Original Kit Issued: 1963 - 1968
Re-Issued: 1969-1975, 1992, 1994, 1995
Fifth in the original line-up, this kit, like the Dracula kit before it, creates a chilling mood by contrasting the elegance and drama of the Phantom's flourish against the spooky, and in this case gruesome, "set" of the base.
This is actually the first kit I built as a kid, and I can still recall how it glowed eerily at night, haunting me.
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"Deep in the
recesses of the old opera house, far below the streets; hidden under the
sub-basements and in the sewers he lurked. The mysterious stranger engaged
in acts of terror against all who dared enter the theater or stepped on
to its stage. Some called him a ghost, others coined the more popular
name-'The Phantom!'
Horribly disfigured, he hid his face with a mask. Sworn to revenge, he
kidnapped many female stars with hopes to find the perfect singer to perform
his opera. He also intended to destroy those who stole both his work,
and his face."
Excerpt from Original Promotional Copy on Instruction Sheet
See Entire Text
ORIGINAL SPECS:
KIT # 428
SCALE: 1/8
PLASTIC: Black
BOX SIZE: 13"X5"X2"
GLOW KIT SPECS:
KIT # 451
SCALE: 1/8
PLASTIC: Black & Luminous
BOX SIZE: 8.25"X8.25"X3.25"
from the longbox series. The box dimensions changed,
along with the font and layout style.The new trapezoid
"A" logo replaced the old oval. The original gouaches
by artist James Bama were extended and a glow effect
was painted over in brighter acrylics on all covers. The
image of the Phantom was also flipped horizontally so
that the "Glows in the Dark" logo wouldn´t cover the mask
in his hands.
After Aurora shut down for good in 1977, Monogram
bought all the remaining molds. On the way to the
company's plant in Illinois, the train in which they were
shipped derailed and many molds were damaged and
destroyed. In a shrewd marketing ploy, the folks at
Monogram have remained tight-lipped about exactly
which molds were destroyed, leaving rumor and
speculation to fire the imagination of glueheads
everywhere!
WORK IN PROGRESS: COMPLETED
6/17/04 -
Although I recently completed Dr
Jekyll
and King
Kong, this is one of my favorite BUs so far.
The prison cell base and prisoner came out delightfully
ghoulish. Although it was a Luminators repop, and had
its share of "issues," the overall effect is very satisfactory.
I used a few different
sources in addition to the Bama
gouaches for inspiration, including some Basil Gogos
art. I have to admit I took perhaps too much delight in...
CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
"The Phantom of the Opera" - 1925
Studio: Universal
Starring:
Lon Chaney, Sr., Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry
Director:
Rupert Julian
Chaney's masterpiece.
His portrayal of Erik, the
disfigured musician, though often imitated, has
never been duplicated. The screenplay, by Elliot
J. Clawson, is also the most faithful adaptation
of the novel by Gaston Leroux, despite changing
the ending (and the original ending was indeed
shot!). Beautiful singer Christine Daae is haunted
by what she thinks is an inner voice guiding her
musical career. Actually, it's our Phantom, hiding
in the
cellars of the Paris Opera House and
harboring a wild crush on the girl.
After advancing
her career through creative means
(like dropping a chandelier on the reigning prima
donna), Erik the Phantom takes Christine into his
unmasking sequences takes place. It's a thrilling cat-and-mouse for the rest of the film until
Erik's mad escape by coach ends in his drowning in the Seine. This is a classic, perhaps
the classic monster movie. Several versions have surfaced on videocassette, but only the
one with the color masquerade sequence is definitive.
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 to
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