littletimmy

Have you looked at Testors Gunmetal buffing metalizer?

Wow, that's a cool color.

Hmm, what Timmy has posted looks pretty close to how the Chariot looks to me. 

And thanks, will give your video link a look! 

Anyway LiS is fun, in a generally bat-guano insane sort of way. It makes my head hurt a little. But then it was the '60s so the people who wrote the show were probably on drugs.....

'Kidnapped in Space'

The episode where we find out Smith isn't a medical doctor had an alien spacecraft sending out an SOS looking for a surgeon to operate on the brain of their sick captain. Smith offers to do the operation after the aliens offer a considerable sum of money. 

I love how it never friggin' occurs to Smith that NOT BEING A SURGEON HE'S PROBABLY GOING TO KILL THE ALIEN CAPTAIN AND THEN THEY AIN'T GONNA BE REAL HAPPY WITH HIM!!!!

Sign, anyway they find out the aliens are really androids and their captain is a mainframe computer. So WHY THE HECK DID THEY ASK FOR A DOCTOR INSTEAD OF AN ENGINEER!?!?!?! 

Anyway spoiler but being a computer himself the Robot operates on the captain and gets him back to full operating ability. So everyone is happy and the Robot is once again the hero. 

'Space Destructors' 

Smith, Will, and the Robot find a machine that makes androids. Smith makes an army of Smith robots to take over the galaxy. The androids are stunt-men wearing Johnathan Harris rubber masks. Which is as insane as it sounds. Once again they have to provide an excuse for Smith being an all around jerk and almost getting everyone killed. 

'Collision of Planets' 

A gang of hippy bikers harrass the Robinsons. Smith after breathing a mysterious green gas becomes 'Smith: The Strongest Man in the Universe!' Harris gets an awful green wig and they stuff the chest and arms of his sweater to give him bodybuilder proportions. Also they have him scream out his lines. Not surprisingly super-Smith is as usual useless and Professor Robinson has to outwit the hippy bikers. 

That's the most insane deranged episodes. The others from season 3 were much more bland and dull. But I'll give it to the show, when they decided to go bonkers they went totally bonkers, no half-way about it...  

Oh, and I have a video for you guys....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taG94Ze_trA

Looks like Clapper's family have been up to lot of mischief over history... 

Anyway LiS is fun, in a generally bat-guano insane sort of way. It makes my head hurt a little. But then it was the '60s so the people who wrote the show were probably on drugs.....

Well said.

Thanks for the video Bakster, I watched Season 1, 2, and 3 up to the episode I'm on now. 

The part about the actor playing the Robot leaving the bottom off so he could walk around was pretty awesome. And the fact that there are a few scenes where you can see his shoes sticking out is hilaroius. 

And Harris getting in a tiff with Caradine is priceless. I love John Carradine as an actor but I've heard several people call him a grumpy old grouch that didn't get along with anyone. 

Gamera

The part about the actor playing the Robot leaving the bottom off so he could walk around was pretty awesome. And the fact that there are a few scenes where you can see his shoes sticking out is hilaroius. 

And Harris getting in a tiff with Caradine is priceless. I love John Carradine as an actor but I've heard several people call him a grumpy old grouch that didn't get along with anyone. 

 

It was also notable that Harris was writing script and he was sure to make his roles bigger than the rest. 

The videos talk too about how they recycled props from episode to episode, even from other movies like Fatastic Voyage. The killer was when the Jupiter 2 model was used in a set as part of some mumbo jumbo electronic gizmo. Truly, pathetic. As a kid we used say, hey, they are using this or that again. 

'Trek' had the same issue. On receiving the most fan mail by far Nimoy decided he was the star of the show and demanded the same pay and screen time as The Shat or he was going to leave. Well, since Nimoy would barge into Roddenberry's office without notice constantly Gene had his secretary type up a memo of 'List of replacement actors to play Spock if Leonard Nimoy leaves the show' and leave it on his desk where Nimoy was sure to see it. After that Nimoy shut up during the rest of the run of the series. 

