Howdy Guys.

I thought I would post these pictures here, because of all the Irwin Allen related stuff.

Anyhoo..Here are several pics of my Lunar Models Robot from Lost In Space. A christmas gift I receive back in 1992.
Overall, The kit is dead on to the real Robot. Lunar did an excellent job on this kit.

However, you can see the 'Yellowing" Of the Clear resin Collar etc.. I also didn't/Don't like that nasty seperation line on the bubble.

He stands about 10.5" in Height. And if I may be so bold, is probably the BEST version of the Robot ever to be produced...Enjoy!

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/7656/lunarb90005mz2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1641/lunarb90002hu6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/6188/lunarb90003bk0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/4554/lunarb90004aa3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Very nice. I saw one of those in the box... looked very hard to build (well)!

Looking real good, Mr. McCartney! I also have one that I have yet to assemble.

Incidentally, as regards to that yellowing on the clear resin collar; my LM Chariot windows all have that same problem. I've tried windex, but that didn't help at all. Does anyone reading this post know an efficient cleaning method for age-yellowed plastic? :confused:

Your a brave man!

VERY COOL! :thumbsup:

nothing works........ I decided to replace ALL the flat windows on my LM Chariot, and I experimented on the scrap because my LM B9's bubble had the same problem.

I Tried:
Testors paint thinner
Airbrush cleaner
Lacquer Thinner
409
Windex
Wisk
Tide
Home Depots "Purple" Super concentrated industrial cleaner
Scalecoat and Scalecoat II thinners
Butyrate dope thinner
toothpaste and pink block eraser
Ammonia
vinegar
Oven cleaner
Dishwashing powder & hot water

Ahh, try to burn the yellow off with a small thermo nuclear device. It will remove the yellowing.

But...be warned...it MAY damage the plastic....and everything else within 20 square miles

Does anyone reading this post know an efficient cleaning method for age-yellowed plastic? :confused:

You can't really clean it as its not dirty. The plastic itself has degraded and yellowed. There is some kind of acetate plastic often used for vac clear parts that does yellow badly. Nothing you can do about it. Possibly you could bleach it out with sunlight. I have some old Rareplane vac airplane kits from the 70s with dark, amber-brown canopies from age.

Also, in my hobby shop I am a Breyer toy horse dealer... they used that same plastic on the horse boxes a few years back. I have some older horses in very yellowed boxes. Nothing to really do about it...

Thanks for the suggestions fellas. Much appreciated.

However the very talented and cool Falcon 49 has offered to Help me make new Replacement parts for the ol'B-9.

I will probably light him up as well...Sometime in the near future:thumbsup:



BP

sunlight will probably just make it more yellow . i'd experiment with a scrap piece first if ya got any .
hb

great lookin' build BTW . incredible detail .
hb

...I will probably light him up as well...Sometime in the near future...
It would be interesting to see the Robot expand his consciousness...:dude:

I have this model and bought about the same time! I dont have the orginal box but do have alll the parts and and the orginal top to the box and instructions. Willing to sell. Contact me at jeoffreybristow@yahoo.com

Possibly you could bleach it out with sunlight. I have some old Rareplane vac airplane kits from the 70s with dark, amber-brown canopies from age.

Bleaching out with sunlight is a possibility that strikes a chord with me. Back in my college days, I did a series of paintings using inexpensive boiled linseed oil as the medium. It was a recommendation from the instructor for those of us on a budget. Over the next few years, they yellowed pretty badly, and then I read an article about bright sun exposure to cure the problem. Not only did it work, but it seemed to have a lasting effect.

I don't know if the same elemental process is involved here, but it would seem to be close enough to give it a try. As suggested above, a preliminary test with a scrap piece would be the best choice. Also, remember that I could afford to let those paintings bake in the hot sun for as long as necessary, but the same is not true of plastic parts. So be careful...

looks good, any one that can assemble one of these and make it look so good is an artist. the old Aurora just never seem to look right, i think the legs were to wide for the torso and this one looks right on.

In hindsight, the B-9 was one of the very best models ever produced by Lunar, as regards to accuracy and ease of assembly.

The only place it falls over (slightly) is the panel that houses the belly lights. There should be more space above and below the two large lights.
Aside from that (and the incredible build difficulty) it is one of the best representations of the B9.
Great build!

You're right about the front panel and its relationship to the two large lights, but other than that, this was one great offering. I remember talking to Mike Evans when he first came out with this piece way back when, and he was quite proud of it. Justifiably so, in my opinion. One of the trademarks of this model involved the wrinkled effect in the leg area, which I always thought was quite convincing, and more difficult to pull off than most people realized.
Ron G.

Cheers Ron. I don't think any other kit has caught the 'Character' of the Robot more than this one does. Other kits like the Aurora and the large Masudya B9 have their charm but the lack of attention to detail leaves them lagging far behind.
I always wanted to pick up this kit and the Comic Book version as well which I believe was done in the same scale.

Wow, I can't believe you guys picked up this thread again.

Yes, again, Mike Evans did an outstanding Job on this for Lunar..They captured the Character of the Robot very much indeed.:thumbsup:

If I recall those early conversations accurately, I think there was a mention that Joel Tavera had also been involved in this project. If so, there's another reason it turned out to be a classic piece.

I always wanted him but missed out way back then.

Looking real good, Mr. McCartney! I also have one that I have yet to assemble.

