# It's Big...



## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

This landed in my house today:



And it has a lot of parts:



But the detail is amazing:



Overall, this is an amazing kit:


----------



## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

I'm speechless. All I can say is: Holy bleeping bleep! That is SWEET!

For 44 years we have waited for this. It was worth the wait.

ALL HAIL MOEBIUS!

Oh . . . nice pussycat.


----------



## Moonman27 (Aug 26, 2008)

Why you lucky,lucky bastad! That looks awesome,and I can see your cat is quite excited about it too. Thanks for the pics!:thumbsup:


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

That looks fantastic.....:thumbsup: Did you get it at LHS or mail order?????


----------



## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

teslabe said:


> That looks fantastic.....:thumbsup: Did you get it at LHS or mail order?????


Picked it up from our local hobbyshop, Galaxy Hobby in Lynnwood, just north of Seattle.  :thumbsup: It's a great shop, totally worth the trip to Seattle, folks!

Theo, our cat, wasn't nearly as thrilled as I was


----------



## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

I haven't torn into the parts bags yet, but from what I've seen of the saucer and leg bits, the engineering on this kit is impressive. The slot and tab idea for how the legs attach to the hull is solid - I had the basic leg pieces glued up with some CA and snapped in after maybe ten minutes. The saucer halves are BIG, and fit together nicely - although as previously noted by Dave Metzner and others, this isn't a model that lends itself to easily lifting the top off like the PL one. And it shouldn't be, the peg system seems to register the parts nicely and they will need to be glued.

The surfaces on my hull look fantastic for such large pieces. Now as you all get these you will likely see a couple of sink holes on the underside of the saucer, where the locating pins are, but these are extremely easy to cover and smooth over so if you feel you need to whine about these, save your breath and don't do it on these forums as it's the sort of fix that an eight year old could handle.

There are some amazing photo-etch sets coming up for the Jupiter 2, but to be honest I think this thing will make a fantastic out-of-the-box build. 

Oh and another final thought on the hull - "Great curves, man!"


----------



## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

That looks nice. The cat looks impressed too!


----------



## Moebius (Mar 15, 2007)

The hull can be lifted pretty easy. I had our test shot at 3-4 shows, and I had to constantly open it. Goes back together pretty well, tight fit with no glue on the hull halves. You'll have to decide for yourselves, but you may not want to glue it for a while until you play with it.


----------



## AJ-1701 (May 10, 2008)

Moebius said:


> The hull can be lifted pretty easy. I had our test shot at 3-4 shows, and I had to constantly open it. Goes back together pretty well, tight fit with no glue on the hull halves. You'll have to decide for yourselves, but you may not want to glue it for a while until you play with it.


MMM. just tap out the pin mounts so you can take top off to show off the neat detail inside and maybe do up an extra display base to sit the top on as a crash dio :thumbsup: 

Mines still a few weeks away but what a start to the new year :woohoo: Thanks again Moebius. :thumbsup:


----------



## Ductapeforever (Mar 6, 2008)

Hey Blackbird , How about a look at the decal sheet?


----------



## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Hopefully next week at HiWay Hobby...


----------



## JohnGuard (Jan 13, 2008)

BlackbirdCD said:


> This landed in my house today:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Hi BlackbirdCD,
I hate to ask, but if you have some time, we would love to see more pictures of the parts even if they are still in their bags, if you have the time......:wave:


----------



## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Wow!....just Wow....
I'm a Monster Model Freak....but this is a MUST HAVE :thumbsup:
Too Cool not to get!!!
Mcdee:wave:


----------



## BlackbirdCD (Oct 31, 2003)

Moebius said:


> The hull can be lifted pretty easy. I had our test shot at 3-4 shows, and I had to constantly open it. Goes back together pretty well, tight fit with no glue on the hull halves. You'll have to decide for yourselves, but you may not want to glue it for a while until you play with it.


I don't have any of the interior bits glued in at all, it's just the top flopped onto the bottom with an open interior. I'll bet that by having the interior parts in place (especially the floor) it makes the bottom half more rigid, thus easier to align the top for those quick changeouts. And just to be clear, I didn't see this as a negative in the slightest.


