Polar Lights Report

By Michael Benolkin

If you're a science fiction modeler, Polar Lights is here to the rescue. While Revell-Monogram and ERTL have dropped their science fiction models for the present, Polar Lights continues its great reputation for developing new science fiction subjects.

When Polar Lights first started its kit production, it set out to re-issue the great old science fiction and horror kits from Aurora. One of those models was the Lost in Space (TV series) robot, a long out of production Aurora kit that was very expensive on collectors' market. This was followed by the Robinson family vignette dodging the cyclops monster. This was the turning point for Polar Lights - they re-released the same vignette kit later, this time with the Chariot. Polar Lights was improving on the Aurora product.

The Jupiter II kit was yet another milestone for Polar Lights, as they were now producing kits that Aurora never got around to. This model proved to be an interesting engineering problem for the mold-makers, as the TV stage sets for the Jupiter II lower deck would not exactly fit into the spacecraft hull, as some Hollywood license was taken to accomodate some additional neccesities for the series.

Somewhere along the way, Playing Mantis (Polar Lights' parent company) acquired the rights to produce kits with the Aurora name. So in addition to the kits appearing under the Polar Lights banner, Aurora has begun production of the old 'Planet of the Apes' series of kits as well as Godzilla.

If you were wondering if the release of Robby the Robot from 'Forbidden Planet' was the beginning of something greater, you were correct.

For 2001, Polar Lights will be releasing the C57D spacecraft kit in 1/72 scale, complete with interior. They will also be re-issuing the TV Jupiter II spacecraft as well.

If we can only convince them to re-issue the 'Land of the Giants' Spindrift spacecraft...