asked me to make it look like a shark. Obviously, he failed to see a resemblance. Indeed, it looks like a gravid guppy instead of a war machine.

2228650256_d2936cfce2_b.jpg

This plan comes from a book on technical specifications which the publisher :whistle: decided against printing...

Looking it over, I wondered if the TV series designers ever thought what a mini-submarine was. Looking at the technical plans, I was left wondering were the armor was, where the armament was kept, and several things started to bother me immediately.

While watching the TV episodes on-line, I noticed that the Stinger in the TV series mock-up is much different. The diver had no mask, flippers, dry suit, nor scuba apparatus which leads me to believe the vehicle's cockpit is pressurized. In the cockpit, I did not see any guidance systems, communications systems, nor escape apparatus.

The outside of the vehicle has fins with position lights but none seem to assist in maneuvering. The tail is low and rigid. Headlights are placed in the perfect position to obscure lateral views. The engines look like turbines and even have petals (for afterburners? :blink ) yet the intake is a tiny snout at the tip!

This will not do. As much as I fought it, my terminal AMS took over.

dsv001_20100919_1088207882.jpg

The tadpole tail...

dsv003_20100919_1375217857.jpg

The lower hull lacks maneuvering fins so I plan to place an intake here, a sharkmouth if you will! B)

dsv004_20100919_1930057513.jpg

The combat diver in all his unarmored glory. I glued his head looking slightly to starboard.

dsv002_20100919_1534409455.jpg

First cuts with my sushi knife (in preparation for soup?)

dsv006_20100919_1415692083.jpg

A sheet of thin styrene for the shape with thicker slivers to build it up.

dsv005_20100919_1715385857.jpg

The canopy was modified and cutting off the rear part. this will be used as an escape board.

I have now filled in the rear fin with epoxy putty which was smoothed with wet fingers. After two hours, I will sand and carve to final shape before switching to Mr. Surfacer. Epoxy putty will be placed within the stern portion of the keel to strengthen it before cutting out the intake.

Maneuvering fins and a trademark shark fin will be added. The slots locating the previous fins may be used for armament so I have not filled them yet.

The combat diver will have his silly baseball cap removed and a proper re-breather (a futuristic Dräger set), dry suit, flippers, gloves, and depth gage. The re-breather will be housed in the escape board behind the diver. Solder wire oxygen hoses will lead to it.

Till the next installment (trust me, with this kid on my tail, it will get done).

Regards,
 
Wow! We have a WIP from Saul! Looks like an fun build. The fill in material on the lower fin, I guess it's repeated on the other side?
 
Yes, both sides get the slivers to strengthen the modified tail and to help me save expensive epoxy putty (Aves).

Regards,
 
moon puppy wrote:
Wow! We have a WIP from Saul! Looks like an fun build. The fill in material on the lower fin, I guess it's repeated on the other side?

Saul,
Now that I have pulled myself off the floor :pinch: :eek:hmy: :) :D
I have to mimic Moon Puppy, A WIP from Saul... :blink :huh: :D
I'm glad that I could send it your way... I guess the one that I have
that is missing the figure and has the glass canopy broken needs not
be built after what I see you doing, mine will have to hide in the shadows
of the "Sea Quest" :duh :eek:hyeah
Great job so far, can't wait to see what else you have in store for
this little baby.

Disclaimer:
I take no credit for getting Saul working on a kit. His son gets all
the credit... :ro: :ro:
Shawn
 
Here I am at the NYPD Police Academy during meal break and thinking of the work I will be performing tonight. While reminiscing, I made a list of changes the combat diver must have.

1. Dry Suit. The inflation tank will be strapped to his left calf.
2. Dry hat (flat panes to limit distortion and with lights for seeing in the dark.
3. Re-breather with the tanks behind the seat within the escape board.
4. Body armor.
5. I always carried a knife on my right calf.
6. Sidearm for survival (as the kit is designed now, no chance of boarding another ship)...
7. Flippers (barely visible behind the seat.
8. Computer for nitro-oxygen mix, depth, and time worn on left forearm.
9. Weights on belt.
10. Communication and weapons acquisition sight within the dry hat.

The ship requires maneuvering fins, SWR (Sonar Warning Receivers) covering all planes, intake for water-jet propulsion, flare and countermeasure dispensers, navigation and position lights, IFF (Identification Friend Foe system, escape board, HUD (Head Up Display), weapons display on yoke, weapons triggers and buttons on yoke, some form of weapon system. More on what I have in mind later.

