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First published April 6, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Question: Whose idea was it for you to sculpt your own visions of these comic villains?

Gabe Perna, sculptor: It was one of those things where I just kinda started one and saw that I was having some fun. I wanted to make a sculpt that was sort of “museum bust”-like, with the sides and back truncated, in a larger scale than some of the stuff I had been doing at that point. No sooner than I finished the first one, I had started the second. They were quick and a real blast to sculpt. I showed ’em to Randy of Killing Time Kits and that was that!

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If you’re looking to kill a little time by building a model, Killing Time Kits has three killers worth considering. They’re the unique visions of DC Comics villains by the sculptor Gabe Perna, dubbed “some of Gabe’s best work” by Randy at Killing Time, which is saying something.

“THE MONARCH”

Inspired by DARKSEID, ruler of the planet Apokolips

Painted by Dan Cope

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“ME AM #1”

Inspired by BIZARRO #1, an imperfect duplicate of Superman

Painted by Dan Cope

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“CROCODILE JONES”

Inspired by Batman enemy KILLER CROC

Painted by Joe Dunaway

All three museum-style resin busts are about 10.5 inches tall, a little larger than 1/4 scale, and sell for $60 plus shipping. They all come in two parts and are unpainted.

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Gabe and Randy are two more guys I encountered through the Clubhouse Internet modeling community. Randy started out like me, a fan of garage kits (although he’s more talented), then he branched into kit production after a couple years or so. Gabe came along a bit later and quickly drew a lot of attention because of his striking style of sculpting. For some reason, both of these jokers struck me as guys a person could get along with, and I found out for sure that was true when I met them last year at WonderFest in Louisville, Ky.

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Here’s more of my e-mail Q&A with Gabe:

Me: What hours of the day do you sculpt, and do you have any kind of snack or drink on hand while you’re working?

Gabe: I keep the worst sort of hours (in a traditional sense). I generally stay up hammering the clay until about 5:30 am and rise again at about 10 am. I rationalize the long hours, because I’m mainly sitting on my duff for the better part of the day.

As for fuel – it’s all about coffee for me. I’m fairly certain that 75 percent of what’s running through my veins has also run through my coffee pot. Sometimes I’ll go nutty on Red Bull, too. It doesn’t really give me the pep it should, but I really like the taste of it. Odd, considering I hated it the first time I tried it…

Me: How do the people closest to you support your sculpting, assuming they do?

Gabe: One of the main reasons I do what I do is because my wife, Regina, pushed me into it. Honestly, she has more faith in me than I do – so I live under constant paranoia of letting my wife down. I couldn’t get by without her!

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This is a good place to mention that I also met Regina last year at WonderFest, and I’ve read some things she’s had to say about Gabe in some Internet forums. From what I can tell, Gabe is a long, long way from letting her down.

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Randy of Killing Time was also kind enough to answer a few questions through e-mail.

Me: You and Gabe have collaborated on a number of projects in the last couple of years. How did this collaboration/friendship begin?

Randy: Friendship first and foremost. We razz each other continuously but it’s in fun. Gabe and I started talking a few years ago on the Clubhouse because of a mutual interest in some old British sitcoms. It grew out of that and we found we had a lot in common. Once I decided to start making kits, he was the first person I asked about commissioning a piece. I was awestruck by his Lobo and I wanted to see a few other characters done in the same style.

Me: You got involved in producing garage kits fairly recently. What inspired you to take the leap from kit builder to kit producer?

Randy: There were characters I wanted to see but no one had done. There are a dozen Batman standing on a ledge kits; same with Superman, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, etc. … I wanted to see some new faces. Doing a lesser-known character doesn’t always work out. Those five characters are done because they sell.

Me: I know you’ve got a lot of new stuff in the works as WonderFest approaches. Can you give me a preview of what’s coming?

Randy: Gabe and I are branching away from the comic book figures for a while and into horror kits. We’ve both got a dark side, an enjoyment of the the sick and grotesque, and neither of us will shy away from producing a figure just because it’s disturbing. Things like the old Fewture kits, that were disturbing yet so beautifully done you wanted it. Over the years Gabe has started a dozen pieces along these lines and abandoned them in favor of more mainstream work. We’ve decided to go ahead and do the nightmare.

However, since I deal with other sculptors, Killing Time will still release comic-related kits … and Gabe has not abandoned heroes, just taking a break to do other things.

My big summer release is a scene from when Bane broke Batman’s back (sculpted by Mike Baldwin). Several years ago I was asked what type of kits I’d like to see done. The characters are more than just an image or icon. They had history and what I thought would be really cool would be a kit that shows a defining moment in that character’s life. Bane breaking the Bat is one of those moments.

I hope to do more kits of defining moments, but I’ve learned not to plan too far ahead.

One of the first from Gabe’s horror line is a bust of a zombie, called “Patient #13”. The zombie is just gross. It’s large, about 1/3 scale, missing parts, and should be a blast to paint.

Originally published March 30, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Doesn’t this look like a happy fella?

Meet “Bubba the Redneck Werewolf”, a 1/6 scale resin kit from the wonderful folks at Resin Realities and Wolf’s Den. The kit’s sculptor is Mark VanTine and it comes unbuilt in four resin parts; the one in the pictures was painted by Saul Alvarez. Bubba – who is also the star of his own comic and soon a movie – will be available in kit form for only a limited time; the price is $65 unbuilt or $75 for an assembled “bronzed” edition, plus shipping.

