Here's a bargain for ya Mark , (compared to the SciFiMet. price) :

This is a second generation casting from the restored original Jupiter II filming prop. This is a high quality hand laid fiberglass prop that has all of the door,landing & pod lines molded in this casting. The fusion core is also fiberglass

It's listed on one of those online auction websites (dunno if we're allowed to say that ugly 4 letter word around here or not) Here (http://cgi.ebay.com/Lost-In-Space-Jupiter-II-4-FOOT-Filming-Prop_W0QQitemZ4758906602QQcategoryZ18839QQssPageNa meZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Oh yeah - 800 Deutronium Canisters!

:jest:

Is it just me or is the saucer a little warped? Look at the widest part where the upper & Lower hulls meet. Does it waver a bit??

yeah , it does look kinda woorbly .... :freak:

It's just a flaw in the photo. it's fine - according to the seller. Might be mine! BWa-ha-ha. then a 'mere' thousand bucks to turn it into a copy of the 1st year hero, with working gear, footpads and spinning light bulbs, all hung from strong interior mounting points and steel wire...

He had another that he hadn't sold on "that place" yet. I bought it so I am now part of the small group owning a 4 foot fiberglass hull done from the restored Hero. Bwa-ha-ha!! making the legs and feet will be a pain, but it's so big inside I can use RC airplane retract air rams to move the legs up n down.

Hey Mark ~ You're welcome! :tongue: lol

I oughta hit Doug up for a "Finder's Fee" ;)

Congrat's on your new J2 ! Can't wait to see what you do to it!

Whenever I got a spare $800 , I might get me one too. :thumbsup:

I've been thinking about HOW to approach that project since I decided to get it.

Without cutting the lower and upper hulls apart the gear, and interior become a little more tricky. I figure that I'd make the bubble insides with gearbox, LED lights as a as a piece all by it self, not attached to the fusion core rotation stuff, just same motor and gearbox rotating each.

The legs, sliding doors and all will have to be built as a unit, and installed thru the bottom. Finally the fusion core could go in place.

The other part is the wire supports INSIDE the model, and where will they be placed so they won't warp the hull if suspended from them for a long time.

I also dread making all those fusion core fins again, and dealing with the exact position of the hinge point on those legs.

The RC Airplane company that made a compressed air ram system I was gonna use to power the legs has since gone out of business..

Just a suggestion, for the upper wire mounts, see if you can install a metal ring or reinforced material around the perimanitor of the top. Should help to keep the shape.

I've been thinking about HOW to approach that project since I decided to get it.

Without cutting the lower and upper hulls apart the gear, and interior become a little more tricky. I figure that I'd make the bubble insides with gearbox, LED lights as a as a piece all by it self, not attached to the fusion core rotation stuff, just same motor and gearbox rotating each.

The legs, sliding doors and all will have to be built as a unit, and installed thru the bottom. Finally the fusion core could go in place.

The other part is the wire supports INSIDE the model, and where will they be placed so they won't warp the hull if suspended from them for a long time.

I also dread making all those fusion core fins again, and dealing with the exact position of the hinge point on those legs.

The RC Airplane company that made a compressed air ram system I was gonna use to power the legs has since gone out of business..

How would I get it in there? Actually I was gonna use some aluminum bar stock screwed or bolted to the landing gear wells that have the "wheel collar" type wire connector. The second option is inside threaded steel tube attached to the bar stock and use a 4-40 bolt with the top cut off and a hole drilled sideways for the steel Control Line model airplane wire to go thru. I'm also thinking about making the gear spring loaded to support the model and using a gear driven winch to pull it up. This is all still in my head though.

How would I get it in there? Actually I was gonna use some aluminum bar stock screwed or bolted to the landing gear wells that have the "wheel collar" type wire connector. The second option is inside threaded steel tube attached to the bar stock and use a 4-40 bolt with the top cut off and a hole drilled sideways for the steel Control Line model airplane wire to go thru. I'm also thinking about making the gear spring loaded to support the model and using a gear driven winch to pull it up. This is all still in my head though.



Now I know why everyone who gets one of these things makes it an "In Flight" version ! :rolleyes:

lol ;)

OK, so I already have 2 "how to" books I'm working on so far. I'm gonna do another, since I have a decent digital camera, a place to work on it, and a digital video camera to show off the motion stuff. I might as well built the hull into a working 1st year style Hero model.

I guess I'll do it chapter at a time, starting with the measurements, then cutting the holes into it, making the bubble, fusion core, gear parts, and then the interior SPFX version. Finally the internal supports, Radio controlled stuff, and painting. I don't know if I'll make it a PDF/powerpoint type deal or a book with pages.

The working landing gear will definitely be interesting.

So Y , Have you received your 4 foot J2 yet?

If so , how was it shipped ? Did it arrive in an 18 wheeler freight truck or something?

Got any pix of it yet? :eek:

Yep, it DID come on an 18 wheeler. Big box with peanuts and foam surrounding all the contact points. Already cleaned up the outer edge of the fusion core for a test fit. I figure this is a Planet Hollywood casting as it has a door etching. no matter, it'll be filled. Has a pod door but no Chariot hatch. Not the same as Steph's hull either. I ordered a 4.5 inch 1/2 sphere (two actually) for the bubble. This weekend I'll trace the landing gear to start drawings for them. Pix are in the Photo Album BTW. And THANKS Jupiter-2.

i can't wait to see the landing gear setup mark

Yep, it DID come on an 18 wheeler. Big box with peanuts and foam surrounding all the contact points. Already cleaned up the outer edge of the fusion core for a test fit. I figure this is a Planet Hollywood casting as it has a door etching. no matter, it'll be filled. Has a pod door but no Chariot hatch. Not the same as Steph's hull either. I ordered a 4.5 inch 1/2 sphere (two actually) for the bubble. This weekend I'll trace the landing gear to start drawings for them. Pix are in the Photo Album BTW. And THANKS Jupiter-2.

EEE-GADS!!! :eek:

I never saw this reply until just now Y ~ more than a month later!

Sorry about that.

Rick Norcutt's Replica was delivered in similar fashion , that's why I asked.

Interesting ... what are the differences between your hull and Steph's ??

In the Jupiter 2 Autopsy , Jay measures - on the exterior of the hull - the dimensions of the space pod bay ( we see the patch work on the interior hull for the pod bay ... it really doesn't sound like a detail "added" later on , so that being on your hull doesn't really sound like a bad thing to me.

There is no hint of a chariot ramp in the Autopsy video and Jay never mentioned any thing about it during conversations... I wouldn't be surprised if the Hero never had it. If it did , it was just a scribe - otherwise we'd see patchwork on the interior as we do with the pod bay and windows.

Jay mentions that Main Hatch detail was added during the restoration and was not present originally... since the planet hollywood was cast off the restored hero .... makes sense yours would also have it .... did Steph's??

Stephs hull is flatter on top, thinner fiberglass, and DOES have the door. I plan to remove the one on mine to make it look a lot like the Hero.

BTW - yer email DID go to yer posted address. Lots of fotos in the 1st mail. just text in the second.