KONGA WEEK FINALE: THE MIGHTY KOGAR, TRACY AND BOB BURNS BY PAUL ADAMS

Hi,

Firstly, I would like to thank Max from Max's Models for pointing out the existence of this model, which I missed when doing my list of gorilla kits.

When I built my Man in a Monkey Suit model, converted from a toy gorilla with a spare human head, I did not realise that Moebius Models had already produced a very similar model, but in a much larger scale.

American actor and movie memorabilia collector Bob Burns frequently played a gorilla on television in the 1960s and 1970s, beginning with an appearance on the comedy series Mickey, starring Mickey Rooney. The episode being Mickey Crashes the Movies, which aired on 14th October 1964.

Bob Burns had his own gorilla suit, the body of which was made by his wife Kathy, with the head, hands, chest, and feet being made by Don Post, the famous Hollywood mask maker. The gorilla was named Kogar, and he went on to appear in many other television programmes.

Kogar almost made it on to The Munsters TV series, as Eddie Munster's new pet. This plan got as far as a publicity appearance at a shopping mall, but the series was cancelled in 1966, and Kogar never appeared on The Munsters.

With a new head, Kogar played Tracy ('trained by Bob Burns') in The Ghost Busters. This was a 1975 live-action TV series about a pair of bumbling private eyes and a gorilla, who battled ghosts. The human stars were Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch. All 15 episodes can be found on You Tube.

Tracy the gorilla does not talk, but usually wears a yellow hat with a propeller on top, and drives the company car. According to this site, it is a 1929 Willys Overland Whippet.

https://filmationghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Ghost_Busters_Car

Details mainly from the book It Came From Bob's Basement, by Bob Burns and John Michlig, Chronicle Books, 2000, which devotes several pages to Kogar.

Moebius Models is one of several smaller, specialised kit companies in the USA, making film and TV tie-in models in the classic Aurora style. Even the company logo resembles the old Aurora oval.

Moebius was founded in 2006. Kogar, kit No.659, has the copyright date 2012 on the bottom of the box, along with Made in China.

Monsters of the Movies - 1/12 Scale All Plastic Snap-Together Custom Builder Kit With Optional Parts - No Cement Needed - The Mighty Kogar. The parts are moulded in either light brown or pink plastic. Being a snap-together kit, there are not too many parts, although you do get a small display base.

A major feature of the model is the inclusion of three heads: Kogar; Tracy with hat; or Bob Burns. Different decals are included for the clapper board sign, depending on the head used.

The box art is a bit gruesome, with Kogar standing in a jungle clearing, and a couple of heads (and a skull - not included in the kit) on poles in the foreground.

Moebius Models site, which lists all their kits - photo of assembled models from here.

https://www.moebiusmodels.com/

Cultvman also had a Limited Edition version of the Kogar kit, which included a model of Bob's wife, Kathy Burns.

Six photographs, mostly from Worthpoint, and one from Moebius Models.

That's the end of our Konga and Friends week. Hope you enjoyed it.

Paul Adams from New Zealand