Disclosure: I sell this kit and need money, so the opinions expressed herein may be tainted. Please take that into account.

My case of Moebius Frankenstein's Monster kits arrived today. I was pleased to note that, despite a hole in the side of the shipping box, my kits are in good shape, as opposed to the beating UPS gave my case of Spider-Man kits. There was a little bit of a muddy spot on the shrink wrap of one kit, so that's the one I kept for myself and opened up this afternoon.

Let's not bury the lead. Plenty of people have objected to the look of this monster and I agree that it's not the out-of-the-ballpark home run of the Mummy. This kit looks less like Karloff and is overall a bit stiff, even for the Monster. However, I still like it, and I was pleased to see how detailed the kit's facial features are.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581900.jpg

At first, I thought it might help to use some Aves to lengthen the face a bit. Now that I see the kit in person, though, I might instead suggest chopping a couple of millimeters off the neck to give the creature a somewhat tougher, more bull-necked look. Of course, Karloff himself was thin, but the costume's padding hid that.

I wanted to show how this new Moebius Monster looks next to the Aurora classic. Unfortunately, the only version of that kit I have handy is a Luminators, but I did the best I could.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581897.jpg

Here's one where I turned the Luminators Frankie black and white to try to better highlight the facial features.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581896.jpg

The two heads in profile:

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581899.jpg

And with the Luminators kit in B&W:

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581898.jpg

The kit's head went together nicely and the seam line isn't intimidating. If the rest of it is as easy to assemble, it won't take long to get it ready to paint. Some additional photos of the kit follow.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581901.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581895.jpg

I really appreciate how Moebius pays attention to some details I don't even consider. For example, on the Spider-Man kit, the seam line on the head follows the web pattern on the character's costume. On the new Frankie's base, there are a couple of delicate connection pins that are nicely protected by a clear plastic shield.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581894.jpg

Frankie's box is nice. It's about the same height as a classic Aurora long box, but substantially wider and deeper. It also has a little more heft than the Moebius Spider-Man and Green Goblin boxes.

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581893.jpg

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL595/4155464/12555077/376581902.jpg

Overall, I'm pleased with this latest Moebius Universal Studios Monster and look forward to seeing the recently announced Lugosi Dracula.

Very cool! Thanks for taking the time to post the pics, Todd. I will definitely have to pick up at least one of those :cool:

Now that I've seen the final product,I hope someone sculpts a new head for this.

Frankie looks better in profile than head on. I hate to say this but from the front he looks somewhat oriental like Karloff looked in FuManchu only without the mustache! Still looks like a cool kit and I cant wait for mine to arrive from Culttvman!:thumbsup:

It's too neutral an expression. He needs to look just a little meaner. More frowny.

I dunno, he looks a little like when he was playing with the little girl right before he chucks her in the lake.

I'm thinking with a good ghoulish paint job and shadowing this could be a very good looking Monster... I can't wait for my two kits to hit the front door:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Mcdee

Thanks for the pics! Its a must have for me!..of course I already knew that LOL...

I'm thinking with a good ghoulish paint job and shadowing this could be a very good looking Monster... I can't wait for my two kits to hit the front door:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Mcdee

I totally agree! First I can't wait to get my hands on this new Frankenstein and second, I think with a good paint this is going to look VERY COOL!!!:thumbsup:

- Denis

The box alone makes it a must have! I agree with McD, with some paint, the head and face will look great. Thanks for posting the pics, Todd!

I think it looks good. This is THE monster kit I have been waiting on (passed on the Mummy). There are resin replacement heads for most plastic figure kits anyway... so if you really want one thats probably not going to be a big issue. But as is, I think it looks really pretty nice. I will build this kit next.

He looks like he has "tall hair" rather than a tall forehead. Actually, the hair looks very stylish for a monster.

Guess I'm one of the few that is disappointed in this kit. To me, the head looks like a caricature of Karloff, not an exact likeness. Compare the pictures posted to pictures of Karlof from the movie, big difference. Would have been fine if it was just a "generic" Frankenstein kit, but since Moebius is selling it as the Karlof monster, they should have made sure it looked like Karloff. Was looking forward to this kit, but I'll pass on it for now. Hopefully someone will offer a good replacement resin head in the future.

Would have been fine if it was just a "generic" Frankenstein kit, but since Moebius is selling it as the Karlof monster, they should have made sure it looked like Karloff.

Remember, since this is fully licensed then any sculpt had to be approved by the people controling the license.
For all we know, they could have had an exact likeness but had to change it.
Remember the head for Captain America that PL had to use because that is what Marvel wanted?

