By Bill Engar

A newer model kit company on the scene, Doll and Hobby GA, has re-released the vintage 1/35-scale Aurora Cyclops and Chariot model kit with some great new enhancements.  Two versions of this kit were released during the original broadcasts of Lost in Space by Aurora Models; this is the larger version that had an expanded, taller base and a model of the Chariot, the tracked ground transport of the Lost-in-Space Robinson family.

THE LOWDOWN:  VINTAGE KIT RETURNS WITH AFTERMARKET-TYPE ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDED IN A SPECTACULAR NEW BOX -- AURORA CLASSIC IS NOW MULTIMEDIA WITH ADDED RESIN PARTS TO MAKE A COMPLETE LOST IN SPACE ROBINSON FAMILY -- A LITTLE EXPERIENCE WITH MINOR PARTS PREP, GLUING, AND PAINTING WILL BE HELPFUL -- BY FAR THE BEST EVER THAT THIS KIT HAS LOOKED -- LIS COLLECTORS AND BUILDERS ADD THIS ONE TO YOUR LIST!

DHG-1420 -- MSRP $44.95 -- 55 TOTAL PARTS -- HOBBY KIT REQUIRING ASSEMBLY -- STYRENE AND RESIN PLASTIC PARTS -- GLUE AND PAINT AVAILABLE SEPARATELY

The box lid is reminiscent of the original Aurora style; it's rigid with a glossy finish.  Graphic designer Bob Plant created striking artwork.

The back of the box shows what the model will look like once built and painted.  This is a gorgeous box--be sure to save it after you've built the kit!

For the first time, the kit contains the entire Robinson family with the addition of an all-new resin Judy figure, and, never fear! Smith is here too—a new Dr. Smith figure has also been added!  New decals depicting the windows and interior of the Chariot have been created for the kit as well.

It's a pretty good-sized box, and it's packed full.

Entire kit contents.  Four bags protect the parts and prevent loss.

We counted 49 buff-colored styrene plastic parts plus six cast in white resin.  Being a vintage kit, you’ll need a little seam filler and you might experience some sinkholes.  It’s probably nothing to a degree that will bother anybody other than the fastidious contest modeler.  The parts are actually in pretty good shape when one considers the age of the tooling.

Kit parts and decals.  The right half of the photo shows what was in the original "long-box" Aurora Lost in Space cyclops kit.  Aurora later added most of the parts seen at left; a much taller base and the Chariot were added.  D&H adds Judy and Dr. Smith to the mix!

New additions are perfectly cast in white resin.

Likenesses of Judy and Dr. Smith are nicely executed in 1/35-scale.

Master sculptor Jeff Yagher designed the all-new figures.

​If you’ve never built a resin kit before, this is a perfect place to begin.  The new Judy and Dr. Smith figures are cast in white resin.  Standard model glues meant for styrene will not work for the white parts in the kit.  You’ll need cyanoacrylate (“super glue”) adhesive or epoxy in addition to standard model glue required for the styrene parts.  Gluing the arms on each using your choice of these glues will be a simple matter.  Painting will be the same as the others.  Beyond minor work with the resin figures, the rest of the model is a straightforward styrene plastic kit.  Modelers who've built a few glue-kits should have no problems with construction.  Newly produced instructions are easy to follow.

The Chariot is nicely detailed with 18 parts!

New decals provide the choice of depicting the Robot inside the Chariot or not.  Stay tuned for the reason you'll want the Robot-not-in-the-Chariot decal option.

The new figures are nicely done.  Jeff Yagher is well known for his ultra-realistic sculpts of many popular entertainment characters; he has mastered a number of replacement heads for iconic figure kits that are far superior to those created by the original kit artists.  D&H commissioned Mr. Yagher to do the new figures for the Cyclops and Chariot kit.  They’re excellent likenesses of their TV characters and the casting appears to be first-rate with no bubbles or seams visible in my examples.  They fit in well with the other figures; once painted, you won’t be able to tell that they were engineered decades after the originals in the kit.

