Moebius Models

1/24 Lost in Space Space Pod

Kit Number: 0901

Reviewed by  Mark Warthling, IPMS# 30980

MSRP: $39.99 Website: www.moebiusmodels.com Moebius Models has hit the scene running in 2008 with several kits to attract those of us who were very disappointed by the demise of the Polar Lights brand. Moebius kicked off their kit line with some new kits that filled some gaps in the Aurora line that Polar had not addressed previously. This was met with great excitement, but Moebius has added a new dimension to the equation. They are releasing many new kits that address subjects that we have all wished would be released in kit form for many years, but never saw a chance. Enter the Lost in Space "Space Pod". Moebius has really done a great job, in my opinion, of engineering this kit. There are some shortfalls to be sure, and we will address those. I am going to walk you through the process that I followed while building the kit, because I will be honest with you, the instructions were not of great help. That is probably the biggest problem with the kit. The instructions are not laid out the way we, plastic modelers in particular, are accustomed to seeing them. The instructions were more of a written prose going part by part by part, when a picture is always worth a thousand words. They only provide you with a few pictures that only cover a fraction of the assembly, and then tell you to reference the box art in some cases. I would like to see Moebius address this in future kits, as the same problem exists on other releases that were released about the same timeframe. After going through the instructions the best I could, and referencing some online resources, I determined that the build was basically an internal structure followed by an external structure. Here is the genius in the engineering. Think of this kit as two kits. You have a complete internal structure chock full of detail, which is then surrounded by an external structure. So if you open the door of the model, the inside is shaped completely different than the outside, just like the real thing would have been. So let's get started. I began by laying out all of the internal walls of the kit, along with all of the little detailed bits that will be attached to those walls in the interior of the kit. As you can see in the next series of pictures, I have completed the Control Console Assy, the Left and Right Interior Wall Assy's, and the Rear Interior Wall Assy.

Take note of the color. The instructions call out for a "Flat Light Beige", but you can use some license here. I mixed a color from some Polly "S" colors: Isreali Sand, and a Beige. I primed the parts with my primer secret weapon: Plasticote Grey Sandable Primer. I love this stuff, I am telling you, you must google this product and find a local supplier. I then sprayed the parts with the Beige color. Next I set up all of the Girder parts on a jig and painted them a brown color from the Polly "S" line. The instructions call out "Steel" for these, but every picture that I found online of the interior appeared to be a darker color, like a brown. I also painted the other items that would be attached to the wall prior to attaching them, and I would touch them up later if necessary after assembly. Note the colors of all the bits and details. The instructions provide very little information regarding the details of these items. So, I had to resort to online resources for reference. OK, now that we have put all the goodies on the walls and the Control Console, it is time to assemble these parts into a unit. The next 2 Photos illustrate how this unit looks assembled, prior to having the forward hull and Control Panel Assy attached. I have attached the interior assy to the Hull Bottom.

This photo illustrates how the forward hull will attach to the rest of the Assy.

Portions of the outer hull assembly will be visible from the inside at the top roof area, and you should paint them before assembling.

This photo illustrates how I chose to mask the front windows of the Pod from the inside prior to attaching it. Once assembled, that is the last I would see of my interior until I had fully completed my external paint job.

