Cookson Adventures: Submersible

Client Name: Cookson Adventures
Ship Model Name: Cruise Sub 7
Number of Models: 1
Size of Model: 14 cm
Scale of Model: 1 to 30

Cookson Adventures, established in 2009, have a principle aim of offering their customers a unique tailor-made adventure. It could span multiple continents and landscapes, from the icy plains of the Antarctic to the forest-filled lands of Scandinavia. Crossing the globe using a whole variety of transport, from horseback to submarine, Cookson presents a truly exclusive experience like no other.

Cookson wanted to gift one of their customers with a replica model of a submersible the client had used to travel the Antarctic. The customer treasured their adventure so highly that they ended up purchasing the real submersible for themselves . Cookson required the model to be desktop size and ideally in a scale of 1 to 24. They required the interior cockpit to be visible, meaning that the dome covering the cockpit had to be transparent. 

As the model was to be built in a small size with such high detail (including interior detail), we decided it was best to use 3D printing. The first step was to contact the manufacturer of the submersible to see if we could obtain plans. Having found out that plans were available in 3D we decided they were not suitable as we needed to print the model in separate pieces and the plans provided only allowed us to print as a single piece.

This meant we used the plans provided by the manufacturer along with pictures of the real ship to create new 3D plans that would allow us to print in separate pieces (50 pieces). We used these new plans to put a 3D render together to be approved by Cookson before we started printing. The model was printed in separate pieces before assembling and finishing it.

The most challenging part of the build was the transparent dome. We had three options available to us; 1) we could 3D print the dome using clear resin but this wasn’t clear enough 2) use a plastic mould, which gave us the transparency required but as it was made from two pieces meant there was a join line down the middle 3) make the dome from glass, the option we ended up choosing, using a repurposed lightbulb to create the dome.

The model was successfully completed with all the necessary detail including the transparent dome in the correct size. In the end, the model was a Scale of 1 to 30 and had a total length of 14 cm. The client was pleased with the results and we are currently in talks with them to produce additional models for marketing purposes.