The cyclops is a classic monster from Greek mythology.  Irwin Allen decided to include it in some scenes in the Lost in Space pilot and these were incorporated into the early series episode, "There were Giants in the Earth."  Nicely done special effects made this sequence rather intense and scary for some of us younger viewers at the time!  The kit cyclops nicely approximates the monster seen in the show.

The large figure was well-done originally; it was mastered by Aurora’s legendary figure sculptors.  It resembles the Lost in Space cyclops perfectly.  The figure’s texturing begs for weathering as does the base.  I believe the modeler looking for a leisure weekend build or the contest builder striving for perfection will both enjoy this kit.

Many of the classic Aurora monster kits had elaborate bases and the cleverly engineered expanded version that came with the original Lost in Space Cyclops and Chariot kit is no exception.  Intricate texturing will reward the modeler skilled at weathering.  If you are new to the concept, this kit is a perfect place to learn or improve your weathering skills by using washes and dry brushing to enhance this detail.

I’d recommend washing all parts in soapy water prior to starting construction to remove possible oily mold release residues.  This precaution will help with paint adhesion.  Assemble the figures one at a time to be sure you get everybody’s bodies and extremities matched up correctly.  Test-fit parts before gluing and trim if needed to improve fit.  Once some assembly is completed, spray a thin coat of primer to check for any minor gaps between parts that may occur; such is very common with figure kits of any vintage.  Fill small gaps with your favorite putty and epoxy, let dry or cure, and repeat with your primer until you are satisfied that the figures are ready for final paint.

Dry-fit those torso parts and trim if needed until the fit is precise.  You may need a small amount of modeling putty to remove any gaps that remain.

The ”spacesuit” costumes worn by the Robinson family characters were a very shiny silver.  Use of a reflective finish eliminates the need for any weathering of the spacesuits thusly painted; the natural reflections will enhance the molded-in details.  Alclad II chrome, applied only with an airbrush, might be a good choice to duplicate the look of the aluminized suits.  Alclad II goes best over a dark, glossy finish such as dark gray or black.  If you don’t have an airbrush, spray cans of shiny silver paint should be easy to find.  Testors spray paints would be a good choice as they’re made for models and won’t craze the plastic.  It might not be a bad idea to mask off the figures’ hands and heads to avoid building up too much paint; they can be painted via hand-brushing with acrylic or enamel model paints of your choice. 

Considering the texturing done on the base components and cyclops figure, this model will look amazing when using washes and dry-brushing techniques to highlight these surfaces.
 

Promotional images showing built model.  Paint and glue required to assemble as depicted.

Another new feature for this kit is a striking full-color cardstock backdrop, lavishly printed on both sides.  It’s another nice feature that will make this diorama stand out on your shelf or on the contest table.

The full-color trifold, 2-sided backdrop shows the alien rock formations and sky of the planet "Priplanus" where the Robinson family spent their first season Lost in Space!

A closeup of the Jupiter 2 illustrates the level of detail in the backdrop.  You can almost hear the Robot exclaiming, "Danger!  Danger!" as he flails his arms.

When Polar Lights re-released the original, basic cyclops-and-Robinsons diorama, I quickly bought one.  I figured I didn’t need the larger Chariot-version.  However, seeing the new enhancements in the D&H version changed my mind.  New decals, new figures, new backdrop—if you already have previous issues of the kit, keep them for your collector-stash; you’ll definitely want to add this kit to your essential Lost in Space collection!

Instructions are concise and comprehensive.  Any modeler who has built and painted a glue-kit or two should have no trouble building the D&H Cyclops and the Chariot kit.  More experienced modelers will enjoy the possibilities for detailing with paint and weathering that the kit presents.

