Here is another You Tube clip. This one is on the spaceship from Lost in Space, and is called the Gemini 12 rather than the Jupiter 2. Gemini 12 was apparently the name used in the original pilot for the series, with the revised Jupiter 2 being used in the actual series.
Shots of the Gemini 12 were sometimes used in the series, as the two were very similar. There is a list of the craft used on the Lost in Space Wiki.
Transportation List | Lost in Space Wiki | Fandom
The You Tube film covers the miniature, which was four feet in diameter. It covers how the model was flown on wires, how it was filmed in a meteor shower (hung vertically, and the meteors dropped past the ship), and the colour of paint used - dull aluminium.
The changes made to the Gemini 12 design to turn it into the larger Jupiter 2. Then the use of the miniature as a prop on Lost in Space, and its conversion into a futuristic building for the movie City Beneath the Sea. Finally, its sale and restoration. A great video.
RESTORING THE GEMINI 12 - YouTube
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Lost in Space was one of my favourite shows as a kid. Even then, I knew it got very silly, very quickly. One could argue the first five or six episodes are the way the show should have remained!
ReplyDeleteI always loved the tech. Considering the Jupiter 2 always took off vertically and cruised horizontally, I would have liked to see the pilot's chairs swing back 90° for lift off, with auxiliary windows in the ceiling!
Sadly neither the movie or the reboot has improved on my childhood favourite!
It was a great American show Looey. I agree. Those Sixties TV shows were just fab... Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom and the rest. Inspired telly. Not sure I had any Lost in Space toys though. Thanks for the piece Paul. Interesting stuff.
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