Indiana Jones or Raiders Submarine Model

Corellianexports

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I've been playing the Indiana Jones Lego game recently and came across a large, all lego submarine (Raiders) within the game. I thought it would be a neat idea to try and reconstruct it. Searching the internet, I came across this:

http://www.rc-sub.com/indysub.html

Appearantly, the actual studio scale model is up for sale! Any one else have some nice photos or screen caps of this model? Thanks. :)
 
didn't they borrow the actual 1/1 sub from the filming of das boot or something?
what ever happened to that beauty

Dana


Yes they did. If I am not mistaken the production was shut down at the time due to financial issues (open to correction) which allowed Lucas to use the "sub".
 
That model has been up for sale before.
It doesn't match the model used in Raiders.
These are the only pix of the model I have, notice the details and conning tower are different.
413273349_916d703a50_o.jpg

shot0035.png


Even this model doesn't match the full set piece based on a Type VIIC.

shot0028.png
 
The description in the for sale page is a tad wrong. It is from Raiders though !!

Btw, first off, this same sub model, was offered on ebay in oct or nov 2007 for the sum of USD$5000,-. The pics from that auction showed the same model in the same location. Apparently nothing really changed. It didn't sell back then.

The 27ft sub model was build by Greg Jein and team for Spielberg's '1941'. A japanese sub. It was then subsequently used by ILM as the VIIc sub, a German sub, for Raiders of the Lost Ark. The japanese conning tower was replaced with a more German one, and it got a new coat of paint. I have extensively researched the VIIc sub in general for a modelproject, and the hull of this submodel was hardly changed at all. It's completely the japanese sub. Just a german tower.

The model in the pictures shows the original japanese 1941 conning tower. The German one is not there. Many details are broken off, and overall the model is not in a very good state. Don't forget this thing ways a ton. The moving cart looks to be the original cradle from it's ILM heydays, but it has some broken wheels.

Nice to call it a Raiders sub, but what you have here is more a "1941" sub.

My 2.0 cts

Cheers,

Wasili
 
So why do the flood holes differ?
And since Raiders was made later wouldn't it have the German Tower with it.

Comparing the 2 photos the decking around the gun area and hatch match but the side details don't, unless it was reworked a number of times for different films.
 
Last edited:
As for the 1941 submodel:

I went back and looked over my research for this sub model. When it was offered the first time, i got all info i could get on 1941 and tried to match it. There are a number of shots in the 'Making of 1941' book (excellent pics in there, nice overall book anyway), and i could match the submodel offered on ebay and now again in the link above. It is the same model, down to the rivet. There were 5 pics with the original ebay auctions, and one of them was slightly different from the one in the RC link. One pic showed the conning tower as a seperate piece lying on the floor, complete with decksection.

As for the Raiders submodel:

Completely forget the full-size set. That was build for Das Boot, as mentioned above. Only the full-size Das Boot set was used, as it was shot nearby the Raiders location. The Das Boot miniatures were filmed in a different location.

The uBoat model pictured above in your post, with Richard Edlund at the dock shows the starboard side of the model. That side was never changed. It is the japanese side of the model. It matches it in every way. A VIIc has very distinctive saddle tanks (see your full-size Das Boot set picture) which are not present on the Japanese submodel. What was changed for the Raiders shot was the port side hull. An area aft of the front torpedoes (you can see two rows of 5 floodgates), all the way to the back of the hull, was redressed to look like a VIIc sub. The breakwater extensions around the gun area were added, to make it look like a VIIc sub.

Both the breakwater extensions and the floodgates are very distintive for a VIIC sub. The saddletanks are underwater, so why bother to change those for a short shot in Raiders. Since the conning tower was seperate, it was easy to replace it with a German VIIc tower. The deck itself was not changed, as can be seen in your Edlnd pic.

Btw, the cradle says "ILM/A-Team", and the model is located very near to San Francisco. Although that doesn't exclude anything, i thought it interesting at the time.

Cheers,

Wasili
 
Thanks for your input.:)

As for the details of a real Type VII and Das Boot set piece, I've been looking at thousands of pix and research threads on them over the past few years so I'm well aware of many of the details.
The only Japanese sub I've really looked at is the I-400.

I have a 1/72 Type VII sitting here waiting to be built, after my Gato's finished.
 
