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The CHARIOT from Lost in Space FruitPACK (FP28 for Doll & Hobby Kit) 1:35 GreenStrawberry Danger Will Robinson! In the mid-60s, a new series called Lost in Space premiered, a creation of Irwin Allen, a man with a prodigious imagination. His output during the 60s and 70s consisted of well-known fantasy, adventure and Sci-Fi series and TV movies that many kids of the day grew up loving or loathing. Many of them were repeated late at night with a new audience of drunk or stoned youngsters that delighted or laughed at the corny but intriguing stories that were unfolding before their bleary eyes. Lost in Space was one such show, and it became quite a familiar sight, consisting of three seasons and eighty-three episodes plus an un-aired pilot in its original form, although a big-screen reboot in the 90s happened, and another reboot in 2018 as a very different series that I just couldn’t enjoy. The original show was based on the premise that a family heading out to colonise the galaxy was thrown hopelessly off course when a stowaway caused issues. That stowaway was the overly arch and slightly effete Dr. Zachary Smith, who became trapped whilst trying to reprogramme the robot, which was designed by the same gentleman that also create Robbie the Robot for Forbidden Planet. Whilst in space they jollied around in the Jupiter 2 space ship, which was a similar saucer shape in a similar vein as the C-57D from Forbidden Planet, but on a smaller scale and with a large and highly impractical picture window for the crew to stare out of. When planet-bound, they trundled around in an extensively glazed Chariot, which was a tracked vehicle that just happened to have road-style tyres on its wheels. Where it would fit within the saucer is a practical aspect that’s best not thought about too closely. The Kit This FruitPACK set from our friends at GreenStrawberry is a combination of the sets that are also available separately from them, but in one box and with a discount for the modeller. The super-set is intended to significantly improve the detail of the 1:35 Doll & Hobby kit (who?), and it arrives in a handsome black box with the set’s name and details on a large sticker that wraps over the side onto the underside and securely seals the front-opening lid against accidental release before it is deliberately cut open by the new owner. Inside the box are three sets that target specific areas of the model, broken down as follows: Exterior & Interior Accessories Tracks Those few words oversimplify the aims of the sets, while “Accessories” is rather vague, but it refers to stowage that can be placed inside or around the vehicle, or alternatively loaded into the stowage rack on the roof for extreme visibility. The tracks set is a work of art, and must be seen to be believed, while the Exterior & Interior set is a comprehensive reworking of the model’s details that improves upon the injection-moulded kit parts. Between them they will transform your kit and raise the level of detail to something very special, which will be a head-turner with careful painting and minimal weathering. We will deal with each set separately to do them justice. Exterior & Interior (19323-1/35) This is the most comprehensive of the three sets, and it consists of two sheets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a short length of styrene tubing, and two instrument panel faces, printed in duplicate on film and paper to add to your choices. The instructions are four pages long, and begins with the removal of much of the detail in the front of the Chariot’s cockpit, sanding away raised detail on the dash, the kick panel, two seat lugs on the floor, and the massive centre console. A new interior is then built, starting with the top of the centre console, which is folded into a shallow rectangular box with a dual layer instrument panel at the rear, set to the side while the largest part of the sheet is folded into shape to cover the console and both floor areas on either side. Extra tread-plated layers are added to the floor sections, with folded over returns linking the kick panel, gluing the console top to the assembly, and adding three detail parts to the rear of the left floor portion. The dash is next, angling the upper face and adding an extra layer, plus four inserts that are applied to the cut-outs in the part. This is lowered over the remains of the kit dash, while the console and floor parts with folded-up kick panels is slotted in from the rear. The computer console that is mounted in the right position is folded into a wedge-shape with supporting legs under the front, and holes for dials in the crew-facing surface, which lends itself to lighting from within. Your choice of film or paper dials is then applied over the holes, and is locked in place by adding the instrument panel surface over the top, which has bezels etched in around the cut-circular outs for added realism. The console is slotted into the right station after installing two diagonal inserts in the corners against the wall below the dash. The step to the rear of the new PE crew section is folded over at the top, and glues into position, adding a long hand-rail across the rear of the console, which is formed from an extended O-shape that is folded in half to add thickness. A scanner device is mounted on the console between the crew members, and this is detailed with a new section added to the underside to fill a gap in the kit part, along with a pair of grab-handles on the front sides. A box-like shape at the rear of the cabin has its raised circular detail removed, and is covered by a lid that is folded into a shallow open box, while the seat mounting posts are also removed from the kit floor, with the corresponding lugs on the underside of four of the six crew seats also removed, and replaced by a PE panel that has triangular strengthening webs between it and the 9mm length of styrene tubing that is cut from the length provided in the set for each one. On the top surface of all six of the seats, eight tabs are added around the perimeter of the cushions, and lap belts are folded up and draped over the cushions. The focus now switches to the exterior as promised, starting with the front of the Chariot, folding a mesh panel in half to create the lower grille, and