Incidentally, as regards to that yellowing on the clear resin collar; my LM Chariot windows all have that same problem. I've tried windex, but that didn't help at all. Does anyone reading this post know an efficient cleaning method for age-yellowed plastic? :confused:

You can't. Its not a film on the surface but rather the kind of plastic used for vacuuforming. Once it gets yellow it will just get worse. Its not based on UV light either... I have some boxed kits that have yellowed.

Probably a similar thing for discolored "clear" resin parts

Actually, I ran across a website last year showing how to get rid of the yellowing in old plastic parts both clear, and cast in colors.

Basically, they just put the parts in a large glass jog or clear container with some of the oxy cleaning stuff in it, and put it out in the sun.. within a day or so, all parts, clear, colored, what have you looked brand spankin new!

I picked some up then, but never got around to trying it out myself.. but I do have a masudya lis robot, and a masudya robbie that have badly yellowed parts... maybe I'll try it out on them once we get a sunny day here.

Here are some links I just grabbed quickly:

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/


(Recipe:)
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel




http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/08/30/how-to-clean-yellowed-lego-bricks-to-make-classic-space-sets-look-new-news/

http://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/p/217320/218671.aspx

http://www.ehow.com/how_5932402_clean-plastic-fluorescent-light-cover.html

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/03/retr0bright_restores_yellowed_vintage_plastic_to_f actory_fresh-2/

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/03/retro-bright-wh/

Unlike yellowed white paint, which has nice "non-yellowed" white paint under the surface changes... most clear plastics will yellow "all the way through" due to exposure to ultra-violet light. This causes a chemical change in the plastic that is impossible to undo with any surface based cleaner. Making a new cast or vacuform of the part may be all that can be done. Otherwise just do like most antique collectors do and enjoy it for it's "patina"

Obviously you did not read any of those links... supposedly oxyclean CAN get rid of the yellowing on clear plastic.

Some people even use it to clear up yellowed headlights.

Obviously you did not read any of those links... supposedly oxyclean CAN get rid of the yellowing on clear plastic.

Some people even use it to clear up yellowed headlights.
Uh..yes Garreee I did read your links and have used oxy clean, and about a dozen other plastic cleaning products over a number of years. I was merely stating that "Some" plastics can be cleaned of surface yellowing and some CAN NOT because it is no longer "surface" yellowing but changes in the chemical make-up of the plastic. Oxy clean has worked for some things but with certain yellowed clear plastics there was no, or very little change at all..because it's only working on the outside of the plastic. So go for it..You might get lucky...but it's all hit and miss.

very nice beatle paul, your work is great!

What about a soak in future ? has any one tried that yet ?

Future will add a perfect clear coat, but it doesn't affect yellowing at all.

Hope the OxyClean works on mine, whenever I get around to it. LOL

Great work on the LIS Robot beatlepaul!
This is probably the only production model of the robot with the correct looking first season wrinkled legs.
The only thing that they needed to improve on was the claws and belly light section.Other wise, they really did it justice...as did you on the fantastic painting of are mechanical friend!:thumbsup:
I have an old masudia YM3 and the neck colar as well as the bubble is yellowing also. other than replacing them with fresh cast pieces not much else we can do, Unfortunately.;)

Wow! Excellent work beatlepaul! That is probably Lunar's best kit. The legs are near perfect in my opinion. If only Moebius could produce a styrene kit of B9 with this level of accuracy. I would buy several! I know,dead horse!!:rolleyes:

So, quick question on the oxyclean/hydrogen peroxide formula thing...
I have a clear vac windshield to a Lunar Green Hornet Black Beauty that is yellowed off, almost brownish. Would the oxy solution work on vac plastic? It's a fairly thick vac part, but I don't know how sensitive it would be to this stuff, or if fogging occurs, etc.
any thoughts?

Ken

The oky mix doesn't appear to harm any plastic at all.. I've never read a report about it anywhere, but I'd test it out first, just in case.

So future won't help yellowing, but will it help clear up fogging on clear plastic where model cement/ca fumes got to close to it ?

Yep.. it is basically liquid plastic, and replaces the damaged surface with a new clear one. The fogging you see from the glue is actually micro pits in the plastic surface, I beleive.

I have used it personally to get rid of superglue clear plastic fogging on a pair of ghostbuster goggles I did last year, and it worked out perfectly!

When the fogging happened several years ago, it was on my lunar models 24 inch jupiter 2 fusion core clear insert as i tried to cement the fusion core part onto the bottom hull. BAM instant spotty fogging. It wouldn't be so bad if the entire square panes fogged evenly but they sort of spotted in places. of course i thought i could cover THAT up with some dull cote sprayed on, nope, didn't work. The clear part is epoxied inside the plastic fusion core part so I wonder if i appied & brushed on future to both sides of the fogged plastic if that would clear up the fogging and dull cote on the outside part ? it's been about 10 years since i did that.

Usually as long as you coat the fogged faces, parts clear right up. The dullcoat might be an issue though.

Some people just completely dip parts in future, and then gently shake off the excess.. or use a brush on edges to "pull" the excess off. Its water soluable, so you can always wash it off, until it dries.

I sprayed the dulcote on the outside thinking it would cover the fogged spots but it didn't. it's been about 10 years when i did it.

Beautiful B-9!! At first glance I couldn't tell the scale! You did beautiful work that holds up on close examination.