# Aurora Lost in Space Cyclops



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I started this Polar Lights remake of the Aurora kit many years ago. I had the Cyclops built and puttied up, but then I ruined the Chariot paint job and put the whole thing away. I decided to finish it up...

The kit is pretty poor and not one of Aurora's better efforts. Nothing is in scale with each other as the Cyclops, Chariot and Robinsons are all different scales. The Chariot looks to be vaguely 1/48 scale, while the people are 1/32 and the Cyclops is about 1/72. Nothing in the kit fits well either and pretty much any two parts that join need putty and sanding. Oh well... Here it is anyway. 























































The rocks and Cyclops were base coated with dark brown and grey primers. The Chariot was sprayed with Tamiya Aluminum and the figures with Testors AMC Silver car color spray. The rest of the painting was done with Vallejo acrylics. I did not spend much time on this; pretty much two days painting. At least it is done.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

Nicely done. I have this kit buried away somewhere.
[You really do have to wonder how all of those people fit into the chariot. Talk about cramped! "Mom! He's on my side of the chariot again!" What a way to spend a vacation].


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## louspal (Sep 13, 2009)

My feelings exactly about the mystery scale, but I really like what you did. The Chariot looks particularly goofy in a 50's-60's tin-toy kind of way. I don't think there is any way to get this kit to look even vaugely lifelike, but you have done it more than justice by making it a fun display. It makes me smile. 
Also, very clean,crisp paint and washes all around.


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## dklange (Apr 25, 2009)

Looks like it turned out very nicely, even with all the problems. I built one of these for a client and completely agree with your assessment. I added newer decals for the chariot from CultTVMan. I thought they really helped. - Denis


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks! Yeah all I could do was paint it and stick it all down on its base. The ONLY way you could possibly salvage this would be to ditch the Chariot and figurs, use the Johnny Lightning Chariot, and find some 1/72 or HO figures to modify into the Robinsons. That actually wouldnt be too hard as I found some HO eskimos in parkas... What eskimos would be used for on a train layout is another story...


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

Nice! - detail is outstanding..


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

djnick66 said:


> ...The ONLY way you could possibly salvage this would be to ditch the Chariot and figurs, use the Johnny Lightning Chariot, and find some 1/72 or HO figures to modify into the Robinsons....


Or keep the Robinsons and base, replace the Chariot with Moebius' 1/35 scale model (close enough to the 1/32 figures), and try to find the 18" tall resin Lunar Models Cyclops. Failing that, ol' One-Eye could be scratchbuilt.

The easiest is to just build the kit as is and remember those carefree days of yesteryear when we didn't give a hoot as to what the scale of anything was. I got a kick from your photo of the Cyclops' POV, by the way. Nice paintin', dj! :thumbsup:


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## bizzarobrian (Oct 4, 2009)

Excellent build & great camera angles!!


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2010)

I agree with all the above. I too had this kit as a kid and in those days, didn't notice it even had seams . The kit is what it is but you've done a great job making it fun and rewarding to look at. Glad you decided to finish it and let us have a look.


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Nice paint job.The only best parts of this kit is the Robinson family.Either Penny or Judy is missing.Of course an added Dr.Smith and Robot would have been great.


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

*great job..
Of course, all your points on scale issues are dead on*..*but to me, this will always be a classic "must have" kit from the great days of aurora..
even with all its issues, it still has an enduring charm, and went for a small fortune before PL repopped it..I have an original built up myself, and bought a few boxed reissues..I wouldnt be without it...

Z
*


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The model is based on a specific Season 1 episode where the Robinson's have to travel through the Cyclops' valley in the Chariot. However, in that scene, the family are wearing Parkas and no one leaves the Chariot. The monster is dispatched with a laser rifle shot out of the Chariot top dome. Dr. Smith does not appear (it was leftover footage from the pilot movie without him). Actually the Robot was not featured in the scene either, but in the kit he is a on a decal for the chariot back window.

The kit has Penny but is misssing Judy. The likenesses of the figures to the TV characters are minimal at best, but Penny is actually recognizable. It's a fun kit... just not a great model. It is definitely worth building. I looked at the aftermarket decal set but IMHO it wasn't worth the money. They are identical to the kit decals just in a darker blue and with a little red added to the curtains (they should be silver anyway) and a little more detail on the robot on the back.


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

*actually, the cyclops is fairly accurate, and probably the most accurate 
part of the entire kit..


Z
*


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## kenlee (Feb 11, 2010)

Excellent paint on the cyclops, on all of it for that matter. The scale issue always bugged me as well, but it is one of those classic "must have" kits. I remember when I was a kid I saw this kit advertised in a comic, my 8th birthday was coming up and I dropped more than a few less than subtle hints that this is what I wanted, what I got was the other version without the chariot, talk about disappointment! 
When this kit was re-issued by Polar Lights I had just gotten into figure modeling and the detail is not as good as it could have been on mine. I spent most of my time on the chariot, opening up all of the windows and scratch building an interior. Too Bad I didn't have good color reference at the time since I got the colors for the interior wrong. I also made a Judy figure to go on this using the figures from the first version of this kit that did not have the chariot.


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## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

Awesome work on this!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

kenlee said:


> Excellent paint on the cyclops, on all of it for that matter. The scale issue always bugged me as well, but it is one of those classic "must have" kits. I remember when I was a kid I saw this kit advertised in a comic, my 8th birthday was coming up and I dropped more than a few less than subtle hints that this is what I wanted, what I got was the other version without the chariot, talk about disappointment!


