Moebius Models

1/25 Lost in Space®, "The Chariot"

Reviewed by  Rod Lees, IPMS# 10821

MSRP: $49.99 Web Site: www.moebiusmodels.com OK. So we really are weary of the Dr. Zachary Smith line: "Oh, the pain". That, and the smart-fanny know-it-all little guy called Will Smith (Billy Mummy) who seems to be rather precocious. Or are we? Come on, anyone know where I can find this series late at night? Step into the time machine. Confession time: We all miss the old days. Say it! The folks at Moebius models seem to share our fascination with the 1950/60's TV series, as they continue to release models which address our desire to return to those days of TV bliss; simple scripts, no kids dancing around pretending to be older than they are, etc., etc… (I have teenage daughters, and have watched certain shows they watch, so I know what I am talking about). The 1960's were an age of adventure. We were fascinated with space travel; and the show "Lost in Space" fueled our imagination. This show, which began in 1965, revolved around a weekly series involving the family of Space-colonists on the saucer-shaped ship called the "Jupiter 2". The instructions provide background of the series; I won't go into the details other than to say it's eye-opening on how the whole thing was developed. One bit of hardware which I was drawn to was "The Chariot" from that show… and when the opportunity to build it was presented, I threw myself at the mercy of Dave, the omnipresent holder of semi-free-stuff for reviewers. Turns out I was the only one interested. Too bad for those who only work on "real" stuff, because this was a great break from reality! This kit is truly one worth building if you are a product of the 1960's… except the molding technology is far and above what one would expect from that time. Parts fit well! The engineering of this model is reminiscent of the "Fun days" of modeling; the doors open, the tracks move (If you build them correctly), and the overall setup is "cool". The only thing missing is the people; the Robot (OK, everyone say it with me while flailing your red claw-tipped black-painted dryer-vent arms: "Danger Will Robinson") is an integral part of the kit. You can build it with the track legs, or integrate it into the back of the chariot, which I did.

Say "Groovy". I pretty well followed the instructions. I used Testors Lacquer car paints for the orange, and Tamiya "bare metal" for the rest. This ensured I would not mess up the clear parts by having too much paint creep. The paint instructions show the lower hull being an anthracite gray; I didn't have inclination to spend more cash finding that color. There is a masking set available which prevents one from having to mask the interior; check the internet sales sites for price. I went cheap: I masked off the clear bits, sprayed Orange paint, then covered that with silver. I opted not to paint the interior of the clear hull. I would recommend you use a primer gray between coats if you go this route; the silver didn't quite make it so opaque on my model. It's acceptable for my purposes. You can see by the blue tape how I masked the model; it was pretty simple, given the straight lines and large area to be covered. Use a sharp #11 blade, burnish the edges down with a toothpick, and take your time. In the end, it will look good. I painted the road wheels silver, let them dry, and followed the instructions as to how to put the vinyl tires over the wheels. (Weather or not the vinyl tires eat the styrene wheels, I will find out within a couple of years). I recommend you use a towel and press the wheels into the tires; this will save your skin, literally. The hot water makes the tires more flexible, and easier to press over the wheels. The tracks have 1970's style pins to attach them to each other; I opted for the superglue route, and had no problems. The interior of the model is pretty basic; follow the instructions (The written part) and you will not forget parts such as #51, the aft hatch roller assemblies, like I did. Also, the handles for the searchlights and radar dome are inserted on the INSIDE of the clear hull; do that before you cement it in place; another "faux pas" on my part. That ensures you won't have to play the "tape on the finger" routine to get them installed through the top hatch.

The only hard part of the kit was installing the doors; they are trapped between the upper and lower hull sections, and are intended to be moveable. Use tape to hold them, and take your time with the liquid cement. (The only good alternative for this model). In the end, I only had a couple of accidents on the massive clear hull. That is the major issue with this kit; It's one big clear canopy! BE CAREFUL! It is a basic, fun build, and in the end you have "The chariot" with the robot firmly entrenched on the aft mount. I found this kit to be a pleasant diversion from my normal combative aircraft, ships, and armor. I understand some people have been busy trying to light up the robot and the interior of the model; not my thing, but you could really go to town on this if you wanted. There's a diorama in my mind… My thanks to Frank Winspur and Moebius Models for an excellent bit of fun- recommended!

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