Sculpting Bubba “was a fairly straightforward job, which I both designed and executed,” MVT told me in an e-mail. “When finished, I sent it to John to do his thing.

“I’ve been working with John for over 10 years now, and over the years we’ve both learned to trust each other enough to allow the other to do their job. That’s the best way to work, if you ask me.”

The “John” he’s referring to is John Diaz, president of Resin Realities, a person known and admired by garage-kit fans around the world. I’ve known John for a few years, mostly because we’re both members of the Clubhouse modeling community, and I’ve also done a few transactions with him. I finally got to meet him face to face in the dealer room last year at WonderFest in Louisville, Ky. It was amazing; I approached John’s table with a bit of trepidation, wondering if I should bother to introduce myself; before I could decide, and while I was still several steps away, he picked out the name in small type on the tag I was wearing, gave me a big smile and started a conversation. Being able to make people so comfortable, so quickly, is a rare gift.

Here’s what John had to say about Bubba in particular and producing garage kits in general recently through e-mail:

Me – What can you tell me about the character Bubba the Redneck Werewolf? (I wasn’t even aware of the comic until last week or so.)

John – Bubba was a character created by a friend of mine, Mitch Hymen. The story goes that he was a dogcatcher who was bitten by a dog that had been infected due to cosmetic testing in a lab and escaped.

Bubba likes to drink beer, drive a 4×4, has a hot girlfriend named Bobby Joe and is extremely jealous of anyone around her. He is more of an antihero as he really only cares about himself and just ends up beating and eating guys who cross his path. He has a sick sense of humor and is a redneck through and through. A fun read should you get the chance.

The comic was released sporadically due to finances and was mostly in black and white and has a major cult following. The new issue being released will be in color under a new label. There will be a feature film done sometime this year and there’s a good chance I’ll cameo in a bit part.

Me – How did you get involved with producing garage kits, and how long have you been doing it?

John – I have been doing garage kits for about 14 years now. I was a collector first and once I discovered how unique and cool it was, I was hooked.

Back in 1992, the availability of certain merchandise – be it toys or models – was scarce or nonexistent for some characters and films. Resin garage model kits filled that need for the collector. It was like trading and selling to a few fans, and sometimes you’d make a buck and sometimes you’d be lucky to break even.

The bottom line was that you were getting these cool figures that were never going to be produced due to whatever reason or lack of interest or profit potential the larger companies had. Some of those companies were watching what we were doing, though, and we are directly responsible for the high quality of the toy and statue industry today. They basically watched us garage-kit producers and used us as product research. They knew they had the resources (money and license). So they hired the sculptors who started out doing garage kits (through which they honed and developed their talent) and began their own companies.

Look at any of the big-name toy- and statue-producing companies and I can name many of those sculptors who worked in the garage-kit industry first. So the bottom line is that we serve a real purpose here and enjoy what we do.

Me – You are a well-known person among garage-kit fans, and I think your involvement with GKs has taken you to places around the country. Can you share one or two favorite memories about life as a GK fan and producer?

John – Being a producer, you get to travel a bit doing the various shows. I have been to Florida, Virginia, Kentucky and New Jersey, to name a few. You also get to meet some very interesting people and celeberties at these shows.

One of my fondest memories was at a Chiller show in Jersey. I was to bring Tom Savini as a guest to the show to help promote a new kit. I had hired him to sculpt a Fluffy kit, an updated version of the crate monster from the movie “Creepshow.” It was a large 1/4 scale figure. Tom had explained to me no one had ever approached him to sculpt a garage kit before and he’d be thrilled to do it. He did his best and sculpted an updated version of the beast with less body hair, atop the crate in a menacing pose.

I was thrilled to be working with one of the guys who was not only a great person but a top special effects makeup guy in horror film history. He also co-starred and cameoed in several films, including “Knightriders”, the original “Dawn of the Dead” and “From Dusk Till Dawn,” to name a few. Here he was working for me and hanging out with me at a show. HOW COOL IS THAT?

Another great memory was a couple years ago back in Kentucky at the WonderFest show. The guest of honor was none other than movie special-effects legend Ray Harryhausen. This was big, as Ray rarely if ever did these shows. The lines to get his autograph were hours long and me wanting one but being stuck behind my dealer’s table, it was not going to happen.

Ray would take breaks and just walk around the dealers’ room, looking at the various kits. I was surprised to see him not only stare at my table but take the time out to begin a conversation with me. He was mesmerized by several of the kits I was displaying for sale. He had taken notice of the gypsy woman Wayne “the Dane” Hansen had sculpted and particularly the bust line I had of the Bride of Frankenstein series. We had the Bride and both doctors (Frankenstein and Pretorius) displayed; the monster wasn’t sculpted yet.

Ray asked if he could pick them up and look at them and said SURE. He loved the way they were presented and sculpted. He asked if I take checks; jokingly I said the answer would normally be “no,” but for him I’d make an exception. We both laughed and he said he’d be back.

He came back later with his wife to show her and she was equally surprised and showed great interest. He asked if it was the painted ones I was selling. No, I said, they were just for display and my personal pieces. He looked at me and asked if I would sell the painted ones and I said I didn’t think so. So he smiled and said he’d be back .