The first head was on the test that Dave Fisher painted,this head allthough better, is not what I expected.

I don't know, it's not an exact likeness, but I think a good and proper paint job will make him look much less benevolent and he will look pretty cool. I think it's hard to tell too much with just a blank unpainted head.

Todd,

Thanks for posting those pics!

I think it is a GREAT kit for styrene! When was the last "styrene" Frankenstein kit done? A huge improvement over the Aurora Frankenstein kits!

I think a lot of folks here are being WAY TOO CRITICAL of this kit!

The box, the base, and yes the figure are WONDERFUL. If you don't like the head, buy a resin replacement to take it up a notch but I will definately be buying at least 2 or 3 of this one for starters!:thumbsup:

MOEBIUS....you guys ROCK!:thumbsup:

MMM

Remember, since this is fully licensed then any sculpt had to be approved by the people controling the license.
For all we know, they could have had an exact likeness but had to change it.
Remember the head for Captain America that PL had to use because that is what Marvel wanted?

Could be, but it doesn't make sense for the license holders to want the sculpt not to look like Karloff, does it? When you compare photos of Karloff as Frankenstein to the Moebius sculpt it is quite a bit off. The kit's nice overall, but I still would like to see a better rendering of Karloff's face. Would make a good kit into a great kit. Hopefully, the Dracula kit is better.

As for being critical, aren't we as the consumer's allowed to be? Since Moebius does pay attention to what is being said on this board, I assume they like to hear input on their kits, good or bad. Like I said before, if it was a "generic" Frankenstein, the kit would be fine. But once you put a photo from the Karloff movie on the box, people expect the kit to look the same. This kit's head doesn't (although the rest came out pretty good). I'm curious to know why this sculpt was chosen. Was Moebius forced to use it by the people holding the license? Or was it deemed "close enough" and that was that? Sorry for sounding sour, but I was looking forward to this kit, especially after seeing how well The Mummy kit came out. In my opinion, the sculpt of the face in the Frankenstein kit falls short and to me the face goes a long way into making or breaking a kit.

If the licence holders approval of the sculpt produced this result one has to wonder what the priority was. Logicaly speaking the more that the sculpt looks like Karloff the more units they would sell. Don't get me wrong. I like this kit alot and am thankfull to have a new Moebius Frankenstein. But even in plastic a more faithfull representation should have been possible. If they used an in house sculptor at the company in China that Moebius has contracted this may have been the best that he/she could do. Not everyone can sculpt a dead on likeness. I am suprised that the licence holder would approve such a weak likeness of Karloff however. The reason approval is needed from the licence holder is to protect thier property and present it in the best light possible. This sculpt could have been better. This is water under the bridge however. I am building one strait out of the box and will build another when a suitable replacement head is offered. I guess in this instance Moebius doubled thier money from me with my now buying two kits.
I cant wait for Dracula!:thumbsup:

I'm not so sure this head is an improvement over the first one we saw...:confused:

I do not know how Universal is TODAY with the Lugosi, Karrloff, Chaney etc estates, but in the recent past there were problems about Universal's use of the actor's likenesses on Universal advertizing and products. Aparently the character and its basic characteristics are owned by Universal... ie the flat topped Frankenstein with neck bolts. However, the exact likeness of Karloff is owned by at least at that time Sarah Karloff. The estate and Universal quibbled over licensing and Universal went with more generic monsters that you could identify without really saying its the Karloff/Lugosi/etc portrayal. That sounds like the Revell Dracula rationale... it looks like "a" Dracula but not "the" (Lugosi) Dracula per se. This looks sort of like the Karloff Frankenstein but not totally. Or it could be a number of other issues. I have seen the original head sculpt for the PL Phantom kit and it looks nothing like the big doe-eyed bobblehead that appeared in the final kit. So translating from a master to the finished product can result in changes.

I don't think the kit head is "bad" but perhaps it could be better? On the other hand, even the new Revell Dracula head, that looked very poor in test shots and on the box art, actually looks ok if well painted. Its hard to tell with just unpainted plastic.

And as I and some others have said... perhaps a resin head will come out (probably can use one of the existing ones already anyway).

I still want this kit BAD! And also plan on stocking it in my shop for sure.

I support Moebius,I bought this kit.It has nothing to do with the Aurora kit,what we had as oppose to what we are getting.This is a 2009 kit and should reflect the image of Karloff,not "pretty good" or "with a little paint".

Compare with Horizon's Vinyl Frankie:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/franky.html

Can someone tell me if the "Glow" Chiller kit will be ALL glow or just certain parts? I'll be grabbing it up either way, just wondering.

