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Figure 1: (1975/96)Another close-up of the nose of the 17 ft. Seaview studio model. I took this photograph sometime in 1975/76 while the model was on display at Planes of Fame and Cars of the Stars in Buena Park, California. |
In 1975/76 - while attending college in Southern California - I learned that the 17 ft. Seaview studio model was on exhibit at "The Planes of Fame and Cars of the Stars" in Buena Park California. This was a somewhat tacky tourist attraction, but it had a wonderful collection of Sci-Fi props and model, including Robby the Robot. Unfortunately, my photographic skill and equipment at the time left something to be desired (as you can see). Unfortunately, when I returned to take more photos, they had gone out of business.
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Figure 1: (1975/96)Another close-up of the nose of the 17 ft. Seaview studio model. I took this photograph sometime in 1975/76 while the model was on display at Planes of Fame and Cars of the Stars in Buena Park, California. |
My knowledge of the fate of the 17 ft. Seaview is spotty, but here is what I know...
After being on display at "Cars of the Stars and Planes of Fame" in Buena Park, California, the large Seaview model was owned by a Richard Messman from Wisconsin. During the mid 80's, he displayed it at various conventions, transporting it atop his Winnebago (even Irwin Allen couldn't conjure such a strange site!).
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The 17 foot Seaview studio model during restoration work by David Merriman. In Figure 3 we see a good shot of the ridge that runs the length of the model. The 8.5ft studio model had small holes on the lower surface of this structure, that released bubbles. I guess this was supposed to give the Seaview a more authentic sub-like appearance when it was filmed under water. Photographs courtesy of Rick Teskey. |
During this time, or shortly afterwards, David Merriman Jr. (a professional Modeler and acquaintance of Messman) restored the model to some extent. A number of photographs of this project appear on this page.
Currently, the 17ft Seaview studio model is hanging over the bar at Planet Hollywood in Hollywood California, still missing its mini-sub bay doors.
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More shots of the 17 foot Seaview studio model during restoration work by David Merriman. Figure 4 is particularly interesting to me, as it gives us a glimpse of the Flying-Sub bay interior. Notice (in Figure 5) that the lights that were originally housed in the ends of the tail fins have been replaced with solid bumps. Photographs courtesy of Rick Teskey. |
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Figure 6: Here we see an excellent photo of Seaview's stern (from the 17 ft. model). This is an important shot, because it illustrates the proper angle of the large upper fins, and the fact that the lower fins are horizontal, not angled (a common mistake in Seaview kits). This photograph was taken during the restoration of the 17 ft. studio model by David Merriman around 1988. Unfortunately, the rudders are missing (though you can still see where they attached to the engines), and the running lights on upper fins have been removed. This photo, and others on this site, are courtesy of Phil Broad and his Modeler Builder's Reference Vault website. |
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Figure 7: Another excellent photo of Seaview's stern (from the 17 ft. model). This shot shows the shape of the hull where the large upper fins attach. Notice on the starboard side (uh, that's the right side for you land lubbers) the subtle "S" shaped curve where the fin meets the hull. This is because the hull's shape curves in towards the center, then tapers out again. Why is this important? Because the bullet-shaped hulls built by most modelers and model makers force the hull to cover the engine nacelles too much. Also, note how the lower fins appear to be angled downward (relative to the vertical keel rudder) when viewed from this angle. But this appearance is misleading as can be seen in Figure 6. This photo, and others on this site, are courtesy of Phil Broad and his Modeler Builder's Reference Vault website. |
Can a Freudian modeler be stern-retentive? Probably not, but I've decided to give this section a little added attention for the sake of accuracy, since there are frequent mistakes made by many modelers (including myself) and model-kit makers (including Lunar Models and Monsters-in-Motion) when replicating the Seaview's stern. While accuracy for Seaview modelers is a difficult concept because there were multiple studio models and two versions of the sub, there are some commonalities for the stern section, including:
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The Angle of the Upper Fins: |
The large upper fins on the stern are set at 45 degrees relative to the keel and rudder. They are perpendicular to each other (see figure 6). |
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The Shape of the Upper Fins: |
Basically, the large fins have a
very subtle "S" curve. Both the Lunar Models and Monsters-in-Motion Seaviews
are incorrect in this regard (see figure 7).
Also, there are rocket-like shapes at ends of each fin that house the running lights. But, the tip of the fin actually extends above the light housing. The Monsters-in-Motion Seaview is also incorrect in this detail. |
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The Angle of the Lower Fins: |
The smaller lower fins are perpendicular to the keel and rudder, running horizontally along the length of each engine housing at their midpoint. They often appear to be angled downward, but this is an optical illusion caused by the shape of the tips of the fins (See figure 6 and compare the appearance of the lower fins in figure 7). |
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The Shape of the Hull: |
This is probably a minor point, but it has some impact on the look of the finished product. If one removed the fins and the engine nacelles from the stern, looking down at the hull from above would reveal that it is not a rounded bullet shape, but a smooth (almost convex) cone shape. This is important because the engine nacelles will not look correct if the hull is too wide (see figure 7). |
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The two diagrams to the
left illustrate the difference between the studio model's hull
(that has a concave curve) and the design frequently seen in model kits.
Notice how the engine nacelles (in red) seem to be crowded in Figure 9, whereas they are accommodated in Figure 8. |
| Figure 8: Studio Models | Figure 9: Common Kit Design |
The fate of the 8.5 ft. model is quite unfortunate. After the cancellation of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Irwin Allen attempted a new TV series for Warner Bros. based on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. Sadly, he modified 8.5 ft. Seaview studio model for the series. The observation nose was removed, and replaced. It then became a model of the Nautilus. Some photos of these modifications have been published in Seaview Sounding #3.
Seaview and modeling expert Paul Lubliner has made castings of the decapitated nose of the 8.5 ft. model, and hopes to someday do the same with the rest of the hull (the location of which is unknown; it may still be on the lot at Warner Bros). From these, he would like to make an authentic replica of this beautiful miniature.
I've read that the 4 ft. studio model is owned by Irwin Allen's widow. According to this report, it has been restored professionally (by the collector described above). It is also possible that Mrs. Allen owns the 24" miniature.
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Figure 6: (1999) Well, it's not the bottom of the sea, but it's close to the shore... The studio prop of the Diving Bell from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea sitting atop Aqua Tech diving shop in San Diego. Photograph courtesy of Joel Travera. |
And finally ... while driving north on I-5 through south San Diego in 1996, I chanced to notice a small, one-story building with a large yellow diving bell on its flat roof. Over the the black hatch were the letters NIMR in white. "Naaa, it can't be" I said to my family, all of whom saw it too, though its significance was lost on them (they have a life). But shortly afterwards I was looking through a book on computer 3D graphics that used this prop for several of its examples. The Author (a Voyage fan) commented that the diving bell in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is now used to promote a small diving shop in San Diego, California.
Years later, in 1999, I was reading an email from Joel Travera that was included in the CultTVMan SF Modeling Digest. Apparently Joel had a similar experience to mine, but was able to stop and photograph the odd site (above).
...It's a small world.
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Figure 7: (1975/76) The stern section of the 17 ft. Seaview studio model. Note that the rudders are missing from the engine nacelles. I took this photograph sometime in 1975/76 while the model was on display at Planes of Fame and Cars of the Stars in Buena Park, California. |
Visit both my Modeling Lunar Model's Seaview and Modeling Monsters in Motion's Seaview pages to see more pictures of the Seaviewstudio models.
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