When Bob Martin builds a radio-controlled replica of the Nautilus submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he's not messing around. He starts with a 1/32 scale Disney Nautilus kit from Custom Replicas, a 66.5 inch steampunk monster that's intricately detailed down to the stainless steel grating of its wheelhouse floor.

While he constructs that model with all of its internal lighting and spooky good looks, Bob also makes it seaworthy, creating a watertight cylinder (WTC) complete with lithium-ion battery-powered propulsion, servo control, and ballast for buoyancy, making it so the model electric boat can cruise and dive just like real-world submarines.

Jules Verne would be astonished. Take a look at the gallery below to see how Bob constructed this first-rate model, built for an undisclosed price for a Nautilus-loving client in Florida:

Via R-C Sub