When Moebius Models released its 1/24 scale Lost in Space Chariot in 2006, some modelers were disappointed that they did not make it in 1/35 scale to match the excellent model of the Jupiter 2. Doll & Hobby heard the call and has done just that.
Well-molded gray styrene with excellent surface detail, the kit includes a single-piece clear canopy. While there are a few necessary ejector-pin marks on the canopy roof, they aren’t too noticeable on the finished model. The track units are molded as single pieces for each side, which include road wheels and drive sprockets.
Three figures depict John Robinson (seated), Will (standing), and, of course, a good rendition of B9 (the robot). The detail on the human figures is a bit soft, and I think Will is a bit too tall.
The instructions are typical of Doll & Hobby, with large, clear assembly diagrams. Sadly, there are no painting diagrams — only a list of some parts, their generic colors, and the box art as a guide. Also included is a double-sided cardboard backdrop featuring alien landscapes.
Assembly starts with the lower body and interior. Important: You need to drill several holes in the bottom hull for the bumpers and steps.
I painted all of the parts before I started building. The orange areas received Mr. Primer White before coats of Tamiya Orange (No. X-6). Darker metallic areas were airbrushed Tamiya Metallic Grey (No. XF-56). The side benches and storage were painted semigloss black, and the laser rifles were painted black with gold rims on the disc and red barrels based on a photo I found via Google. I painted the wheels white, the tires black, and the tracks with a mix of equal parts Tamiya Flat Black (No. XF-1), Red Brown (No. XF-64), and Metallic Grey.
While the human figures are a bit lackluster, B9 is a beautiful miniature. Molded all in clear, after masking the head and voice box (I forgot to mask his collar, which should also be clear), I gave it a base coat of Metallic Grey. The tracks were painted flat black, the rubber areas medium gray, and, of course, the hands were red. I left B9’s “mouth” clear, as it only lit amber when the robot spoke. Black enamel wash popped the details.
Painting the canopy was clearly the biggest job on the model. After painting the two roof panels and the rim of the dome metallic gray, I masked all the clear areas and sprayed the support structure with Mr. Color Super Metallic 2 Super Duraluminum (No. SM208).
Originally, I planned on masking and painting the interior of the canopy orange. Two things gave me pause: orange is a translucent paint, and if I gave the areas a white base coat, you would see white around the silver frames, not orange.
I borrowed an idea from Lou (Aztec Dummy) Dalmaso and cut thin strips from a sheet of self-adhesive orange vinyl. This worked great and was much quicker than trying to mask and paint the entire interior. Learn from me: Do the interior work first and then paint the outside. By the time I’d finished, I had rubbed off much of the silver and needed to mask and repaint.
After the canopy was painted, all I had to do was add the detail parts, bumpers, ladders, luggage rack, and antennas, and the Chariot was complete.
I spent about 22 hours on my Doll & Hobby 1/35 scale Lost in Space “The Chariot” plastic model kit, and most of the time was spent masking and painting. I was quite impressed with the final model, especially the orange trim on the canopy interior. I think that even a beginner with a few kits completed could build this model, but it takes someone with experience with masking and painting to make it stand out. The finished model looks great posed next to my 1/35 scale Jupiter 2.