He was set up with John Ulakovic from Janus Co. and I had discussed with Mark VanTine (the sculptor) and my painter, Saul Alvarez, what I should do. Saul and MVT suggested that I give him the busts and Saul would paint another set for me as a replacement. I agreed, but I wanted an autograph (LOL), so we sent John of Janus the message that I would sell the busts to Ray, nothing else.

So John comes to the table with Ray and a crowd is following at this point in hopes of getting his autograph. So he says, “I’m here to buy these busts,” and he pulls out his checkbook and asks “How much will it cost?” I joke with him (“I hope you have a lot of money”) and we laugh. Saul and Mark are standing next to him as he picks up the kits again and is staring at them, reciting lines from the film and telling Mark how exquisitely he thinks these were sculpted. Mark is in heaven and I’m in awe that he comes to my table when there are over 200 hundred other kit dealers there and this legend in film history is like a little kid in a candy store drooling over the kits I had produced.

So he says how much and Saul tells him it will cost you a check for $1 plus sign some autographs. He gives us a surprised look, saying “What, all you want is a $1?” We respond its the least we can do for a legend such as you and thank him. He was genuinely touched and very appreciative of the gesture.

We then proceeded to have him sign some photos and had several taken with him. Now I didn’t have to worry about waiting in line, LOL.

So, in closing, although the financial reward is not always there in garage kits, the lifetime experiences and memories can never be taken away.

First published March 23, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“How many days of your life have you been sick?”

David Dunn (played by Bruce Willis) is a man sadly moving through a midlife crisis until he becomes the only person out of hundreds to survive a train derailment in director M. Night Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable.” Then he finds a note under his windshield wiper, asking the question above, and things get really interesting.

David Dunn, see, goes on to meet the man who wrote the note – Elijah Price, a.k.a. “Mr. Glass” (Samuel L. Jackson, wearing a hairstyle inspired by Frederick Douglass) – and eventually accepts he has the ability to be a superhero, of sorts, in a real world that isn’t as much fun as the pages of most comic books.

“Unbreakable David Dunn” is a new model kit produced by KOMA Designs and available from Amok Time. It’s a 1/5 scale resin kit, 14 inches tall, five parts, includes two hoods, and sculpted by … well, all I know is the sculptor is “a real fan of this movie who wishes to remain anonymous,” according to Paul, a producer of the kit. It’s limited to 20 to 30 castings, one of which my wife, Lisa, pre-ordered for me at Christmas. The kit comes unbuilt and unpainted; the one in the pictures was painted by Saul Alvarez.

A Mr. Glass kit is also in the works from Koma.

“Unbreakable” was an acquired taste for me. First time through I sort of liked it, thought some scenes were well done but overall it was so low-key I didn’t spend much time on the edge of my seat. The ending wasn’t as big a surprise as the one in Shyamalan’s previous film, “The Sixth Sense,” but I didn’t see it coming. When the movie ended, I flipped off the TV and pretty much said, “Eh.”

Then I couldn’t get it out of my head. I bought the DVD the next week and have viewed the movie five or six times since then. Last time, when I knew this kit would arrive in my mail before long, I paid particular attention to some scenes toward the end when David battles a murderous home invader, and I started plotting ways to make his slicker look wet and dripping, like he just got out of a pool and is ready to return to the battle.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Rent the movie. Even if you hate it – which, honestly, seems to be about half the people who watch it – it’ll still be a better way to pass two hours than most of what the networks air these days. Plus, the DVD set’s second disc includes a documentary that’s fascinating viewing for longtime comic fans like me, featuring interviews with Denny O’Neil, Trina Robbins, Will Eisner, Alex Ross, Frank Miller, Dave Gibbons and more.

Paul was kind enough to answer a few questions through e-mail.

Me: You say you’re a fan of the movie “Unbreakable”. Did you like that movie the first time you saw it, or did you keep returning to it and feel it growing on you?

Paul: I was in the minority, I think. The movie took hold of me immediately. I remember most people in the theater walking out clicking their tongues saying “ahh it was no ‘Sixth Sense’…”

I had to wake my girlfriend up, I was ready to shout, “WHERE DID ANYONE SAY IT WAS ‘THE SIXTH SENSE’!”

I am a comic book fan or fanatic and thought: If there ever were real superheroes/villains, that is how they would behave, rationalize their existence and function in a “realistic” world.

Me: This is a two-parter: Did the ending of “Unbreakable” surprise you or had you figured out the twist? And what do you consider the all-time-best surprise ending to a movie?

Paul: The ending I did see coming, but still loved the payoff. Samuel Jackson revealing himelf as “Mr. Glass” in the end monologue, I could watch a million times.

All-time best twist endings? That’s a tough one, for me I’ve got a few favorites (no particular order): “Planet of the Apes”, “The Usual Suspects”, “The Sixth Sense”, “Psycho”, “Seven” and “SpongeBob SquarePants”, I never thought David Hasselhoff would save the day like that!

Me: Do you expect this kit to be a quick seller or is it simply a labor of love?

Paul: My friends have dubbed this kit “Unsellable”, another friend who does not like the movie called it “Unwatchable”. However, if I ever listened to anyone but myself I would be in a different business right now. Modeling as a whole is a labor of love, almost a lost art form. The feeling of accomplishment when you are done seeing your project through is the best reward. It is something that cannot be understood unless you are a part of it. Some projects you break even, some you may not. LOVE is what keeps this hobby going. Many companies/people do not understand it. Garage kits are about love, not money, and that, dear readers, is why the hobby will be around forever.