----------



## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Looks like an episode of Land Of The Giants.Still hard to grasp the size.Either put your head or your hand right next to it.That would give us a more precise reference about it's size.Here's an idea.Put it on top of your head.This way it will look like a space helmet.:tongue:


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thats really cool. Thanks! I had been thinking of using those rare earth magnets to keep the top in place


----------



## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

*Hopefully, I should have mine some time this week........*


----------



## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

What do the decals look like & what parts of the ship are they for ?


----------



## Gary K (Aug 26, 2002)

bert model maker said:


> What do the decals look like & what parts of the ship are they for ?


They look a lot like this. FYI, the glowy circuit boards were too small to apply texture to, so I traced a simplified outline of the circuitry on each board and made it into a decal.

Gary


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

xsavoie said:


> Looks like an episode of Land Of The Giants.Still hard to grasp the size.Either put your head or your hand right next to it.That would give us a more precise reference about it's size.Here's an idea.Put it on top of your head.This way it will look like a space helmet.:tongue:


I have a video of my Moebius Jupiter 2 sitting on top of an upside down plastic 16 oz cup. This should give you an idea of how HUGE this kit is! 

http://www.tsdsinc.com/images/TSDS_J2_CORE.AVI

Also, below, compare the size of the old Polar Lights Jupiter 2 and my new lauch pad prototype for the Moebius kit. BIG difference!

--Henry


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Gary K said:


> They look a lot like this. FYI, the glowy circuit boards were too small to apply texture to, so I traced a simplified outline of the circuitry on each board and made it into a decal.
> 
> Gary


OMG, You guys have too stop this right now, I've gone though two packs of "Depands" and still have a leak......:drunk: I'm working with voltage here.....


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

g_xii said:


> I have a video of my Moebius Jupiter 2 sitting on top of an upside down plastic 16 oz cup. This should give you an idea of how HUGE this kit is!
> 
> http://www.tsdsinc.com/images/TSDS_J2_CORE.AVI
> 
> ...


Ok Henry, you just put me over the top with this amazing offering.... It looks like no one gets anything for Christmas..... I'll need the money for this....:thumbsup:


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

teslabe said:


> Ok Henry, you just put me over the top with this amazing offering.... It looks like no one gets anything for Christmas..... I'll need the money for this....:thumbsup:


Heheheh.... Well, I spent a FORTUNE with an electrical engineer getting the programming just right for the light kit. And the fabricator got his share for making launch pad pieces... Thankfully, Gil has set me up with base pieces for the kit, and they are resin and a fair bit less expensive than 3/4" plastic, but it all adds up...

So, the wife and I went off to AC Moore last night, bought a load of XMAS cookie tins, and we've been baking cookies all day. EVERYONE get's cookies from the Prentiss family this year, cuz I'm about broke!

I tell myself it's a personal gift though... 

--H


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Do you have a price for the launch pad ?


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

teslabe said:


> Do you have a price for the launch pad ?


$109.99. I'll start shipping this week. If you want one, email me and I'll send you a paypal invoice. I'll fix you up.

--Henry


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

g_xii said:


> $109.99. I'll start shipping this week. If you want one, email me and I'll send you a paypal invoice. I'll fix you up.
> 
> --Henry


Henry,
I only see the one for the PL J2, please send me a link so I can order one for my Moebius J2, thank you.


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

teslabe said:


> Henry,
> I only see the one for the PL J2, please send me a link so I can order one for my Moebius J2, thank you.


It's not on the site yet -- send me an email to [email protected] and I'll send you a direct paypal invoice. I have to rework a lot of the site because I'm running out of room!

--Henry


----------



## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

is there a chariot hatch scribed into the lower hull ?


----------



## Gary K (Aug 26, 2002)

woof359 said:


> is there a chariot hatch scribed into the lower hull ?


Yep.

Gary


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

woof359 said:


> is there a chariot hatch scribed into the lower hull ?


I think Gary stuck in EVERYTHING!


