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Here are the kits that you either put
in, or that go with the 16.5" Jupiter 2 from Lunar
Models. After I put in HUNDREDS of hours building and
painting not one, but two interior kits, I decided the second one deserved
to be displayed outside of the constricting hull of the J2 kit. The
first kit was a horrible mess from a manufacturing stand-point and nearly
put me off as a customer to Lunar Models back in 1990, but in 1994 I came
back and tried them one more time after seeing some articles on how they
had improved their quality and was pleased enough to buy all of these kits
in one year! Then it took me five years to finish them all!
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This is an overhead shot of the semi-finished
diorama. This version of the Lunar Models J2 interior is excellent
and easy to build. This also shows all of the figures and
accessories kits for the Jupiter 2 (look for the two laser pistols
on the front control panels!). The retail price for all eight kits
today would be $605.65.
I worked on these kits, on and off, for over 5 years,
and the Chariot is the second version, for the first one was broken when I
moved homes. |
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This is a second angle on the diorama. You can
see all three family kits in this shot, for I took the top of the Chariot
off. John with the Jet Pack hanging on a wire is my way of paying
homage to the Mattel Switch N' Go set that featured John on wire like that
for traveling either on the Chariot or over the Styrofoam Jupiter 2! |
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Here are two shots of the Chariot kit. I
know many of you are going to immediately say "That's not
right!" and you'd be correct! I looked at my first version of the
Chariot and it was obvious the unit had been designed with 1965
technology, and not 1997 technology when Lost In Space was suppose to take
place. So I went to a model shop and purchased a bunch of parts meant for
model trains and used them on the Chariot in an effort to make it look
more like a product of the 90's and not the 60's.
The rectangle headlights are from a Chevy car kit and
replace the original molded round headlights. I also added brakes
lights and reflectors on the side of the kit, plus I added dual exhaust
units. The satellite dish is from an old Ghostbusters Ecto 1A
kit. All the brass running lights are from parts for train
kits. The front grills are also brass and really add some realism to
the kit. I added windshield wipers in the front and rear from old
BTTF Delorean kits. The seats and forward control panel are from a
Star Trek Galileo kit. The control sticks in front of John and Don
are from an Apollo Command Module kit, as well as the exterior door
handles and the fuel tanks on the rear of the kit. |
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| This is an early version of the Space
Pod. I didn't do too much to it as far as modification goes. A
few parts have suffered from damage over the years, including the brass
dish on top which is missing the resin part that holds it to the
mast. One of the thruster packs is missing a nozzle sticking out.
This kit was purchased early in Lunar Models'
manufacturing career and it shows. The front and back of the pod
were molded separately and do not match up to the center body at all.
Thanks to over exposure you can't see the miss-matched seams too well. |
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