Moebius Mummy – model kit build and paint

 

Moebius Mummy – 1/6th scale – custom build and paint

Here I’ve taken the Moebius Mummy and made some major modifications to have it emulate the cover art of Monsters of the Movies Magazine, issue #6, 1975.

It is 1/6th scale and stands about 13 inches tall.

I was never impressed with the older mummy movies. I thought they were slow and boring. The mummy seemed too slow to really stir up fear and the films dragged on worse than the mummy’s left leg. It wasn’t until I had seen the cover of this Monsters of the Movies issue that I gained interest in mummy movies. My favorite is the Hammer films adaptation, but I eventually developed an appreciation to some of the older films too. Of course the newer films are action movies, not horror movies, and I think they’re entertaining enough, but not my favorite pics for Mummy flicks.

Monsters of the Movies Magazine -1975

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here’s a side by side comparison, standard kit build and my modified kit

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Modifications:

Repositioned mummy’s arm and sculpted new legs.

Broken Sarcophagus and loose pieces flying outward

Added steps to base, repositioned Sarcophagus cover

Added torch light mounted to wall, skulls and rats (from Aurora Customizing kit #2)

Spider webs/cob webs

Mummy nameplate holder

 

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I’ve been working on this kit for a few months. I’m glad I finally finished it and it came out the way I had envisioned it.

Gallery:

moebius mummy – standard build

Classic Aurora Mummy Model Kit

Classic Aurora Mummy Model Kit

 

This is only the 3rd classic Aurora Monster Model kit I’ve built since revisiting the hobby a few years ago. (the Forgotten Prisoner and The Wolfman are the others). This is a re-issue from Revell but the same mold and design as the Aurora kit.

I had originally painted the Mummy gray and painted the base a combination of sand colors, but it seemed too simple and sterile. So I looked at the original Aurora Box art painting by James Bama for inspiration and noticed the blue and purple lighting in the art. I emulated the lighting plus added some other coloration such as dull greens into the exposed skin areas. I also made the bloody eye more prominent with bright red and expanded the blood dripping to the hand and to the steps of the base. To do that I had to move the Cobra to the outside of the mummy’s left leg similar to the Bama painting.

 

Other than moving the Cobra and using custom wall pieces for added background, I didn’t make any modifications to the kit. I want to keep these monster kits close to the original design.

 

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(The additional background wall pieces are from a Mummy base expansion kit from Prehistorix. Thanks to Bill Voyce for sending it my way. I didn’t use the whole expansion addition because as I stated I wanted to keep these kits close to their original design. I also have plans to use the bigger base part for a different kit all together.)

If you would like to see my other Classic Monster Model Builds, as well as, dinosaur model kits go to my gallery page here: Monster Model Kits

If you would like to check out the separate posts from each model kit I’ve built, as well as, articles pertaining to model kits, click the link to the Monster Model Kits Category at Parlor of Horror!

Homer Tate – Americana Art – Roadside Show Attraction Items

Fall is a great time for a road trip. The autumn leaves, the apple and pumpkin farms, and the roadside attractions…

Homer Tate was at one time the top supplier for Roadside Stop and Side-Show attraction items. Stationed in Apache Junction, Arizona, ‘Tate’s Curiosity Shop’ supplied attractions with odd items and shrunken heads delivering them across the US. Tate created and built all the items himself. Real Borneo or Jivaro shrunken heads were illegal to own in the US, so Tate had a generous selection of hand crafted replica’s to display at roadside attractions and side shows. Homer Tate was born in 1884 and passed away in 1975. I believe he was an artist in his own right that entertained generations of road trip families for many years. This is a tribute to his work and art.

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s our family made many road trips as the car became the vacation getaway mode of transportation. I remember seeing shrunken heads and small mummies in different places we would stop. I’m sure some of them were creations by Tate. There was a place in upstate NY called Mystery Spot Park that I recall visiting with my family.

 

One of his more famous items, the Wolf Boy was found and featured on American Picker’s TV Show on History Channel. (Season 6, episode 2).

Mummy

mummy by Tate

mummy head

mummy legs

Crocodile Boy

presentation to read when displaying shrunken heads

Tate’s Curiosity Shop Catalog

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All photos are (c) their respective owners, shown here for the purpose of education and information. Some of these photos were found at http://www.sideshowworld.com which doesn’t look like it has been updated for many years.

Horror Movie Poster art – Postcard Collection- Part I

Horror Movie Poster Art – post cards (and Sci-fi, too!)

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Let me explain,
I collected about a dozen classic horror movie posters including, Bride of Frankenstein, King Kong, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and The Curse of the Werewolf. They range in size from 11 x 17″ to 24 x 28.” However, I soon discovered I will never have enough room to display them.

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That was when I discovered post-card sized replications of all the famous classic film movie posters. I keep them in a book in plastic sleeves. Along with the Universal Monsters Stamps and post cards from various museums and historical sites, plus Art, Americana, and movie stars, I have over 200 post cards in my collection.

I’d like to share some of these post cards with you.

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Creature Features and early horror films:

Here’s my book. It’s a loose-leaf binder with photo sleeves. It holds 4 cards per page (2 front, 2 back).

 

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Universal and Classics:

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 1950’s Sci Fi and horror:

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US Postal Service Universal Monsters Commemorative Stamps and Post Cards:

 

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More to come…

 

 

Movie Theater Displays of Days Gone By

Movie Theater Displays and Marquees

In the old days the major studios would put some fun displays together for the theaters. Here’s a look at some of those great designs and promotions.

And here’s some theater marquees with some classic films. Less promo but fun to see these films in theaters, some attracting big lines of movie fans.

