Just a small update for those still following this, My Mom passed away about a month ago.I will try to get back to this soon, as I have been invited to share some of my work with the IPMS chapter here in Puerto Rico,which I have joined.I got my PE and decal sets from PGM systems and will now incorparate these items into the build.That means a reworking of the interior panels.Thank you for your support.

My life is on its way,all my stuff,my car is somewhere en route to my home.......well,at least my Flying Subs got here undamaged.See you soon, I hope.alex

Sorry for not posting............life has gotten in the way of modelling.I am in the process of packing to move to Puerto Rico to care take my mother.I hope to resume this blog by late August,once I'm settled and have a good internet connection.I am building my second Flying Sub which will be my personal build,I plan to replicate the 3' filming miniature,with the body shading and the different back end.I will try to post some pictures when I can.alexander

Now that the model is showing up in stores,I want to share some building observations that I came across during my build.The shells have some parting lines that should be addressed,mainly toward the back fins and lower struts,and on the edge of the shell itself.In hindsight,I should have painted the inside front bulkhead(where the window glass and headlights go)the back bulkhead,and the lower docking ring separately.The interior shells should be painted in a light blocking color first,I chose Tamiya Flat Aluminium. The other thing I though of afterwords is that I should have painted the blue stripes on the body,let dry and masked them off and THEN painted the body with the main color,duh!These step would have made the process much easier.

Now it's time for the walls of the interior.Depending on who you talk to,the main color of the walls are either tan or grey,I chose Deck Tan by Tamiya.I painted all the walls with it,only to realize later that I should have painted the control panels first,and then mask them off and spray the Deck Tan.Oh well,that's what old age does to you.The control panels were shot with Dark Ghost Grey from Testors,the two small boxes were painted with Tamiya Metallic Grey.The bunk cabinets were painted Aluminium Non Buffing Metalizer from Testors,and the bed painted Semi Gloss Black from Tamiya.The door was also painted Tamiya Metallic Grey.The hatch wheel actually turns,a brass pin and tube is all you need.I used steel nails for the hinges instead of the plastic pins provided.Now it's time to do all the detail work on all the control panels.

Once the floor is painted,it is time to construct the girder framework.A lot of sanding to get rid of the mold lines,and they are ready to attach to the floor.There are four long ones and two short ones that go toward the front,by the windows.One of the long ones has a stud on the inside,this is to mount one of the two fire extinguishers,and has a corresponding slot in the floor.I placed the girders in their slots and cemented the ring with Ten-X,which gives me a nice strong joint.I then added the outside ring segments to the framework,and let it dry for an hour or so.I carefully pushed the whole framework off the floor plate.I painted the whole thing Tamiya metallic grey,a nice darker color than silver.When dry,I placed the framework back on the floor and glued it from the underside.I use Testors Liquid Cement,in the black plastic bottle,one of the best products ever produced.A cross between the Tube glue and the liquid cement,it has the perfect consistency to control.

The seats are made of eleven parts,and are beautiful little gems.After looking at some reference material and some screen caps of the show,I choose a color for the back end shell.Testors Pontiac Engine Blue Metallic was my choice.The seat post,and cushions and arm rests are Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black,the handles are Gloss Black,the seat belt are Flat Black with Silver trim.Note:There is a missing cross bar on the back of the seat,It should make a square that is the center of the back plate,and can be an easy fix.I don't know if this has been corrected,we must wait to see a production sample.

The Flying Sub comes with a stand,an exact reproduction of the Aurora stand.What a nice touch!I wanted to be able to put it on the stand or play,yes play with it!I came up with a solution that seems to be a trend in modelling recently,using magnets.I embedded a square of metal sheet in the lower hatch ring,and carved a recess for a magnet in the hatch itself.There is a plug which goes in the recess where the hatch goes,and that attaches to the stand.Now I can display it on the stand or do the diving shots in my tub!

This is a very well engineered model kit.It was made with a lot of for thought and ease of building for the modeller.The floor plate is of clear plastic,to be able to light the three hexagon panels from underneath.I first masked the panels with a liquid masking medium and painted the plate Intermediate Blue in the Model Masters line,and was rewarded with paint leaks.After stripping the piece with my favorite product, Testors Easy Lift Off,I used Tamiya masking tape(which I should of used in the first place!)cut the shapes out,shot the plate with two coats of Flat Black(I have several bottles of Pactra Flat Black Acrylic Paint,that's my favorite,and no longer made)to eliminate light leaks,and painted two coats of the Blue.Once dry,I peeled the tape off to admire my beautiful hexagons,nice and clean.I painted the underside with Tamiya Clear Yellow,and the seat plates,Tamiya Semi-gloss Black,and the front of the plate Tamiya Deck Tan,which is the overall color for the interior walls.The floor was then clear coated with Krylon Clear Satin for a nice sheen.

Next step is to find a color that would closely match the filming miniature,and looking at the hobby paints available,I decided to go outside the hobby for a match.I am a big proponent of using products made specific for models and model making,but with one caveat,if you cant find what you need in those products then look outside the hobby.I took a part of my Aurora/Monogram Flying Sub to my local Home Depot,and found a color that closely matched my part and the color of the shells on the new model.RUST-OLEUM Painter's Touch Gloss,has a color named Marigold.It matches the plastic color of the shells that you cant tell the painted part from the plastic!A few light coats about a half hour apart,and a final wet coat and it was done.Note:I glued the window part to the bottom shell piece,so that i could lift the top shell off to display the interior.The docking ring and stripe color was chosen from the Testors Model Masters Enamel line:Ford&GM Engine Blue,which seems right to me.

This is the building guide for the Moebius Flying Sub model. I got a test shot of the model in early January.The first thing to do was to look at all the parts.Some parts were missing or wrong,like two right clear window inserts and a missing door.The window would be replaced with acetate and the door was borrowed from another modeller and cast from his part.Next,to find the right color for the body.