There is a number of things that can be done to spruce up the Chariot, So I'll begin this thread with a few reference pics and some early work on my build.

Controls, can use a little help. Here is the start of tricking out the cabin.

What? No cup holders??!!

Cup holders come in the Sport Utility Version by Pontiac!

Just imagine...The Robinsons could have been rescued if only the Chariot came with "On Star". I bet they go for that option next time.

There is a back lit panel for the front control part of the Chariot is already on sale by graphix-man on E-Bay.There is also a fully built Chariot for sale on E-BAY.Must be a fast builder considering that the Chariot kit just got out.:rolleyes:

That fully built Chariot on e-bay is "pro-built".

Well, whoever he is, he's very fast and sloppy. That "pro" got a number of painting steps incorrect, or skipped over them entirely (such as the inner framework of the canopy).

The best part is the rear hatch springs are on the outside! :woohoo:

Heck, if I had skipped so many things I would be done by now also.

Just imagine...The Robinsons could have been rescued if only the Chariot came with "On Star"...

:lol: That is, unless an alien carjacked it.

After getting to the halfway point on my Chariot I have some observations about color and modifications to the cabin that I'll do on my next one.

Color: That rectangular support for the solar panel on the cargo rack should be aluminum, not orange like the rest of the rack: http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/Chariot/chariot12.jpg

Seatbelts appear to be grey w/aluminum buckles: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/ChariotSeatBely-GreyWithSilverBuckl.jpg

The cushions on the side benches, parts 6 & 8 are dark grey, not black. This can be clearly seen in the 2nd season episode "Space Circus" (you can view the entire episode in HD at hulu.com)

Scanner - I'm going with medium grey with an aluminum scanner barrel instead of overall metallic grey - I think these photos show a non-metallic finish on the body of the scanner and a metallic finish on the engine cover: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/ChariotScannerFrontView.jpg & http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/PDVD_008.jpg

The large knob on the upper right of the scanner is black with a shiny silver base ring and maybe a red arrow on the black part: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/PDVD_004.jpg


Radar Antenna and Support - Grey metallic dish w/aluminum support as opposed to overall flat black: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/Chariot20w-kids.jpg

Interior Fixes:

The scanner should be mounted on a U-shaped support and grab handles added to the side: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/ChariotScannerFrontView.jpg

The rear of the scanner should be closed up with sheet or strip plastic and that weird handle-like thing should be converted to a display screen: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/DisplayScreenAtRearOfScannera.jpg

The scanner barrel and flange are far too small - they should take up nearly the entire circular depression on the front of the scanner. In addition, there is a cap of some kind about an inch down the barrel that has white writing on it: http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd222/idMonster/LIS%20Chariot/PDVD_004.jpg

Finally, I dont like the way the driver & passenger seats are not centered on the footwells if you install the Driver & Passenger risers, 14 & 15; and the front sidewalls, 7 & 9, as intended. This means that the driver's seat is also offset to the side from the steering levers. I find this configuration unlikely and I will trim the top of the sidewalls so that their bottom edges dont intrude on the dootwells and remove the locating pins from the risers and center them on the footwells.

As always, YMMV

Gordon

^^ :thumbsup:There are some good tips fro when mine turns up and I start it.

Thanks for the heads up.

I've been told by a friend that the exterior is not orange, but actually bright blood-red.
Anybody else have such evidence?

idMonster has some good points for coloring ...

Also there are some very good exterior and interior shots available in the 1st Episode, 2nd Season ""Blast Off Into Space".

As previously mentioned in other threads, there are light gray snap-on covers on the inside of the upper curved windows and curtains that cross the interior from side to side just behind the drivers seat and just forward of the robots pedestal; the rader antenna dish is either steel or aluminum with either black or gunmetal dish frames on the rear of the dish. The Radar Dish support is aluminum with a black/dark gray goose-neck.

The Solar Antenna support is aluminum.

