Big Boat 11

In the novel OPERATION SPRINGBOARD, the top secret spacecraft is built in the form of a huge flying boat. It has atomic rocket engines but otherwise looks like any other large flying boat. In the story, it is referred to as the "Big Boat."

I built my model of the Big Boat using a Minicraft 1/144 Boeing 314 Clipper kit. I always liked the looks of the 314 Clipper and it seemed an appropriate start for this model (though I did also consider the Spruce Goose). Because the Big Boat is supposed to be unusually large, I changed the scale of the model by making the cockpit windows smaller than on the 314 Clipper. The Big Boat model is 1/200 scale.