Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Bill Cotter's Flying Sub.

Back in the 70s and 80s I was writing a number of articles for STARLOG, which included their first Voyage coverage. As part of these articles I covered an auction of movie props in 1980. One of the props for sale was a Flying Sub, and although I didn't attend with the plan to buy anything I started bidding.  When I finally decided it had gotten too high I dropped out and let the only other bidder at that point to enjoy the thrill of victory. Things soon got better, though, when someone approached me at the auction and asked if I wanted to buy one from him. It turns out this was Greg Jein, a well-known model maker who had bought the remnants of the model shop when Fox closed it down.

Well, yes, I did want one, especially as his price was lower than the auction, so that Saturday I met him at his warehouse and picked out my sub. He actually had several, and the original molds for them! It was a real thrill to carry it out to the car, for I had never imagined I would actually own a piece of history like this.

My FS-1 was used for the scenes where the sub hits or launches out of the water, so it has a solid front, no interior. At one time it had a smoke generator to simulate battle damage but that was removed before I got it. It needs a bit of work - the rear hatch and the top hatch are missing - but overall it's in good shape. It has a spot of honor in my library. I've had numerous offers to sell it but so far no one has made me the offer not to be refused. Regards, Bill Cotter.   Interested in more photos of the Flying Sub and Seaview Models?  Check out Bill's web site.  Billcotter.com