[starseeker]

This mostly belongs to Lou D, since he said on another thread something about new clear light of day pictures of the J2. But I've hijacked his thread enough already, so I thought I'd put these here.
After I said that the best pictures I had of the season 3 J2 were Viewmaster, so I had no way of copying them, I just realized that I can. Transparency attachment on the scanner, copy at 3200 dpi, get 600 Mb image, and cut and paste with Photoshop.
That's what these are. In the early days of Viewmaster, they took their cameras onto the actual sets and took photos there. These are as close to light of day pictures as we'll ever see. Of course, there's still the lighting and negative color sensitivity and developing issues, and the age of these slides, all of which make getting a truly accurate color impossible, but they were taken on set with a film camera.

 

[starseeker]

I'm hoping that these might be of help to anyone looking for 3d season color information.
Also, what I really like about these is that you get a sense of the light levels on the set. In order to see out of the windows, the light levels in the Jupiter 2 and Flying Sub and Seaview nose had to be low, otherwise it would be like trying to see out of your living room windows into a dark night with all the lights in the room turned to high. As with scale color, there's also scale lighting. I see so many models lit to levels that would light up the rooms they're in and would be X ray intense in small scales.

 

[Lou Dalmaso]

now, THATS what I'm talkin' bout!

interesting details on the rib wall lighting. I've already changed that bit for the painting set

Thanks!

 

[Antimatter]

This mostly belongs to Lou D, since he said on another thread something about new clear light of day pictures of the J2. But I've hijacked his thread enough already, so I thought I'd put these here.
After I said that the best pictures I had of the season 3 J2 were Viewmaster, so I had no way of copying them, I just realized that I can. Transparency attachment on the scanner, copy at 3200 dpi, get 600 Mb image, and cut and paste with Photoshop.
That's what these are. In the early days of Viewmaster, they took their cameras onto the actual sets and took photos there. These are as close to light of day pictures as we'll ever see. Of course, there's still the lighting and negative color sensitivity and developing issues, and the age of these slides, all of which make getting a truly accurate color impossible, but they were taken on set with a film camera.

Could you imagine had that airlock opened in real space what would have happened? No one would be standing there that's for sure.

 

[toyroy]

Could you imagine had that airlock opened in real space what would have happened?...

Dr. Smith would've 'sploded. :wave:

 

[toyroy]

...Also, what I really like about these (photos) is that you get a sense of the light levels on the set. In order to see out of the windows, the light levels in the Jupiter 2 and Flying Sub and Seaview nose had to be low, otherwise it would be like trying to see out of your living room windows into a dark night with all the lights in the room turned to high...

Good point, although I figure the luminosity of the stars and stuff outside were cranked up a few orders of magnitude.

 

[Richard Baker]

I had those Viewmasters- I remember using my microscope to get a better look at the J2...

.

 

[toyroy]

I've still got mine, and VttBotS. They included cartoon booklets of the story.

 

[Lloyd Collins]

Lost in Space, and City Beneath the Sea sets, and one reel of VTTBOTS and Land of the Giants. They are still the best research shots, because you can enlarge with details!

 

[RSN]

Somebody explain this anomlaly to me. I noticed it many times when watching the episode, but thought I was seeing things. The wall beams are messed up at the base. The floor also appears to be all one color, as the reflections show. In the second, (And my favorite all time LIS pic!) all seems normal. Yet another variation!

 

[Lou Dalmaso]

Are telling me there are differences in an Irwin Allen set piece?

