I was too young to build the first wave of Aurora Monster model kits, though I was exposed to them as my brother Joe built a number of the early '70s glow-in-the-dark kits (King Kong, Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera stand out in my memory) which populated our shared bedroom.
As a kid, I remember always checking the model kit aisle in our Kiddie World toy store in the hopes of one day finding monster model kits that I could finally build. Much to my delight, they did return in the mid-70s, this time out in a smaller scale, snap-together (a good thing, as I didn't have the patience to wait for glue to dry), and lightly posable 'Monsters of the Movies' line. I think I bought the first Monsters of the Movies kit I ever saw on the shelf (the least-exciting — and therefore shelf-warming — Dr. Jekyll), and later finding the Creature was a dream come true. I loved the swimming pose — the one instance where I felt the Monsters of the Movies kit surpassed the original Aurora releases.
Unlike a great many of the items in my collection that have stayed with me through the years, model kits never faired well. I have an extensive collection of Aurora monster model kit reissues, and long wondered why we never got a reissue of this particular kit. So when Moebius models announced it for a reissue in 2010, I knew I'd have to pick up a couple, so I could display one as a built-up kit. It remains a personal favorite, and while I do have plans someday to paint him, for now, just having him on display is extremely satisfying.
Swim back next week for another classic Creature collectible!
