James Bond S1

[Andyww 1,278]

1 hour ago, Paul Coleman said:

 The original poster was rightly stating that some of the shots were of a model but then somebody else misread what he wrote and interpreted it as though he was saying it was all done with models 

Well that was me as you probably know, and the argument started out, not from the poster but the link which he posted which stated:

"Today’s clip from THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) features one of 007’s most iconic cars – the Lotus Esprit S1 affectionately known as “Wet Nellie”. For the underwater sequences, a miniature Lotus was guided through the clear waters of the Bahamas on ultra-thin wires."

It was that which prompted me to post my original comment on that thread. The sub was not mentioned at all. I cant really understand why everyone else does not see anything wrong with the statement. Its as if the sub never existed. OK the engineer in me maybe causes me to be pedantic about accuracy but I make no apology for that.

[Lotusfab 3,192]

Well I'm glad we sorted all that and got lots of great pictures I have never seen before!

Right now who said the ski racks were Balsa wood!

[LOTUSMAN33 1,458]

You have to admire the model making which makes these movies classics like the cars we love, this is why you can’t beat the original three Star Wars motion pictures.

Modern CGI is really impressive and almost perfect these days allowing the imagination to run wild but the green screen work for the actors can’t be half as much fun not being on location.

Dave  

[James.007 14]

Yes, it was good to see all the posts. 

Balsa wood is used as a sandwich or core material in laminates, so possibly. But your racks are very nice and an excellent piece of workmanship. 

[LOTUSMAN33 1,458]

Some more great underwater shots

Dave  

[Lotusfab 3,192]

Where did tou get the pics?

[cweeden 172]

And what idiot opened the doors underwater??? 

[LOTUSMAN33 1,458]

I found them online when searching for the article about finding the prop wet Nellie in the Bahamas painted red covered in fairy lights. I remember reading it years ago how they negotiated the sale from a restaurant/bar owner.

Dave  

[RichardJGC 372]

Loving all these photos!

Am curious about the black strips under each side.

[Fridge 955]

5 minutes ago, RichardJGC said:

Loving all these photos!

Am curious about the black strips under each side.

Yes, I'd not noticed those before. They'll be skids I assume. The divers struggled to manoeuvre the mini-sub, and I suppose it had to be made to be able to rest on the seabed at time whilst shots were set up etc. Not all of the wet-subs had them of course, as the dummy used to drop the mine was smooth underneath of course.

To reiterate to the point of obsession, there really was more than one of these props made, but only one 2-man wet sub version as I understand it.

The museum and Bond in Motion displays you see are mainly all copies. With varying degrees of accuracy. Even compared to the film prop, not the Esprit.

[Andyww 1,278]

37 minutes ago, Fridge said:

 

The museum and Bond in Motion displays you see are mainly all copies. With varying degrees of accuracy. Even compared to the film prop, not the Esprit.

Indeed, in fact its clear they are fake as they are too good! The sub after movie use is pictured as looking really knackered.

[Fridge 955]

Just now, Andyww said:

Indeed, in fact its clear they are fake as they are too good! The sub after movie use is pictured as looking really knackered.

Yes, and in fact, apart from miniatures which are almost always highly detailed and not exactly miniature - most are pretty big, as otherwise they do look like models, full-sized props are often quite makeshift. Like film sets. Just facades really. They have a very limited lifespan and are often destroyed after film production ceases. Such as the vehicles used in Bladerunner for instance.

Which is why it amuses me when car enthusiasts complain about details. Especially films made before the wide scale use of home video, when scenes were seconds long, and not seen again.

It would not surprise me if the ski racks on the Bond ET were simple balsawood cored mock-ups with boot laces or whatever. They were never meant to be anything more than a prop, and not for practical use.

[Andyww 1,278]

As a huge Gerry Anderson fan, One of the best examples of that are the 2 cars used in UFO.

They looked great but were only just driveable for short distances apparently in a straight line otherwise they fell apart. The gull-wing doors had no struts and had to be opened by the crew and held open out of shot. Ed Strakers car was found in a garden as an empty shell, someone bought it but dont think it was ever restored.

