Moebius Models 1/32 Proteus Submarine - Fantastic Voyage Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Fantastic Voyage was a movie released in 1966 that depicts a team of surgeons using a technology that could shrink matter down to microscopic proportions to enter the brain of an injured scientist that had been injured while defecting from behind the Iron Curtain. The team use a special submarine called the Proteus to travel from their injection point in the scientist's body to his brain where micro laser surgery could be used to remove a potentially fatal blood clot. The movie had the usual espionage intrigue as well as great (for the day) special effects. For those of us who were around when the movie was first released, the film had another dimension worth noting - Raquel Welch. Who knew neoprene scuba suits could look so good?

Moebius Models had announced that Proteus was under development a few years ago to much fanfare. This kit follows a growing number of well-designed models from this company that go into subject areas where no other model company has ventured, or has gone far deeper in some cases. Take Battlestar Galactica, we have a wide variety of ships and figures from the new series as well as from the original. With Lost in Space, we have a larger and nicer Jupiter 2 plus the Chariot and Space Pod, and with Batman we have a great variety of Batmobile variants spanning the original TV series to the latest film plus a nice variety of figure kits. I could go on - Iron Man series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Munsters, and more. So with that great track record, I had high expectations for this kit and I can say that Moebius Models exceeded them!

This kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on eight parts trees plus the upper and lower hull, interior tub, and window frame, plus a tree of clear parts plus the front transparency. The detailing in the molds reveal a great deal of research into the original film set version which is nicely replicated in scale. Among the features and options:

• Highly detailed aft laboratory
• Very detailed pilot's station
• Detailed forward observation area
• Rear wall hatch to lab is positionable
• Movable bow planes
• Designed for easy lighting (not included)

The engineering of this kit is very well done, just look at the forward observation windows. The upper hull has the exterior frame molded into place, but the kit provides the interior frame as a separate part so you simply have to mask the windows and not worry about painting that clear part.

If there is one downside to the kit, little of that rear laboratory detail will be visible once the model is assembled. If you opt to leave the upper hull removable, then you'll be able to reveal that great detail back there. Alternatively, if you put lighting into the lab, you'll be able to see some of that area through an open rear wall hatch from the front windows. It is also unfortunate that the kit doesn't include figures/crew.

This is another one of those subjects I never believed would be produced in my lifetime and given the level of detail inside the hull, it would be a waste not to take the opportunity to light the interior. For those who are afraid of electrical projects, this is a perfect project for the MRC Light Genie!