Monster Base Meobius!

Hi Woodsy,

Here's my Moebius Giant Insect and Dr Deadly kits!

BrianF

Monster Base

NJ USA

Aurora Monster Scenes Giant Insect

Hi Woodsy

Aurora was a US model company, who were most famous for their monster kits, mainly based on Universal horror movie characters from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. In the 1970s Aurora followed up their original kits from the 1960s with a series of smaller scale Monster Scenes.

These proved extremely controversial, as the subjects included various torture devices, and a girl character called The Victim. The line was quickly withdrawn from the US market, and the last few kits were only released in Canada.

The classic horror monsters were Frankenstein, Dracula, and a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde figure that could be built as either character. The whole range had a very short production life – 1971 only - although the kits were all re-issued by other companies in later years.

One of the last, Canada-only kits, was the Giant Insect, which I had always thought was an Aurora fantasy design. It was part Dragonfly, and part Scorpion, with a few bits from other creatures thrown in.

Well, it turns out this might not be the case after all. Because the Giant Insect bears a strong resemblance to the giant Dragonfly in the film Monster On The Campus (1958).

A regular dragonfly lands on a Coelacanth (a prehistoric fish, once thought extinct) in a lab, and reverts to its prehistoric form. So does an unfortunate scientist, who transforms in to a murderous caveman.

Since the Aurora kit was only released in Canada, it is now rare, and very expensive. The Moebius re-issue from 2008 is much easier to find, and it was a sales listing for this kit that mentioned the movie link.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/387791419535

The Aurora/Moebius Giant Insect is certainly not an exact match for the movie Dragonfly, but it is very similar. Aurora clearly changed the design just enough so they did not get sued.

The Giant Insect is a simple, snap-together kit, like the rest of the Monster Scenes range. It comes with clear parts for the wings and the bulging eyes.

The head and mouth are a different shape; the kit has larger mandibles and teeth; the eyes are horizontal rather than vertical; and the tail curves up and over, rather than being straight. But it has six legs, four wings, and is really ugly.

Supposedly, all the Aurora Monster Scenes kits were to a constant 1/13th scale, but the Giant Insect must have been a lot larger, if it is compared to the original giant dragonfly in the film. It seems odd that Aurora based this model on such a relatively obscure movie as Monster On The Campus, when most of their kits were taken from better known sources – movies, comics, and the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

There is a book on the Aurora Monster Scenes kits, by Dennis Prince and Andrew Yanchus, but as I do not have this I do not know what it has to say about the Giant Insect. 

Does it mention the apparent movie link anyone?

Four photographs from Ebay, Worthpoint and a Monster on the Campus movie still from Ebay - not exactly the same as the Aurora kit, but very close.

Have you got the kit? Do you like Aurora?

Paul Adams

New Zealand

Monster Jam

Hi Woodsy.

The Monsters are all tuning up for a howling good time at Monster Base this Halloween.

More to come!

-BrianF 

Monster Base 

NJ USA

For Your Eye Sockets Only

 What can I say about Alien Earth, the new TV series on Disney+?

Superlatives don't really cover it.

Think supremely fantastic and cringingly yucky in equal measure, maybe somewhere round the dripping joints between films like the Thing and Sputnik grafted onto a waiting open Alien.

Not for the faint-hearted and completely compulsive. 

For me the current icky award goes to one of the show's smaller varmints.

But before I reveal it, it's interesting to dawdle over some precedents ... But watch out!

This golden oldie sets the scene, a movie that terrified me as a kid and one I know as the Trollemburg Terror! Is it one you know?

This is the box art to a model kit.

Cuneo's painted slithering devils spring to mind as well, as introduced to us on MC by Wotan 17 years ago.

I just couldn't help jiggling this into a clip, but it's Cuneo's artistry.

Similarly Bill brought us his fondness for rubber uglies on MC and this oily eye-squid fits right in (a phrase which comes into its own on Alien Earth! 🐙 )

Once more I was compelled to meme it.

But none of these wrigglers can prepare you for the truly cringing orb that is Alien Earth's small and parasitic crawling eye!

You've been warned!

Yuk!

Rob's Movie Monsters

Woodsy,

Just inspired by your recent post on HR Giger to gather up pix of some of my favorite movie monsters.

