13 TINY NIGHTMARES - WOLF MAN KIT

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Original Kit Issued: 1962 - 1968
Re-Issued: 1969-75, 1983, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2009

After the initial overwhelming demand for the Frankenstein kit, Aurora rushed to release the Wolf Man kit the next year. I don't remember owning this one as a kid, but I remember helping put one together in some neighborhood garage or another.

Its sparse base lacking the tree promised in the box art, this kit creates less atmosphere than others with more elaborate diorama bases. However, the fine detail on the fur and clothing help this kit stand out. The skull and rats lend delightfully diabolical detail.

"The Werewolf would appear when the moon was full, a beast stalking his prey until daylight when it would once again assume the human form. It was written that only a silver bullet could kill them, and so the beasts would wander through the swamps and woods with no fear of extinction. Stories came from Transylvania, Hungary and other countries and were pieced together for intensive research."

Excerpt from Promotional Copy on 1972 Glow Kit Instruction Sheet
See Entire Text

ORIGINAL

1962

LONG BOX

ORIGINAL SPECS:
KIT # 425
SCALE: 1/8
PLASTIC: Lt. Grey
BOX SIZE: 13"X5"X2"

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GLOW KIT SPECS:
KIT # 450
SCALE: 1/8
PLASTIC: Dk Grey & Phosphorescent
BOX SIZE: 8.25"X8.25"X3.25"

CLICK to LISTEN

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MY FINISHED KIT:

I had a great time putting this kit together. It was the third reissue I'd built, and I applied the lessons I'd learned from building the first two. I used red putty to blend the seams into the "fur," a tedious, but very satisfying job.

Lots of drybrushing, brought out the fur and the cloth texture of the pants. I used a dark, semi-flat finish on the bare "hide" areas of the face, the hands and the feet; and a glossy blue/green/black wash on the rocks to create a slimy, damp look. I highlighted the base with tints and washes of the same paint colors for consistency.

Though extraneous, the skull and rat elements were fun to paint, particularly getting the bone color and texture just right. I scumbled lots of earth tones as a base under layers of tan, cyan and off-white. This resulted in the look of a pretty convincing moldy old bone.

The Wolf Man
on the cover of
Famous Monsters #35 Oct. 1965

"Their Frankenstein kit had been the surprise hit of 1961, and the exec's at Aurora knew a good thing when they saw one.

The old Universal pantheon of beasties had been given new life and millions of new fans through late-night "Creature Feature" style programs hosted by the likes of Vampira, Seymour, and Zacherley.

Riding the trend, Aurora released the Wolf Man and Dracula kits in 1962. They were a smash, and gave the company the courage to continue what would become perhaps their most significant contribution to toy and hobby history - the Classic Monster Series."

VISIT the POSTER GALLERY

"The Wolf Man"
1941

Studio: Universal
Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya

Director: George Waggner

This classic Universal Monster film has Chaney

returning to his ancestral Welsh home, where he meets up with gypsies Ouspenskaya and Lugosi. Soon, he is bitten by the lycanthropic Lugosi and proceeds to develop more hair on his palms than a naughty Catholic school boy.

The iconic makeup by Jack Pierce was originally the design to be used for the more obscure Henry Hull in "Werewolf of London."

Read the original
NEW YORK TIMES Review of the film

READ a TRANSCRIPT OF THE 1941 FILM

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VISIT the PHOTO GALLERY

Visit A site dedicated to
Lon Chaney, Jr.

Read more about the Screenwriter
Curt Siodmak

Read about a
WEREWOLF MUSEUM in France