Moebius Models

1/8 Frankenstein

Universal Studios Licensed Monsters Series

Reviewed by  Jim Stratton, IPMS# 20703

MSRP: $34.95 Website: www.moebiusmodels.com This latest release from Moebius Models, the 1/8 scale Universal Monsters Frankenstein, is a continuation of their series of famous movie monsters. This kit has 32 parts in a light cream colored plastic. Twelve (12) of the parts are for the scenic base. The other 20 parts are for the monster. Typical of the Moebius line of monster models, the scenic base is a model in itself, which provides an eerie backdrop for the figure of the monster. The name Frankenstein, in describing the monster, is actually a misnomer. Frankenstein is the name of the doctor who built the monster. However, over the years the monster has been generally called Frankenstein and this has stuck. Whenever the name Frankenstein is mentioned, an image of the monster comes to mind. The 4-page color instruction sheet is more than adequate to assemble the model. It includes a full history of James Whale's version of the iconic movie monster, as well as makeup artist Jack Pierce's procedure for creating the ghoulish monster. The instruction sheet outlines the construction of the base and model. It includes a color painting chart and color images of all the parts, as well as photos of a finished unpainted model and a finished painted model. The last page is an advertisement for the manufacturer, including their contact information

Construction Construction starts with the base which includes: the floor, 4 sections for the back wall and 6 parts for the huge wooden door. The stone wall is detailed on the front only. Once construction of the wall was completed, I sprayed the front and back with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. The flat black on the back of the wall helped finish it somewhat and made the lack of detail less conspicuous. When the wall was dry I started with a "wet" dry-brush method to paint the individual boulders. First color applied was Tamiya XF-63 German Grey. Once this dried, I followed with a dry-brushing of a lighter grey. For this I chose Testors Model Master #1728 Light Ghost Gray. Finally I added a little earth tone by dry-brushing Tamiya XF-52 Flat Earth. I really was pleased with the final results. The floor was base-painted in Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan and then dry-painted in Raw Umber oil paint. I wanted a different wood tone for the door, so I base-painted it in Tamiya XF-57 Buff, first followed with Burnt Sienna oils and then with Raw Umber oil to darken it up a bit. The hardware, including all the bolt heads, was painted with Vallejo Panzer Aces Dark Rubber, which dries to a dark black-grey color Construction of the figure is straight forward. All body parts are made up of two halves. The shoes, arms, hands and head need to be completed first. The shoes lock into the legs before the front and back are glued together. Once that is completed, the legs, arms and head lock into the torso before the front and back are glued together, locking everything together. The forearms and hands are glued to the end of the arms with a square peg. When comparing the figure's arms to the photo on the box top and instruction sheet, I felt the forearms were too long. I cut 3mm off the end of each forearm and butt glued them to the end of the arms. This could also be accomplished by hollowing out the end of the sleeves and sliding the forearm up into the sleeve. I would have gone this route, but it is best done before the arms are glued together. I discovered this discrepancy after the arms were glued together, so I ended up cutting the forearm and gluing directly to the end of the sleeves. The detail on the head and hands is very nice. The face of the figure definitely has the likeness of Boris Karloff. Once the head was completed, a fine mold seam running up both sides of the face and across the forehead needed to be removed. The only filler needed during construction was to the hands, which had a nasty seam across the palms. The top of the shoes has a seam running down the instep. This is molded there and should not be removed or filled. The construction of the base and figure took less than 5 hours, not including the painting. Once the construction of the monster was completed, I primed it with Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. I mixed up a wash of Windsor-Newton Cadmium Red oils and applied this to the whites of the eyes, collecting it at the upper and lower eyelids. I then painted the eyelashes and iris of the eyes with Burnt Umber oils. After this had dried a couple of days, I dry-brushed the whites of the eyes with a white oils tint to tone down the red slightly and create bloodshot eyes. For the green skin tone, I mixed up a batch of sickly green skin color by using Vallejo 971-Green-Grey (also called Olive-Grey). To this I added a drop of Vallejo 980 Black-Green to add a little more green to the color. I followed this with a small drop of Vallejo 952 Lemon Yellow to lighten it up a bit. (The skin tone is a matter of taste and can be changed if you think it is too green.) I was pleased with the results. The sweater was painted in Tamiya XF-18 Medium Blue. Once the face and hands were dry, I masked them and mixed up some Humbrol Matt Black with Humbrol Flesh to make a dark mouse grey color to paint the black pants and jacket. I followed this with some black oils to add shadows to the folds of the jacket and pants. The hair and shoes were then painted with Burnt Umber oils. The neck bolts and large staple on the forehead were painted Tamiya X-38 Metallic Grey. I mixed another wash of cadmium red and used it for the open cut on the forehead as well as the long gash on the right forearm. Recommendations This is a great kit. I enjoyed building and painting it. When I opened the box, it was apparent that this would be an easy build and a real exercise in painting. I can recommend this to all modelers of any skill levels. I am looking forward to more releases in this line and will definitely be building more for my collection. Any modeler out there who has a liking for old horror movies should think about adding this to their collection. I would like to thank Frank Winspur of Moebius Models for the kit and IPMS for allowing me write this review.