Originally published March 16, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Every now and then, model-kit nuts like me see or buy a kit and think it looks fine, but it could be better. That’s probably why a healthy aftermarket has sprung up, with garage-kit producers making replacement heads and other parts to improve on the original without making it too expensive. A case in point is the GEOmetric Design WolfMan. GEO has long been one of the best garage-kit companies around, offering wonderful Universal Studios monster kits cast in either vinyl with some resin parts or all resin. The WolfMan is among them, and he’s OK … but he’s the only near dud of the bunch. Here’s the box art:

My problem with this sculpture (if you could call it a problem) is that it seems sort of narrow up top. The shoulders are rounded, the head a tad small. Plus, the facial expression is kind of bland and the hair at the top of his head looks sort of like some 1970s Shaun Cassidy ‘do. I’m not condemning the sculptor of this kit; his name is Mike Hill and he’s an astoundingly talented artist, particularly when it comes to werewolves. This just isn’t one of his best and he told me in an Internet chat room about three years ago that part of the reason for the kit’s understated impact is that it’s what GEOmetric wanted.

Even if none of this stuff bothered you, the feet probably would. This kit’s WolfMan is standing way up on his tiptoes, making balancing the figure a challenge. I built one and he wobbles every time someone steps too heavily near the shelf.

Fortunately, Tom Parker of Cult of Personality Productions (cultofpersonality@peoplepc.com), working with sculptor Jim Maddox, recently stepped up with a new head and feet for the vinyl version of the GEO WolfMan. Here’s a buildup by Germany’s Bernd Slominski (sometimes known online as “Classic Monsters”):

Cult of Personality’s WolfMan replacement parts are made of resin and fit the 1/8 scale vinyl version of the GEOmetric kit. The replacement parts are sold separately from the kit, or you can buy both directly from Tom Parker for a great price. Price of the parts set alone is $25 postpaid, or $50 postpaid will also get you a bagged GEO kit (by “bagged”, I mean no box, no art, just the kit and you won’t need instructions to know what goes where). Just to make sure it’s clear, the kit doesn’t include a base. Bernd used one available from Resin Realities.

Here’s a comparison between the replacement parts and the originals; sorry, the photo is mine and I’m not the best photographer:

If you’re interested, send him an e-mail at cultofpersonality@peoplepc.com. Tom describes himself as “computer illiterate” and says he depends heavily on Clubhouse administrators Spock and Mark M. to help him get pictures online and other technical issues, but I know he’s comfortable enough with computers to answer e-mails quickly. He’s never kept me waiting long for a reply, and he’s never treated me poorly in … what? Probably 10 transactions in the last four years or so.

Tom is one of the more interesting people I’ve encountered since getting back into this hobby in late 2001, and it was my pleasure to finally meet him in person last year at WonderFest in Louisville, Ky. Instead of skeletons in his closets, he apparently fills them with model kits and does a pretty good business with kit lovers around the world. We traded a few e-mails recently; what follows is what Tom had to say about the WolfMan replacement parts, other replacement parts he’s marketed, and himself:

Like pretty much everyone else, I first got involved with kits back in the mid-’60s (first kit was an Aurora Batmobile purchased through the mail for 35 cents and two cookie wrappers, if memory serves).

I started selling ERTL “Star Trek” kits at conventions in the early ’80s, graduated to selling Billiken figures in the early ’90s at the Fangoria shows in NYC, then along came Chiller Theatre, which I did sporadically for the next eight or nine years until Ed Bowkley (of Diceman Creations) hooked me up at the Fall 2000 show with a table of my own, and I’ve been in the same spot ever since. Also from ’96 to 2001 I was a sales rep for a kit distributor with 45 MJ Designs and Michaels stores on my sales route (roughly 40 feet of display space in each one). This put me directly in touch with manufacturers and (more importantly) with liquidation. And in ’99 I released my first Aurora replacement head, which was Carrie Kelly (the female Robin from “Dark Knight Returns”) for the Revell Robin reissue. That was soon followed by a recast of the original Aurora Batman head and owl and a Space Ghost head for the Aurora Superman. I might as well just list them in order:

1999

• Carrie Kelly (with lasercut sunglasses and lenses) sculpted by myself, with Henry Frickel.

• Batman head and owl (recast off Aurora).

• Space Ghost sculpted by Jay Harless.

2000

• Godzilla train-car head and hand sculpted by Henry Frickel, to fit the Aurora Godzilla.

2001

• Adam West head and belt parts (portrait sculpt and belt pouches by myself, cowl by Henry Frickel). Fits the Aurora Batman.

2003

• King Kong face by Mark VanTine. Fits the Aurora Kong.

• General Urko head w/ammo cartridges and gun in holster (face sculpt by myself, gun, ammo cartridges and helmet by Henry Frickel). Fits the Addar General Ursus.

2003

• Burt Ward head by Jim Maddox. Fits the Aurora Robin.

• Rodan head by myself. Fits the Aurora Rodan.

• WolfMan head and feet by Jim Maddox. Fits the GEOmetric Design kit.

