Horizon 1/6 Frankenstein Monster

What would a "classic" Monster collection be without a full figure of the creature that to many started it all, the iconic image of a--if not THE--Hollywood monster?

Up until 2-3 weeks ago, my designated choice for the Frankenstein Monster project had been Moebius' 1/8 scale forthcoming release. I'll not agitate the hornet's nest on this site--enough of that going on on any number of other discussion forums; but I will say that this piece is a crushing disappointment. I was resigned and prepared to resculpt the head, but to do this piece justice would require virtually an entire resculpt! I've already embarked on one of those projects (the Wolf Man) simply because there were no reasonable alternatives, and I did have a unique presentation in mind. To resculpt an entire figure that [allegedly] had been rushed into production(?) in order to correct the obvious shortcomings of its design is not my idea of a fun time at the bench!

Before going on, let me just interject that there is only one Monster for me--the Karloff Monster. Karloff had numerous opportunities to reprise his role after SoF, but he chose not to. If for no other reason than to honour this laudable declination, Karloff--and no other--IS the Monster.

So. . . where would I find an available, affordable, and acceptable Monster? Unfortunately, neither of the two items on the list is in production; and if you can find one, they are priced as collectibles. Fortunately, a dear friend had a MIB Horizon Frankenstein Monster stashed away, and after we both finally got over what Moebius accepted and Universal had approved/demanded?, he offered me the Horizon kit without hesitation. That kit is now before me.

Cast in 7 pieces in the familiar light grey vinyl, this is a typical Horizon kit; i.e., a G+/VG- vinyl kit. The vinyl is somewhat "light" and the wall thickness relatively thin; hence, distortion (not readily apparent) and compromised fit will have to be dealt with from the outset. Another consequence of the medium and how it was cast is the proliferation of air bubbles: virtually every piece will require some degree of corrective work to deal with these.

That being said, this is one of the best representations of the Karloff Monster ever produced, being sculpted by the talented Steve Wang. Some argue that the Billiken Monster is marginally better: I've only seen the Billiken offering once up close--and that was nearly two decades ago; but even then I remember being partial to the Horizon version.

So. . . the project is a GO! This is slated for 2010--or beyond, so there is no immediacy. But keep an eye out for updates, as I will be cleaning and prepping the pieces as time and inclination permit [note: torso, legs, and head have already been cleaned :-)]. . .