At least till the movies. To return after Spocks death for the third and fourth movie Nimoy demanded to direct. Fortunatly he turned out to be a competent director. On 'Generations' the first Next Generation movie Nimoy demanded to be given as much screen time and as many lines as The Shat. Since the movie was about Kirk and Picard there wasn't any room to work that much of Spock in there and the studio told Nimoy 'No'. Then considering DeForrest Kelley's health issues they ultimately decided to just have James Doohan and Walter Koenig on with The Shat. Probably the best decision in the end- they were two of the easier actors to work with. 

On 'The A-Team' Mr. T. pulled the same stunt. There they handed around a memo of replacement actors including Issac Hayes and William 'The Fridge' Perry. Mr. T shut up after that. I guess it's pretty common for some actors to get a little too big for their britches. 

The reused props is funny. I'd noticed some in the background but not the Jupiter II in that scene. Funny, I'd watched 'Fantastic Voyage' again recently and didn't notice the snorkel being used is a piece of mining equipment on 'LiS' until it was pointed out. But still 'Trek' did the same thing all the time. Even 'ST:TNG' did it all the time. 

Gamera

Oh, and I have a video for you guys....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taG94Ze_trA

 

Looks like Clapper's family have been up to lot of mischief over history... 

Now you did it, Gam. Clapper hears his name and he shows up chiding for food.

Gamera

'Trek' had the same issue. On receiving the most fan mail by far Nimoy decided he was the star of the show and demanded the same pay and screen time as The Shat or he was going to leave. Well, since Nimoy would barge into Roddenberry's office without notice constantly Gene had his secretary type up a memo of 'List of replacement actors to play Spock if Leonard Nimoy leaves the show' and leave it on his desk where Nimoy was sure to see it. After that Nimoy shut up during the rest of the run of the series. 

At least till the movies. To return after Spocks death for the third and fourth movie Nimoy demanded to direct. Fortunatly he turned out to be a competent director. On 'Generations' the first Next Generation movie Nimoy demanded to be given as much screen time and as many lines as The Shat. Since the movie was about Kirk and Picard there wasn't any room to work that much of Spock in there and the studio told Nimoy 'No'. Then considering DeForrest Kelley's health issues they ultimately decided to just have James Doohan and Walter Koenig on with The Shat. Probably the best decision in the end- they were two of the easier actors to work with. 

On 'The A-Team' Mr. T. pulled the same stunt. There they handed around a memo of replacement actors including Issac Hayes and William 'The Fridge' Perry. Mr. T shut up after that. I guess it's pretty common for some actors to get a little too big for their britches. 

 

The reused props is funny. I'd noticed some in the background but not the Jupiter II in that scene. Funny, I'd watched 'Fantastic Voyage' again recently and didn't notice the snorkel being used is a piece of mining equipment on 'LiS' until it was pointed out. But still 'Trek' did the same thing all the time. Even 'ST:TNG' did it all the time. 

 

Interesting stuff, Gam. I did not know all that. But I tell ya, in my opinion, Spock deserved the money. 

Btw. I thought I should check on our interstellar friend from another build.

Here on Earth hundreds of years have elapsed, in doggy time, he's tripping like it's only yesterday.

The rampant reuse of props is whyKubrick demanded all the 2001 models be broken up after filming ended.

Allegedly, Irwin Allen had similar restrictions--just not within their own productions.  Which is why there were a bunch of re-used props in Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea.

What always struck me was LIS reusing "creatures" with only marginally changed features.

Been watching Andromeda of late.  Season 4 is a real dud, which has meant that Season 5 is actually much better.  But, that may be from how the entire Season Premise involves "breaking canon" and rebuilding things.  Which is an interesting bit of drama.  Imagine if the JJ Abrams/Kelvin Star Trek had kept the original cast.

Hey Capn... interesting about 2001. 

I just watched Crack in the World on Tubi. Tubi is not bad. It is Ad supported but the commercials are limited, and very tolerable. Check them out, it's free. 

I hope to start spraying some test spoons today, or tomorrow the latest. 

Decisions made.

Starting left to right, base layers are: white, grey, silver. I am going with door number 2. It gives me the red/orange I am looking for. The top layer is MRP International Orange.

Starting left to right the base layers are white, white, and silver. The top layers are Haze Grey, Dark Camouflage Grey, and Gunship Grey.