Aurora Models made a series of classic monster kits that are popular with modelers to this day.  Consider adding D&H's Cyclops and the Chariot to your collection if you haven't already.  If you're a fan of Star Trek, this model makes a good companion to the 1/32 bridge kit diorama.  If you've never built any type of diorama or resin kit before, Cyclops and the Chariot is a perfect place to learn or improve those skills.

An artwork library of the classic Lost in Space Cyclops diorama kits.  At left is the original Aurora Cyclops and Chariot artwork with the smaller, Long-Box Cyclops sans Chariot version in the center; both images courtesy BoxArtDen.  At right is the striking D&H release artwork by Bob Plant.

The 2Modeler.com guys give this model an enthusiastic four thumbs up!  Assembly should be fairly straightforward and fun with most of the effort going towards painting.  Whatever level of effort you decide to put into the kit will certainly be enhanced by new decals and the backdrop.  D&H adds worthwhile features to an iconic model kit first released during the original Lost in Space series.  We’re very impressed with the overall presentation of this kit and look forward to future releases from this new company!
 
SPECIAL THANKS TO DOLL AND HOBBY GA FOR PROVIDING THIS KIT TO REVIEW AND ENJOY!

Also available through CultTVMan's HobbyShop!

​BONUS FEATURES COMING SOON:  THE LOST IN SPACE PHENOMENON AND MORE!

BONUS FEATURES

ABOUT DOLL AND HOBBY GA LLC

Doll and Hobby Georgia is a toy and hobby products distributor originally founded by Joanne and Frank Winspur.  Frank founded Moebius Models in 2008 as a division of Doll and Hobby.  Joanne is a prominent collector of Mattel’s Barbie dolls and turned her passion into a successful retail operation which explains the full name of their distributorship. 

2Modeler.com what-does-it-have-to-do-with-modeling trivia:  Over 1 billion Barbie fashion dolls have been sold since Mattel's powerhouse brand hit stores in 1959.  In that year alone, 300,000 dolls were sold!  Barbie has been described as the world's most popular doll.  Boyfriend Ken is #2!

Steve Iverson, known for creating the iconic science fiction modeling website CultTVMan.com, purchased Doll and Hobby from the Winspurs in 2018.  While D&H is known in the toy and hobby industry as a prominent wholesale distributor, Steve is utilizing the brand name for a new model kit company.  As of posting, D&H has produced several model kits from Irwin Allen TV shows including Land of the Giants and Lost in Space.  Soon, D&H will release their first original kit—a 1/35 version of the Lost in Space Chariot.

Some may be under the impression that Doll and Hobby is affiliated with Moebius Models; they are not the same company.  It is true that Frank Winspur established both brands, but they have since been sold to different individuals and operate independently from each other.  Moebius Models was purchased by Larry Thompson and Tom Macomber, owners of Pegasus Hobbies, a brick-and-mortar hobby shop in Upland, CA.  Pegasus Hobbies also makes a line of model kits, so products with the Pegasus and Moebius brands are owned by that company.

Doll and Hobby is a distributor for Moebius Models, just as they are for many hobby brands including Round2 Models.  Both D&H and Moebius happen to have separate licensing agreements with Irwin Allen intellectual properties i.e. Lost in Space and they've also utilized the same graphic designer for their packaging, Bob Plant.  Styles used in the boxes are thematically similar and we'd like to think that the model kits both companies produce will differ from each other, but will be complementary in the sense that modelers and fans of the TV and movie series portrayed will enjoy collecting and building the kits from both companies.  The bottom line is that modelers and LIS fans will have a greater selection and variety of model kits!

In 1/35 scale, this kit will be the perfect size to go with the figures in your Cyclops and Chariot kit (the Chariot in that kit is actually 1/48 scale).  It also happens to be the same scale as the Moebius Jupiter 2!  Buy a couple and add the Robot figure to your D&H Cyclops and Chariot diorama.

