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round 2 polar lights kit ???

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  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Longmont, Colorado
Posted by Cadet Chuck on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 11:26 AM

By the way, I do NOT recommend this kit for beginners!  As for a source to purchase it, check out www.CultTVman.com  They have a lot of Sci Fi kits and even will accept pre-orders for kits before they are released.

Gimme a pigfoot, and a bottle of beer...

  • Member since
    October 2009
  • From: South La
Posted by Ti4019 on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 11:18 AM

Good looking ship!!!!

That painters touch is good stuff. We use it sometimes on full size props.  its a BIG ship and a LOT of work to get it to that state but boy does it make a great looking piece fromone of the finest of the '50s sci fi classics!

If you aren't having fun, you're doing it wrong! Build to please yourself and they will flame you every time!

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Saturday, March 20, 2010 12:08 AM

Wow, great looking fleet Chuck!

I've thought about picking up this kit but never realized how much work is involved. I've always thought it was one of the more cool looking classic SF film ships and I've been watching a lot of 'The Twilight Zone' where it seemed both the C-47D and quite a few other 'Forbidden Planet' props showed up.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Longmont, Colorado
Posted by Cadet Chuck on Friday, March 19, 2010 12:59 PM

Thanks for the compliment!

Here are the specs for the paint I used on the C-57D:

Rust-Oleum "Painter's Touch" series, available at Home Depot:

For the primer:  White Wet or Dry Sandable Primer, # 1981830.

For the finish coats:  Metallic Aluminum, # 240554.

Use your favorite modeling putty to fill the seams between the saucer sections and the three extra ramps that are to be built closed, as they did not exist on the original movie model.  The kit was made that way so all bottom saucer sections would be the same, hence avoiding extra expensive tooling.

You'll find you will need to apply many coats of primer, sanding between each coat and reputtying where needed.  I used the brute force approach, sanding with a Black and Decker "Mouse" as this is a BIG job.  (The faint swirly patterns you see on the saucer sections is supposed to disappear, too.  That is merely an artifact of the molding process, caused where the liquid plastic was pumped into the mold.)

Then when you are satisfied that all the seams have disappeared, start applying the aluminum paint, again as many coats as you think is needed, with fine wet hand sanding between each.  I used 400 grit wet paper.

After I was satisfied with the final coat of aluminum, I sealed it with a generous application of Future floor polish to give it a nice gloss.

Good luck!  Let us know how it comes out.  See ya in about 6 months or so!  Wink

Gimme a pigfoot, and a bottle of beer...

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Illinois: Hive of Scum and Villany
Posted by Sprue-ce Goose on Friday, March 19, 2010 12:25 AM

Thanks for the photos and tip about the Rustoleum.

Really nice work on your future space explorer collection.

Been partial to the Forbidden Planet C-57d cruiser since seeing the movie in the theater..............

20 or so years after the initial release.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Longmont, Colorado
Posted by Cadet Chuck on Thursday, March 18, 2010 10:18 PM

Yes, I built one recently, here are some pix.  It takes a LOT of work to make the seams in the saucer and the three extra landing ramps disappear, and a lot of paint.  I used about 15 coats of primer and aluminum paint to get it to look like this.  I used Rustoleum for about $3 per can from Home Depot- it worked fine.  If you use Testors or some other model paint in small bottles it will cost you a fortune.

The instruction sheet is totally useless, lacking in detail and construction hints, so plan carefully and study how things fit before you proceed, but it will result in a nice model if you take your time.

Gimme a pigfoot, and a bottle of beer...

  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: CLEVELAND OHIO
Posted by treetopper on Monday, March 15, 2010 4:54 PM

THANK YOU for the info and the link SORRY it took so long to get back with you

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Illinois: Hive of Scum and Villany
Posted by Sprue-ce Goose on Friday, March 12, 2010 7:16 PM

I have the Polar Lights Forbidden Planet C-57d kit but haven't attempted to build it yet because I won't  have a large enough display area until late this year.

Be aware the kit is big, completely fills the box, and the saucer hull is supplied in multiple segments which must be glued together into a seamless silver hull.

I expect a lot of work, but it's the only kit available.

Here's a link for a kit review.

http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/c57dreviewbg_1.htm

Hope this helps.

 

  • Member since
    May 2007
  • From: CLEVELAND OHIO
round 2 polar lights kit ???
Posted by treetopper on Thursday, March 11, 2010 7:05 PM

hi all i am new on the sci fi end .but seeing some of this work has got me .i just bought the mak falke kit by hasa= and would like to buy the forbidden planet c-57d by round 2 polar lights. but dont see a lot of them being built or just cant find post;s on them is this a bad kit ?? and if anyone has 1 does it come with the figure's? also if anyone knows of posts of this being built PLEASE point me in the right direction THANKS

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