My first job was in a bakery back in the 70s that did Cartoon cakes. The were famous for them, doing portraits of presidents, etc, even did the wedding cake for "The Godfather". They put almost anything on cakes, except Disney, because they were constantly warned about infringement. Even as a dopey teen, I understood all that did was hurt their brand, since all the kiddie's cakes just got covered with their competitor's characters. Hanna Barbera threatened them too.

That said, I'm kind of on their side regarding making (for production and sale) a hull of one of their most iconic ships. It's their property and they have the right to produce, license it to someone else or sit on it as they see fit. It's one thing if it's certain class of existing sub, etc. but that's their design, their baby, they thought of it. Especially in their back yard, yikes.