D&H has released a handful of kits from Irwin Allen's Lost in Space and Land of the Giants.  These kits were produced from legacy Aurora tooling.  In final production at time of posting is D&H's first all-new kit, the Chariot from Lost in Space in 1:35 scale!  This kit is right-sized, roughly similar to the many desktop-sized Aurora models we enjoyed in our youth.  Retail price will be very reasonable.  This model was on display at the CultTVMan vendor booth at the IPMS/USA national convention in late July, 2022.  It is scheduled to ship in the fall.  We hope this kit is a big success for D&H and look forward to many additional all-new releases!

THE LOST IN SPACE PHENOMENON

Irwin Allen established himself as a producer and director in the 1950s with RKO and Warner Brothers studios.  By the 1960’s he solidified his career with 20th Century Fox studios, producing The Lost World, and Five Weeks in a Balloon.  The 1961 feature film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (VTTBS), was popular with audiences who enjoyed the fusion of then state-of-the-art technology with fantasy elements.  Irwin Allen successfully adapted Voyage to TV and the weekly series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea debuted on ABC-TV in fall of 1964.  It ran for five seasons.

Irwin Allen's films are all known for thrilling theatergoers with lavish visual spectacles.  He utilized many of the same special effects artists for his TV series.  At left, it's "Five Weeks in a Balloon."  At right, "The Lost World."

Manned spaceflight was huge in our culture during the 1960’s.  Live TV and radio broadcasts of the Mercury and Gemini missions preempted everything else going on in TV and radio.  However, until the Apollo missions, we heard audio only from the missions during live radio and TV broadcasts.  Still photos and jerky film of Mercury and Gemini in space often did not emerge for days, in the case of color photos in magazines such as National Geographic, it sometimes took months.

​As his series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was looking forward to achieving the same sort of favorable reaction with audiences experienced by the movie, Irwin Allen looked to the stars for his next TV series.  Instead of a pseudo-navy group of characters, Mr. Allen decided to personalize exploration of the stars by sending what was considered a standard nuclear family into space.  “What would it be like if your family could go into outer space?” was the premise of the series.  Such might have been fine on its own for a feature film, but additional drama elements were needed to sustain an ongoing series and the concept of a stranded “Space Family Robinson” became the pitch to the network.  A pilot episode was filmed. 

An image from the 1961 theatrical film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  The Seaview sails by the United Nations Building in New York City.  A burning sky threatens the earth in this movie.  Various sources cite the length of the largest Seaview filming "miniature" between 18 and 20 feet.  To this day, many special effect shots for this series will "wow" the viewer.

Lost in Space incorporated a number of fanciful elements, but many aspects were based on then-state-of-the-art technology.  That's an actual Bell jet pack worn by Guy Williams, who portrayed father John Robinson on the series.

No, he's not fictional.  Astronaut Gordon Cooper flew the last Mercury mission wearing a silver suit that strongly influenced the costumes in Lost in Space.

CBS picked up Lost in Space for a 1965 fall debut , famously passing on Star Trek, which was bought by rival network NBC to debut a year later.  The network requested additional changes, mostly characters, prior to shooting regular series episodes.  They spared no expense hiring Robert Kinoshita (of Forbidden Planet fame) to design The Robot.  Also added was the villainous Dr. Zachary Smith, who added a sort-of Cold War adversary to the group.  Few will disagree that dramatic actor Jonathan Harris was perfectly cast for this role.  The Smith character evolved from conniving saboteur to stowaway-interloper early in the series. 

The nuclear-family-in-space formula worked very well thanks to excellent casting.  Guy Williams, already known to TV audiences as Zorro, played father John Robinson.  June Lockhart had already established herself as the prototypical TV mom in Lassie; she left that series to do Lost in Space at the apex of that show’s popularity.  Mark Goddard played the ship’s pilot, Major Don West.  He wasn’t written as part of the family so that Don could add dramatic conflict with Guy Williams’ character without creating what would otherwise be considered family strife that might trigger the nervous TV censors of the period.

