FANTASTIC VOYAGE sub "Proteus" finally released

[BijouBob8mm]

For over a year Moebius Models has been promising us the Proteus from FANTASTIC VOYAGE, yet another fantastic submarine designed by Harper Goff (who designed the Nautilus for Disney's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA...both sci-fi films directed by Richard Fleischer).  And now, this week, it's started to ship.

http://www.culttvmanshop.com/Fantastic-Voyage-Proteus-132-from-Moebius_p_3718.html

[Mike Scott]

Is this the first Proteus kit ever? Any garage kits? The only one I remember is the Aurora Proteus from the FV cartoon show.

[BijouBob8mm]

The Aurora kit was the Voyager, from the animated series.  (Unlike its big screen counterpart, the Voyager could also fly.)  Lunar Models put out a vacuum-form Proteus and (briefly) a smaller scale resin kit.  Never had the vacuum kit, but did still have that resin sub up until recently, and it looked a bit chunky.  If you drop by the Fantastic Plastic website, you can see a build of Lunar's vacuum-form Proteus and a photo of the box to its smaller resin counterpart.  (The box photo is actually a shot of the one in my collection.)   http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/proteus-from-fantastic-voyage-by-lunar-models.html

More recently, and considered the best of the bunch, was a beautiful resin kit of the Proteus from Crow's Nest.  (Now defunct, I think.)  Crew for the ship were offered separately, as was a miniaturizer base for it.  Not cheap, but a nice-size kit with amazing accuracy.  There was also a lighting kit offered for the sub and miniaturizer.

As for the new Moebius kit, it is the first licensed mass-market model ever offered of the Proteus.

[Mike Scott]

The Aurora kit was the Voyager, from the animated series.

Voyager, that's what it was! I'm gonna have to see if that show is on YouTube.

Thanks for the GK pics!

[BijouBob8mm]

Mike, I know somewhere online there are episodes of the animated FANTASTIC VOYAGE available for viewing.  There are a couple of Facebook groups dedicated to FV, and someone on one of those mentioned watching them.  (And someone online was offering a DVD set of the show, but these were sourced from old Sci-Fi Channel broadcasts, as their logo is clearly visible in one corner.)

I remember Animation Magazine did a look at the cartoon several years ago.  Somewhere around here, I have the old ViewMaster reels from the cartoon.  The reissue of the old Voyager kit is still available.  I think the CultTvMan website offers it, among others.  (There was even a limited edition glow version made!)

[Mike Scott]

Mike, I know somewhere online there are episodes of the animated FANTASTIC VOYAGE available for viewing.

If I don't see it on YT, I'll do a G search for it. I'm no megafan, just wanted to see a episode, or two.

[Mike Scott]

There's a bunch of episodes on YT.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdtzonGdr1o

[BijouBob8mm]

The Fantastic Plastic site also has a build-up of the Voyager there:

http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/fantastic-voyage-voyager-by-aurora.html

(That site is a great place to browse...lots of vintage sci-fi, real space, and concept spacecraft kits down through the ages on display there.  Really brings back the memories!)

Lunar Models also did a Voyager kit, which was pretty hefty.  Never had one, but there's a nice build of it at the CultTvMan site.

http://culttvman.com/main/mike-aucutts-voyager/

[Mike Scott]

The Fantastic Plastic site also has a build-up of the Voyager there:

There it is! Some similarities to the movie sub, but gots that big ol' tail.

[BijouBob8mm]

The Voyager wasn't offered by Aurora for very long.  BUT, even after it vanished from the shelves, the company had a stash of unsold kits on hand.  I remember, as a kid, writing them in the early to mid-Seventies and asking if they would ever reissue the Voyager.  Got a letter back telling me they had some on hand if I wanted to order one.  I think, with postage, it came to less than five bucks.  If I'd known how much those would eventually go for, years later, I might have ordered a couple of spares.    My old one was one of many sci-fi kits that got sacrificed for my 8mm filmmaking efforts.

[Mike Scott]

The Voyager wasn't offered by Aurora for very long.  BUT, even after it vanished from the shelves, the company had a stash of unsold kits on hand.

Seems like those were sold thru the Capt. Co. for years!