13 TINY NIGHTMARES - CREATURE KIT

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Original Kit Issued: 1963 - 1968

Re-Issued: 1969-1975, 1994, 1999

Part of the third wave of classic Aurora monsters, this is an intriguing kit due to its startling contradictions. The figure is incredibly accurate when compared to movie stills and film footage, yet the diorama's iguana-beast is totally implausible, and the skeleton hand seems almost cartoonish.

The overall effect, however, is quite handsome, with the Creature's pose reminiscent of famous publicity photos.

The Creech has always been a fave of mine. Such primeval terror and primordial fury, a true prehistoric nightmare!

"In the beginning of time as the gasses cooled, the planet Earth became covered with oceans. As the waters receeded and continents were formed, life moved from the water to the land. From this primeval slime 150 million years ago came a Creature so horrible as to be unbelievable. At least ten feet tall, it was neither fish nor human but a hideous combination of both. Instead of hands and feet it had long webbed claws. It was completely covered with scales. Down the center of its back was a double row of fins. Its head was ghastly to behold. The eye's were without benefit of eyelids. The mouth was a wide slash across the face, constantly pulsating. There was no real nose. Where ears should have been there were gills throbbing like the mouth."

Excerpt from Promotional Copy on Original 1963 Instruction Sheet

See Entire Text

ORIGINAL

1963

LONG BOX

ORIGINAL SPECS:
KIT # 426
SCALE: 1/8
PLASTIC: Metallic Green
BOX SIZE: 13"X5"X2"

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GLOW KIT SPECS:
KIT # 483
SCALE: 1/8
PLASTIC: Metallic Green & Phosphorescent
BOX SIZE: 8.25"X8.25"X3.25"

My Finished Kit:

This was the sixth Aurora classic kit I built, and I am particularly proud of my work here. I used red putty on all seams, sanded it down lightly, then carved scales into the putty to disguise the joins. The effect is very convincingly "fishy" and virtually undetectable.

Through several gradient layers of paint, from deep blue-green to bright chartreuse, I created depth and texture. The rock and sand are both washed with a glossy green-brown slime for that "wet" look.

The Creature
on the cover of
Famous Monsters #103 Dec. 1973

The "Frightening Lightning" boxes were so similar to the original long boxes, featuring only a graphic bolt of lightning containing the glow-in-the-dark info, that they didn't move very quickly at first. Aurora pulled the kits from the shelves and the packaging underwent a complete redesign, which resulted in the familiar square boxes issued from 1969-1975.

The great James Bama was brought back to do a touch-up on his gouaches, adding the eerie yellow-green glow about the faces and hands.

Along with the six previously released FL kits, Aurora also released The Creature, The Hunchback, Dr. Jekyll, King Kong, Godzilla and The Witch, making a total of twelve monsters in the "Glow in the Dark" series.

VISIT the POSTER GALLERY

"Creature From the Black Lagoon" - 1954

Studio: Universal
Starring: Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva, Whit Bissell

Director: Jack Arnold

The last Classic Universal Monster. Excellent film about the discovery of a prehistoric man-fish hold-over from prehistoric days. A brilliant monster design, still unequalled today. Originally presented in 3-D, this film features some gorgeous underwater sequences -- Ricou Browning's swimming scenes in the Creature costume are astonishingly realistic.

Browning later made a career of underwater film-making (He choreographed the underwater battle in Thunderball!).

Read the original
NEW YORK TIMES Review of the film

READ a TRANSCRIPT OF THE 1954 FILM

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VISIT the PHOTO GALLERY

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Visit A site dedicated to
Ben Chapman