WILLIAM BABINGTON
A brief look at one of the most widely-known NAUTILUS
modelers around.
Will and his favorite subject, the original 11-foot Disney SFX
Model. Working for Disney in Florida,
Will has access to the model, and uses information gained through direct study
of this prop to produce replicas that are as accurate as he can possibly make
them.
Will sent me this picture several years ago; it’s his prototype
4-footer. May we one day see this model
resurrected? Could be, but you’ll have
to ask Will.
William Babington produced the 7-footer that was marketed briefly
back in the latter 1990’s. Here’s a pic
of Will and the prototype under construction.
I recall him saying this photo was taken about the time all the rivets
were finally done. That’s gotta
be a time every NAUTILUS modeler looks forward to!
Here’s a side view of
Will’s first 7-footer. (I say first
because he’s working on an improved version of it at the time of this
writing.) Most of us thought this model
was mighty good, but Will wasn’t satisfied.
“The side panels on the alligator lights are wrong,” he’d say. I’m advised the new one will be better, but
hey! This aint bad! ;-)
An in-process shot of Will with his new-and-improved 7-footer. I have many shots of this model, but I don’t
want to disclose them until Will does.
Here’s another in-process
shot of the new 7-footer, authorized for publication.
Big, small, Will does ‘em all.
This one is about 6 inches long and was one of Will’s first NAUTILUS replicas. Despite the diminutive dimensions, there is
great attention to detail.
Here’s another look at the
1:356 scale NAUTILUS, and the detailing is even more apparent.
I think for this model,
Will must have used Protons as rivet heads!
;-)
Will’s also doing a replica of Harper Goff’s original NAUTILUS
concept model, from which the Disney Art Department eventually engendered the
screen version. Here’s a look at the drawing
for the Goff NAUTILUS, and one of Will’s replicas in process.
This is another, larger Goff NAUTILUS in process. What you are looking at is a framework of
the silhouette and lofts, cut from acrylic and assembled together to form the
framework.
The next step in the process is filling in the lofts with foam and
forming it to the proper contour. We’re
expecting to see this model completed and offered for sale. Amongst Leaguers, it’s a very popular
subject.
This is the Artist’s Proof of the Disney 50th
Anniversary 1:96 NAUTILUS replica, developed by Will Babington and Richard
Allsmiller. Versions of this model will
go on sale at Disney outlets around the beginning of March, 2004.
A close-up of the 1:96 scale replica, to give an idea of the
detailing. In this view, the interior
lights are on. The light switch is
operated by sliding the skiff forward or aft.
Here’s a photo comparison of the original Disney 11-foot SFX model,
and the Artist’s Proof for the new Official 50th Anniversary
NAUTILUS replica.
(Photos courtesy Will
Babington)