The two Side Outer Hull parts fit into the Hull Bottom well, but it is a bit tricky getting the Rear Outer Hull, and the Forward Hull with Control Panel Assy in place. You may have to do some extensive dry fitting prior to actually assembling with glue. Attach the Rear outer hull section prior to the Front Assy. You will have to attach Part #13 to the top of the interior hull assy prior to attaching the Hull Front Assy, as the Hull Front Assy will be attached to Part #13. You now have a choice with regard to how to install your outer clear windows. You either need to install the clear outer windows now to the Front Hull Assy, or wait to install them later, which is fairly difficult since they are installed from the inside. I chose to leave my windows off, as this would ease my masking of the windows for painting. (Note: the two corner windows will have to be replaced with thin clear plastic if you choose to install later, due to interference issues requiring flexibility) I applied masking from the inside of the Front Hull Assy, covering the windows, prior to installing it to the rest of the hull assy. A note of caution, don't forget to cement the Scanner, parts #34 & #35, into place prior to installing the Front Hull Assy. I forgot and had to install it later after pulling my masking off. The next series of photos, show you the painted outer hull of the Pod. One of the big debates online with regard to this kit, is what color orange to use. Well, I can tell you that I am not one of those guys. I went down to my local hobby shop, and found what I thought looked good to me and that was good enough. I picked up the color "Sunburst" which is a "Colors by Boyd" enamel color offered in the Testor's line. Take note of the masked off windows and rear door. Also note that I have assembled some of the parts that I felt should be attached prior to painting. These include the Hydrogen Tank and all of the landing gear and door attachment points. I attached these prior to painting, as I wanted to obtain the best bond with a liquid bonding cement. (I use Weld-On #4, which is similar to Tenax) It would have been impossible to obtain that bond if the parts were painted prior to gluing them on.

As far as paint goes, I first shot the whole model in Alclad Polished Aluminum, and then masked off and painted the Sunburst. Now I'll tell you that the masking job on this was not the simplest thing I have ever done. I spent quite a bit of time masking off for the Sunburst color. I was a bit terrified prior to pulling off that tape, but once I got it off, it looked incredible, absolutely perfect. I was amazed. This gave me the burst of excited energy that I needed to finish this thing off. There are quite a few bits and pieces that get attached to the outside of the Pod. These all require some thought and planning so that you can minimize your painting sessions. Many of the parts can be shot at the same time. I chose to paint some of the parts a darker aluminum, also from the Alclad line, to eliminate the monochromatic look on the outside of the Pod. Parts #18, #20, #44, the square sensor above the hexagonal antenna, and the square pads that the bank of Reaction Control Thrusters sit in, all received this treatment. Some additional parts and sections on the front of the pod were painted dark grey and black as well. Please reference my photos of completed model. Once all of the detail bits were painted, I assembled them with Super Glue to the model. Be careful with the use of the Super Glue, I found that I had some "crazing" or "fogging" occur on some of my aluminum areas near where the glue was applied. I would wait as long as you can to attach the landing gear assy's to the bottom of the hull, as they are very fragile. My rear gear strut broke at one point and required repair. Be very careful with the assembly of the landing gear struts, and in this case, the directions are very clear. The parts are very specific to the gear and need to be assembled as diagramed in the instructions. When attaching the Field Projector Frame, aka Fusion Core thingy, I would attach it with 5-minute epoxy if I had it to do over again. I had trouble getting the part to sit down nicely and the Super Glue caused more crazing issues with the natural metal finish. If you have not yet installed the windows, do so prior to installing the aft door. This gives you one more opening to possibly use to aid in the installation. As mentioned previously, the two side windows will need to be cut out of some clear blister pack and trimmed as required to fit into the tight position between the wall and the Girder. The last piece that I attached to the model was the Thrust Nozzle, which I chose to paint gunmetal rather than flat black per the instructions. The decals are very simple, but the instructions do not provide you with the necessary views of the kit to inform you of where they all need to be placed. See my photos of completed model. Decals went on nicely with a bit of Solvaset applied to the area prior to putting down the decal. I then coat the outside of the decal with more Solvaset very sparingly. I then squeegee any fluids or air out from under the decal and allow to dry overnight. And that completed my build. Pros and Cons: Pros: Very well engineered with a lot of thought. Interior section is a kit in itself, allowing a great view inside from the rear door, which can open and close. Cons: Instructions just not laid out the way a complex kit should be. Too much detail to capture simply in prose. I recommend that on future complex kits that Moebius take example from any one of the many plastic kit manufacturers and how they lay out complex designs in detailed steps with diagrams. Overall I am very happy with the results of my build, and am very glad that I was given the opportunity. I'd like to thank Moebius Models for the kit and hope that they will continue to bless the Reviewer Corps with additional samples from their line.