If you'd asked me what I was leaning towards before todays test I would have said, Gunship Grey. Before all that, I would have said Dark Camouflage Grey. 

As you know, I reviewed a bunch of images. In my opinion, none of them are definitive. Screencaps of the show are woefully unreliable. Heck... one of them has the Jupiter 2 looking tan. Can I trust the same image where the Chariot looks silver? Nope.

This leaves the 1:1 images. The builder states accuracy was at the forefront of the build, right down to the switches. I'd imagine then that something as important as color had been heavily researched. I must go on that assumption. But, reviewing 1:1 images has me wanting as well. Virtually... every image have marked differences in hue. Various light sources and an improperly calibrated camera can account for this. That said, from my experience, and in terms of color temperature, cameras balance easier to sunlight. And this is why I chose the two images below for my reference photos.

And this is why I am going with door #2, Dark Camouflaged Grey.

Much ado about nothing but doing a little research can go a long way towards the fun and realism of the build.

Right or wrong... it's my best guess for color.

PS: Each time I use MRP lacquer I am blown away. What a joy to spray with. Take out the toxicity of lacquer, it becomes the perfect paint to airbrush with. 

Both of those lok smashing

CapnMac82

Both of those lok smashing

 

It is time to ID what needs painting and what can wait. Then, it is wash, mask, and paint. Hopefully, I begin this weekend. After that, time to make graphics for decals. I need to make decals before the snow flies. The sealer is super stinky and I don't want to spray that in the house. Seriously toxic smelling. 

Well, so much for prewashing. I found various problems that need attention. Things like sink marks, mold lines, and a few gaping joins. I spent a few hours cleaning things up.

You will notice a few things in the image below:

1. Top of the terrain scanner had the gaps I mentioned. I used CA to fill them. Not shown in the image, I sanded the CA smooth and they look good. I love using CA for things like this. It is super fast, and it feathers easily. Unlike point 2, not so fast. 

2. Notice the openings below the scanner. Apparently, the kit is designed so that you can move the scanner along those openings. I found no evidence of that option on the 1:1. Second to that, in my opinion, it looks bad with those gaping holes. So, I am filling them.

I pressed round styrene into those openings as a prefiller. In the image you can see them on the left, the right is not done yet. I then smeared spruegoo over those and currently, it is curing. This is never a fast process with the stuff. I expect some shrinkage too. Don't  tell George Costanza. 

3. Notice the floorboard openings just under the dash. Not sure why they didn't close those up, but I need to fabricate something.

So, the tub requires more work before paint. And that is fine because I can still paint other parts.

The floorpan, terrain scanner, and the transmission box are ready for washing and then paint. 

That is all for now.

Side note, got my ride repaired

Astute observers will note it's no longer gold pearl metalic, but anthracite metallic (very much like, if darker than the Chariot).  It's also eleven years younger, too.

CapnMac82

Side note, got my ride repaired

Astute observers will note it's no longer gold pearl metalic, but anthracite metallic (very much like, if darker than the Chariot).  It's also eleven years younger, too.

 

And, the million dollar question. Is the color in your image accurate? Or is it skewed by lighting, camera, or other. Hehe. 

Just kidding. That joke was for the benifit of PhoenixG.

The anthracite metalic does look close to the Chariot. You have good taste in color and brand! I drive a Ford too. Enjoy it, Sir.

My job has slowed some allowing me more time to work on this. So, you might get sick of my updates. I am trying to push this along.

Using styrene, I filled in the floor boards below the dash. You may notice gaps at the extreme corners. More on that with the next image.

The rail holes are filled in and smoothed. The remaining gaps are covered by the terrain scanner, also, they are there to seat it. The sprue goo worked well. I applied a final layer of CA to seal it, and to fill any remaining imperfections.

This is yet another nice thing about sprue goo. You can apply it along joins, and fill larger holes like in the corners that I mentioned. This does two things. It fills the gaps and once paint is applied, no light leaks. Secondly, it adds considerable strength to the construction.