Most of the replacement heads we did based on opportunity. If Revell or Polar Lights rereleased a kit and you could get it for $10 at Toys R Us, our goal was to put out a part (or parts) to improve that kit for not much more than the cost of the plastic kit. The choices were purely what we wanted to see, hoping that others would like them too. Sometimes we got lucky. We were able to get Aurora Kong kits from PL cheap, which prompted me to pursue Mark VanTine to do the Kong sculpt for us. Fortunately for us, Mark wasn’t super busy, he liked the project and did a fantastic sculpt for a very reasonable fee. Three years later we are getting ready to pull a fourth mold on this; it is creeping up on Godzilla as our best seller ever!

The WolfMan was also a matter of timing. I was able to get a fairly large supply of these from George Stephenson when he was selling GEOmetric, and then from out of the blue, a talented sculptor named Jim Maddox contacted me about a ’60s Batman project (which became the Burt Ward head). In the course of talking to him, I found out he was a huge fan of the Universal Monsters, but more importantly, around that same time he had posted pics in the Clubhouse of a Planet of the Apes head he had done. Within a day from the time I saw the picture, I had worked out a deal with him to do a portrait head and feet. The head I chose to have him do is an iconic image from an old Famous Monsters of Filmland cover (which was based on a publicity still from “House of Dracula”).

THE FM COVER

CULT OF PERSONALITY’S WOLFMAN

The feet were actually from the first movie, and the main reason I even bothered with them at all is the kit feet were solid vinyl on “tiptoes” and even if you fill the vinyl parts and pin them, the figure tends to wobble on its base. Now would be a good time to add that our parts are designed for the VINYL version. Because the head features the open collar version of the make-up, you will need to cut away the collar and the front of the shirt (much easier on hollow vinyl, than solid resin, although a couple folks have done it).

…By the way, I recommend leaving about a quarter-inch of the vinyl flashing in place on each bicep before gluing it to the torso, then filling the gaps with epoxy putty to effectively broaden the shoulders. You will need to sculpt in a few folds and seams to match the kit parts, but it should be no big deal.

Originally published March 9, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Sometimes I look around and think I’m the only guy in Colorado who gives a rat about this kind of stuff. Then I remember James “KitKong” Whitman of Lakewood and remember there are plenty of people who share my model-kit fascination.

I knew James by reputation quite some time before I actually had any contact with him, mostly because he was the person who so often outbid me on these kinds of kits on eBay, and a year or so ago I discovered his online store, KitKong’s Model Mansion. Now, James has started producing garage kits of his own, and they’re the perfect original creations for Halloween lovers like me.

“Harvest Terror” and “Angel of Death” are 1/6 scale porcelain-resin kits, both sculpted by Nick Williams and the first GKs offered by the Model Mansion. Both kits come unbuilt and unpainted; James built and painted the ones on the box art himself. “Harvest Terror” sells for $65 plus shipping; “Angel of Death” is $45 plus shipping.

James’ model-kit collection – large enough to inspire a friend to give him the “KitKong” nickname – now belongs to the Model Mansion, of which he is the owner and sole operator. Here’s some of what he had to say about the background of “Harvest Terror” and “Angel of Death”:

“Both were sculpted by Mr. Nick Williams. The ‘Harvest Terror’ concept was his own, and derived from a concept and idea he had been playing with for years. We agreed to see how it would translate into a kit.

“The ‘Angel of Death’ kit was a collaboration between Mr. Williams and me in trying to come up with an interesting new look for the Grim Reaper. It was not originally intended as a bust, but we found that it seemed to present itself better as a bust than a full figure kit.”

Before I finish up this week, I’ll note that the prices on these two pieces are pretty low for resin garage kits, particularly “Harvest Terror” (1/6 scale GKs that include the base typically sell for $100 and up) and I’ve heard the castings on both are quite good. Anyone interested in checking out whether they’d enjoy building garage kits would probably find these a good way to ease into the hobby without overheating the checking account.

Originally published March 2, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Most of the model kits I collect are easily recognizable characters. The Universal Monsters, comic-book heroes and villains, Indiana Jones … fantasy character stuff. Yep, I’m in my 40s and still prefer this kind of thing to watching millionaires with no sense of good sportsmanship play games on TV all Sunday. If that means my priorities are out of whack, so be it.

Every now and then, someone comes along with an original creation that catches my eye. “Aldrhiel The Forgotten One” from Paradoxx Resin is such a sculpt:

Aldrhiel is a 1/6 scale kit, cast in solid resin, sculpted by Alterton of Argentina, priced at $150 plus shipping and limited to a mere 25 castings.

The prototype in the pictures was painted by the remarkably talented and prolific John Allred.

“As much as I like all the superheroes and Universal Monsters,” John told me via e-mail, “I like original characters even more. So it was a lot of fun and a challenge to come up with a paint scheme for this piece. BTW, Norm surprised Alterton with this finished piece, not telling him who was painting it. Alterton e-mailed me and said he was very happy and amazed at how close the color scheme was to what he had always imagined. Needless to say, I was relieved!”

Norm “Kitman” Piatt of Paradoxx Resin – a fellow I’ve known about four years now primarily via The Clubhouse, a popular online modeling community – answered some questions about the “Forgotten Ones” series via e-mail.

Me: What can you tell me about this character?

