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Nautilus kit review

From: Ron Miller <rmiller~at~crosslink.net>
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 16:10:21 +0000
To: jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il

The recently-issued "Nautilus Submarine" model kit (Revell Monogram)
is not as bad as it first appears. In fact, the packaging and
instructions are worse than the model.

The submarine itself is based on the one used in the recent
television adaptation (whichever one was the first to be broadcast--I
forget), although there is nothing whatsoever on either the box or in
the instructions to indicate this. On the other hand, the
"story" which is synopsised in the instruction booklet is based not
on the television movie but on an adaptation created for a "Crayola
Kids Adventure", an animated video I have not yet seen (it features
such novel innovations as Arronax's sister Beth and a solar-powered
Nautilus). Unfortunately, without the accompanying video (and there
is not a clue as to where it can be seen or purchased), the reader is
left with a thoroughly misshapen view of the novel.

The biographical information about Verne informs us that he "studied
law, geology, engineering and astronomy" and that 20K was written "30
years before a submarine was invented". We're told that at that time
"even electricity was a mere laboratory curiosity" and that a league
is equal to "3.5 miles".

The kit itself is not quite as bad as it first looks, if one can put
aside the inane instruction manual. While it makes
for a rather chunky Nautilus (it looks more like a stubby ocarina than
anything else), it is actually more faithful to Verne's description
than any previous movie Nautilus. Forgiving the designer the
obligatory Disneyesque sawteeth, he did give the ram the proper
triangular shape. It is also the first movie Nautilus to have the
retractable pilot house that was also a feature of the Verne
original. All in all, it looks much more like an actual Victorian submersible
than almost any other cinematic attempt to recreate the Nautilus.
Received on Sun 01 Mar 1998 - 22:11:59 IST

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