curving another part to the same shape as the upper grille. The lower grille is then covered by another coarser diamond-patterned grille that has a protective panel curved under the front, and a long strip at the top that stretches across the width of the vehicle. The Robot gets a look-in too, adding replacement pincers to the ends of his concertina arms, rotating sensors on either side of his ‘head’, and lugs on his shoulders, replacing the chunky kit equivalents in the process. He also has his narrow tracks filed down and replaced by four strips that wrap around to the back under his track-units that hide the operator’s feet… sometimes badly. An astrodome is present on the roof of the Chariot, which has a new square surround folded into a shallow box with a large hole in the centre that receives the dome later, adding a top layer and two double-thickness grab-handles along one edge. The kit’s roof-mounted stowage rack has the solid sides removed along with several lugs denoted in red, leaving just the framework present, which is built into a rectangular frame that has a PE mesh floor inserted from below, with shallow folded-down sides, and a separate ribbing insert underneath. An L-shaped box is then made and attached to one side of the stowage rack, which supports one of the sensors after removing its mounting lug, and adding a textured surface to the flat rectangular sensor panel. Another radar-like assembly at the front of the roof has the kit’s moulded-in dish removed, bending a replacement from a circular PE part that has a section missing to help create the cone shape, mounting it to the remains of the kit radome, strengthening the joint with two large tapering supports at the rear, with lightening holes etched into them. Four handles are folded double to thicken them, and are applied to the two opening doors on each side. The access ladders on both sides of the Chariot have their lugs removed, and a doubled PE strap fitted between the top supports, which hook onto two brackets that are made from two parts each and are glued to the side of the vehicle between the two opening doors on each side. Accessories (20123-1/35) This set consists of seventeen items in grey resin, some of which share a casting block with others of a similar type. There are nine cases of various sizes with moulded-in handles, hinges and clasps around the edges of the opening, and stiffening ribs along the larger surfaces. Three vertical tubs with handles and clasps on their lids are on a single casting block, as are the five differently-sized bedroll elements, all of which are individually shaped to be more realistic. All these parts are sensibly mounted on their casting blocks, and should be simple to prepare once liberated from them. Sympathetic painting using your references will bring them to life, and where you place them is entirely your choice. Tracks (19223-1/35) This set will make a huge difference to the look of the model, which from the box has each track run moulded as a single part that includes the many road wheels, so you know it won’t be particularly detailed. There is a lot in this set, including twenty-four resin wheels and springs, four long PE track parts that form the base for the build, and two bags of track ribs, one containing 140 of one type, the other with 40 of a different design. The track ribs appear to be made from a very thin fibrous material that is possibly a thick card impregnated to strengthen it, and each part has been cut out very cleanly, possibly by a laser, although I could be jumping to conclusions to match the Sci-Fi theme. The instructions are simple but the build will be time consuming due to the number of parts involved, however it will be well-worth the effort. Each run of tracks is etched as air-gapped pairs within an outer frame, and the side frames are first folded up, creating an upstand that spaces the tracks from your desk while you glue the track ribs to the PE. The detail is etched into what becomes the underside of the tracks, which will be seen between the wheels, and is in no way a mistake, and you should ensure that the detail is facing down during construction. The ribs are laid out and glued into place using three of the shallower and more numerous parts, followed by one deeper part from the smaller bag, repeating this process until you reach the other end of the track run. The frame of the PE can then be cut away, and the finished track is wrapped around the wheel set, which consists of five identical road wheels with standard tyres you might find on a 1960s truck, plus a drive sprocket at the rear of each run, arranging the track so that the join is under the wheels for minimum visibility. This task is carried out again in mirror image for the other side of the Chariot, and all the wheels have a resin axle with a spring at the rear pushed into the holes in their rears, the hollow springs plugging into the kit’s location stubs on the sides of the body. The instructions don’t show the wheels on the model, but this is probably the easiest way to obtain the correct length and shape, wrapping the tracks around the wheels after fitting them to the lugs moulded into the model. You may have to reseat a few of the track ribs whilst bending them around the ends of the track runs, but if you remember the order in which they are applied and don’t over-glue them, no-one will know but you. The detail will be noticed by everyone however, as they look very impressive when finished. Conclusion It’s not all that often that a set comes in with the ability to make me purchase a model to go with it, but this one did. The level of detail it brings to the model is enormous, so extremely tempting, even though I was never a fan of Dr Smith’s malevolent campness. Don’t forget that these sets are also available separately if your budget or area of interest won’t stretch to the Fruity package. If you click the link below, you’ll be able to find them from there. Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Another big box of goodies just arrived from Pontos Model in South Korea. New products will be listed over the next day or two. ☺

This was on the Tamiya site for the 2015 Shizuoka Hobby Show New Releases. 1/700 U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier CV-3 Saratoga (w/Pontos Model Detail Up Parts) (Tentative)