Updated: August 26, 2023

Yes! These are the original miniature props used on "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" TV series from 1964-1968! No! I don't own them either, but boy I wish I did. I guess I can't have it all right? I recently met a gentleman on eBay named, Bill Cotter of Mission Hills California. Bill and friend ( Mike Clark Producer of Bob May Robot Video's ) had a press meeting at Irwin Allen's office at Warner Bros. in 1979.

It was there that Bill saw these original minature props of Mr. Allen's loved TV show. He asked if he could take photos of his props. Irwin replied, "Sure, but please take them out of the office for I am going to have several meetings in here shortly!" Bill & Mike quickly took the props out of the office into a sound stage to take some photos of these neat props. They also had the pleasure to go into Greg Jeins wherehouse, where additional props such as the larger Flying Sub was present. For those that don't know, Greg Jein is a prop builder and owns the original Jupiter-2 on the launch site ( Pilot Episode ) and restoried the original B-9 Robot for Kevin Burns. Greg also owns the stunt B-9 Robot from LIS. After several e-mails to Bill, he was very kind to send me a CD of never seen photos of these rare props. This may be the very first look at these props in nearly fourty years!

Bill is also looking for additional photos for me to post on our website for the fans enjoyment. After people have seen our website, more people are coming out of closet cleaning & sharing there photos, collections, etc. here on our website. It is unknown where these props are today?

Note that the larger Flying Sub photos were taken at the 20th Century Fox back lot, years later when Irwin Allen left the studio. The Seaview measures 4 feet long, and notice the early design of the front viewport windows. The Flying Sub measures about 20" across. It is a shame that these props are not shared with the fans of the world.

This is one thing I believe in very strongly. Private collectors should also share the enjoyment of these props with others. I guess some collectors get fed up with the e-mails and phone call about these props. But owning such props also comes responsibilty of having such items. Anything that I own or purchase in the near future will always be shared on this website.

Again, many thanks to Bill Cotter & Mike Clark for these great photos!

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea photos of Production Miniatures:

By Bill Cotter:

Back in 1979 I proposed an article on Irwin Allen's series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" to Starlog magazine. Happily they agreed and my partner, Mike Clark, and I went off on a search for the people behind the film and the TV series. Along the way we discovered that an executive at 20th Century Fox had two of the original miniatures from the show on display in his office. These were two of the smaller models, the four-foot Seaview and one of the Flying Subs. Both were mounted on wooden bases and sitting on a shelf in the office.

We asked if we could photograph the miniatures and were told yes, but not in the office as it was too crowded. Instead, we were offered the use of a soundstage as long as we didn't get in anyone's way. I still remember the thrill of walking across the Fox lot carrying the Seaview in front of me. I can also remember a mad desire to jump in the car and never head back!

Mike and I photographed the miniatures from a variety of angles and under some very hectic conditions. The stage was being prepped for the studio's Christmas party and there were ladders and workmen everywhere. The people working on the stage weren't thrilled about us being in the middle of it all, so we were only able to get one quick roll of photos. Evidently these miniatures have long since gone missing, so this is a chance to see the only photos of them that I know of?

In addition, there are pictures of Irwin Allen in his office at Warner Bros. during our interview for the article, as well as shots of a large-size Flying Sub for sale at an auction, others in storage and finally scenes of me successfully fitting my newly purchased FS-1 into the back of a Porsche!