On the front of the Scanner above the engine housing the buttons/knobs are (as looking at the scanner): left side, orange; right side, green; lower two, light blue; just below the barrel of the scanner are two lights: left side, green; right side, red. The large knob on the upper right of the Scanner has an aluminum bezel w/ what appear to be range markings on the upper half and a gray arrow shaped knob (this is probably a 2nd Season touch-up in color). Scanner barrel and mounting flange are aluminum, flat black "lens cap(?)" about 1" inside the barrel, and there is a silver switch between the lights.

For those into to super-detailing, the writing on the Scanner "lens cap" is: "IMPORTANT Remove Before Use" There is other text, but I can't read it ...

You might check out the other thread about "Chariot painting solutions". There are some interesting links and info there.

Rogue

...For those into to super-detailing, the writing on the Scanner "lens cap" is: "IMPORTANT Remove Before Use" There is other text, but I can't read it ...
Probably says "Made in Japan. Patent Pending."

idmonster: that's one of the best posts I've seen on Hobbytalk. I just wish everybody would provide references the way you did. Love the photo of the Chariot with the girls. I'd seen it somewhere before but totally lost it over time. Seriously, great post.

The cushions on the side benches, parts 6 & 8 are dark grey, not black. This can be clearly seen in the 2nd season episode "Space Circus" (you can view the entire episode in HD at hulu.com)



Even a medium dark grey.
I never noticed before - in all the color photos, the Chariots seats are orange/red, while the rest of the interior red trim is a much deeper red. Ref: your picture with the girls above plus
http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/Chariot/chariot19.jpg

Even a medium dark grey.
I never noticed before - in all the color photos, the Chariots seats are orange/red, while the rest of the interior red trim is a much deeper red. Ref: your picture with the girls above plus
http://www.cloudster.com/Sets&Vehicles/Chariot/chariot19.jpg

I hope the horse is not dead yet on this one. I scanned a photo I have of the Chariot from the first color episode. I checked the colors in my Paint Shop program and found some interesting things. The drill head and the case behind it show straigt up red. The interior of the Chariot door registers much closer to orange. There is a significant difference, so much so that I will paint mine much more orange than red.

Color is very subjective and will vary from photo to photo, what won't change is value. There is a definite value change between the drill and the Chariot.

Keep in mind also that changes in lighting of a particular scene or episode, and how the film has aged, will effect the color as it appears on screen.

Another example of the confusing nature of orange and red on the TV is the Spindrift from Land of the Giants. Most people when asked will say that the Spindrift is red. And in some shots it sure looks it. But in others it appears more of an orange. It was in reality an orange color.

I painted my Chariot using International Orange. The larger surfaces indeed look orange in normal room lighting. But the handrails and ladder appear more of a reddish hue.

It comes as no surprise to me that in different photos and screen caps that the color of the chariot keeps changing. I'd be surprised if it didn't.

Interesting. I tried your picture in Photoshop CS but sampling is really difficult. depending on where I sample from I get colors ranging from oranges to browns on the Chariot, luggage, drill, Judy's clothes. They all have in common that all of them at least at some point contain a Toyo 0113 color, I think it was, whatever that is. I tried color sampling with the Seaview, too, and just didn't get anything that would give me anything definitive. I'll try PaintShop - I think I've got it here - but in the end I'm just going to go by what I see.
Edit: started to play with it but then I noticed other colors - Don's face, the interior color of the back door, what part of the drill or luggage do you want to sample from? etc - and there's just too much going on in the lighting and reflections and no doubt saturation and balance of film to even tell what color Don is.

Judy's clothes....
Mmmmm.

More details and photos later today , added individual bench seat cushions, laser rifle rack, scanner face details, halon fire bottles, engine compartment, top canopy enhancements. Just completed these, too tired to function but will include photo's in the next few hours.

Probably says "Made in Japan. Patent Pending."

LOL ... either that or "Made in China. No Patent Required, Just Lead Based Paint."

