# "Dencomm and Monarch Present": My Monster Scenes tale



## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Years ago, Dencomm made some very nifty reproduction boxes for the Monster Scenes Canadian issue kits. Moebius, of course, got around to producing the Giant Insect....but Dracula and Hyde never saw commercial re-release in styrene.

I bought the boxes, and they sat with no models to accompany them. Until now.

Thanks to the *generosity* of* Scott McKillop* of Monarch Models, I now have models to go with them.

He has been gracious enough to give me one of the few test shots he had for this project, which has taken a back seat to Gorgo's release. Words cannot properly convey my hapiness.

So---after years of having no Hyde or Dracula Monster Scenes figures, I now have a co-collaborative effort that completes a childhood desire for these kits. Thanks to the generosity of Monarch Models.

If the Monster Scenes line continues, and we see Animal Pit, Dungeon, and more more more from Dencomm (and whomever they may collaborate with), it will be like traveling back in time to the 1970's. Bring on the Monster Scenes!!!!:thumbsup:

Long Live Monster Scenes!!!! Big Thanks to Monarch:wave: and (of course)Dencomm!!!


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## getter_1 (Oct 21, 2008)

I love those kits. I had been thinking about asking Scott to sell me those a while back but I never had the nerve to ask. I'm glad somebody got one.


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## MEGA1 (Jul 18, 2000)

I think the original monster scenes were 1/13 scale these are 1/12?


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

MEGA1 said:


> I think the original monster scenes were 1/13 scale these are 1/12?


They're the same size as the Monsters of the Movies originals (re-tooled releases in America which I have), and line up well with original Monster Scenes American releases. Here they are with an original issue MS Frankenstein.Dracula and Hyde being 5 3/4 inches tall when not on bases. I also popped the head off my Monsters of the Movies Hyde and it fits perfectly on the monarch body. Seem to be the same size to me. If they arent---I really aint gonna quibble though. Glad to have gotten them *at all*. Here's the shot.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

That was very generous of Scott.
Dang, I *love* the metallic styrene!


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Scott's definitely a fan's fan. I told him I would be singing his praises for this----and I mean to. I was never gonna own these any other way. I cannot afford the originals, and they never pop up for sale anyway. So big shout out to Scott McKillop @ Monarch. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

Being one of the few Canadian kids who HAD all the Canadian kits back in 1972, I can confirm that these are EXACTLY the same kits as the 1/13th scale Monster Scenes Dracula, Hyde and Giant Insect.

The colour is the only difference. 

The Giant Insect was the same green as the prehistoric Scenes Spiked Dino

Hyde was a bright purple similar to the first run Godzilla

Dracula was Black plastic and came with 4 arms and 2 sets of legs

Dracula's legs were made to fit into Hyde's torso and vice versa.


You can see the originals at www.thepartspit.com


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## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

By the way I also did a fair bit of the restoration on those AURORA repro boxes.


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Parts Pit Mike said:


> By the way I also did a fair bit of the restoration on those AURORA repro boxes.


A big tip of the hat for yor restoration!:thumbsup: Makes my collection shine! I picked up the Sceners kits from Molemento Pete. I am happy to hear that the kits I* missed* are coming back under the *Sceners* moniker. 

Iron Maiden, Parts Pit, and Doctor's Den will be on my radar when they are released. I am also anxious to see the forthcoming Cell. I knew for sure that the figures were no longer an "official" MS thing, and had branched out. But I didnt know the environments and torture device(s) had as well. I wasnt sure if they were going to be released as styrene or officially retired. Bad short term memory I guess.

I really had no idea what the difference was between a 1/13 and a 1/12 scale anyway,lol. Good to know they are the same all the same. :wave:

Molemento Pete has my built ups of Invisible Man and Bride featured on his page in the built ups section, but I might as well show them here too.:tongue:


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## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

Nicely Done Dr. Phibes!

The Scream Queen is out now as well. I painted the build-up on that one. Lots of flesh tones, because we all know that when a Scream Queen goes to investigate a noise in a haunted castle, she does so in her skimpiest nightie!:thumbsup:


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

I had her too, but I wasnt entirely pleased how *my paints turned out* on it, so I sold her on evil-bay. I will probably try again later. If at first you dont succeed.....:dude:


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

So I recently discovered that resin copies of these can be found on the secondary market---but arent exactly cheap. Decision time I guess. Wait for the plastic versions or go with resin? I like styrene better.....but with the problems associated with the molds....it could be "a long winter" as it were.

Its all moot right now anyway, since the transmission is going out on my truck. Gotta fix that first....darn responsibilities of being a grown up. Sheeesh!


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

Those do look great.
And I swear, I will make some time to get those pics up on my site soon.
Just been all kinds of busy now that summer is here (yard work, family stuff, etc)

I too would love to get the missing figures. Hopefully some day.
I do have the MotM Dracula kit, so I can display one version of Dracula, I just need to find the optional parts to do another one.
(BTW the MotM Frank will also scale correctly to the line)

And as far as the resin copies of the Dungeon and Pit. Yeah, they are expensive, and I would prefer styrene. But I am thinking about getting the resin ones. Especially now that the producer is pretty much back in business, even though his site isn't back yet.


