Modeling Seaview - Introduction to the Monsters-in-Motion Kit

In the fall of 1999, Monsters-in-Motion - a cool Sci Fi Modeling shop in Southern California - started to produce and sell their own model kit of the TV version of the Seaview. The kit was developed by Bob Dufour, and the instructions were created by Joel Tavera (who has contributed various photos to this site). At the time, the announcement of the kits was a surprise to me, since Polar Lights had recently backed off their Seaview product due to some sort of problem with permission from the Irwin Allen estate.

I initially bought the kit thinking that I would put it on the shelf until I completed my Lunar Model's Seaview project, but - after over a year on the still-not-finished model - I needed a break from it (or it from me)! However, since the Monsters-in-Motion had done such a fine job on their kit, I thought I could do it quickly and that the experience would be helpful on the Lunar Model's project.

The Kit

The kit is made from cast resin, and includes the parts described below. While my photos are not perfect, they do accurately reflect the pink color used for the resin. There appears to be an advantage to this color: you are motivated to paint the damned thing as soon as possible!

Based on the TV version of the Seaview, most of the kit is richly detailed, and the quality work in the casting obvious. The kit costs about as the same as the Lunar Model's version; it is worth the price and is a joy for any Seaview enthusiast.

But, like any model that I have build, it is not perfect. There are a number problems with fit and accuracy. These are described in the appropriate section illustrating the kit's construction.

	A single-piece 23" Hull	This hull is a single piece of solid cast resin that measure just over 23" from nose light to stern rudder. This piece also contains a partially detailed observation nose interior, including the characteristic struts for the window frame. The hull also contains a flying-sub bay that can house the included two-piece flying-sub. This bay takes up much of the space required by the control room (reminding the modeler that Irwin Allen created interior sets that could not fit into real-life vehicles that his models were supposed to represent!), so it is blocked from view by the observation-room's crash doors (which are build into the one-piece observation-room/lower hull piece that makes-up the flying-sub bay's forward bulkhead. There is a one piece set of doors for the flying-sub bay. If left off, the nicely detailed fly-sub bay (molded into the hull) is visible, and will appear as if these doors are rolled open. Also molded into the hull is a partially-detailed mini-sub bay, and a one-piece set of doors. These doors would need to be cut in half (or scratch-built) if the builder chose to leave them open.
	A single-piece Observation Room Interior	As described above, the one-piece observation-room interior includes closed crash-doors which double as the forward bulkhead for the flying-sub bay. When fitted into place, the lower portion of this piece becomes the lower hull just aft of the nose light.
	Two one-piece turbine engines	These are also cast in solid pink resin. There are nicely detailed vertical vent openings above and below the attached fin. These are simply slits molded into the resin (the 18 ft. studio model has raised openings, similar to wall-vents). Instead of empty cylinders for the turbine (as found on the 18 ft. studio model), this Seaview has propellers (or turbines - I can't tell which). A separate rudder is provided for each engine, with molded attachment points to connect them to the stern rudder.
	Conning Tower Pieces	The conning tower is comprised of a one-piece tower section and two sailing-planes. These appear to be designed to attach to the tower as if to emulate the 8 ft. studio model's movable sailing planes. A periscope and radar assembly that attach to the conning tower are included.
	Tail Fins	Two one-piece tail fins, including molded light housing, attach to the main hull.
	Two-piece Flying-Sub	A nicely detailed two-piece flying sub is included. It is scaled appropriately to fit into the fly-sub bay.
	Stand	A stand is included that can support both the Seaview and the flying-sub.
	What's Missing	While there are molded fixtures for the nose and forward lower-hull lights, no clear pieces where included for these. The modeler is left to his own resources.

What's the Plan?

Building the kit is fairly straight forward. Mine came without instructions (which were supplied later by Monsters-in-Motion). The kit does not offer much room for customization - such as lighting - due to the solid hull. So I developed the following plan:

I would build the kit as supplied, leaving both the flying-sub and mini-sub bays closed.

The included stand was not stable enough for me, so I decided that I would make a custom stand.

Initially I considered a paint job that matched the dark bluish gray of the 8.5ft. studio model, but settled on a neutral gray.

Accuracy? A little Artistic License

There are a couple of accuracy problems with the kit. But the concept of "accuracy" is difficult when modeling the Seaview, since there were several different studio models used during the production of Voyage, each a little different from the other. Additionally, these under went a major conversion during the TV series' second season (see my Seaview Studio Models page for more details). As with my Lunar Model's Seaview, I deviate from accuracy where I think doing so enhances the model.