The beauty is the ease of it. It flows on and often it gives the appearance that it was molded that way. Btw. I learned another trick with it. Once applied, you can smooth the gloppyness by brushing on Tamiya Extra Thin. Using the supplied brush you can work it into the shape you want. Just keep adding extra thin until the goo relents. That will eventually give you the molded that way look. This is the underside of the pan so I don't really care how it looks. No extra care applied here.

That is all for today. I think I will try finding a sci-fi to watch. And I am sure I will unintentionally doze off during it. Never fails. 

Later.

Bakster

And, the million dollar question. Is the color in your image accurate? Or is it skewed by lighting, camera, or other. Hehe.

It's one of the first things I noticed, and evoked memories of out discussions here for rendering the Chariot.

In some light, my [new, it's a '22] ride is near black, in others it's a pale "gunmetal" and very much more gray.  Phone camera tends to render it dark, as do computer monitors.  But, in indirect light, it's lighter than the images depicted on the phone.

Or, very much the sort of range that the various refernce photos show of the Chariot.  The in-stuido photos are going to be affected by the amount, and the color balance, of the stage lighting.  The oudoor views will be afected by the sunlight and color balnce of the film used.  Ektachrome will have a blue bias; Kodachrome will have a warm sort of bias.

We are back to how modeling wants to be representational. 

Which is part of the "why" of how I will use a medium blue primer for some white-finished things; and rattle can silver for white painted things like aircraft or space craft.

As to chosing FoMoCo, it's kind of a family thing, a reflex as much as a deliberate choice.

But, it's not pure reflex as my work requires travel, so, I'm in rentals pretty frequently.  In the last eight weeks I'be been in a Jeep Compass, a Chevy Tahoe, a Toyota 4Runner, and even a Ford Edge.

Getting into that Toyota was bit like leaping into the Chariot without a briefing on the controls.  Trying to decypher the cruise control at 0600 can be les-than ideal.  (It's somewhat distressing to contemplate being more able to jump into an excavator and be more familiar with the controls.)

Which gets us, full circle, back to the interio of the Chariot.  I'm not remembering how the sterring was depicted in the series.  The SnoCats the Chariot is based upon have both wheel, tiller, and brake lever steering.  The wheel and tiller sterring run much like a car, turn the control in the direction of wanted movement.  With brake levers, you pull back on the side you want to be the inside of a curve.  (On some venicles with clutch lever steering, you push forward, instead.)

Which steering system can affect how many and what sort of pedals are on the floor, too.  From memory, SnoCats use a lever to set the acceleration, not a foot bedal.

LOL I was beginning to think the Chariot was all about curtains and color selection.  Good to see the rest of it still exists!

After hearing/seeing your work with it I've decided it's time to turn my current bottle of Tamiya extra thin into sprue goo bottle. Just as soon as I get a second one for normal use.  :)

After hearing all the accolades for the stuff from other posters and seeing the examples of where you've used it Bakster, it looks to be one of those core tools every modeler should have.  I have a sneaking suspicion my current build will be getting a liberal dose of the stuff.

LOL I was beginning to think the Chariot was all about curtains and color selection.  Good to see the rest of it still exists! 

Yeah, that is how it goes sometimes. At the least it makes for interesting discussions. I learned some things from it. Primarily, how untrustworthy images are and especially those taken from film stock.

After hearing/seeing your work with it I've decided it's time to turn my current bottle of Tamiya extra thin into sprue goo bottle. Just as soon as I get a second one for normal use.  :)

Awesome! It is one of those things that the more you use it, the more uses you find for it. I often use it to shoreup internal structures and in place of hobby epoxy. Hobby epoxy has  failed me far too many times. I consider it garbage.

Btw. A couple of tips.

1. I would suggest using sprue from modern plastic. Years back and my first attempts did not go well. I used sprue from an old kit. Second to that, I used Tenax instead of Tamiya. I am not completely sure which caused the problem, maybe both, but the mixture caused serious gassing that produced serious air bubbles. It was pretty much useless. The resulting divots were horrendouse. Since going to Tamiya and modern kit plastic, no such issues. When first making it, try to give the mixture several days to gas out. During the initial stirring of plastic air gets trapped. Anyhow, now a days, I never see bubbles and divots.

2. I made two batches. One from white and one from grey. It helps with color matching. Just a me thing, though.

I hope I am not stating the obvious on the above.