----------



## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Henry,
Great stuff! Do you have a hard figure on the total height of the J2 on the gantry? 

Thinkin' about display case/space needed...


----------



## Gary K (Aug 26, 2002)

g_xii said:


> I think Gary stuck in EVERYTHING!


Pretty much everything except the badminton rackets. There's no way a Chariot would fit inside a ship as small as the J2 (esp. if it was supposed to have a lower level), but I figured a Chariot ramp is no more impossible than the half-scale hatch they added for a full-scale Space Pod. Gotta love that Irwin Allen!

Gary


----------



## Ignatz (Jun 20, 2000)

Maybe the chariot was a blow-up. 

The kit looks great Chris! It can't get to the East coast fast enough!


----------



## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

g_xii said:


> Heheheh.... Well, I spent a FORTUNE with an electrical engineer getting the programming just right for the light kit. And the fabricator got his share for making launch pad pieces... Thankfully, Gil has set me up with base pieces for the kit, and they are resin and a fair bit less expensive than 3/4" plastic, but it all adds up...
> 
> So, the wife and I went off to AC Moore last night, bought a load of XMAS cookie tins, and we've been baking cookies all day. EVERYONE get's cookies from the Prentiss family this year, cuz I'm about broke!
> 
> ...


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> Henry,
> Great stuff! Do you have a hard figure on the total height of the J2 on the gantry?
> 
> Thinkin' about display case/space needed...


Hi Lou --

I posted a photo of a J2 sitting on a partially assembled launch pad along with approximate height dimensions over in my "PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT" thread. 

I don't know that anyone is going to want to spring for an acrylic case, though! It would have to be close to 20" x 20" x 20" just to squeeze everything inside!

--Henry


----------



## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

Hey, just looked up Specialty Plastics' website. They've got a 20" cube for 174.00 plus shipping. That's not too horrible

20x20x16 =$160.00

http://www.casesforcollectibles.com/


----------



## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> Hey, just looked up Specialty Plastics' website. They've got a 20" cube for 174.00 plus shipping. That's not too horrible


Hi Lou --

I'd be willing to bet shipping is not going to be very cheap, though!

And you're REALLY pushin' the $1000.00 bubble here by adding that in! Are you married? That's a LOT of 'splainin' to have to do for those of us with wives...!!!

However, all that aside, it would be a very cool display piece... especially if you could hide some ground lights in the base!

--Henry


----------



## JohnGuard (Jan 13, 2008)

so how many of you have this kit right now????


----------



## Lou Dalmaso (Jul 13, 2004)

I'm thinking of it as insurance. if you display your ship low and it takes a hit from something falling off a higher shelf....

to me, it's protecting an investment. and I can build my own out of some sheet plexiglass and some wood trim. You can spend a month on a paintjob that can be ruined by a house pet in a single swipe of the tail.


----------



## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

Nice looking kit! Thanks for sharing!


----------



## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Lou Dalmaso said:


> I'm thinking of it as insurance. if you display your ship low and it takes a hit from something falling off a higher shelf....


I know what you mean, I'm in L.A. with earthquakes to think about and just ordered one of Henry's launch pads.....


----------



## kimba32003 (Dec 17, 2008)

Greetings from Perth, Australia

I'm over the moon to see that people are receiving their pre-ordered models after all these months. I Can't wait....I expect mine will arrive some time in the new year, it has so far to travel . The detail just boggles my mind, this is every LIS fan's dream come true !! Thanks for the pics, AWESOME !

Wayne:thumbsup:


----------



## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Greetings and G'day Wayne! Welcome to Hobby Talk! :wave:

Sorry you have to wait even longer than these poor lads on the east side of the US. BlackbirdCD is in my neighborhood and we all saw this kit for the first time that day or night at our Sci-Fi meeting / Christmas bash last Thursday.

Ge...it makes me wonder....I guess after customs your shipment would go out from here or San Fransisco? hmmmmm.


