Future Brief

Early in the 23rd century, the United Planets Cruiser C57-D travels to the planet Altair IV, 16 light-years from Earth, in search of the Bellerophon, a spaceship sent on an expedition 20 years earlier. Upon arrival on Altair, the crew is warned not to land or they could find themselves in harm’s way. The ship’s Commander disregards the warnings and lands anyway. Once safely on the planet, the crew observes Robby the Robot making a grand entrance driving his high speed land rover. He then invites them to visit Dr. Morbius, a survivor from the Bellerophon. This is where the ship's CO, XO, and the ship’s Doctor meet Altaira "Alta" Morbius, the daughter of Dr. Morbius.

They quickly learn the members of the Bellerophon have all perished from an unexplainable planetary force and the visitors will face a similar fate unless they return to Earth. Doctor Morbius explains to them that only he, his wife (who died of natural causes) and his daughter Altaira are immune. He then does a dog and pony show with Robby, blasters, and his home defense systems. The crew members are very impressed with the Doctor’s handiwork, but Robby was the crown jewel. After returning to the ship, later that night the ship is vandalized while the crew slept. They return to Morbius’ home looking for answers concerning the damages to their ship. Instead they learn of the Krell, a race that suddenly died 200,000 years earlier in attaining their crowning scientific triumph. You’ll have to see the movie to find out how it ends.

Robby was designed by Robert Kinoshita in the year 1955 and was built by the MGM prop department at a reported cost of $125,000. Robby the Robot has become one of the most popular robots in television and film making history.

The Product

My sample arrived is a very sturdy box featuring the iconic movie poster. I found all my parts were well protected and in good condition. This new release features brand new tooling and some parts from the other version of Robby. The new parts are for the heroine Altaira and conversion parts for Robby, such as new arms and legs to recreate the famous poster. Also included is a rock base and retro-future cardboard backdrop. The instruction sheet is clear and simple. The plastic has nice detail and comes in 3 media types – clear, chrome, and light gray.

The Build

I began this build with the robot’s midsection. The two-piece body section is from the older mold and has a nasty horizontal seam line, but it can easily be corrected using Tamiya putty and sanding sticks. The head is also from the old molds and needs a little attention to bring it up to snuff. The clear and chrome parts were also from the older molds, but I elected not to add them at this stage of the build. The rest of the robot’s construction used the newly-tooled parts, legs, arms, and base. I had it completed in no time.

I built Altaira, the girl, as components for two reasons – first, to simplify the painting process, and second, to fit her into Robbie’s arms more easily. The separate components were, of course, the pair of legs, each arm, the torso/dress, and her head with the hair added. I found slipping the torso into place a little tricky but I manage to do it without scraping the paint away from it. After that, the rest of the girl just fell into place. I finished up the build by adding all the chrome and glass to the robot’s head. I recommend a lot of test fitting during the overall build process.

The Bottom Line

Forbidden Planet is one of the greatest science fiction films of the 1950s. I recommend this excellent model kit to anyone.

Thanks to Round 2/Polar Lights and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review and present such a fine model.