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## Molemento Pete (Mar 27, 2002)

Hey Dr. Phibes, 
Thanks for showing off your work on my kits. I thought the blue on the Scream Queen was an interesting choice. I have added your build to the Gallery page of Sceners.net.

If there is anyone else out there who has done a build-up of any of the kits, send me some pictures and I'll get them up on the site.
Peace.
Pete


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

The nightie is the same color as one my wife has. The metallic color makes it look like sheer or silk or whatever the heck those things are made of.

I have just finished working on the Monarch Monster Scenes Hyde. 

I will post pics here soon. I went with a different suit color than Monarch's built up. This was done to keep Dracula and Hyde's "swap out" parts interchangeable with both characters. So the suit is black. Then went with some greens for the accents.

I am happy with it. pics shortly. Gotta gets some batteries first. Also gotta let Scott see it in an email before posting the pics here. After all--he did hook me up with some off the chain kits that I never would have gotten otherwise. So yeah---gonna be singing his praises for a loooooong time.

Stay tuned. Later tonight/early tomorrow the Hyde pics will emerge.:thumbsup:


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

Anton Phibes said:


> Scott's definitely a fan's fan. I told him I would be singing his praises for this----and I mean to. I was never gonna own these any other way. I cannot afford the originals, and they never pop up for sale anyway. So big shout out to Scott McKillop @ Monarch. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


*I gave up waiting, so I went to the collectors market and bought The Jekyll and Hyde MOM kits. I know these you are discussing are different, but I wanted the Jekyll and hyde kits, and thought this guy would be selling em quite awhile ago from now..who knows when they will come out truly, if at all..

Z
*


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Zathros said:


> *I gave up waiting, so I went to the collectors market and bought The Jekyll and Hyde MOM kits. I know these you are discussing are different, but I wanted the Jekyll and hyde kits, and thought this guy would be selling em quite awhile ago from now..who knows when they will come out truly, if at all..
> 
> Z
> *


Well-- I already had the Monsters of the Movies kits. I am sure once Gorgo gets released~ if the demand for them is there~ they will see the light of day. But if you read between the lines(when these were intitially announced)....some folks apparently got their feathers ruffled. That my have been a contributing factor---so let's not lay all the blame at Monarch's feet. At the time of this thread I am about to post, the kits were planned to be released as "evil man and bloodsucker" so as not to encroach on anyone's perceived turf. Yet Moebius has no interest in persuing these, and Dencomm apparently doesn't either. Add in an economic collapse, and voila---kits languishing in a black hole of non-release. Here's the thread these were announced in to refresh our memories. Bring soda and sno-caps.

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=224899&page=6


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Meanwhile---pictures. Behold Mr. Hyde. I cannot determine if I like the Mid Transformation head or the Full on Hyde head better. Obviously I dont care much about the Dr. Jekyll head. Because he's human....and not a monster.

I kept the suit black so I could interchange parts with Drac. Same reason I painted them similar flesh tones. Did Hyde's crevat in a metallics green, as well as the inside lining of his coat. Has a mice silk or sheer effect. Belt and vest are Hunter Green. It was the "mod" era after all. Dracula pics will pop up once I finish him. Here's Hyde.


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## Bruce Bishop (Jan 17, 1999)

He looks fantastic! Even the beard is done exceptionally well!


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Bruce Bishop said:


> He looks fantastic! Even the beard is done exceptionally well!


Thanks. I appreciate that you noticed the beard work. My eyes arent what they used to be, and I recently got glasses to help. This scale is so small...its hard for me to see. So---I actually put a lot of time into those little noggins of Hyde's.

I thought Dracula was coming along nicely until I took a pic. The camera shows things I cannot see with my eyes. So back to the drawing board for more finesse work.

I thought the white on his shirt was smoothed nicely and uniform until I saw the picture.

Once I get it down---I will post pics. Glad you liked Hyde!:thumbsup:

*UPDATE: I JUST GOT THIS EMAIL FROM SCOTT AFTER HE VIEWED THE HYDE PICTURES.* Pretty high praise. If my painting these in any way inspires him to release them commercially for everyone else---then boo-yah,lol!!!


"WOW!
The detail and use of color on the faces is AMAZING!! The test shots sure did go to a deserving home indeed! Are you planning a drac with the crouching legs and grabbing arms plus The Victim? That would be cool to see. *Your pictures really give me a boost to get these molds into production. *

Keep ‘em coming Richard."


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Started Dracula: Hope you like!:thumbsup:


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## deadmanincfan (Mar 11, 2008)

VERY nicely done!


