Comic Book Jupiter 2 by Orne Montgomery part 4

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POSTSCRIPT (1993):

At the request of David Campitti, publisher of Innovation Comics, photos of my Jupiter II were supplied to the company in 1992 as source-material for their artists; these were used to render the Jupiter II in the last cycle of issues for the series before publication was suspended when the company went out of business. (In issue #19, the lamentably last published story, the Robinson’s and Co. – with Dr. Smith FINALLY stuffed into a Freezing Tube – had arrived in the Alpha Centuri system, only to run afoul of the aliens whom had created the hyperdrive technology of the Jupiter II – back-engineered from a crashed scout ship piloted by the alien leader’s son. “…It’s not what you expect.”)

POSTSCRIPT (2000)

Later, through Mike Evans at Lunar Models, Viacom made the decision that the model would become the “official” prototype for the comic-book series. Given the prospect that the model might be marketed as a production kit, and with much-appreciated help from Aaron Mach, the finished model was taken apart over a Christmas weekend to make silicone rubber molds (and a set of resin-castings). Afterward the model was reassembled and completely refinished to match it’s previous appearance; while it wasn’t as pristine, it went on to place first in a number of contests in Nevada and California.

FINAL IMAGES

The Jupiter II: This was modified (completely rebuilt) over the Lunar Models’ 24″ kit, and was based on some 1991 promo artwork for the Innovation Comics’ Lost in Space series; some of the detail was added later as the early issues were published, and the model was finished in May 1992.

I’ll keep this basic: this would run a few dozen pages otherwise. The diameter of the upper and lower hulls was extended to 26″; all the panel work was scratchbuilt from sheet plastic, strips, and spare parts. The plans for the retracting landing gear were blown up from the smaller Lunar 16″ kit and modified with screen door lining for the flex-knees of the landing-pads. The airlock hatch was cut out, moved forward, and made to operate on runners. The force field projector and telescope – between the upper bubble and main viewports – were scratchbuilt from parts and made to retract (with operating lights)

The interior (with the exception of the resin port frame and cockpit consoles which came with the kit) is my own take on what the flight deck would look like, a match for the revised exterior: the pilots-seats, the central computer/observatory station, walls (including computer station}, airlocks, space pod bay, and upper supports were scratchbuilt. Everything else was out of the parts box.

Sixty-five rice/grain of wheat bulbs, and two 7.2 maglites (a third in the power-core) run off a 340 watt transformer. This really wasn’t enough lighting, and the interior paint job is basically metalizer paints, with ScotchLite reflective strips added to the support beams to cast the light around more fully. Lights up very well.

The exterior was airbrushed with five shades of Testors Metalizers. A “vegetable green shellac” invented by Penny Robinson in the comic – a layer of extra shielding for the hull – was mixed from Polly S creature colors and also airbrushed in a light mist. over all, and a little darker in the panel lines. All the weathering was finger painted with chalk pastels.. Decals were everything from Space Shuttle markings to Estes Rocket roll-pattern markings. (Behind the lower stern is a collection of license-plates added by launch-crew who wanted a part of themselves to make the trip to Alpha Centauri.)

David Campitti, the publisher at Innovation, saw the model at the San Diego Comic Con; he asked for photos and I gave him a set. The artwork of the ship was based on the model from issue #9 until publication ceased.

We took molds off the model after I finished it (which meant splitting it apart, then rebuilding and repainting the model back to original condition). A casting was take off those molds; last year had a talk with Phil Lublin and made a deal with him to let Lunar tool a vacform kit from it.

Orne Montgomery

MATERIALS:

1/24 scale Jupiter II VF/resin kit, Lunar Models, 1835 Thunderbolt Dr./#C, Porterville, CA 93257-9300 (Current website: www.lunarmodels.com)

Sintra and styrene (8’x 4′ sheets) and Lexan (4’x 4′ sheets) available from Commercial Plastics and Supply Corp., 2800 S. Martin Luther King Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89114.

Transformer purchased from All Electronics Corp., P.O. Box 687, Van Nuys, CA 91408.

Wiring-harness accessories available through Radio Shack.

REFERENCES:

“Lost in Space” comix-series, issues #1-6, Innovation Comics.

Starlog Magazine, issue #168.

“Lost in Space” Technical Manual, by Richard R, Messman, with special assistance by James Van Mise.

“Lost in Space’: The Lost Episodes” (pilot-episodes video).