Hero J2 Landing Gear: the time has come!

Ron Gross · #1 09-24-2009, 06:58 PM

As most of you know, The landing gear parts that will be included with the Moebius J2 kit are based on the design from the full scale mock up. This decision will benefit those who place a priority on the interaction of the model with future scale figures.

My communication with fans over the years, however, has clearly indicated that there exists a large group who would prefer the external look of the "hero" J2 miniature in all respects, with full proportional integrity. Toward that end, I am pleased to announce that I have partnered with Paul Bodensiek and ParaGrafix to make the "hero" J2 landing gear available as an after market option. This is an officially licensed product of the highest quality, with the design and artwork approved by Kevin Burns. See images attached, and take special note of Paul's expert 3D rendition and refinement from my original hand drawn plans. Prototype images will be forthcoming.

The price has not yet been set, but expect it to be something in the range of Moebius' new gear set for the Flying Sub. Notice, in fact, that I decided to do the box art in that same basic style, as the "highlight against white" approach, originally introduced to me by Frank, also seemed like a perfect fit for this project. Paul will chime in soon with more details on the design, construction, and materials involved with this new product offering.

We tried very hard to hit a certain date for this announcement, but due to issues beyond our control, we missed it by a couple of days. That would have been September 22nd, which was the 44th anniversary of the original airing of "The Derelict." This, of course, was the episode during which the "hero" landing gear was revealed for the first time. The unforgettable SFX shot in question still holds up very well, in my opinion, even by today's high standards.
Ron G.

kdaracal · #2 09-24-2009, 07:17 PM

Sorry to be out of the loop, Ron. I've read lots of material here, but never really caught on to the differences. For us dum-dums, can you explain what this all means? or can anyone provide a visual comparison? Thanks for all your awesome work. You are highly respected!!!

toyroy · #3 09-24-2009, 07:46 PM

Ron,
I've been working with this shot recently. It appears there are some wedge-shaped projections between the bottom of the fins and the lower surface of the core, to the left of the near gear leg. They're in all the frames of the shot. They don't seem to be due to a lighting anomaly. Can you tell us anything about them?

inline image

Paulbo · #4 09-24-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdaracal

Sorry to be out of the loop, Ron. I've read lots of material here, but never really caught on to the differences. For us dum-dums, can you explain what this all means? or can anyone provide a visual comparison? Thanks for all your awesome work. You are highly respected!!!

Your wish is my command ... As a quick comparison: the full-sized set's landing gear is more slender and "dainty", while the hero miniature's gear is "beefier".

Here's a study Ron did of the two gear, based on drawings Moebius made of the kit gear. I superimposed the two images to make the comparison easier:

Also, here's the exploded view of our gear showing all of the pieces:

I'm still working on the final quotations for casting the metal parts (the left-hand portions including the landing pad, the lower portion of the main arm, and the upper bracket to attach the rod to the ship) and the laser cut pieces (the main gear portions).

One slight change we decided to make from Ron's original study is to alter the angle of the arm so that the top of the rod mates to the ship at the same mounting hole as the kit gear.

I hope to have the prototypes of the gear ready tomorrow and will post images as soon as Ron and I have a chance to go over them.

gojira61 · #5 09-24-2009, 08:27 PM

..SIGH...more money to Paul.

Ron Gross · #6 09-24-2009, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyroy

Ron,
I've been working with this shot recently. It appears there are some wedge-shaped projections between the bottom of the fins and the lower surface of the core, to the left of the near gear leg. They're in all the frames of the shot. They don't seem to be due to a lighting anomaly. Can you tell us anything about them?

I always assumed that it was a lighting anomaly, but now I will study it further.

Ron Gross · #7 09-24-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdaracal

Sorry to be out of the loop, Ron. I've read lots of material here, but never really caught on to the differences. For us dum-dums, can you explain what this all means? or can anyone provide a visual comparison? Thanks for all your awesome work. You are highly respected!!!

kdaracal,
In addition to the superimposed image that Paul provided, I am reposting my A-B comparison image for your convenience. Note that we made a few changes since I did that study. For example, my first inclination was to retain the proportions of the hero gear, but then "dress them up" with familiar details to which one might be accustomed from seeing close up shots of the full scale gear.

Notice the flexible "shock absorber" joint in lieu of the ball and socket suggestion on the drawing. Also, the lower angled front section of the leg is closed rather than being open as it was on the hero gear (as seen on another view). But then we decided that it would probably be best to just do the hero gear in all of its original detail, and leave the "dressing up" option up to the individual. All things considered, I think this is the right choice. The point is that whatever one decides to do with this new gear, the proportional integrity with respect to the hull contour will be fully intact. That means that you will be able to accurately duplicate the classic SFX scene on the J2 landing on the circle, if that is your preference.

fire91bird · #8 09-24-2009, 09:37 PM

Thank you for your efforts on this, Ron and all involved. I agree with you that the hero proportions are ideal. The Moebius J2 with this gear has to be a high water mark for model kits. Can't wait!

kdaracal · #9 09-24-2009, 10:01 PM

Paul, Thanks for the superimposed image.
Ron, Thanks for going the extra miles to make the very best model possible. The more I see, the more I can't wait for this to come out. About the only extras I will be getting is a nice decal kit (because I stink at painting small buttons) and a nice light set because it is just so COOL! Thanks again to Moebius and Ron for really making childhood dreams come true for this 46 year old.

teslabe · #10 09-24-2009, 10:30 PM

Hi Paul, Ron,
I love all the work that went into this and you can count on me getting three
sets.....

teslabe · #11 09-24-2009, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gojira61

..SIGH...more money to Paul.

He needs to pay for that Roll's he has.....

Paulbo · #12 09-24-2009, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teslabe

He needs to pay for that Roll's he has.....

To keep people from thinking I'm doing too well, I've replaced the Rolls hood ornament with a medallion that says "Kia".

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdaracal

Paul, Thanks for the superimposed image.
Ron, Thanks for going the extra miles to make the very best model possible. The more I see, the more I can't wait for this to come out. About the only extras I will be getting is a nice decal kit (because I stink at painting small buttons) and a nice light set because it is just so COOL! Thanks again to Moebius and Ron for really making childhood dreams come true for this 46 year old.

You're quite welcome. I hope the image cleared up any confusion.

Decals are in the works along with an etch set to make lighting much easier. I'm sure that Randy will have a lighting set that will work perfectly with this kit so it would be similar to working with the Flying Sub etch/decal/lighting set.

John P · #13 09-24-2009, 11:20 PM

Those wedges look like shadowplay to me. Why would they only be on one quadrant of the core? They can easily be explained as shadows from the fins caused by a light from below/behind.

BlackbirdCD · #14 09-25-2009, 12:05 AM

Well I would've bought these, except that you missed the anniversary of the first showing of "The Derelict". Now? Pffft, forget it!

Can't wait to see how this aftermarket kit comes out. Nice Job!

gojira61 · #15 09-25-2009, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paulbo

Decals are in the works along with an etch set to make lighting much easier. I'm sure that Randy will have a lighting set that will work perfectly with this kit so it would be similar to working with the Flying Sub etch/decal/lighting set.

SWEEEEEET!

Love the Flying Sub set (now if I can find time to USE it)