 

[Fridge 955]

This was one of our miniatures. Created to composite into a scene with CGI elements. It's often found that mixing miniatures and live action with CGI elements works best. As there is an added realness to scenes. Compared to purely animated scenes. Titanic is a good comparison, which used a mix of purely CGI which now looks dated, and live action, on huge film sets based in Spain.

1 minute ago, Andyww said:

As a huge Gerry Anderson fan, One of the best examples of that are the 2 cars used in UFO.

They looked great but were only just driveable for short distances apparently in a straight line otherwise they fell apart. The gull-wing doors had no struts and had to be opened by the crew and held open out of shot. Ed Strakers car was found in a garden as an empty shell, someone bought it but dont think it was ever restored.

 

It was used to create a mold of the body shell. Though as you say, I'm not sure if it was ever completed. The fella got a lot of flak from purests, who've probably never took a car apart before.

I actually saw that car when it was on a tour of Ford dealerships in the 1970s. It was quite basic even for then. With switches made from bottle tops etc. Still cool. And more importantly, worked as it was intended, as a prop.

 

[Lotusfab 3,192]

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Fridge said:

Yes, and in fact, apart from miniatures which are almost always highly detailed and not exactly miniature - most are pretty big, as otherwise they do look like models, full-sized props are often quite makeshift. Like film sets. Just facades really. They have a very limited lifespan and are often destroyed after film production ceases. Such as the vehicles used in Bladerunner for instance.

Which is why it amuses me when car enthusiasts complain about details. Especially films made before the wide scale use of home video, when scenes were seconds long, and not seen again.

It would not surprise me if the ski racks on the Bond ET were simple balsawood cored mock-ups with boot laces or whatever. They were never meant to be anything more than a prop, and not for practical use.

Don't even go there!

[Advantage 910]

Meant to post this up the other day (it was buried deep inside the harddrive of a very dusty pc) and is a photo of a photo from some publicity bumf. If you hold your hands over your eyes you can't see the wires...  

 

[Andyww 1,278]

Looking at the footage for the 93rd time, the final underwater shot is interesting.

The door seems to have come slightly open and there is an extra fin on the RH door. This is not on the left side.

The waistline trim has come off at the front. Common issue!

 

[Lotusfab 3,192]

Amazing what still pictures show. When I watched it I totally missed the trim!  

Edited April 16, 2020 by Bibs

[Fridge 955]

I am genuinely surprised that you guys who are fixated on the Esprit in Bond films and such like have not spotted these things previously.

I mentioned the door thing above, or in the Facebook comments. I assume it is a safety device, like a diver latch to release the door. As I suspect the Wilmott-Breedon door handles were deemed inadequate for marine use, from a safety point of view. I cannot see it being a vane or strake for trim purposes.

That door opening has always been visible, even when I was a kid watching this.

Have you noticed the screw holes in the headlining above the driver's door if the Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger? The sun visors being removed to aid the exterior shots of the actor in the driving scenes no doubt. Similar mistakes are present in Skyfall.

[Choppa 214]

7 hours ago, Andyww said:

 

I've spent the last couple of minutes trying to get this video to play

 

[Lotusfab 3,192]

59 minutes ago, Choppa said:

I've spent the last couple of minutes trying to get this video to play

 

Think its a screenshot

[Choppa 214]

30 minutes ago, Lotusfab said:

Think its a screenshot

You don't say !!

[williamtherebel 415]

1 hour ago, Choppa said:

I've spent the last couple of minutes trying to get this video to play

 

Me too!! 

[Lotusfab 3,192]

For the S1 owner currently in lockdown!

https://www.jumbliesmodels.com/radio-controlled-c36/cars-c38/james-bond-lotus-esprit-s1-the-spy-who-loved-me-mi6-r-c-p5209

 

[jep 853]

https://www.lotuscars.com/build-esprit-s1/?fbclid=IwAR2xZegelDnRXKCyeNxfwRORTt8dATZKnqBsjm9iSYOj-RBOmPfbE3mTvNo

Wet Nellie