# The Environmental Control Robot



## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Way back in the early70’s, one of the first models that I had ever built was an original Aurora Lost Space Robot, which I got as a 7th birthday present from my soon-to-be favorite aunt. For several years, it sat prominently on my bedroom shelf along with Aurora’s Creature, Mummy, and Frankenstein’s Monster, as well as an ever growing stack of comic books. Unfortunately, that burgeoning stack of comics, an inadequately hung shelf, and a mother with maniacal hatred of dust combined to create a disaster of epic proportions. The shelf collapsed, the comic books survived, the models didn’t.

While the Polar Lights re-issue filled the void left by that tragic loss and was a real nostalgia trip t for my inner 10 year old, my adult mind craved a decidedly more accurate version of the B9. Fortunately, Moebius Models delivered the goods.

I wasn’t sure how to approach this kit to do it justice, but I figured HobbyTalk would be a good place to start. I studied all the awesome renditions of the B9 posted by the members, especially the absolutely phenomenal build up by Teslabe. (https://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=412152) His craftsmanship could bring a Japanese modeler to tears and his final product was a true inspiration. 

Unfortunately, my skill sets aren’t that skillful. So, I decided to do the exact opposite of what Teslabe did. My objective was to build a B9 that was good enough to post, but executed with the least amount effort and in the shortest amount of time possible. 

With the exception of a few very minor modifications and MechaLabs plug and play light set, I built it straight from the box. Except for the small details on the brain, power pack, and programming bay, I painted the entire model using only two colors: Tamiya TS30 Silver Leaf for the body and claws, Tamiya TS4 German Grey for the brain, chest, and treads. 

For all the purists out there, I definitely took a few liberties with the color scheme. I preferred the silver claws of the 1st season version, but I also liked the painted chest variant of the 2nd & 3rd seasons. So, I combined them both.

Submitted for review, the “Good-Enough-for-Government-Work, Two-Tone, Season 1.5, B9 Robot”.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

VERY good! I'm partial to the 1st year version myself.


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

Nice clean build - well done!


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Y3a said:


> VERY good! I'm partial to the 1st year version myself.


Thanks for the compliment.

I’m not really sure if my preference for the 1st season silver claws is an aesthetic thing or because I associate the red claws with the abysmal 2nd and 3rd season episodes. No offense to any hardcore LIS fans out there, but for me no subsequent episode ever matched the quality the first five.

Nice avatar by the way.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

Fernando Mureb said:


> Fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:


Fernando,

Thanks. I have followed your various builds and I’ve always enjoyed your work. Interestingly, your 1/24 B9 diorama (http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=402758&page=8) had an influence on my build. I really liked the way your scratch built computer equipment added an extra dimension to that model. I wanted to get similar results, so I “borrowed’ your idea and scratch built a 1960’s computer tape-drive out of bass wood.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Hi Pob63

We all have influence on each other here at HT. I am glad for being useful to you. :thumbsup:

Keep sending pictures. :wave:


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

pob63 said:


> Way back in the early70’s, one of the first models that I had ever built was an original Aurora Lost Space Robot, which I got as a 7th birthday present from my soon-to-be favorite aunt. For several years, it sat prominently on my bedroom shelf along with Aurora’s Creature, Mummy, and Frankenstein’s Monster, as well as an ever growing stack of comic books. Unfortunately, that burgeoning stack of comics, an inadequately hung shelf, and a mother with maniacal hatred of dust combined to create a disaster of epic proportions. The shelf collapsed, the comic books survived, the models didn’t.
> 
> While the Polar Lights re-issue filled the void left by that tragic loss and was a real nostalgia trip t for my inner 10 year old, my adult mind craved a decidedly more accurate version of the B9. Fortunately, Moebius Models delivered the goods.
> 
> ...


Thank you sooo very much for the kind remarks.....:wave: I think you did a fantastic job, far better then any "Government Work" I've ever seen.....:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: I love the "Data Recorder" you added, is that scratch-built ???? If so, great job....:thumbsup:


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## pob63 (Jan 2, 2008)

teslabe said:


> Thank you sooo very much for the kind remarks.....:wave: I think you did a fantastic job, far better then any "Government Work" I've ever seen.....:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: I love the "Data Recorder" you added, is that scratch-built ???? If so, great job....:thumbsup:


Teslabe,

I appreciate your compliments. Your take on this project was a real mind blower. There are full-scale B9 replicas, selling for some serious cash, whose features can’t match the ones that you put into your model. I hope it’s insured. 

The “Data Recorder” is definitely scratch built. It was a side project that I worked on to pass the time while glue, putty and/or paint cured on the B9. I tend to be a little impatient, so it kept me from rushing through my B9 build, and rush jobs are seldom good jobs. Plus, it broke up the monotony of all that sanding needed to deal with those tread section seams. 

The body is a simple box built out of bass wood that was sanded, sealed, and then painted with Tamiya Intermediate Blue AS19. The indicator lights are glass jewels, purchased from a local craft store. Each tape reel was made from three poker chips that were slightly modified, glued together, and painted with Tamiya Silver Leaf TS30. 

It was clearly based on those Burroughs computer tape drives that appear in so many 60’s era TV shows and movies.


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