Report To The Cabal: Converting the Totalimmersion, 31" long NAUTILUS static resin kit into a practical r/c submarine, Part-1

Well, fortune shines every now and then: I recently made a sale of a WTC-3 to a local guy -- who flies blimps for a living, can you beat that! -- he had just received a resin kit of the movie NAUTILUS that he wanted to convert from display only, to r/c. He mistakenly thought my cylinder would fit that little hull. Fortunately, he came over to the shop with the kit in tow, so I was able to look it over. It was immediately obvious that the WTC-3 would not fit, but that a variant of the WTC-2/KILO would. So we came to terms; extending the deal to the point were I would install the gear and get his little NAUTILUS operational.

The kit is produced by an outfit called Totalimmersion, owned and operated by Lee Seiler. As I understand it Lee was recently employed by the Department of Naval Architecture at the University of Berkley where he worked as a technician at their model ship towing facility. Previously Lee had been involved in the motion picture effects industry where he enjoyed a professional relationship with Tom Scherman -the world renowned expert on everything there was to know about the movie NAUTILUS.

Examination of Lee's NAUTILUS kit revealed a very well engineered and manufactured resin kit. Though of nearly 1/4" thick wall, the hull parts are hollow and do afford plenty of room for a 2" WTC and battery. Lee informs me that about a half dozen of his kits have already been converted to r/c submarines, so it seems I am not doing much trailblazing here, but good news to those of your thinking of getting this excellent kit and making it work in the water.

To order you send $375 to Lee Seiler, P.O. Box 26, Swisshome, OR 97480. He'll take personal or business checks or money order. You can call him during normal working hours at, 541-964-3064 for more information. He's in the middle of a house move, so wait a few weeks before calling that number. He can be reached now at 541-997-7340 for those of you who just can't wait. Caution though, he makes these on a per order bases, so expect a substantial interval between your order and delivery of the kit.

In this installment I'll show off the basic kit. Later - when my customer comes back with the gear I had him order to r/c the thing - I'll chronicle in detail the specialized WTC and how I'll gimbal the propeller to produce the yaw and pitch forces needed to steer and control the depth of this little craft.

Look familiar -- one of the most recognizable fantasy submarines ever conceived! These are the main hull parts of the kit. Cast in white polyurethane resin, the hollow hull just seems to scream out, "r/c me!". This kit is detailed right down to the chart-table at the aft end of the wheelhouse! I gotta get me one of these beautiful kits for my own use!

Lee Seiler's attention to detail extended to the packaging - I've never seen a model kit packaged with such thought and care! And the contents just keep coming at you: an extensive set of instructions, a full set of plans, all clear parts needed, right down to the iris shutters for the saloon windows! This thing is a steal at $375.

To r/c this model I will gimbal the propeller for pitch and yaw control. Additionally I will link the two sets of plans (mounted within the side strakes) to the pitch linkage. Lee provided my customer a custom rudder with installed bell-crank. I'll take advantage of that by linking the yaw pushrod to the gimbaled propeller and the rudder as well, in effect producing a compound rudder. So arranged, this little r/c model should be very responsive in the water. The WTC-2/NAUTILUS I'll produce for this kit will employ a gas type ballast system. It will be a four-channel setup: rudder/propeller yaw, throttle, planes/propeller pitch, and ballast system. And I would be just plain irresponsible to not put some lights in the wheelhouse and around the saloon windows!

Many bags of goodies come with this kit. You not only get all the hull fittings, but interior furnishings for the wheelhouse and saloon. An absolutely fantastic resin kit. Lee even provides you a selection of weathering agents. Man! It just does not get any better than this!

To Be Continued!