The hunt for the Red October is over.
If the Soviet Navy of the 1980s is still in pursuit of that nation’s rogue Russian Typhoon-class submarine, it will have to follow their quarry to Powell, Wyoming. One of those Russian submarines has already followed it there.
The Red October and a Soviet attack submarine are two of the large model submarines built for the 1990 blockbuster movie “The Hunt for Red October,” based on John Clancy's 1984 novel.
They are now temporarily located in the office of Daniel Catone, an investment manager who fulfilled a lifelong passion by buying three props from the film during an online auction.
“I failed Algebra my ninth-grade year because all I did was read Tom Clancy novels,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “Winning the auction was a boyhood dream come true.”
Small (Relatively) Submarines
In Clancy’s novel, the Red October was a 175-meter-long Typhoon-class ballistic missile submarine that cost the Soviet Union more $5 billion to develop and build. Catone paid $15,000 for his 9-foot-long replica of the Soviet submarine and two other props from the 1990 film.
“My brother-in-law designs amusement parks worldwide and likes this kind of thing,” he said. “He sent me a text message saying that Planet Hollywood was auctioning off all of their memorabilia, and that one was the Red October.”
The 11-foot model Catone bought was constructed by Boss Film Studio, a special effects company that contributed to films like “Ghostbusters,” “Die Hard” and “Batman Returns.” One of the last films the company worked on before its 1997 closure was “Starship Troopers,” which was partly filmed in Hell’s Half-Acre near Casper.
The model of the Red October was built for the underwater exterior shots of the entire submarine. This was before CGI became more common and cost-effective for special effects in the industry.
Boss Films Studio created large models of the Red October and the V.K. Konovalov, a fictional Soviet Alfa class nuclear-powered attack submarine sent to pursue, and ultimately sunk by, the Red October.
After being used in the film, the Red October and Konovalov models ended up in Planet Hollywood’s vast movie memorabilia collections. When the franchise decided to auction off some of its collection, the model subs and a plotting chart used on Red October’s interior sets were placed on the block.
Catone was reading and waiting. He was determined to capture the Red October, once and for all.
Sold!
While he never dreamed of owning the Red October, Catone’s life story parallels that of its protagonist, Jack Ryan.
He remembers seeing the same model of the submarine he bought as a kid when his parents took him to Planet Hollywood near Fullerton, California.
Catone worked as a speechwriter for the United Nations before changing careers to become an investment manager. He and his family moved to Wyoming, “the best state in the union,” seven years ago.
“We were living in Northern California and were looking for a state that fit us culturally,” he said. “Wyoming was a great fit for us. We love it here.”
Catone already had a penchant for building 1/700th-scale models of famous warships, so acquiring the Red October model was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“I went on the auction website and waited all day for the auction to start,” he said. “It was good five minutes back and forth of bidding with another guy who was a professional prop collector. He messaged me on Twitter afterward saying, ‘Aw, shucks, you got it.’”
During the same auction, Catone went on to buy the Konovalov and the Red October’s plotting chart. He was “over the moon excited” when he secured the winning bids for the three props.
“I texted pictures of the Red October to all my friends,” he said. “One of my business partners thought I bought a real operational submarine. It took them a little while to realize it was just a model.”
Daniel Cantone is a super fan of the blockbuster movie "The Hunt for Red October." He now owns the Red October, the title Soviet attack submarine featured in the movie — at least an 11-foot model used to make the film. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone) 
Daniel Cantone is a super fan of the blockbuster movie "The Hunt for Red October." He now owns the Red October, the title Soviet attack submarine featured in the movie — at least an 11-foot model used to make the film. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone) 
Daniel Cantone is a super fan of the blockbuster movie "The Hunt for Red October." He now owns the Red October, the title Soviet attack submarine featured in the movie — at least an 11-foot model used to make the film. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone) 
Daniel Cantone is a super fan of the blockbuster movie "The Hunt for Red October." He now owns the Red October, the title Soviet attack submarine featured in the movie — at least an 11-foot model used to make the film. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone) 
Daniel Cantone is a super fan of the blockbuster movie "The Hunt for Red October." He now owns the Red October, the title Soviet attack submarine featured in the movie — at least an 11-foot model used to make the film. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone) 
Along with the Red October model, Daniel Cantone also bought a model of the Soviet submarine V.K. Konovalov, which pursued the Red October throughout the movie. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone) 
Daniel Cantone is a super fan of the blockbuster movie "The Hunt for Red October." He now owns the Red October, the title Soviet attack submarine featured in the movie — at least an 11-foot model used to make the film. (Courtesy Daniel Cantone)
Family Fixing A Soviet Sub
The 11-foot Red October model was shipped from Texas to Powell in a 600-pound crate, along with the 3-foot model of the Konovalov. The Red October sits on an unused desk in Catone’s Powell office, while the Konovalov is perched on some antlers for now.
Catone said his submarines aren’t in perfect shape, but they still look good, considering their age.
“The model is made mostly out of balsa wood and Styrofoam and painted in a really nice way,” he said. “There's wear and tear from the actual production of the movies, but they're fixable.”
Catone plans on using his model-building experience to make the necessary repairs to his submarines. His 17-year-old son, Thomas, has already offered to be Executive Officer Vasily Borodin to his dad’s Commanding Officer Marko Ramius (played in the movie by Sam Neill and Sean Connery, respectively).
“We’re going to work together to rebuild the Red October,” he said.
When repairs are finished, Catone plans to hang the submarines from the ceiling of the conference room where they temporarily reside. He wants to pay homage to the film by dramatically recreating the story’s climax.
“I think I'm going to hang the Red October from the ceiling like it's turning and put the Konovalov off in the background like it's hunting it,” he said. “I don't have any immediate plans to use that office, so it’s the perfect spot to display them.”
It’s an exciting project and acquisition for Catone. For someone who described Tom Clancy’s novels as “life-changing,” the Red October model is as much a monument to his life and passion as a fun piece of movie memorabilia.
“The hunt for Red October is over,” he said. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