----------



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

If you aren't able to make your own case, or don't want to... a local plastics shop can do some or all of the work for you for usually a more reasonable price than $160. If you can make a wood or metal framed bonnet, they can cut the plex for you and you can assemble it yourself. They can also glue it all together for you to your specifications. While not cheap, its almost always cheaper than buying a pre made case, especially when you factor in shipping. Back when I had a Lunar Jupiter 2, I had someone make a simple, stylized launch tower from clear plex mounted on a black plex circle the size of the ship itself. Lots of options from a plastic supply shop...


----------



## kimba32003 (Dec 17, 2008)

fluke said:


> Greetings and G'day Wayne! Welcome to Hobby Talk! :wave:
> 
> Sorry you have to wait even longer than these poor lads on the east side of the US. BlackbirdCD is in my neighborhood and we all saw this kit for the first time that day or night at our Sci-Fi meeting / Christmas bash last Thursday.
> 
> Ge...it makes me wonder....I guess after customs your shipment would go out from here or San Fransisco? hmmmmm.


Hi Fluke
The wait is killing me, I'm about to start 3 weeks holidays (it's summer down here) and all I want to do is spend a couple of weeks perfecting and building my dream ship, the Jupiter 2 !!!!!...oh well, good things come to those who wait. I'll be eyeing off all the pics that are posted as you guys get stuck into your build ups, and seeing if there's any inherent problems/ factors to be wary of as you post descriptions. 

I've actually got 3 x J2's on order, 1 for in flight mode, 1 for landing mode and another just for fun !! Good luck everyone on your build ups, remember to post lots of pics, I'll be watching in anticipation of my own arriving !

Merry Christmas and surf's up from DownUnder
Wayne


----------



## bert model maker (Feb 19, 2002)

Hi Wayne, for your third Jupiter 2, it needs a nice launch tower from henry. then you have all 3 displays covered.
Bert


----------



## kimba32003 (Dec 17, 2008)

bert model maker said:


> Hi Wayne, for your third Jupiter 2, it needs a nice launch tower from henry. then you have all 3 displays covered.
> Bert


Thanks for the tip Bert
That's not a bad idea, I've never seriously considered doing a launch gantry display. I hope at this time too that my own modeling skills are honed enough that I could attempt a scratch built version of my own ?? 

I have put together a feeble sound track so far of the engines warming up and executing a lift off, continuing into an inflight mode. I'm going to download it into some form of sound device that'll be remote controlled and install into my Jupiter 2's.

I already have a remote control lighting system for my PL J2, it's built in to a tv remote. I can sit across the room and start her up, the volume button increases the speed of the rotation and the Channel selector increases the brightness, it's an awesome piece of little hardware !! The Pause button reverses the direction of the strobing lights and there are 9 pre-set lighting patterns that have a different pattern to each signal. Some have just a 4 single light rotation, another has 3x double light rotation, the mix is quite impressive and it really lights up the whole room with clear, white LED's.

Wayne


----------



## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

kimba32003 said:


> I already have a remote control lighting system for my PL J2, it's built in to a tv remote. I can sit across the room and start her up, the volume button increases the speed of the rotation and the Channel selector increases the brightness, it's an awesome piece of little hardware !! The Pause button reverses the direction of the strobing lights and there are 9 pre-set lighting patterns that have a different pattern to each signal. Some have just a 4 single light rotation, another has 3x double light rotation, the mix is quite impressive and it really lights up the whole room with clear, white LED's.
> Wayne


WOW!!!
Did you never think to be part of the after market world. You could make money out off this.


----------



## kimba32003 (Dec 17, 2008)

Fernando Mureb said:


> WOW!!!
> Did you never think to be part of the after market world. You could make money out off this.


Hi Fernando

I must admit that I did NOT create this device at all, I got it from a guy (Allan ?) through ebay, we struck up a good rapore and emailed regularly for a while. He told me he was actually going to make more and open an online store. I'll try and dig through my old emails and contact him to see if he's still in production !

I'm wanting him to make me the same device for my Moebius 18inch versions !
If he's willing, that is ?!

I'll have to keep you posted Fernando !
Cheers mate !
Wayne


----------

