There were at
least four different studio models of Stingray built.
These models were about 3 feet long, 2 feet long, 14
inches long, and 8 or 6 inches long. All of the Stingray
models were made predominantly from solid balsa wood and
all but the smallest model were hollowed to make room for
lighting gear and various moving parts. Legend has it
that the 'contra rotating eddy damper' (that clear thing
on the back of Stingray) on one of the larger models was
made from a transparent bath tap!
Aquasprite
The Aquasprite is
a one-man 'dry' submarine that was seen in 'The Golden
Sea'. The Stingray submarine carries two Aquasprites in
recesses located on either side of the upper hull behind
the forward hydroplanes. The Aquasprite was a simple
balsa wood model that was fitted with a transparent
cockpit canopy made from thermoformed plastic. It was
common practice to make the figures seen in model
vehicles out of plasticine clay. Thus, the aquanaut
piloting this Aquasprite is probably made of painted
plasticine.
WSP
Sea Probe
The Seaprobe is
one member of a large class of submarines used by the
World Security Patrol to guard the sea lanes. The actual
models (there were probably more than one) appear to have
been made from Aurora, Revell, or Monogram USS Nautilus
nuclear submarine kits. These kits appear to have been
assembled with few, if any, modifications. WSP Seaprobe
class submarines were featured in the Stingray pilot
episode and in 'A Nut For Marineville'.
Downbeat Submarine
The Downbeat
provides transportation for the official WASP band. This
model was about 16 to 18 inches long. It had a hull and
conning tower made from balsa wood with side pipes made
from plastic tubing. The wooden conning tower was
detailed with rivets made from common pins and decals
from a USAF Thunderbirds flight demonstration team
aircraft kit. The nose of the sub was decorated with
flame decals from a hot rod car kit. The Downbeat was
featured in 'Tune of Danger'.
WSP Guard Submarine
Here is the WSP
guard submarine that Commander Shore was piloting during
the undersea battle in which he lost the use of his legs.
Seen only in 'The Ghost of the Sea', this small 10 to 14
inch long model was made primarily of balsa wood and
appears to have used an engine from a B-58 'Hustler' kit.
It is quite possible that this model was a modification
of Master Astronaut Kelly's light patrol craft seen in
the Fireball XL5 episode 'Sabotage'.
WN27 Submarine
This is Captain
Jordan's submarine, the WN27, as seen in 'The Man from
the Navy'. The actual model was about 12 inches long and
had a hull made from a toy or kit midget racing car. The
car body is turned back-to-front and the front of the
conning tower fits into what would be the back of the
driver's cockpit. This model was dressed up with Airfix
SRN1 hovercraft kit turbine parts and repainted bright
orange for use in the Thunderbirds episode 'The Man from
MI5'.
Hepcat Submarine
The Hepcat was
featured in 'Raptures of the Deep'. This 10 to 14 inch
model was made mainly from balsa wood and detailed with
plastic aircraft kit fins. The markings on the fins are
USAF Thunderbirds aerobatic team aircraft kit decals. The
full scale puppet sized Hepcat cockpit set used the
canopy from Supercar. The model Hepcat may have used a
recycled Supercar canopy too. The Hepcat may have been
rebuilt from the yellow submarine seen in 'Ghost of the
Sea' and 'Invisible Enemy'.
2003 Archive 