More in progress shots of added details, as promised in previous post.
More to come...

Wow, you're doing a very beautiful job of this.
Sliding doors shown in studio blueprints? Please post!

Starseeker2,
I was referencing the drawers under the bench seats and robot interface mount shown in your scetches from the studio prints.

It is my intention to add a working upper dome hatch by constructing new slides from Evergreen "C" channel.

I've been told by a friend that the exterior is not orange, but actually bright blood-red.
Anybody else have such evidence?

No.And where did your friend get this info?

The photos I just sent to Carson Dyle tend to indicate the same thing John. The color looks more like fire engine red.

Gaétan

The old Aurora kit dating back to the shows original airing says the trim is red. Models showed red until the Johnny Lightning die cast showed orange trim.

I think you will have a hard time convincing any one that it is not orange.alexander

The photos I just sent to Carson Dyle tend to indicate the same thing John. The color looks more like fire engine red.

Gaétan

Well,for some reason my photo bank isn't allowing me to upload images. First time this has ever happened. :mad:

Sorry to have wasted your time Gaétan, but you might want to explore another image posting avenue.

I'm convinced that it's not orange. I'm convinced that the seats are orange-ish but that the perfect match for the Chariot trim is the red color I keep seeing on only new Honda Civics.

Ok, those were just opening-under-bench-top-... well, not drawers as in the kind that slide open but now I can't think of anything better to call them either. What DO you call the doors on bench top seats?? Time to watch some New Yankee Workshop tapes.

I'm convinced that it's not orange. I'm convinced that the seats are orange-ish but that the perfect match for the Chariot trim is the red color I keep seeing on only new Honda Civics.

Ok, those were just opening-under-bench-top-... well, not drawers as in the kind that slide open but now I can't think of anything better to call them either. What DO you call the doors on bench top seats?? Time to watch some New Yankee Workshop tapes.

Uh ... I'm not sure what they would be called on the Chariot, but they're called storage bins on ski boats ...

Well,for some reason my photo bank isn't allowing me to upload images. First time this has ever happened. :mad:

Sorry to have wasted your time Gaétan, but you might want to explore another image posting avenue.

Gaétan: Sent you a pm, if you want to try e mailing them to me and I can try to post them.

I have found over the years that texture, I/E surface detail added to larger areas, be it panel lines, trim, rivets, weld seams, etc. once painted and weathered, adds an extra level of realism. Although not nesscessarily cannonical or true to the subject, the benefit is interest focused on the details, assesories such as tools, a coffee cup, clip board, pencils, food items, books, photos, magazines, and other personal items greatly increase the level of realism. This is a personal preference of mine and may not be the look you are after, but I felt some of you may be interested.

WOW. Fantastic. Love it.

DTF,
I love your attention to detail and you're right, even if it may not be canon, it adds just a spark of realism. 'cept that mic cord..at the scale you have, it would be like a vaccuum cleaner hose. take some thinner gauge wire and coil it around a straight pin. that might be closer

Thanks Lou, I thought the same thing, and have already used a smaller gage.

The color of the chassis, track cross-frames and engine housing under the nose are all Thiokol snow-cat "orange". The studio didn't repaint these areas, they just used them as they came from the factory. The new cab had a color-matched paint job. Heck, the studio probably just bought touch-up paint directly from Thiokol. Personally, I think this is where I.A. first saw this color and liked it so much that he used it throughout his later efforts (or the A.D. liked it, whichever).

Somebody needs to to a ski resort and get a color sample off one of them and we'll have an exact match.

Many photos do show a distinct contrast between orange like the seats and red like the chassis. Since you can see both colors in one photo it indicates two colors.

The seats were not painted (at least, not those in the rear cabin), they were molded in orange plastic which would not be an exact match for the Thiokol painted items.