I already have a scheme in mind, take a guess?

Regards,
 
:ermm: shawngehling wrote:
I guess the one that I have that is missing the figure and has the glass canopy broken needs not be built after what I see you doing, mine will have to hide in the shadows
of the "Sea Quest"

Shawn,

send me a photo of the broken canopy. Mine is getting some changes so (depending on the damage on yours) I may trade you. Lots of the open "glasswork" will be plated over on my rendition.

Yesterday, my son asked me to see what I did. I barely ate supper, spent quality (meant listening) time with the wife, and he pulls me aside. While he likes the tail, he asked why I cut the man's arms, the canopy, and cut off the nose. :huh:

I explain my plans for the combat diver and he gave me a puzzled look (the why look). Before I could put him to sleep, I was barraged with what seemed like and endless stream of why? why?why?WHY?
:idonno

OK, I did my work on the diver anyway. This morning, I try to sneak out of the house quietly to catch the 5AM bus when he wanders out of his room to look at his shark.
:blink

Why didn't you build my model Daddy? Why? why?why?WHY?
:woohoo:

OK, I better get things done on the sub first. Pictures of the combat diver will follow as I get some time.

Regards,
 
Saul,
Will send you a photo on your E-mail...
No worries though, I was planning on fixing it and painting
that part of the canopy anyways...
Hey if you need the 2nd kit to build out of the box with
your son (so he doesn't get mad at you) let me know and I
can send you this one too...
I don't want to make problems in your house... LOL
Shawn
 
Hi Shawn,

I saw the image and I already glued that section on mine. :( Otherwise I would gladly trade with you.

My son is fine with the changes on the submarine so far. He does not like me slacking off (working on the figure is not working on the sub I guess).

Regards,
 
i live to witness a sbs from you!

i think that i should mark the date where you started this thread in my calendar! ;)

that's great work you do there on an unusual subject and i'm really curious about your progress! :)
 
sharkmouth wrote:
Hi Shawn,

I saw the image and I already glued that section on mine. :( Otherwise I would gladly trade with you.

My son is fine with the changes on the submarine so far. He does not like me slacking off (working on the figure is not working on the sub I guess).

Regards,

No worries Saul,
Like I said, I was planning to tint that part of the window, after I
fix it anyways... I need to pick up some of those 1/20th scale SF3D
figures (mechanic's and such) and maybe make it a dio of them working
on it (hoisted up on chains) or something like that?
I'll be following your build to see what mine won't look anything
like... :eek:hmy: ;) :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy
I'm going to be way more basic than yours... :blush: :laugh:
Shawn

Saul what's the NYPD Academy about... You teaching something, or
are they trying to put you out on the streets?
:idonno
 
shawngehling wrote:
Saul what's the NYPD Academy about... You teaching something, or
are they trying to put you out on the streets?

I am teaching the Police Academy trainers. I am a consultant for a defense contractor (working on an expired contract since January so I may be between jobs by Christmas).

Regards,
 
Well, my son won't let this one go to the wayside! Although it now looks like a Hammerhead shark, he insists I paint it like a Great White. So, I need to get him to compromise on a Tiger shark.

While looking for images of the TV sub, I came across an interview of the model kit designer at Monogram, Bruce P. Byerly:

"One little project that Revell-Monogram took a chance on was Seaquest DSV. The TV show had some really fun underwater ships and everything was computer generated. I got the task of designing a model kit of the Stinger, a one-man sub. The exterior was well-defined, but no time had been spent on the interior since it hadn’t been needed yet. So the studio told me to make it up since nobody could tell me I was wrong. So I started “what if-ing”. I took part of the cockpit from an F-16, added more buttons and knobs, threw in some tubing and included a pilot figure. The kit came out pretty nice. Later in the TV series the studio needed to use the interior to the Stinger, so they used my design for the prototype. The model of Flipper with the backpack is my design but I don’t like taking about it. You understand."

So, you may see an update (even though not many seem interested, it is good practice for me).

Regards,
 
Saul,
Some of us have just been plain busy, but we are following it.
:hmmm :hmmm :hmmm
I just really want to see how much control your son has over you:laugh: :laugh:
:ro: :ro: We will be following the rest of the build.
Shawn
 
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