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

Anton Phibes said:


> Well-- I already had the Monsters of the Movies kits. I am sure once Gorgo gets released~ if the demand for them is there~ they will see the light of day. But if you read between the lines(when these were intitially announced)....some folks apparently got their feathers ruffled. That my have been a contributing factor---so let's not lay all the blame at Monarch's feet. At the time of this thread I am about to post, the kits were planned to be released as "evil man and bloodsucker" so as not to encroach on anyone's perceived turf. Yet Moebius has no interest in persuing these, and Dencomm apparently doesn't either. Add in an economic collapse, and voila---kits languishing in a black hole of non-release. Here's the thread these were announced in to refresh our memories. Bring soda and sno-caps.
> 
> http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=224899&page=6



*Thanks for the information, but now that I have my Aurora MOM Jekyll and hyde kits, no offense, but I coudn't care less..I never saw why they weren't released, and couldnt figure out why any company would invest in tooling, and not produce the kits..but oh well..I'm a happy camper now..my MOM collection is complete.

Z
*


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Shots of Dracula with staircase base, and walking legs/traditional arms. The Crouching legs and scooping arms are going to be utilized with a revell Dracula MOM that I have coming shortly. Gonna get another victim and alter and paint her differently and display together. But for now---here's Dracula.


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## Night-Owl (Mar 17, 2000)

Cool work on all counts!


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

Somehow your take on this Dracula is more Lee than Lugosi. Really like what you did with the red around the eyes. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

The monster scenes are pretty cool and the ones you've done up are great. I just ordered a couple more graveyard scenes from Cult today and have most of the currently available monster scenes and graveyard scenes kits and accessories as well as a couple of the no longer produced kits, such as Dracula. It'll be great if somebody reproduces the ones that you can no longer easily get.


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Thanks for the compliments on my paint. Yes--I did sort of make Dracula an amalgamation of sorts between Lee and Lugosi....and went for a more "Scary Monster" approach with the Blood on Drac's face and the glowing red eyes for Hyde. It was intentional, and I am glad folks noticed. I have a clear gloss red that I was going to use for blood shot in his eyes (Its a Tamiya paint and its the bomb), but I thought it would be a bit too lee....so i didnt do it. But for the Revell utilizing the Crouching legs and scooping arms---I am gonna go for it. I may also do Dracula's vest and tie in a metallic "mod" blue, and his cape in pearl gray. Just because I wan them to be different. Surely Dracula has more than one set of evening wear,lol.

On another note:
Scott pushed these to the back burner (and then eventually "shelved them") due to quality concerns about the molds. It seems that the Chinese factory "tweaked" the kits, without approval and the tweaks were weak. The snap together parts were "improved" to the point that some parts were overly snug, while others were kind of loose. Scott strikes me as a bit of a perfectionist. He aksed me to critique the molds "as is" having built and painted them. He wondered if collectors and modelers would be happy to get these kits even with the "bugs" if he made an extremely limited run and made them available.

I can tell you, from building garage kits from back in the day, and my fair share of styrene kits, that the "bugs" are pretty easy to work around. I was more concerned with puttying over mold lines where part halves glue or snap together.

My opinion I conveyed to him is that fans would be happy to get them "as is" as opposed to "not at all". A little model glue and some putty go a long way.

If you are interested in seeing these made as a limited run---let him know. It will help him gauge interest for a potential limited run of these. It certainly couldn't hurt matters. Once I get the Revell re-issue MOM Drac in, I will begin work on the "crouching" Drac....and post pics when finished. Might be awhile. Peace.:dude:


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

Great stuff.
Love all the pics, and especially the conversation about these kit.
I really enjoy this line, and it really doesn't get talked about much at all anymore.


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## LT Firedog (Nov 14, 2001)

Very Nice !


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## Hunch (Apr 6, 2003)

Great job on these kits (I've got a set as well thanks to Scott) and I'll definitely be letting him know there is interest in a limited run (I'll take 5 of each)!
Jim


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

Hunch said:


> Great job on these kits (I've got a set as well thanks to Scott) and I'll definitely be letting him know there is interest in a limited run (I'll take 5 of each)!
> Jim


Congrats! What did you think of the "bugs" he referred to? I didnt think they were that big of a deal. I am pretty sure any modeler would be happy to work around them. Especially as opposed to not getting them at all. A little putty and glue go a long way. But I can undestand his frustration in working with a factory that made the changes without his consent, desire to do so or approval. I would buy at least one more set and quite possibly 2. Especially if they were boxed with the cool proposed artwork.


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## gaz91 (Nov 26, 2007)

I would love to see these two kits, how do i contact scot to let him know :tongue:


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## Anton Phibes (Jun 21, 2013)

gaz91 said:


> I would love to see these two kits, how do i contact scot to let him know :tongue:


Monarch has a website and contact information, or you can try the e-mail I have been chatting with him at.(They might be the same,lol). It's *[email protected]*. Let him know. Perhaps he can do a limited made to order run for those who are serious about purchasing them.:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Hunch (Apr 6, 2003)

Anton Phibes said:


> Congrats! What did you think of the "bugs" he referred to? I didnt think they were that big of a deal. I am pretty sure any modeler would be happy to work around them. Especially as opposed to not getting them at all. A little putty and glue go a long way. But I can undestand his frustration in working with a factory that made the changes without his consent, desire to do so or approval. I would buy at least one more set and quite possibly 2. Especially if they were boxed with the cool proposed artwork.


The pins were a bit loose, but I glue my kits anyway so no biggie. Bring 'em on!


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