Model Kits – AMT – Mummy Machine – 1975

Mummy Machine – 1975

This is my Mummy Machine monster car from a small series released by AMT in the 1970’s.

Building car model kits is a bit different than creatures. For one, you have to paint most of the pieces before you put the kit together.

I used Testors enamel for the green body and the gold parts because it dries smoother and glossier. I used acrylics for the head and pyramid.

I changed the loose bandage that would be glued upon the head, cutting it up to several pieces and arranging it to look like it was being blown as the car was moving.

I had these kits when I was a wee lad. Next in this series, I will build the Creepy-T car with the big skull head.

Check out the Creepy T build

 

Aurora Monster Models and Prehistoric Scenes Kits

Aurora Monster Models and Prehistoric Scenes Kits – Part II

When I was a youngster, I loved to build monster model kits. I would see ads in the back of Famous Monsters of Filmland and I would send away for them via mail order or have my mom take me to local hobby shops to purchase them. The premier company in horror model-kits back then (1970’s) was Aurora. I started with the Universal Monsters model kit collections and soon moved on to the Prehistoric Scenes Kits. Eventually, the kits I owned went to the big toy graveyard where all kids things seem to find their end. For the longest time I thought those model kits were gone forever. But recently, I have found many of the wonderful kits I enjoyed as a kid, still available for purchase.

Aurora Prehistoric Scenes kit molds were first bought by Monogram who only kept seven of the Dinosaurs and the Wooly Mammoth. Sadly they destroyed the other kit molds to reuse the material. Then Revell bought Monogram and re-released the dino kits (twice). Today you can still purchase many of the Aurora Dinosaur kits under the Revell label. Although the box art is different, the kits are basically the same as the old Aurora kits minus the bases and extra accessories.

the same Ankylosaurus model released through the years…

Many of the Aurora Monster Model kits were purchased by several different companies such as Playing Mantis, Moebius, and Polar Lights. It is a bit of work to hunt all of these down as they release them sporadically but you can get almost all of them. I have recently purchased, The Forgotten Prisoner and the Aurora Godzilla model.

On top of that there are several companies that release customizing kits under the “What if…” banner and alternative pieces market which are often called Conversion Kits. You can change the head of the original Godzilla to one that is more in line with the movies. You can change the heads of the Triceratops to create different horned dinosaurs such as the Torosaurus or the Monoclonius. You can change the head of Dr. Jekyll to match the original  film “The Fly” (which looks amazing). You can now buy Julie Adams to fit with your Aurora style Creature From the Black Lagoon, where she will be set in his arms like the famous scene from the film.

Today’s model kits are amazingly detailed and there are quite a few hobbyists that take great pride in the building and painting of these kits. Many are limited release and can sell for upwards of $200. There are 3 types of kits, plastic, vinyl, and resin kits. The resin kits are the most expensive and offer the most detail.

One new kit I’ve been waiting for is Gorgo, by the company, Monarch. It was supposed to be released last year but no one has heard any news since. I hope they continue there plans to release it, because it is a fantastic model. Update: model kit was released – you can see my build here: Monarch Gorgo Model Kit

Below are some links if you care to check out some more info and pics on the subject. Some of the pics used here are from these sites.

If you want to learn more about the Aurora Kits and product lines, a good place to start is with the documentary dvd, The Aurora Monsters: the model craze that gripped the world. You can get the dvd at monstersinmotion.com or Amazon.

www.monstersinmotion.com
www.geometricdesign.net 
www.culttvman.com
www.auroraprehistoricscenes.com
www.tylisaari.com
www.morbidmonster.com
www.universalmonsterarmy.com
http://creaturescape.com

Gallery of classic kits:

this model is gone forever, the molds were destroyed.

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Gallery of new kits and conversion accessories:

same body, different head, new dino.

Model builder vids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAWsr3aI0Ic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlB_rkH2414&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnWP3cg0olE

Monster Brawl – (2012) – movie review

Monster Brawl – (2012) – movie review
This film pits classic monsters fighting against each other in a ring, in a classic pay-per-view, wrestling style event. Just like actual wrestling events, the announcers provide tongue-n-cheek observations and ridiculous puns in their non-stop commentary. Before each match there is a short vignette about each monster – about their origins, and how they came to be called upon for this event. Classic monsters include; Frankenstein, the Werewolf, the Mummy, a witch, a vampiress, and a zombie, amongst others. There was no real plot to the film, which I didn’t mind; I viewed it as a mock pay-per-view fight event. For someone, who in the past has watched some wrestling entertainment, this seemed like it would be fun to watch despite it being a novelty. I was expecting mindless entertainment and nothing more. Old school wrestling icons, Jimmy Hart and Kevin Nash played small parts in the film and the voice of Lance Henriksen did some narrating.

There was one aspect the filmmakers left out that could have made Monster Brawl so much more enjoyable. If anyone has ever watched any wrestling event, you know that the audience is half the show. A low-blow means nothing without the venomous “boos” from the crowd. You need the audience cheers of encouragement when the underdog rises against the bigger favorite of the match. You need the verbal disapproval of the audience when one fighter cheats or when a manager steps into the ring to deliver a fatal blow to the defender. The audience’s participations, reactions, cheers and jeers, are like exclamation points to every move the fighter makes in the ring. It adds all of the excitement to the matches. Unfortunately for this film, there is no audience and it leaves the matches in a sterile, listless environment. Even the campy humor can’t breathe life into these walking dead matches. It’s like watching someone else play a video game – you can watch for a short time but it gets stale very quickly.