As a therapeutic side project, I’ve started building a 1:32 scale model of the Proteus submarine from Fantastic Voyage. The military miniaturized this vessel and its crew, and injected it into the body of a Cold War scientist to dissolve a blood clot in his brain.

The movie featured Donald Pleasence and Rachel Welch, but the real stars were this prop and the OSCAR-winning special effects. The Proteus raced against the clock, traveling through the various systems of the human body, including the heart, lungs and brain. The crew even had to fend off attacking antibodies in one of the more memorable scenes.

I used to build lots of models as a kid, and all the tricks are coming back to me. The biggest challenge is that my eyesight and hand-eye coordination is not quite the same. But I have a lighted magnifying glass and make simple jigs out of common household items like Scotch tape, Q-Tips, toothpicks and waxed paper.

So far so good. I just finished the hull’s paint job. It’ll look like these photos when it’s all done, and then I’ll find a way to showcase it in the RETROvan.

This afternoon I’ll get back to buffing and polishing. Cringe.