Norm: The character is from an original story Alterton began writing a few years ago. He decided to sculpt a couple of figures from it. This is when we started working together on the project. There’s a description of Aldrhiel up on the Paradoxx Resin Web site.

Me: You mentioned that there is a “Forgotten Ones” comic book and plans for multimedia project based on Alterton’s characters, including theme music. Who writes the comic? Who’s composing the music? Where will people be able to see these things?

Norm: The whole multimedia idea came about when Alterton told me he was writing a story based on the Forgotten Ones. We thought it would be cool to see if we could turn this story into a comic book. I am handling the artwork and computer graphics; both of us are collaborating on the story. It’s really more of a graphic novel than a comic book. We are developing the book for PDF and it will be placed on our Web sites for viewers to read.

As for the theme music we wanted to set a mood for the reader while viewing the book and for a possible future CD. The theme is being composed by Ozzy Echevarria, drummer of the metal band New Eden. Ozzy is a big fan of garage kits and of Alterton’s work and we are very excited to be working with him on this project. I don’t believe anyone has tried something like this before in the garage-kit industry.

Me: Having been acquainted (through The Clubhouse and
Modeler’s Resource magazine) with you and your work for roughly four years now, I know you have an interesting mix of careers. Would you mind sharing with people what all you do with your time? If I were to take a stab at it, I’d say you’re a sculptor, kit producer, kit importer, writer, photographer and casino worker.

Norm: Todd, I’m really impressed by your memory! Yes I do all of those things. I also paint mostly acrylic landscapes and portraits. I tell you what, if I didn’t have a creative outlet I’d probably be in a padded room somewhere. It’s not easy juggling all these activities, sometimes it’s impossible (time wise). I have been blessed with some very talented friends who trust me to produce their sculptures. I’ve been a kit producer for little over a year now. Writing for Modeler’s Resource came about when Editor Fred DeRuvo saw one of my model kit conversions on the Internet. It was a great four years working for MR; the magazine is on a hiatus at this time.

I’m currently writing sculptor interviews for Kitbuilders Magazine. Dan and Barbara are cool people and put out a fine magazine.

Photography has always been a hobby of mine; of course I take many figure model photos. I love taking landscape photos and use them quite frequently in my paintings.

Sculpting is still new to me; I have only done eight or nine pieces. I have much to learn yet; sculpting is pure escapism for me.

Las Vegas Casino work … you get to meet people from all over the world. The town is pretty freakin crazy, Vegas is a great place to visit but you don’t want to live here.

First published Feb. 23, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

“Aurora” is an important name to anyone who enjoys monster models. It was the company that introduced the world to such kits back in the ’60s, first with the Frankenstein Monster and followed by many more, including a wonderfully detailed kit of the monster’s Bride:

For the record, the picture above is the kit issued a few years ago by Polar Lights. It looks pretty much the same as Aurora’s, although I hear the glass parts on the original weren’t cast in clear plastic. The PL kit isn’t hard to find; original Aurora Brides are.

Truth is, while many of us love the classic Aurora kits, we recognize that the figures inside the boxes weren’t as spectacular as the box art paintings, most of which were created by artist James Bama. Here’s how Bama painted the Bride:

Similar to the kit, but better, right? A lot of Aurora nuts (and I became one of them in the ’70s) just accepted that this was how things were. But finally, all these years later, super-talented sculptor Jeff Yagher has translated Bama’s artwork into three dimensions:

The Bride Of Frankenstein Aurora Box Art Tribute Kit is a brand-new offering from Monsters in Motion. It’s the latest in a continuing series of Yagher-sculpted Aurora box art tribute kits, including the Phantom of the Opera, WolfMan, Dr. Jekyll as Mr. Hyde, Dracula and King Kong. Pictures of all of these can also be found on MiM’s site, but I’m linking to the buildups by Mike Rutherford, who is the biggest fan of the series I’ve encountered and has a gift for making them look just like Bama’s paintings.

Monsters in Motion’s new Bride is a pressure-cast resin kit, more than 40 parts, 1/7 scale, priced at $199.99 plus shipping and scheduled to be available at the end of February. Price got you intimidated? Hey, I understand, but it’s not like these garage kits are being mass-produced by sweat-shop workers making a nickel a day in China. Kits like this are available in very limited editions, and this one in particular is sculpted by one of the most talented people you could hope to encounter.

Speaking of whom, you may not think you know anything about Jeff Yagher, but there’s a pretty good chance you do. He’s a man of many careers, most visibly as an actor. He’s got a ton of titles to his credit, including the “V” television series, “Six Feet Under” and many, many more. He even played one of Elaine’s sponge-worthy boyfriends on a 1996 episode of “Seinfeld” titled “The Rye.” If you’d like to read a detailed (if slightly dated) interview with Jeff, look for issue 15 of Amazing Figure Modeler magazine. For now, here’s a short e-mail Q&A:

Me: Were the Aurora box art pieces your concept or someone else’s, and what attracted you to doing them?

Jeff: I’ve been wanting to do these box art kits since I was a kid. I was always a little disappointed that the kits didn’t look exactly like the art but it was the same for every kit on the market. At the time I had no idea how to produce one so I used to make my own heads out of homemade clay I concocted of bread dough and Elmer’s glue. I’ve been contemplating this notion for about 10 years and no one would sponsor it, even though they thought it was a good idea. Thirteen is a big commitment. Finally Terry at Monsters in Motion said he would give one a try and it sold so well he has commisioned others. Now everyone who hesitated on the idea is kicking themselves.