Mid-1965:  Astronaut Ed White holds a reaction-maneuvering " zip gun" outside his Gemini-4 spacecraft.  We remember Chris Kraft's stern directive for Ed White to get back in his spacecraft.  But we heard it on the radio only; it was post-flight before actual images such as this one were released.

Mid-1965:  Actor Guy Williams holds a reaction-maneuvering "zip gun" prop outside his Jupiter 2 spacecraft exterior set.  Filmed just as NASA's Gemini program got off the ground, Lost in Space brought the excitement of space travel directly into viewer's living rooms.

We bought the idea that Marta Kristen could be the daughter of parents John and Maureen Robinson and her character Judy became very popular with the teenage boy in all of us.  Initially, a romantic relationship between Judy and Don was strongly hinted, but this seemed to fizzle as the show evolved. 
 
Angela Cartwright played sweet-dispositioned middle sibling Penny.  Cartwright proved her acting chops from a young age on The Danny Thomas Show.  She also appeared in what was at the time a huge blockbuster, The Sound of Music, which debuted as Lost in Space was in pre-production.

​Billy Mumy was 11 as Lost in Space debuted, but he passed for precocious nine-year-old Will, the youngest Robinson.  Mumy had appeared in a number of TV commercials and various series, perhaps best remembered for carrying the Twilight Zone episode, “It’s a Good Life.”  Mumy was just 7 years of age when this iconic episode debuted.
 
Jonathan Harris was added after CBS evaluated the pilot episode.  His treacherous Dr. Zachary Smith character started out as a cold-blooded saboteur.  It was assumed that his “special guest star” billing meant he could be written off the show at any time.  

The Robinson Family, Major Don West, Dr. Smith, and The Robot in an early publicity shot for Lost in Space.

This angle kept us coming back every week, wondering if the Robinsons would finally abandon him somewhere or maybe he’d get what he deserved at the hands of some scary alien.  However, the longsuffering Robinsons always forgave him and he always managed to escape his demise at the hands of the alien-of-the-week and even avoided being beaten up by Don, another scene we always wanted to see.

The Jupiter 2 was designed as a sort-of space Winnebago.  It certainly bears resemblance to the lenticular C-57D of the iconic sci-fi classic, "Forbidden Planet."  The pilot episode of Lost in Space lifted its opening music directly from this movie.  For the series, a very catchy theme written by Johnny Williams opened the first two seasons.  A dozen years later, John Williams would reprise his space theme talents by creating the music for Star Wars and many other iconic movies.

The final cast member, The Robot, required the then-innovative use of two actors, radio voice Dick Tufeld and suit actor Robert May.  The same concept was famously used for Star Wars a dozen years later to create the iconic villain Darth Vader.  Suit actor Bob May was told he could have the part if he fit in the robot suit.  He did—but at great discomfort.
 
Initially, the robot’s legs could split and in early episodes, the robot would clumsily “walk” but this was awkward on screen and painful for May.  After a short time, the robot was towed by a cable in longer shots and a version without lower legs was made so that May could maneuver with his own feet unencumbered in upper body closeups.  While Mr. Tufeld provided the Robot's speaking voice, sharp-eared viewers will note that it is Bob May's voice during a few instances where the Robot sings!

The Robot and Dr. Smith from a reunion photo.  At left, Dick Tufeld provided the voice.  At right, Bob May was the suit-actor, and front-center, Jonathan Harris AKA Dr. Smith provided never-ending insults. 

An underlying religious theme of redemption was somewhat similar to another show with the same theme, Gilligan’s Island.  We tuned into both shows with the hope that just maybe this would be the week when the characters would either get rescued or find their way home.
 
Lost In Space evolved during its three year “mission.”  Initially an earnest sci-fi fantasy exploring the notion of your-family-in-space, the show famously evolved (devolved?) into campy territory to compete with Batman, a 1966 mid-season replacement show that became an overnight hit.
 
