Day of the Tentacle

It's always good to have a bit of variation from the norm.  I've been enjoying a slight change of direction in my own personal building, and when this kit from Pegasus first appeared, my boyhood tv memories came right back and I knew I had to have the squid and its prey......

When I started to root in the box, I realised that even though it was a good kit, it could be better.  The thing I needed to bring it to life was a lighting set.  I had a surf around, knowing that there is always someone somewhere making just what you want, no matter how obscure or arcane. VoodooFX are often the go-to guys for this, and sure enough, they offer the perfect set for illuminating my tentacle-tangled Nautilus.  I send off for it, and after a short wait the set duly arrives, amid much excitement from a grown man.  And that's when the build comes to an abrupt halt.  Circuit boards, resistors, lights and diagrams - I am all at sea.  Not for the first time, I have over-reached.  Rescue comes in the form of good friend,  model-retailer and all-round genius Mr John Guiver, who comes round to solder, drill and fix. Between us we get the lighting set integrated and John adds a bonus sound effect - sonar blips.  Yes, I know it wasn't strictly invented then but hey, this is my fantasy model, and I like the way it sounds.

Construction forges ahead, revealing stunning surface detail and not just on the sub.  The squid and its rocky base are resin and look superb. The photo-etched parts - braces, hand rails and hand grips - are easier to fit than they look.  The whole kit is a joy to build and paint.  Other Nautilus builders have chosen different colour schemes but I an enamoured with my blue squid and mineral-glinting rocks.  At £50 it's a terrific kit (though lighting was extra of course), and I was lucky to have such a helpful collaborator.  This one is definitely not for sale....