With respect to the US and UK submariner, but i thought the German and Japanese WW2 subs looked the coolest of all.

1/72nd ? Not the Revell hopefully ? That one is so incredibly poor in accuracy. The only thing correct in it is the shape of the hull, based on the shipyard hulllines. There are a few PE sets for it, and plenty of sites that address it's issues, but i'm sure you're aware of that.

Anyway, Raiders.....

Cheers,

Wasili
 
With respect to the US and UK submariner, but i thought the German and Japanese WW2 subs looked the coolest of all.

1/72nd ? Not the Revell hopefully ? That one is so incredibly poor in accuracy. The only thing correct in it is the shape of the hull, based on the shipyard hulllines. There are a few PE sets for it, and plenty of sites that address it's issues, but i'm sure you're aware of that.

Anyway, Raiders.....

Cheers,

Wasili

With a bit of work, the Revell it's a beautiful kit ! And it's the best at this scale (and at this price, what was the cost of the Amati ? ). I have the Eduard PE and the wooden hollowed deck and that's a real nice addition to the kit !
 
With a bit of work, the Revell it's a beautiful kit ! And it's the best at this scale (and at this price, what was the cost of the Amati ? ). I have the Eduard PE and the wooden hollowed deck and that's a real nice addition to the kit !

Hey Julien,

Oh, the Revell builds into a nice model, only thing it's not accurate at all. When you start comparing the kit with pics of the real deal and available historical blueprints of the VIIc, you'll find out Revell only used the extensive hull lines that were published in the 70's, as the hull of the kit is dead on. All other vintage blueprints show different versions of the sub, or preliminary VIIc versions with slightly different conning towers.

All details on the Revell, and i mean really everything is not simply not accurate. Eduard's PE set are very nice, but historically not that accurate either.

Sorry, i know it sounds very arrogant, but i spent 6 months last year, pouring over 1000's of pics every single day, prototyping a 1/87 kit master.

If you want a nice VIIc submodel, go for it, but if your shooting for deadon accuracy, you'll pass on it. It's like using the vintage Kenner X-wing as the basis for a studio-scale replica.

Regardless, would love to see pics of your buildup...

My 2cnts.

Cheers,

Wasili
 
Hey Julien,

Oh, the Revell builds into a nice model, only thing it's not accurate at all. When you start comparing the kit with pics of the real deal and available historical blueprints of the VIIc, you'll find out Revell only used the extensive hull lines that were published in the 70's, as the hull of the kit is dead on. All other vintage blueprints show different versions of the sub, or preliminary VIIc versions with slightly different conning towers.

All details on the Revell, and i mean really everything is not simply not accurate. Eduard's PE set are very nice, but historically not that accurate either.

Sorry, i know it sounds very arrogant, but i spent 6 months last year, pouring over 1000's of pics every single day, prototyping a 1/87 kit master.

If you want a nice VIIc submodel, go for it, but if your shooting for deadon accuracy, you'll pass on it. It's like using the vintage Kenner X-wing as the basis for a studio-scale replica.

Regardless, would love to see pics of your buildup...

My 2cnts.

Cheers,

Wasili

No no you're not arrogant, you're right and I cant agree more. The main problem to do a kit of the VIIC is that none of them were exactly the same.
Conning tower, flood holes, various accessories, saddle tanks welding lines etc, none of them was identical to another, even when built at the same shipyards !
I too spent a year of my life studing the VIIC as it's for me most beautiful submarine ever done, and my choice was the U-554. Not much ref on it, but I loved it's camo !
 
I used to work for the guy in S.F. that owned this right around 2001. I remember having to move it a few times and remember it being all of 1000lbs. There was never any extra parts or anything with it. Just the Japanese conning tower and hull. I was told it was found in a junk yard "i believe" by him or someone he knows were it had sat ever since ILM decided to get rid of it. It is very very rough on the outside and could really use a makeover. It has been modified more than once judging by the paintwork I observed on it. And if the story I was told is correct it was used in Indy after being built for 1941. There was some paperwork he had with it showing it's contruction and a few film shots "i think". He must have sold it to the current owner seeing his shop closed down years ago and I couldn't see him keeping it. He had a few other ILM pieces in his collection as well seeing the studio wasn't far away. Be kinda cool to fix this thing up and put it out to sail.
 
This thread is more than 13 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top