Efforts to economize meant that many of the monsters from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea were recycled for Lost in Space and both series had their share of “Monster of the Week” episodes.

Star Trek had its triumvirate cast leads who quickly became the character focus of the show in the form of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.  Lost in Space eventually had a similar dynamic, although it took a while for it to evolve.  Later shows featured Dr. Smith, The Robot, and Will Robinson in plots where Dr. Smith would often attempt to exploit Will’s youth and curiosity and the Robot would temper Smith’s emotionalism with his logic.  While young, Billy Mumy had the discipline and focus to deliver strong performances week after week.  Jonathan Harris famously evolved his character into a cowardly, comedic villain and successfully escaped his assumed temporary, “special guest star” role.  The acting duo of Tufeld and May managed to morph the robot character.  Initially, he was an unemotional automaton under the tenuous control of Dr. Smith, regarded with unease by the Robinsons.  As the series progressed, he developed a passable set of emotions and was regarded as a family member.

Producer William Dozier struggled with the notion of giving the Batman comic a serious treatment for his 1966 TV series.  His campy version was an instant hit that definitely influenced Lost in Space!

Batman and The Joker share a wave in an episode from the Batman TV series.  The Joker plans to take over Gotham City by  becoming The King of Surfing first.

The show was mostly science-fantasy as opposed to science fiction, but there was certainly some interesting science.  In one show, character Maureen mentions solid-state lighting, which we know today as LED lights.  We all wanted a Lost in Space washing machine where one would deposit dirty laundry which would instantly be cleaned, folded, and packaged in plastic bags!
 
The Jupiter 2 spaceship utilized a flying saucer theme.  Its propulsion seemed to be based on some sort of rotational field generator suggested by a disc with spinning lights on the bottom.
 
Many special effects were very well done for the period.  The crash sequence of the Jupiter 2 is simply spectacular and stands up well to anything contemporary.

"The Promised Planet" (1968) is certainly a product of the 1960's.  But it explored some very interesting aspects of youth culture and brainwashing!  And the beginning of the episode had us believing the Robinsons had finally reached their destination.

It's a freak-out!  Dr. Smith gets groovy in "The Promised Planet (1968).

Some of the shows were rather silly.  Even at a young age, I recall rolling my eyes at space Vikings and space hippies.  At the time, a few episodes turned out to be particularly scary, at least for me, including The Space Destructors and Space Creature.  Space Creature includes a sub-basement for the suddenly 3-level Jupiter 2 not seen before!  You could also wonder where on board the Jupiter 2 the land-roving Chariot was stashed as well as the later, Lunar Module-like Space Pod.
 
Still, the acting and many of the stories were good enough that we were able to suspend disbelief and tune back in week-after-week to follow the adventures of the stranded and lost Robinson family.  The show went into syndication where I was able to see all the episodes missed during regular series run, becoming a forever-fan.

The campy Batman TV series flamed out in 1968 about as fast as it emerged on pop-culture radar.  With the arrival of the Vietnam Era, the light tone that Lost in Space had appropriated was out of style and the show was cancelled.  The show went into syndication and via reruns, remained popular. 
 
Both Star Trek and Lost in Space were considered for adaptation into a Saturday morning cartoon format.  Filmation’s Star Trek, featuring most of the original cast in voice roles, was popular and surprised critics with a reasonably faithful interpretation that satisfied kids and serious Star Trek fans who mourned the passing of the original show.  Hanna Barbera, on the other hand, dramatically changed Lost in Space, saving only Jonathan Harris’ portrayal of Dr. Smith in contrast to a completely new set of characters vocalized by their stock voice actor staff.  The Robot was renamed "Robon"  and a substantially modified and Jupiter 2 was redesigned as a sort-of rocket ship.  The pilot episode didn’t sell a series and filled a Saturday morning time slot on “The Saturday Superstar Movie” in 1973.

Will climbs down into the heretofore unseen catacombs of the Jupiter 2 in "Space Creature."