Me: I presume you are at least interested in the original Aurora model kits. What did you discover first, the kits or the movies that inspired them?

Jeff: My first kit was the Aurora Mummy and my father helped me and my little brother Kevin build it on our kitchen table. I was 6 years old. (Kevin is now a Hollywood makeup artist… he created the makeups for Freddy Krueger, the Chucky Child’s Play doll, HBO’s the Cryptkeeper and dozens of other film makeups and special effects.)

I’d never seen the Universal films but had a kind of natural interest in monsters and science fiction even then. It was the kits that led me to the films…

Me: Do you plan to continue the Aurora box art series, and if so, what character(s) do you want to do?

Jeff: After the Bride, I’m not sure what the next installment will be. Terry makes up his mind after doing his own market research. Sometimes it’s just intuition … I hope it’s the Forgotten Prisoner … always one of my favorites…

First published Feb. 16, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Back in my grade-school days, I’d sneak out after bedtime Friday nights to catch “Shock Theater” on late-night TV. I saw some wonderful horror movies, including a lot of the Hammer Studios stuff and some classics from the ’30s and ’40s, but it wasn’t until I viewed George A. Romero’s cheesy “Night of the Living Dead” that I knew just how much a movie could scare me. The first time I tried, I couldn’t sit through more than four scenes of that 1968 movie about cannibalistic zombies at a stretch. I’d turn off the TV, hide under my covers a few minutes…and then sneak back out for more.

The thrills started with the guy in the picture below, played by Bill Heinzman, who showed up early on while a timid woman’s irritating brother taunted, “They’re coming to get you, Barbra.”

“Night of the Living Dead” is an upcoming offering by GEOmetric Design, a long-standing garage-kit company founded by George Stephenson (last I heard, he was serving as a trial judge in Minnesota, appointed by former Gov. Jesse Ventura) and now run by Al Matrone.

The zombie is a 1/8 scale resin kit sculpted by Joe Simon, should be ready around April and the price will probably be in the $100 neighborhood. Al was unable to give an exact figure because, he wrote in an e-mail, he was “thinking of adding another piece to the kit, like a piece of an eaten body part.”

Watch for information about the kit at the GEOmetric Web site, then order it from Al’s Phoenix Comics if you’re interested. He also welcomes people to give him a call at (570) 457-2691.

Here’s a little bit about what Al had to say in an e-mail exchange:

Me: What got you interested in producing garage kits?

Al: I was selling them as a product line. And I always liked models when I was a kid. I always liked the superheroes or science fiction line the best. So George was closing the company down and I had nothing to lose, so I asked him what he wanted for it. Then one thing led to another. At times I still find it hard to believe that I own it.

Me: Is producing garage-kits a money-making proposition, or a money-losing one?

Al: I make money, but I won’t give up my day job. I am making enough to keep doing more kits. If you want to become rich and famous then this is not the business, but it is a lot of fun.

Me: Have you met any interesting people as a result of producing garage kits? If so, who?

Al: You meet a lot of great people. The hobby is fun. I like making the kits. By summer, I will come out with a kit of my own design.

First published Feb. 8, 2006, at GJSentinel.com.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … a roasted Kryptonian!

“Nuked Supes” is a 1/4 scale resin bust available from the friendly folks at Mad Dog Resin for $55 plus shipping. It was sculpted by Gabe Perna and inspired by a harrying sequence involving the Man of Steel and a Soviet warhead in Frank Miller’s 1980s epic comic miniseries “Batman: The Dark Knight.” “The Dark Knight” gave comics in general and Batman in particular a major popularity push and helped persuade Warner Bros. to make Michael Keaton’s first Batman movie in the late ’80s. The latest, best Bat-movie, “Batman Begins,” is heavily inspired by Miller’s work.

If you haven’t read “The Dark Knight,” it’s readily available in the graphic novel sections of many bookstores, through various Web sites such as Amazon and even on the shelves at the Mesa County Public Library District’s central branch.

As with most garage kits, only a handful of copies of “Nuked Supes” will be made, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. In fact, a companion piece of the Dark Knight called “I Am the Law” came and went within a matter of weeks (I’m one of the lucky folks who got one). What you get when you buy Supes is an unbuilt kit in three pressure-cast pieces; the one pictured was painted by Dan Cope.

I’ve traded a few e-mails with Charlie of Mad Dog Resin; here’s some of what he had to say:

Me: Was “Nuked Supes” your concept or Gabe’s? What attracted you to the subject matter?

Charlie: I have been a fan of Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” since it was published back in the mid-’80s. It really was unlike anything else being published at the time, and as a kid, it got me hooked on comics for years to come.

“Nuked Supes” comes from that book. There is a scene in the book where
Superman diverts a nuclear missile headed for the U.S.A. The bomb goes
off, and Superman gets … well … “Nuked”. The result is what you see, a crispy, zombie-looking Superman.

This was something I had wanted to do for a long time, and I thought
Gabe’s style fit this piece perfectly. There are very few Superman kits out there, and most of them are pretty standard … this was taking the traditional character, and doing something different with it, but still having it based on actual material from the comics.

If you are familiar with the book, there is not a lot of reference
material for this rendition of Superman. Gabe did a great filling in the blanks, and fleshing this one out.