As you can see, they tend towards the fanciful & fantastic. I've always gravitated towards the bizarre and unusual in creature design, and the stuff that came after Alien lost me entirely.

Anyways, a short list:

Godzilla (Showa-era ONLY!)

Rodan (Showa-era ONLY!)

Hedorah (Showa-era ONLY!)

The Trollenberg Terror

Rat-Bat-Spider (Angry Red Planet; I know Wotan HATES this movie!)

The Crab Monster

It Conquered the World

Alien from The Atomic Submarine

Gamera (Showa-era ONLY!)

Guilala (Showa-era ONLY!)

Behemoth, the Sea Monster

Metaluna Mutant!

Just so folks don't think I am beholden to all 50s and 60s monsters, I will say that I never cared for the Creature from

The Black Lagoon, or the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Too "normal."

I like my monsters WEIRD.

Rob C

USA

Window SIL and other Giger Covers

In between ALIEN filming HR Giger was in demand for record sleeves too.

One I recall when I was young is ELP's Brain Salad Surgery, it's cover boasting the spikes and bones of Giger's biomechania. The central window gives you a glimpse of ....

A high-cheekboned lady reminiscent of SIL in SPECIES. 

More cheekbones appeared on Debby Harry's Kookoo cover and this time Giger's gone skewer crazy.

 I'm sure there are more Giver sleeves. Do you know any readers? Has he designed anything else? Book covers? Wallpaper? God forbid, Bathroom furniture? 

All My Ducks in a Row

 Imbued with an urge to spring clean the attic, I've stacked my old VHS tapes and sorted them alphabetically (yep, I've too much time on my hands!).

In a similar vein I've uncrated my old horror paperbacks and lined them up neatly in a bookcase.

When I get time (!) I'll sort these alphabetically too.

Always good to have a cold beer to hand when doing stuff like this!

Are you spring cleaning readers?

MONSTROUS HANDS

 I love obscure facts about obscure toys.

Here are Lincoln International's monsters.

I read on the brilliant Plaid Stallions that the hands of the Werewolf, Mummy and the Fly were based on the fabulous hands of the Aurora Wolfman, pictured below.

My own observation is that maybe Imperial's Classic Movie Monster Wolfman has the same hands too.

Have you any of these toys readers?

*

Another hand!

Create and Draw Monsters 2

I just saw the item on the Monster drawing set, which looks like great fun, and did a little quick digging. This is what I came up with.

The Create and Draw Monsters Complete Electric Designers Set was made by Lakeside Lifetime Toys. It comprised a mains-powered lightbox, with a 15 Watt lamp.

Translucent sheets of Monster elements were placed on the illuminated drawing surface, and traced on to a fresh sheet of paper. The Monster or scene was made up of various bits and pieces, in any combination you choose.

The set came with several Guide Sheets, coloured pencils, etc. The box having a lift-off lid.

The end of the box says Copyright Lakeside Toys, MCMLXIV [1964], Division of Lakeside Ind., Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota. Made in U.S.A., and various Patent numbers.

Lakeside would later come up with the Barrel of Monkeys game. They also made other games, as well as puppets, and bendable figures.

Four photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Drawing Blood: Create and Draw Monsters Electric Set

I would have loved this set as a kid, Create and Draw Monsters. Its a 'complete electric designers set'. I cant read the makers name but the box art is terrific!

I saw this set on auction so saved this snap last year. No doubt part of the Sixties Monster craze, I'm unsure how electric drawing worked. 

You?

OH BOY! ITS A LINCOLN MONSTER!

For those readers who enjoy monsters like me here's a great video by Plaid Stallions about Lincoln International Monster toys.

Its GRRRRReat!

https://youtu.be/QbOkNDBhrJU?feature=shared

The Final Article: our Custom Lincoln Victim Carded Figure

 Finally I'm pleased to present our finished custom Lincoln Monsters Victim figure.

The dressed doll and the card have been ready for a while.

The delay was in finding the best blister for the card, a Lidl macaron box.

The superb card art was by Wotan Bill.

The brilliant tailoring was by Franzi E.

The sourcing of the doll, cloth and blister and final assembly by Woodsy

The Moonbase International Victim. Hope its been worth the wait.