Plasticfan
Active Member
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The original ORCA from JAWS...
- Thread starter Plasticfan
- Start date
Buliwif
Active Member
You're gonna need a bigger boat.....Below is a pic of me that I photoshopped onto a close-up photo of my miniature Orca model I made back in 2013. I wish the real Orca had been as decked out as this when I got to stand on her transom back in '87!
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....slaps knee
seriously though, It's awesome that you actually got to stand on her deck before she was unceremoniously scrap heaped. Even Spielberg regrets that he didn't get to board her one last time.... and that model is absolutely beautiful work, man.
BTTFSpencer
Sr Member
I wish a man like yourself would write a book on how you go about creating these spectacular replicas so guys like myself could learn too. It isn't a model, it's a replica, it's just smaller! It looks so real!!
MoviePropCollector
Sr Member
Great pics 
. Thanks for sharing .
. Thanks for sharing .Matt Woolly
New Member
Thanks Plasticfan this post of yours describing being in the cabin etc literally gave me goosebumps. Brilliant pictures and story and I'm so glad you shared on here.
To be honest, I only became a member of this site today to leave you a comment. I'm a HUGE Jaws fan and was browsing the internet yesterday evening regarding the Orca to see if I can still snap up a piece of her as I do see people selling pieces from time to time and I stumbled across this site with your story and photos. Awesome. I remember in 94 my parents took us from England to Universal and I saw the boat then but never got on board - you were lucky! The model you made is superb too - great job. Anyways thanks again for these pics. Made my weekend
To be honest, I only became a member of this site today to leave you a comment. I'm a HUGE Jaws fan and was browsing the internet yesterday evening regarding the Orca to see if I can still snap up a piece of her as I do see people selling pieces from time to time and I stumbled across this site with your story and photos. Awesome. I remember in 94 my parents took us from England to Universal and I saw the boat then but never got on board - you were lucky! The model you made is superb too - great job. Anyways thanks again for these pics. Made my weekend
Plasticfan
Active Member
Thanks Plasticfan this post of yours describing being in the cabin etc literally gave me goosebumps. Brilliant pictures and story and I'm so glad you shared on here.
To be honest, I only became a member of this site today to leave you a comment. I'm a HUGE Jaws fan and was browsing the internet yesterday evening regarding the Orca to see if I can still snap up a piece of her as I do see people selling pieces from time to time and I stumbled across this site with your story and photos. Awesome. I remember in 94 my parents took us from England to Universal and I saw the boat then but never got on board - you were lucky! The model you made is superb too - great job. Anyways thanks again for these pics. Made my weekend
Hi Matt.
Thanks for your enthusiasm. I'm glad to know this stuff is of intense interest to some. I can sure relate! You're welcome, my friend. I am flattered that you found this post worthy of the comments you made. Here is a seldom seen still from the film that really shows the stern of Orca 2 in action... enjoy!
Matt Woolly
New Member
Thanks again for sharing this. Wow that is a good picture! I am still hunting my Orca 2 piece and have managed to find someone in the US who wants to sell their Martha's Vineyard Limited Edition so fingers crossed it all goes through. The book is great isn't it but I've always wanted the hard copy version. There is also this one here but I am really note sure about the authenticity.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/332609863010?_trksid=p2471758.m4704
Thanks for coming back to me, much appreciated
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/332609863010?_trksid=p2471758.m4704
Thanks for coming back to me, much appreciated
Plasticfan
Active Member
Thanks again for sharing this. Wow that is a good picture! I am still hunting my Orca 2 piece and have managed to find someone in the US who wants to sell their Martha's Vineyard Limited Edition so fingers crossed it all goes through. The book is great isn't it but I've always wanted the hard copy version. There is also this one here but I am really note sure about the authenticity.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/332609863010?_trksid=p2471758.m4704
Thanks for coming back to me, much appreciated
No problem. Hope you are able to get what you are looking for.
danzig
Active Member
Im guessing plasticfan is my old buddy Erik H.? How you been?Amazing pics.Thanks so much for sharing.Post more when you can.These are great!
ConvergencePro
Master Member
God it's hard every time I see photos of her so low in the water like that.... She looks completely flooded in the lower cabin and this must have been taken just after her keel broke as you can see the bow planks starting to crack and splay out...
And yes, the value this prop would have today just as film history alone is something unimaginable. Almost as unimaginable as what actually happened to the ORCA, may she rest in peace
enjaypee
Active Member
What’s interesting about the shots of the Orca on the backlot are all the missing fixtures and fittings. Somebody, somewhere has the table from the cabin, the winch from the mast, the wheels and dials from her helm, the portholes from her lower cabin etc. I’m sure one day, some of these things will come to light.
The boat was sold off to a local buyer right after filming wrapped. Then a year later when the movie had become a huge hit, the studio bought it back again (with a heavy price markup!) for the backlot tour. But the private owner had already de-ORCA'd it for his own use by then. So the studio hastily re-dressed it for the backlot display and it never regained most of the movie details.
That poor boat was doomed once they put it into the backlot lake for display. You can't do that with old wooden-hulled boats and just leave them for years at a time. They studio really should have built a fake mockup of it for the backlot, especially considering the higher price that the private owner charged them to sell it back.
They could have retrieved the fiberglass Orca#2 shell and dressed it out for the backlot display. That would have been smarter and probably cheaper. Fiberglass doesn't rot or rust.
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enjaypee
Active Member
Yep. The new owners of the Orca even sailed it off the west coast. Pretty cool story to tell people after the fact. I think if I had been offered a crazy amount I would’ve still kept it haha. Yep it would’ve made sense to use the fibreglass hull although it would’ve meant hauling something built on the east coast all the way to the west coast. When you look at how much Lynn Murphy bought the remnants on the effects barge, the shark barges and the Orca II for, you quickly see how little Universal valued those items.
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enjaypee
Active Member
Orca 1 photo dump including the 24” propeller owned by Steven Spielberg.
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danzig
Active Member
In addition to the photos above shared by "enjaypee",Ill share the remainder from that set.These were taken by the Orca's former owner,Alan Aquino back in 74' after filming wrapped up.He and his friend Jerry were stage hands on Jaws and purchased the Orca and restored it on the old Giligans Island set on the Universal backlot.Alan was kind enough to send me (a total stranger at that time) his negatives back in 2010,which I developed on his behalf.Alan became a good friend over the years and provided me many great stories about his time with the Orca and info on the Orca.Sadly he passed away in 2021.Before he passed he mentioned he found another batch of negatives in a closet at his moms house.Luckily another friend of Alans obtained the pics before he passed away and is supposed to send them to me one of these days.So if/when that happens I will share them here.In the meantime,heres a few more from the original set of pics,along with a screen grab of Alans obituary.
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