Me: What’s your favorite garage-kit subject matter?

Charlie: You know, I really don’t have one particular favorite subject matter. I’m pretty much all over the board collector. If I see something I like, I buy it. I’m not a huge fan of the classic Universal monsters, so you’ll find few of those in my collection.

I lean toward the comic book characters, modern sci-fi and horror
stuff, but you’ll find a little bit of everything in my collection.

As far as producing garage kits….I’m mainly filling voids in my own
collection. Subjects that I wanted for myself, that no one else had produced.

Me: Have you met any particularly interesting people because of your involvement with garage kits?

Charlie: As a whole, the garage kit community is filled with great people. I’m continually amazed at the talent out there. I got jibes from people sometimes about “playing with monsters” but I don’t think they consider the skill it takes to produce some of these sculptures, and then the time, effort, and talent to bring them alive with paint. They are really little works of art.

I’ve met some great people, and made some good friends, all over the
world through this hobby, I never would have met any of them if I wasn’t involved in garage kits.

First published Feb. 1, 2006, on the “Resin the Barbarian” blog at GJSentinel.com.

Growing up, the classic movie monsters were right up there with superheroes as my favorite things. I spent hours reading comics and magazines such as Famous Monsters, and I loved building model kits of my favorite characters.

I rediscovered the plastic-model hobby about four years ago, and shortly after that I found out about garage kits. Ever heard of them? Basically put, they’re model kits made of resin or vinyl, usually in very limited runs and often produced by people who simply enjoy the subject matter. The producers seldom make much money doing it, even though people like me barely think twice about overheating our credit cards when we find something new we like and know we really might miss out on if we don’t act soon.

Which leads me to this:

Man, Gene Wilder could do no wrong in the 1970s, not in my eyes. In movie after movie, he was the person to watch. “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” “Blazing Saddles.” “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask.” He was a hoot in all of them. But he was arguably at his best as Dr. “Fronkensteen” in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.”

What you see above is the Young Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) Bust offered by the wonderful garage-kit company Forbidden Zone. It’s made of resin, 1/4 scale, sculpted by Howard Senft of Denver, and sells for $55 plus $6 U.S. shipping. The one in the picture above was painted by Steve Parke. The kit (unbuilt and unpainted) is available now but hasn’t made it to Forbidden Zone’s “merchandise” page. Check out “coming soon” to see more pictures and, if you’re interested, find out how to get in touch with Forbidden Zone by clicking on the “contact us” link.

My wife, Lisa, gave me two Forbidden Zone kits for Christmas: a Frankenstein Monster bust and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man kit. They reached my home in great shape and the castings – by Earthbound Studios’ Mark Brokaw, who has a well-earned reputation as the best at what he does – were nearly flawless. Some garage kits can come with a lot of air bubble holes and flash in the resin that have to be cleaned up, but not these. Seeing them convinced me to go ahead and grab the recently introduced Young Frankenstein bust and it’s every bit I hoped for.

Let me finish up with a short e-mail Q&A with Mike Allen of Forbidden Zone:

Me: What got you interested in producing garage kits?

Mike: Well, I guess my story is similar to a lot of folks in the hobby. I have always been a huge film fan…and specifically a classic horror film and sci-fi fan. When I was a kid, my father turned me on to the Universal classics. My favorite has always been the original Frankenstein…1931. As a kid, I had to have all of the Aurora Monster kits. In the early 90’s I discovered garage kits and I was instantly transported back to my childhood and the joy I had while building those Aurora kits. While I found some great kits being produced by other people, there were some kits that I wanted to own that weren’t being produced. A good friend of mine was producing great kits, so with his company as an inspiration, I decided to take a stab at it. I only intended to do one or two things…but it kinda snowballed out of control. Suddenly I was a full-fledged garage kit company.

Me: Is producing garage-kits a money-making proposition, or a money-losing one?

Mike: It has been my experience that no one in this hobby (that I’m aware of anyway) has gotten wealthy from this. I have had certain people tell me they have lost money. In my case…the company sorta sustains itself. I’m definitely not retiring any time soon! =)

I think most people get into it for the love of the characters…the films…the subject matter. I started off as a collectors…and I guess I still consider myself as such.

Me: Have you met any interesting people as a result of producing garage kits? If so, who?

Mike: I will say that, for the most part, everyone I have met in this hobby have been good folks…friendly and down to earth. There are so many talented artists involved in all of this! I consider myself an artist and I am always inspired by the work I see from the folks in the garage kit world. Many people may look at all of this and see plastic monsters…but I see fine art. Talented sculptors, painters and fabricators abound in this genre! I think to simply call it a hobby isn’t giving it enough credit!

As far as “famous” people, I have met great film industry folks that wouldn’t have normally had access to. Mostly great special effects artists like Ray Harryhausen, Greg Nicotero, The Skotak Brothers and Steve Wang. I have also met great monster fan/collectors like Bob Burns and Forrest J. Ackerman as well as Sarah Karloff and Bela Lugosi Jr. Sarah and Bela Jr. were a treat…since their fathers starred in my beloved classic horror films. I have also met actors like Daniel Roebuck, Jeff Yagher (also a great sculptor who has done work for me) and other actors and actresses form classic sci-fi and horror movies.

The one person that has eluded me over the years is Rick Baker!