Small world, ain't it? The exact same thing happened to me for my 8th Christmas, and for YEARS I wanted the version with the Chariot! Good thing that this PL re-pop came along.
Incidentally, building the Chariot/Cyclops diorama without the Robinsons makes it all about 1/72 scale, so my PL build doesn't include the family.


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## Josellas (May 20, 2004)

*Aurora Lost In Space Cyclops*

I like what you did with the build up. I tried another approach. I had a spare set of decals and after giving the canopy a metallic grey over coat followed with about 3 heavy coats of gloss clear I applied the decals and a bit of paint for the spots that needed augmentation.
Then I made a water diorama base. Unfortunately the chariot is buzzing about the Hungry Sea with only the robot inside. Lol.
Enjoy.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Well, that's a different take on the Aurora Chariot, Josie. I wouldna thot of that in a billion years. Clever idea, nicely done! :thumbsup:


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## BobbysMonsterModels (Mar 8, 2014)

This looks really nice. I like the colors you used on the Cyclops. I wish I had painted this later on in my modeling attempts, as my skills left alot to be desired when I painted mine. How was it putting Cyclops together? If I remember correctly, the parts did not fit very well together when I built mine back in 1999.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

(Thread bump) I forgot what a great job you did on this mediocre kit, DJ. I'm building another one right now, because I gave away the one I built several years ago. :thumbsup:

"Where's My Lunch?!", he bellowed.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Seaview said:


> (Thread bump) I forgot what a great job you did on this mediocre kit, DJ. I'm building another one right now, because I gave away the one I built several years ago. :thumbsup:
> 
> "Where's My Lunch?!", he bellowed.


Here's a better look:


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

NOW you're talkin'! Thanks, BWolfe!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Just keeps gettin' better!


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## NTRPRZ (Feb 23, 1999)

If (when) I ever build this, I have to remember the Cyclops has six fingers.
Great work!!


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## BobbysMonsterModels (Mar 8, 2014)

Well, aside from the scales being off, and the crappy styrene parts, *you did an awesome job here.* You have done justice to a bad kit that is for sure. I do remember building the stripped down version of this kit…the one without the space chariot, and I remember the Cyclops parts did not fit together well at all. He was a seam clean-up/gap-filling chore. Aside from the drudgery of the build, in the end it's kinda fun to look at, and yours turned out great.
:thumbsup:


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## BobbysMonsterModels (Mar 8, 2014)

"There Were Giants In The Earth" - This episode scared the crap out of me as a little boy. I am currently watching Season 2 of this show, from Netflix now. I hadn't watched it in years, and didn't realize how Dr. Smith was really the central character of the show. And it's laughable how the family constantly forgives him, and trusts him, when he screws them over on every show. If it was my ship, he would have been eaten by space monsters from the get go.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Lamar Lundy who played the Cyclops died a few years ago too.

I kind want to build another one of these just because I like the kit, even though it is really pretty crappy. I built the one without the Chariot too, but sold that one off. There really isnt much you can do with the kit, but it is still fun. The cyclops, family, and chariot are all in different scales ! Probably the best save would be to use the cyclops and rocks with the old Johnny Lightning Chariot and find some HO size figures.


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## BWolfe (Sep 24, 2013)

Here is the one a friend of mine did back when Polar Lights reissued the Cyclops with Chariot kit. He carefully cut out the windows of the chariot model, leaving just the kit's window frames. He then carefully cut and fitted dlear sheet plastic to fit snugly in the frames and glued them in. A couple of small test tubes were cut up and used for the curved clear sections. He used parts of the two female figures from the version of the model without the chariot to create the missing third female figure (can't remember if it was Judy or Penny that was missing from both versions of the kit). He also used filler putty to make the chariot tracks on the ground.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Both DJNick and your friend worked harder on this kit than it warrented, but the end results are staggering! :thumbsup:


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

BWolfe said:


> Here is the one a friend of mine did back when Polar Lights reissued the Cyclops with Chariot kit. He carefully cut out the windows of the chariot model, leaving just the kit's window frames. He then carefully cut and fitted dlear sheet plastic to fit snugly in the frames and glued them in. A couple of small test tubes were cut up and used for the curved clear sections. He used parts of the two female figures from the version of the model without the chariot to create the missing third female figure (can't remember if it was Judy or Penny that was missing from both versions of the kit). He also used filler putty to make the chariot tracks on the ground.


I really love what he did with the Chariot- it looks it should have all those years ago instead of that tin toy mess.


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## BOXIE (Apr 5, 2011)

Takes me back many many years ago to my youth.Good job on a mediocre but classic kit. thank you.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

My very first model kit was the Aurora "Cyclops & Robinsons Diorama", which my dad got me for my birthday back in '67. He wouldn't spring the extra 99 cents for the "Cyclops, Chariot & Robinsons Diorama", but God bless his soul anyway for teaching me how to be frugal (It doesn't grow on trees, son). 
I have a question for anybody who got the ORIGINAL Aurora Cyclops & Chariot kit; did the Chariot decals include the Robot in the back window or not? The PL re-pop shows "him" in the rear window, but "he" wasn't in that portion of the episode.
Heh! Come to think of it, the Robinsons were well out of their flight suits by that time, anyway! :freak:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The PL decals are, AFAIK, the same as the originals from what I have seen.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

This kit was a real bear. I've decided that it looks best with just the Cyclops, the boulder, & the base. I'll put the chariot in my car to use as a dashboard ornament, and find a use for the Robinsons in another diorama some day, maybe with the inevitably-to-be-released-someday 1/35 scale Moebius Chariot.


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## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

Here's the kit I did when it was first reissued. 

No Chariot










~RK~


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