Shocked! I'm shocked, I tell you!

just kidding.. If it's any help, the kit's walls are based on the second picture

 

[starseeker]

My guess would be that the picture without the footed girder is from later in the third season . After the first half dozen or so episodes, the set was moved and altered. The center part of the ceiling girders disappeared, the floor hatch disappeared, the radar units on the main controls were replaced with Time Tunnel style television screens that displayed various rotating sine waves (those would sure have been meaningful to a pilot), etc, etc. In your first photo, the foot matches the girders in the pilot. Maybe the extensions added for the 1st season set were removed?
That View Master reel was from the 1st episode or so of the 3d season so it still reflects the 2nd season set. And don't try to look for continuity. The episodes were probably broadcast way out of filming order. On Land of the Giants, in the second season, the stewardess went from slightly pregnant to slim to very pregnant to slim randomly in broadcast order.
Speaking of Land, I just scanned the 1st disk of the Viewmaster reel and if they turned out will cut and copy the images over to the Spindrift blueprint thread one of these days.

 

[toyroy]

...The wall beams are messed up at the base. The floor also appears to be all one color, as the reflections show...

Reminds me of the first pilot. Perhaps there's a raised floor, concealing the cut off wall footings.

 

[m jamieson]

Now was the second photo your favorite because of the view of June Lockhart's butt? cause Judy and Penny are blocking what could have been a nice shot of the astrogator! lol

 

[RSN]

To answer some questions from above:

It is definitely from the first episode filmed and aired of the 3rd season, that is not in question, the question is why it appears like that in some shots from the episode and no others, including the rest of the season.

As for why it is my favorite picture, I love building models, but I like to look at other things more, and there is more than a few things to appreciate there! I will let you guys figure it out!

 

[toyroy]

...In your first photo, the foot matches the girders in the pilot. Maybe the extensions added for the 1st season set were removed?...

What extensions? The squared-off bottom of the support wall edges was hidden under the raised outer floor ring, in the first pilot.

 

[PerfesserCoffee]

Thanks for posting these--great stuff!

I used to have that VM set. Great shots!

 

[starseeker2]

The Fox blues don't show any squared girder feet under the raised portion of the floor. From all other angles on the prints (other side details, front, top) it appears that the raised floor was the floor as far as the walls and hatch and control panel were concerned. When the Robot arrived, the floor had to be leveled, and the toe ins under the control panel and all the walls were dropped 5", and the two raised bands added to the front surfaces of the toe ins to cover the joins or seams, and of course the hatch area was totally rebuilt. It just seemed likely that the squared toe of the girder was added at that time, too. Somewhere (but it's totally moot as I have literally not a kb of attachment space left now), I have a picture of the base of one of the freezing tubes that shows a very scuffed and chipped and beaten girder foot with what appears to be a rough seam line at the 5" level. Of course, that could also be a paint line.
Bonus to looking at this print: I've been trying to figure out how to make a couple sections of mine "wild" so as to get a better look into the model. Tho I haven't a clue as to how I'll access the upper deck to get to the wild sections yet. On the set, the whole wall unit from toe in to the join between the angled wall and the flat ceiling was the wild unit. Not the floor at all. I think that's the way to go.

 

[Steve H]

Nice job with the Viewmaster slides!

Been a long, long time since I've seen the show but it's interesting to see that they kept the lighting on the supports framing the cockpit/control area. It looks like they still have the frosted plexi on the the other visible supports, just no lighting.

Well, there's another challenge for the aftermarket folks

 

[toyroy]

The Fox blues don't show any squared girder feet under the raised portion of the floor. From all other angles on the prints (other side details, front, top) it appears that the raised floor was the floor as far as the walls and hatch and control panel were concerned. When the Robot arrived, the floor had to be leveled, and the toe ins under the control panel and all the walls were dropped 5", and the two raised bands added to the front surfaces of the toe ins to cover the joins or seams, and of course the hatch area was totally rebuilt. It just seemed likely that the squared toe of the girder was added at that time, too. Somewhere...I have a picture of the base of one of the freezing tubes that shows a very scuffed and chipped and beaten girder foot with what appears to be a rough seam line at the 5" level. Of course, that could also be a paint line...

I don't remember where I read that they simply removed the outer raised flooring. It makes sense to me, when I see how little headroom there was for Guy Williams in his freezing tube.