# GOLD/chrome plated Jupiter 2 PL kit



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

Hello all! This is my first post on here and I am very happy to see there are so many other people out there that enjoy this hobby and Polar Lights kits as much as I do. Just to fill you in on me a little……I am a builder and collector of figure/vintage kits. I got back into the hobby about 8 years ago but I REALLY got into the collecting end of things about a year and a half ago.

I came across a very unique item on e-bay at the end of this past May. It was a GOLD/chrome plated Jupiter 2 kit from Polar Lights. It was up for auction from a seller (biscuitbuilder). I have the auction description shown below. I was the proud winner of this kit and I am very happy to have this as a part of my collection. There were apparently only about 12 of these kits produced for Polar Lights and they were not made available for sale to the public. They were given away as awards to Polar Lights employees. Except for this one which was damaged in shipping and therefore not presentable as an award. Kit is in perfect shape but the box has been beat up a little bit. No shrinkwrap either. I was a little skeptical of bidding at first but after consulting with the seller and a few friends I was convinced that this was the real deal. It came with a certificate of authenticity and the kit is a BEAUTY! Reason for posting is to let all of those who may not have seen this auction aware that this kit DOES exist and I would love to hear from anyone else that actually has one of these things. Any PL award winning employees out there? This thing should be popping up on Phrankentign’s website sometime in the near future (THANKS FOR YOUR HELP MAN!) I am about to send him the box scans (same as the non-chrome Chris White box). Certificate will probably be posted there as well. Hate to make a long first entrance but I had a lot to get out! I look forward to hearing from all of you other PL people out there in the future. Take it easy!

Auction description:

You are bidding on an EXTREMELY RARE, gold-chrome plated version of the popular Polar Lights Jupiter 1, the interstellar spacecraft of the Robinson Family from the hit TV series, "Lost In Space". 
The normal production kit of this was molded in gray styrene plastic, with a very limited number having been produced in chrome plated (chrome silver) plastic. However, a very, VERY small number of these kits (all indications point to no more than 12 kits were done this way!)was produced for Playing Mantis, for internal use only (as special awards) in Gold Chrome Plating, and were never offered for retail sale in this finish. This one is extremely rare, for this very reason, and is being offered for sale here, from the archives of Playing Mantis. This one apparently was not used as an award due to the kit box having been damaged in shipment to Playing Mantis. However, the kit parts are perfect, undamaged, and as the box is the standard Jupiter 2 kit box, it can easily be replaced with a mint one from your collection.
A letter of authenticity, attesting that this is a genuine Playing Mantis item, signed by Tom Lowe, founder and president of Playing Mantis, will be included when this model is shipped to the winning bidder.
If you ever had any idea of owning a truly scarce, almost one-of-a-kind kit of anything from "Lost In Space", then this one is for you! Just think what an addition this will make to your collection, whether you are a model builder, or a collector of science fiction TV & movie memorabilia, or a collector of sci-fi toys (and more important if you collect Lost In Space toys!). Sooo, 
Have fun bidding on this one!


----------



## Steven Coffey (Jan 5, 2005)

Welcome to hobby talk !Very cool Find ! :thumbsup:


----------



## Dave Metzner (Jan 1, 1970)

I know that there were a few Gold chrome J-2 kits and a few Gold chrome 69 Barracuda funny car kits produced (the Funny car kits were actually packed in boxes intended for the MR Norm's Charger kit)
I thought that the actual production numbers might be even smaller than the dozen or so quoted by the e-bay seller.

I happen to have two of each kit, they were given to me as parting gifts on my departure from the company in May of 1999. All of my kits are signed by Tom Lowe none were ever shrink wrapped. 

Trust me the gold chrome kits are very rare, other that those that remain in Tom Lowe's own collection I only know of three examples of each..........my two and one of each that were sold recently on E-Bay - your J-2 and one of the Funny cars.

Dave


----------



## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

welcome to the BB


----------



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

Thanks for the warm welcome! Man.....I had no idea that I would hear from someone so soon that had one of these kits....much less TWO of them! haha Thanks for the info Dave. I would love to hear of any other rare kits like this that may not be that well known. yamas hawg and the BB guillotine are the ones I considered the rarest of the rare. I had no knowledge of that gold plated car. Neat stuff!


----------



## ost15jr (Apr 4, 2002)

Wow! I don't think the gold-plated kits are even listed on Phrankenstign's site! Cool!

:dude:


----------



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

It is not posted on his site yet but it should be up sometime soon. Yeah, it was a killer find!


----------



## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

I didn't know they existed until they were put up for sale on ebay. Once I get all of the pics, I'll post them.

(Thanks, Duck Fink!)


----------



## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

:freak: OH NO !! Not another Lost In Space/Star Trek/Space Model Guy !!
Welcome aboard Duck Fink. :wave: ( I'm glad you do figures too !!! )
Sounds like you made a good score there, hope you didn't have to hock the farm for it. Being a fairly "Newbie" myself it's nice to have someone else in the low seniority ranks.
Dabbler


----------



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

Yep...I do figures too. I did not have TOO hard of a time paying for this one. Just a lung and a kidney. I might be able to get a down payment for a heart out of the kit when I am 80 or something. I am not too sure at what age my health will be more important than my plastic. Nice to meet ya!


----------



## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Hmmm, surgery?....model?....surgery?.....model?? Does medicare cover "rehabilitory model building" ?? Why are life's decisions so tough??
Dabbler


----------



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

here is an auction pic for your viewing pleasure.........


----------



## ost15jr (Apr 4, 2002)

Gonna build it? Or keep the prreeeecciioooouuuuuss?:devil: 


I built one of the silver chrome J2's and they're cool but a pain to paint. To do it right, you should really strip the chrome from places you're going to paint, but there's just so much of it I didn't bother. 

:dude:


----------



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

BUILD IT! holly cow! I am sure you probably made a few people lose their lunch..haha

seriously....this one is going to stay unassembled for the length of time that I own it. If or when I ever decide to sell it (which is not in the foreseeable future) I will certainly post a thread before auction time to give everyone in this circle a "heads up". I would like to see it go in the hands of Polar Lights/kit collector and/or builder folk.

I have not put one of these kits together yet. I am wanting a fusion core lighting kit and a non-chrome kit to assemble. My other Jupiter is silver chrome. I have seen some neat things accomplished with the a paint over chrome effect. I might have to take a stab at it someday on a silver chrome kit.


----------



## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Duck,

Welcome to the boards! 

YES...that is a really cool kit to have in your collection.
Wish I had it with my collection. I have a Yama Hawg and a signed Guillotine already...so I'm quite satisfied to say the least!

Do you have other Polar Lights kits built that you care to share some pics of them with us? Mine are on my website...click on my name and pull up the website to get a look at some of them.

MMM


----------



## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

welcome aboard Duck . cograts on the nifty find . a good one to put back . 
hb


----------



## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

Thanks again, all, for a warm welcome. MMM, I would be happy too! Nice site as well. I do have some pics of a few kits that I can share soon. I just scatched the surface on your site last night. Nice Phantom! Will be back there for certain.


----------