The original three seasons of Lost in Space continued to be shown in syndication.  A few episodes were released to VHS tape in the late 1990’s, and during the 2000’s, the series was fully released on DVD and Blu Ray disc.

A planned animated series in the early 1970's by Hanna-Barbera wasn't picked up for production.  These animation studies for Dr. Smith appear to be based on Jonathan Harris as he appeared a few years after the original Lost in Space was off the air.

While the show hasn’t enjoyed the same resurgence as Star Trek with theatrical films and new series, it did see a high-budget movie release in 1998.  Promotion for this film saw a number of retrospective documentaries featuring the original cast.  Consideration was made for a concluding episode with much of the original cast where the Robinson family would find their way home, but, alas, in late 2002, Jonathan Harris passed away and remaining cast members lost enthusiasm for the project.
 
An abortive series reboot in 2004 failed to launch but a 2018 version of the show on Netflix has been well received by audiences and critics.  It has been the best reboot of Lost in Space yet with three seasons totaling 28 episodes.  Sharp-eyed viewers will note a scene in an early episode where Will Robinson is shown with fictional model kits of series space hardware.

Aurora Models achieved amazing success with a line of monster figures from Universal’s classic horror movies.  Even though the movies were decades old, they were popular on television.  Young modelers loved the monster figure kits and Aurora followed this series with many models based on popular TV shows including Lost in Space.  Lost in Space rated two kits initially; the Robot was a popular kit and a diorama featuring most of the Robinson family and the menacing cyclops was also released.  While the Jupiter 2 was never made into a kit initially, the cyclops diorama had two versions; for 98 cents you could get the cyclops with the Robinson family and for $1.98, you could get the same plastic plus an expanded, taller base and the Chariot.  The Cyclops pair and The Robot made a total of three Lost in Space kits from Aurora while Lost in Space was being broadcast between 1965 and 1968.

In 1998, Lost in Space was adapted as a major, high-budget movie.  Two sequels were planned.  LIS fans flocked to see the film, but it didn't generate enough sustained ticket sales to justify the planned sequels.  Another series reboot was attempted in 2004, but tepid reception relegated this effort to stillborn status.  Finally, in 2018, a new Netflix series pleased critics and viewers enough to see 28 episodes over three seasons!

Prior to new movie’s release in 1998, a resurgence in interest in Lost in Space saw the re-release of the two Aurora kits by then-new company Polar Lights (PL).  PL also introduced for the first time an all-new Jupiter 2 model!  The twelve-inch styrene kit was based on a model built by Ron Gross which was popular in several modeling magazines of the period.  PL enhanced the Robot kit by adding a 1/8-scale figure of Dr. Smith, and a few years later, Moebius Models created large kits of the Jupiter 2, Robot, Chariot, Pod, and even the derelict ship from the TV pilot and early episodes of Lost in Space.

Modelers enjoyed a renaissance of interest in Lost in Space in the 1990's that brought back the classic Aurora kits and finally, a readily available, injection-molded styrene Jupiter 2.  In addition to re-releasing the original 1960's trio of Lost in Space kits, Polar Lights released their Jupiter 2, their first all-new model kit.  It debuted in 1998 as did the "new" Lost in Space film directed by Stephen Hopkins.  A second kit release in 2001 featured new artwork.

Following Polar Lights and Moebius, Doll and Hobby has produced a handful of models from Irwin Allen TV shows including Land of the Giants and now Lost in Space.  D&H’s Spindrift and Snake Diorama kits have sold well.  The Cyclops and Chariot kit adds a complete Robinson family plus Doctor Smith, and an all-new Chariot in 1/35 is in the works.  It’s a great time to be a Lost in Space modeler!

Moebius Models has a line of large, well-detailed model kits.  Learn more about them and other Lost in Space model kits and accessories by visiting the CultTVMan Hobbyshop!

Visit the CultTVMan HobbyShop to see the latest and upcoming science fiction model kits!

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