While I will agree with you that the Chariot had red treads, I'm going to disagree that the body trim matched the Thiokol orange. I don't know how well it will show up in the post, but it seems to me that the chassis is a red orange and the interior trim is a deeper, purer red, no orange in the color to my eye at all. Again, this is a poor capture, but someone else has posted some captures that are clearer. That I can't find. Sigh.

WARNING: Do not attempt this modification unless you have the skill and experience to handle it. Serious irreparable damage to your kit may result. Extream care must be excercised cementing these modifications to the clear canopy. The slightest mistep will cause permanent scaring to the crystal clear parts.

I have added tracks to allow the Hatch dome to slide freely. Use Cement Sparingly!!!!!!!!!!!!

DTF,

Is that Evergreen or Plastruc C-Channel you used for the bubble tracks?

Also, Testors Clear would be a good choice for anything being added to the canopy ...

While I will agree with you that the Chariot had red treads, I'm going to disagree that the body trim matched the Thiokol orange. I don't know how well it will show up in the post, but it seems to me that the chassis is a red orange and the interior trim is a deeper, purer red, no orange in the color to my eye at all. Again, this is a poor capture, but someone else has posted some captures that are clearer. That I can't find. Sigh.

I can guarantee that the proper color is International Orange.

I've been reviewing a few of the LIS color episodes and when you compare the orange that Will is wearing with the color of the Chariot, there is virtually no difference in color.

I'll post screen caps as soon as I can. If someone has the DVD collection, and can get screen caps, take a look at "Blast Off Into Space" (1st episode, 2nd Season).

Also, the floor and side cushions are about the same shade of gray. The chairs are the molded plastic orange ... about one shade lighter than the Chariot body.

I'll be able to post screen caps in a week or so ... had to spring for a full version of PowerDVD ... :(:cry:

While I will agree with you that the Chariot had red treads, I'm going to disagree that the body trim matched the Thiokol orange. I don't know how well it will show up in the post, but it seems to me that the chassis is a red orange and the interior trim is a deeper, purer red, no orange in the color to my eye at all. Again, this is a poor capture, but someone else has posted some captures that are clearer. That I can't find. Sigh.

I think its a model anyway not the full size vehicle

WARNING: Do not attempt this modification unless you have the skill and experience to handle it. Serious irreparable damage to your kit may result. Extream care must be excercised cementing these modifications to the clear canopy. The slightest mistep will cause permanent scaring to the crystal clear parts.

I have added tracks to allow the Hatch dome to slide freely. Use Cement Sparingly!!!!!!!!!!!!

Use Gator's Grip Glue. Its all I ever use on clear parts and photo-etch anymore. It is a high tack, high viscocity acrylic glue. It dries crystal clear and is water soluable while still wet. When dry its VERY tough. You can glue tiny photo-etch parts in place and the when the glue is dry pick the model up by the part. It has a tiny amount of flex too, so if you use it on little parts that stick up, like antennas, there is less a chance of snapping it off.

http://www.gatorsmask.com/gatorglueorder.html

You can buy with confidence. Gator Masks have been around a while and are top quality. The glue is all the rage for aircraft and armor modelling these days. They also take Pay Pal. I got my bottle in just a couple days.

DTF,

Is that Evergreen or Plastruc C-Channel you used for the bubble tracks?

Also, Testors Clear would be a good choice for anything being added to the canopy ...

Either brand of "C" channel will work equally well. Plastruct I believe has a larger selection of shapes, sheet, strip, and rod stock. Depends on availability in your area.

djnick66,
Thanks, I already use Gator. I stress caution only because some modelers may not have access to some of the specialty glues. Testors liquid cement will provide a permanent, strong bond, as this is widely available and commonly used. As I have indicated, it can be used with confidence, with extream caution,...great skill and care!!!!!!!!!!

Use Gator's Grip Glue. Its all I ever use on clear parts and photo-etch anymore. It is a high tack, high viscocity acrylic glue. It dries crystal clear and is water soluable while still wet.

Once cured, how is this stuff to sand?