If the licence holders approval of the sculpt produced this result one has to wonder what the priority was. Logicaly speaking the more that the sculpt looks like Karloff the more units they would sell.


See, there is the problem.
You cannot always apply logic to big corporate decisions.
They have their own policies, procedures, and style guides that must be followed.
Universals priority is probably not to get the likeness as accurate as possible. Especially since they don't own that likeness.
Their priority is to make sure the entire figure conforms to their interpretation of their intellectual property.
And these decisions are made by people sitting in officies who may or may not even care about the character in question.

Let me ask the Karloff fans out there.
Is there a more accurate, fully licensed, mass market 3-D representation on the market now?
Not talking about just kits, but toys, and whatever else.
This is a serious question, as I have no idea.
If there are several such items out there, then my theory is probably flawed. But if not, then there might be somthing to my line of thinking.

I agree with those who think the facial features and head are a little off on this kit, but I still want one (or two).

The Billiken kit is still the best of all the Frankensteins in my opinion.

This is the problem Moebius should avoid with the Bela, Dracula kit. Basing it on the stage play, they will be working with Bela's estate, not Universal. The likeness should be spot on, the costume may not conform to the movie, but I guess that will give some, something to complain about!

Here's a pic of Lugosi as Dracula, stage version, 1927:

http://www.digitaldeliftp.com/DigitalDeliToo/Images/Bela-Lugosi-11.png

I posted these in another forum -- but what the heck, I'll add 'em here, too. Here are some quick Photoshop sketches over the photos of the kit's head, showing what would need to be done to bring it to a proper likeness. A bit of putty and some sculpting skills could get it looking pretty good.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2580/4040987439_50c086db8c_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2557/4040484401_0be5a286b7_o.jpg

Now if someone would trade me one of these kits, so I can do the revisions for real... (my kit buying budget is shot to heck for the time being...)

the Horizon Kit.

Looks a lot like the Horizon kit I posted.

See, there is the problem.
You cannot always apply logic to big corporate decisions.
They have their own policies, procedures, and style guides that must be followed.
Universals priority is probably not to get the likeness as accurate as possible. Especially since they don't own that likeness.
Their priority is to make sure the entire figure conforms to their interpretation of their intellectual property.
And these decisions are made by people sitting in officies who may or may not even care about the character in question.

Let me ask the Karloff fans out there.
Is there a more accurate, fully licensed, mass market 3-D representation on the market now?
Not talking about just kits, but toys, and whatever else.
This is a serious question, as I have no idea.
If there are several such items out there, then my theory is probably flawed. But if not, then there might be somthing to my line of thinking.

You may have a point! In making a dead on likeness to Karloff it may have involved paying a double royalty to both Universal and Sara Karloff. If thats the case It's a shame! I guess we wont get a good Glen Strange any time soon either! Lol! Don't get me wrong..I am thrilled to have this kit and eagerly await Moebius next horror endevour Dracula. It's just a shame that things are so difficult for to work out with the licensing in these matters. :confused:

I do not think that the face of this kit is bad so that everybody says.

Please watch the image of the side face which Todd posted.
It resembles Karloff closely.
However, the face of the front does not resemble the line of the chin with the moss condition of cheeks.

You can imitate it even if do not use a re-plus head if sharpen a chin and cheeks.

I'm going to get the Glow version!

There's a lot of speculation regarding why the likeness is off. I'd still like to hear from Moebius why this sculpt was chosen. As for some of you who suggested re-sculpting the head ourselves, that's fine if you have the skill, but that's beyond my abilities! Heck, I still have problems with seam work!

Of course my annoying wholesaler still doesn't have the kit (mid-late Nov they say)

I just got a couple of these yesterday. The likeness isn't dead-on but the kit itself is VERY nicely done! Kudos to Moebius for making it happen. I really hope there will be future Universal Monsters kits. Wolfman, CFTBL, Ma & Pa Kettle... :p

I just got a couple of these yesterday. The likeness isn't dead-on but the kit itself is VERY nicely done! Kudos to Moebius for making it happen. I really hope there will be future Universal Monsters kits. Wolfman, CFTBL, Ma & Pa Kettle... :p
Ma & Pa Kettle??? Heck Y'all why not the Real McCoys!!!Lol!:wave:

I do not know how Universal is TODAY with the Lugosi, Karrloff, Chaney etc estates, but in the recent past there were problems about Universal's use of the actor's likenesses on Universal advertizing and products. Aparently the character and its basic characteristics are owned by Universal... ie the flat topped Frankenstein with neck bolts. However, the exact likeness of Karloff is owned by at least at that time Sarah Karloff. The estate and Universal quibbled over licensing and Universal went with more generic monsters that you could identify without really saying its the Karloff/Lugosi/etc portrayal.It's my understanding that Universal made royalty agreements with the heirs of Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney et al., so that licensees have a choice of a "generic" license to use the character, or a more expensive license to use the likeness of a specific actor portraying the character. I don't know if that arrangement has changed at all over the years.