It is an interesting serendipity FSM released a video on the subject just as I was using it. Crazy timing.

https://youtu.be/PGYY7bTfFIE?si=jVRcLN26Sz5YRzmF

It's one of the first things I noticed, and evoked memories of out discussions here for rendering the Chariot.

So, now, every time you get into the car, you can pretend it's the chariot. Your GPS is your terrain scanner. 

Thanks for the additional info on color. 

CapnMac82

As to chosing FoMoCo, it's kind of a family thing, a reflex as much as a deliberate choice.

But, it's not pure reflex as my work requires travel, so, I'm in rentals pretty frequently.  In the last eight weeks I'be been in a Jeep Compass, a Chevy Tahoe, a Toyota 4Runner, and even a Ford Edge.

Getting into that Toyota was bit like leaping into the Chariot without a briefing on the controls.  Trying to decypher the cruise control at 0600 can be les-than ideal.  (It's somewhat distressing to contemplate being more able to jump into an excavator and be more familiar with the controls.)

Which gets us, full circle, back to the interio of the Chariot.  I'm not remembering how the sterring was depicted in the series.  The SnoCats the Chariot is based upon have both wheel, tiller, and brake lever steering.  The wheel and tiller sterring run much like a car, turn the control in the direction of wanted movement.  With brake levers, you pull back on the side you want to be the inside of a curve.  (On some venicles with clutch lever steering, you push forward, instead.)

Which steering system can affect how many and what sort of pedals are on the floor, too.  From memory, SnoCats use a lever to set the acceleration, not a foot bedal.

 

My last two vehicles were Fords. I have had good luck with them. Very few repairs and what I did do, mostly under warranty. And what helps too is there is a Ford dealer within walking distance from my house. Along with that, the dealer has always been fair with their pricing. They even have their own quick lube. It's worked well for me. No reason to change at this time.

Bakster

were Fords. I have had good luck with them.

I have FLM dealers as family (but have not bought from them).  I've gotten some "inside baseball" info from those folk, though.  They have put me on to some great deals, though--rides I basically drove the wheels off of.

Between the data screen in the middle of the cluster, and the 8" "infotainment" screen and the middle of the dash, sits my Magellan GPS, so it can feel a bit like al lthe "stuff" on the Chariot.  :-)  I'm almost glad I did not find a Titanium trim level, as those have a HUD that displays on the windshield  o_O

Back to Chariot, have you started thinking much about the track?  Even with all the variations in how the phots render, the tracks always appear rather shiny-new.  A sort of zinc color.  Not sure how that would render in model form, though. 

With my experience with metal-track excavators, I'd be inclined to a Burnt Iron primer/base coat, with a thin/wash coat of Steel over that, then highlight the outside contact surfaces in a silver sort of color.  Where the road wheels rub probably would want a gunmetal sort of color, and the remainder a zinc sort of color with a black wash before dirt and dust coats.

But, that's just me thinking out loud.

Capn, that is interesting your idea about using burnt iron. It is somewhat of a divergence from the norm. Most paint the tracks rubber black and perhaps highlight the contact surfaces silver. One builder had the rims as white, and the instructions have them white, though I see the 1:1 have them silver. I have to tell you, your idea for burnt iron intrigues me. That would make this thing really stand out. I am gonna give that some serious consideration. And of course yes, the contact surfaces will have a silver of some sort to show wear. I also plan to add ground dust to the mix. Afterall, it's a dusty planet, and this contraption has already seen some serious milage. 

Thanks for the unput.

Here is John's image from an earlier post.

Hey PhoenixG, maybe close your eyes. We are talking color again

Lol

Capn, I guess in this scenario where the tracks ride on rubber tires, do the tracks have some sort of steel reinforced rubberized belt with metal cleats? And if yes... then does the burnt metal still make sence? I am waffling now. More info is needed on their construction.

Bakster

Hey PhoenixG, maybe close your eyes. We are talking color again Lol

ROFLMAO!  Laughed so hard my sides hurt! 

I'm a good sport though.  Here's a great link that shows you how Snowcat Tracks are made with lots of various detailed pictures.

https://www.snowcattracks.com/the-process