Zombos' Closet of Horror

Moebius Models New Frankenstein, Mummy

Exciting news from Moebius Models...

Following on their releases of the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll as Mr. Hyde, Gigantic Frankenstein, and Monster Scenes, Moebius Models continues the magic with the Mummy and the Frankenstein Monster for classic horror model kit fans.

The Mummy is scheduled for a March release in 2009, and the Frankenstein Monster should hit the shelves in June. CultTVman's Hobbyshop has pre-orders for them. (I pre-ordered my Big Frankie from CTVM at a good discount.)

Both kits will feature new sculpts taken from iconic scenes in The Mummy and Frankenstein, and will be in 1:8 scale.

Big Frankie is Back and Moebius Has Him!

Glue-sniffers rejoice! He's coming! Moebius Model Kits revives the kit that made monsterkids scream with delight and parents just scream. Cult TV Man has him for pre-order. Don't miss this one!

I remember ordering him from the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, and sending cash in the envelope, including coins (taped together, of course). After a few months I gave up hope, thinking someone stole the money. But then he finally arrived. The big box was beat-up and had been tied with string to hold it together. The post office hadn't treated him well. But I still had him. It was love at first sight.

Now you can rekindle the romance, too!

Unavailable since 1964, It is the "Grail" for many toy, kit, and monster collectors (plus, it's just plain cool!).

Moebius has received a license from Universal Studios to produce this highly sought after model kit! Look for "Big Frankie" in a store near you, summer 2008!

As with all Moebius reproduction kits, Gigantic Frankenstein will come in the same, classic style, paper-wrapped box as he did 44 years ago!

Monster Scenes Calendar From Dencomm!

Dencomm is at it again! For 2008 they've got a spanking new Monster Scenes Calendar and Prehistoric Scenes Calendar for Aurora Model Kit fans.

Tuff choice here, so just order both. Here's the description:

Welcome to a new year of MONSTER SCENES® mayhem!

This year, you'll enjoy the iconic artwork of the series that put it squarely in the crosshairs of protest groups nearly four decades ago!

The new cover features a glistening blood-red logo on a rich black background, accompanied by the unseemly "Rated X ... for Excitement"™ tagline.  Inside, you'll find 12 months of full-color artwork that delivered on the tagline's promise and forever doomed the series to the annals of infamy ... and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Printed entirely on cover weight high gloss 100 lb. stock, each page features full bleed dynamic color.  Each page is secured within the 8.5" x 11" wire-o bound package, opening up to a full-sized 11" x 17" display that hangs perfectly flat on your wall.

It's another limited offering so don't delay - ORDER NOW!!

Monarch Models: Nosferatu

There is nothing like the smell of styrene in the morning. Monarch Model Company's Nosferatu hits the shelves in time for the monsterkid gift-giving season--hint, hint. So stop drooling and buy one already. And don't forget to mail in the club membership. Click each image to get the big picture.

The New Aurora and the Old LAPCO

My interview with Gennaro (Jerry) Giammarino III of the new Aurora Plastics Corporation sparked quite a bit of commentary and controversy from modelers and fans who remember LAPCO (Lost Aurora Plastics Company), Jerry's first attempt at reviving the Aurora brand of modeling. You can see some of their prototypes from the Chiller 2000 Convention at CultTVman.

I approached Jerry with these concerns and here's his response:

Let me put it like this. I am not going to pull any punches with anyone, so here it goes. The 2 partners I had toward the end of LAPCO's demise were Brian Theriault and Bill Giordano. They were and still are the best 2 people anyone can ever wish to have as partners. They are fantastic and they deserved to have been rewarded for the efforts they made and helped us with. LAPCO's demise was not caused by them. What happened was plain and simple.

Legendary Aurora Returns!

Have I got a scoop for you monsterkids out there!

The famed Aurora Plastics Corporation is back in business, and more classic monsters than you can shake a flaming torch at are on the operating table, ready to be born again to delight old-time fans and make new ones. But it's not Dr. Frankenstein plotting to take over the modeling world this time, it's Gennaro (Jerry) Giammarino III, heir to the family that made Aurora a legendary model kit maker beloved by fans and copied by imitators years after it closed it's doors.

But bringing back the monsters is only part of his plans. Many of the original kits are being re-released with the current generation of budding model kit builders in mind. The time has come for a new generation of fans to experience the magic of Aurora.

Jerry took time from his busy schedule to answer the following questions about the new Aurora Plastics Corporation. I'm excited; I think you will be, too.

What led you to restart the legendary Aurora Plastics Corporation brand of model kits?

While doing a search on the Internet and also checking for any Aurora items on eBay, my Father and I were quite amazed as to the popularity for the old Aurora kits. Considering this, we decided that since we had molds in storage as well as being able to lease molds from another company that has some of the Aurora molds, we would try bringing part of the Aurora Line back for old time customers as well as bringing new items to the line. We own many Aurora Prototypes that were not done, and since we have them we might as well try to do them. We also want to try to bring modeling back for kids of this generation and we know it is a gamble, but we can try. We are in this for modelers and for fun, since we both love the model industry.

What challenges are you facing as you restart the company?

There are many challenges to any company. Our main challenge is that people want everything all at once and it can't be done. We want to establish the new Aurora first, with a line of 15 model kits, see how it goes and then take it from there. Again, money is not a problem, but I am not going to throw away my money by having it flop. If we see that the kits take off and that we can keep the company going by doing the old and adding new, then we will do our best to serve the public.

Another challenge is that there are a few people out there who have already started to try to intimidate us by telling us we have no right to do this item, or that the Box Art is not ours, and other legal challenges, etc. We will not be deterred by them and will do what we feel is right.

I can tell you that we overcame one big Challenge and that was securing a contract with Universal Studios to do some kits. I thought we would be challenged, but it seems that they are very much interested in working with us and we are in negotiations with them, and by next week we will have some better idea where we stand. It seems they are very eager to work with us, as we are eager to work with them, and we are going to do the best we can to please them as well as the modelers of today.

CreatureScape: The 21st Century Monster Model Zine

Are you into making monsters?

Just about every horrorhead has at one time or another assembled his or her own garage-kit Frankenstein, or ghoul, or zombie, or creature from some lost lagoon or godforsaken planet in resin, styrene or vinyl. I can't say for sure that it started with Aurora's monster kits, but it's the ghost of Aurora that remains deeply impaled in many a kit-building horrorhead's beating heart.

But today's kits are more sophisticated, and today's modelers more passionate about their art; both demand more expertise with the tools that will turn those unassembled and unpainted pieces of a dream kit into that bashed diorama of fiendish delight.

Lucky for us there's CreatureScape, the online magazine for monster model lovers everywhere to help.

Classic Plastic: A Monarch Comes to the Rescue

A new monster model kit maker is prowling the block!

Picking up the legendary Aurora styrene kit-making torch, Monarch Models plans on bringing horror nostalgia and classic monsters back to rampage among the boring shelves of snap-together car, plane, and Star Wars vehicle kits.

Monsterkids rejoice!

Their first offering will be Nosferatu, a one-eight scale kit, packaged in the beautiful box-art and wrapping that Aurora fans know so well. I can smell that glue now!

Scott Mckillop of London, Ontario, the founding father of Monarch Models, dropped by for a brief chat.