Still looks like a nice kit but I'd be disappointed if I was expecting a good Karloff likeness.

I posted these in another forum -- but what the heck, I'll add 'em here, too. Here are some quick Photoshop sketches over the photos of the kit's head, showing what would need to be done to bring it to a proper likeness. A bit of putty and some sculpting skills could get it looking pretty good.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2580/4040987439_50c086db8c_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2557/4040484401_0be5a286b7_o.jpg

Now if someone would trade me one of these kits, so I can do the revisions for real... (my kit buying budget is shot to heck for the time being...)

Hey Terry what's up !

PM' SENT

BTW,who actually sculpted the head anyway?

I think the sculptor worked for the factory in China but don't know for sure.

Hey Terry what's up !

PM' SENT

PM sent back at ya, Sprayray.

I have studied anatomical art and have done professional portraiture of people in my artist career,not so much actual sculpting,but I think "the head and hands" of a subject are THE main elements of ANY portrait or sculpt of ANY person. I always use a photograph of the subject projected onto the canvas or illustration board. The MAIN reasons I do this are: 1.It saves a lot of time. 2. It is a good way to get an OUTLINE "guide" of the person's exact features. 3. It is ALWAYS ACCURATE. I am a pretty good artist,but Leonardo Da Vinci, I ain't. Some artists CAN do this without using projection,but if I do artwork for money,I will do ANYTHING to make it the BEST likeness possible. Scary Terry's line overlay on the new Moebius Frankenstein head sculpt really illustrates my point here. The "head and hands" of any figure model are THE selling point for me,If they are not up to par,then I don't generally have much interest in them. I REALLY admire sculptors who can do anatomically correct heads and hands. The old Aurora kits of Franky,Phantom,Dracula are actually well done IMHO. I sold my PL Phantom kit awhile back(the one with the organ) because the head and hands were just awful. Please don't mistake my constructive critisism here for a complaint. I am stoked to have a new Frankenstein kit,and will buy one of the glow versions.

Awe, com' on guys! Where is that old modelers spirit? The whole reason we get into this hobby is to bash, change, create and recreate! Lets see some of that spirit! I want to see some of your best work - resculpt it ! Change the features, do some great painting. Lets give it our best - we know Moebius gives us THE BEST they possibly can - they have NEVER failed to be top notch when feeding our hobby appetites.

THANKS MOEBIUS - YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!

Everyone is talking about the head....there was a replacement head from John Apgar at Chiller made especially for this kit...so what is the big deal?

Frank.....GREAT JOB on this kit. After seeing it in person...it looks FANTASTIC in my book!

MMM

Todd,

Thanks for posting those pics!

I think it is a GREAT kit for styrene! When was the last "styrene" Frankenstein kit done? A huge improvement over the Aurora Frankenstein kits!

I think a lot of folks here are being WAY TOO CRITICAL of this kit!

The box, the base, and yes the figure are WONDERFUL. If you don't like the head, buy a resin replacement to take it up a notch but I will definately be buying at least 2 or 3 of this one for starters!:thumbsup:

MOEBIUS....you guys ROCK!:thumbsup:

MMM

thank you MMM. the grousing about this kit is really sickening. talk like this certainly cant be helpful when the time comes for frank, dave and co. decide whether or not to do another movie monster kit.

we should be nothing but grateful about this kit. nobody owed us a frankenstein kit, and in relation to a great many "likeness" frankenstein products, its fantastic.

by the way, i have created prototypes for licensed universal monster products, and in some instances was ordered to change my sculpt/paint to make it less like the monsters film appearance and more like the "style guide" version. these changes had nothing to do with actor likeness at all, they were just to bring the characters looks to be in keeping with the appearance that universal wanted to promote at the time they were done.

Everyone is talking about the head....there was a replacement head from John Apgar at Chiller made especially for this kit...so what is the big deal?




I guess the big deal would be that not everyone knows about the replacement head; some people don't want to have to spend extra money for an accessory to make a kit accurate; and some people think a kit should BE accurate in the first place.

I'm just sayin'.