# Luminators find!



## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Hi gang!

I went to my model car club meeting in Calgary last night. This was the first meeting I've attended in a long time as I have been busy running my own hobby store, Monster Hobbies.

One of our club members is an avid monster kit builder / collector and has a LARGE collection of Aurora models as well as Polar Lights, Monogram, Revell and Moebius. - Actually, I sold him his first Moebius kit, and since they have only one model on the market right now...he has ALL the Moebius stuff! :tongue: 

Anyway, he told me of a hobby shop in Calgary that had an over-abundance of the Luminary kits that they were selling as 4-packs for a low price. These were The Mummy, Dracula, The Wolfman and Frankenstein. So, the following day, today, I bought 31 of the 4 packs!

Call me CRAZY for buying all of those, but Monster Hobbies has had one major glaring error.......LACK OF MONSTER KITS! Sure, we had 7 monster kits in the earily days, but they were NOT 7 different varieties of kits, totalling 500 kits, but 7 kits in total.

Now with those monster kits and the Moebius Jekyll and Hyde kits, I have a choice of 5 monsters and the remaining Frankenstien Flivver, Wolfman's Wagon, Mummy's Chariot and La Guillitien. So now there is a choice of 9 models with 5/9 totalling more than 1 kit. (31 Luminators and 21 Hydes.)

All this sellection is going to be great for my upcoming in store model kit contest. This is a contest I wanted to host since I opened my store 3 years ago, but lack of monster kits prevented me from doing so. Now I just have to think up what the contest should be about and let it RIP!

I'll either have a contest or simply order 128 replacement heads from John Apgar and hide in my basement, building monster kits for the next 20 years! :thumbsup: 

Other good news is that I finally was able to buy The Rue-Morgue magazine with my very first Monster Hobbies ad in it! I hope it brings me great sucess in the future!

Speaking of which, as I write this, my Freewebs site has 999 viewers! Will you be #1000?

Talk to you soon!

Trevor Ursulescu
Monster Hobbies

www.freewebs.com/monsterhobbies


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

I hope you have good luck with your kits, but their were 6 kits in the series. the King Kong and Phantom Of The Opera are missing and they are more rare ( I think ?) than the others.

However, that's how I got into modeling this time, when I saw the Lumies in the background of a TV blurb in the 90's and called the store to get them sent out. I painted them instead of leaving them 'stock'. Then I happened upon Polar Lights. The rest, as they say, is hysteria........er,..... I mean history. So they may be a "door opener" for you.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

They only had these 4 Dab. I did buy one of the Phantoms a few years back and paid a HEAFTY $45.00 for it, right at the time when the Canadian Dollar was $0.67 US, which means I spent $67.00 US on it! (Pardon me while I pass out!)

Even then that kit was a miricle that I found it there. The King Kong I have only seen once or twice on Ebay. 

But I think you are right. The fact that I found so many and that these are the more "Classic" monsters, that I might have a good opportunity to bring my store back to the original concept of it being a "Monster" hobby store. 

Hey, I can even buy 128 replacement heads from John Apgar at Posthumous models for the kits and have them on the shelves. (oohhh....even get some Hyde heads while I'm at it!)

Want to know the best part? This same hobby shop has more of these 4 packs in their basement! I couldn't fit more than 31 4-packs into the Yaris, but I can always go back for more!


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

You have struck the mother lode of luminous styrene !


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

As I said to the guy at the other hobby store.....

"Now I have amassed an army of the undead!" 

128 strong!


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## ShadOAB (Apr 29, 2007)

I'll trade you a "The Witch" for a 4 pak and one Jekyll kit.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Sure...I'll trade you for the Witch, all the Planet of the Apes figures and the Kiss Destroyer set. Oh, better throw in the Munsters living room and Addams Family house.

Afterall, the Luminators are now worth $75 US a piece!


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## ShadOAB (Apr 29, 2007)

Then...good luck unloading/selling them.


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## A Taylor (Jan 1, 1970)

MadCap Romanian said:


> Afterall, the Luminators are now worth $75 US a piece!


Really? Worth that much to who?


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## wolfman66 (Feb 18, 2006)

The luminators if you scan ebay you'll find them at pretty reasonable prices ranging from 9.99 to 24.99 on buy nows.The Hobby store by me has a boat load of the Phantom and the kongs,wolfman,Dracula's Mummy's,Frankensteins's sitting on the shelf for a couple years now just collecting dust.Their the least popular reissues of the monsters that Monogram came out with.I do know the Luminator Superman that Monogram came out with is a rare piece if ya havent seen what that one looks like just go over to Cultvmans site he has it on there.


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## ShadOAB (Apr 29, 2007)

:thumbsup: 

 

:wave:


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

"Afterall, the Luminators are now worth $75 US a piece!"

That was just a joke because ShadOAB keeps riding me about "The Witch" trade. He's just getting his "15 minutes of fame" and decided to choose my honest endeavors as a means for the butt of his joke. 

Besides, I found someone who'll trade me The Witch for a DR. Jekyll right across the board.

The Witch on Ebay also fetches $9.99 - $20.00.


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## wolfman66 (Feb 18, 2006)

MadCap Romanian said:


> The Witch on Ebay also fetches $9.99 - $20.00.


You got that right


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

The reason why the Luminators aren't worth all that much is because people don't like to work with that unforgiving plastic.

However, they might work better for me because people will expect them to be at my store, Monster Hobbies. 

Also, if I run a contest, I'll use them as subject matter. Therefore, people will HAVE to buy them to enter the contest, as they will be the subject of the contest itself.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

"Luminator Superman that Monogram came out with is a rare piece if ya havent seen what that one looks like just go over to Cultvmans site he has it on there."

Do you have the link? I couldn't find it.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Yeah, I just can't see trading $60 worth of inventory on a $20 kit.


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## wolfman66 (Feb 18, 2006)

MadCap Romanian said:


> "Luminator Superman that Monogram came out with is a rare piece if ya havent seen what that one looks like just go over to Cultvmans site he has it on there."
> 
> Do you have the link? I couldn't find it.


Madcap cant seem to get the link,But if you go to cultmans site click on Aurora models scroll down to the bottom where it says lost Aurora's youll see it.


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## Steve CultTVman Iverson (Jan 1, 1970)

http://www.culttvman2.com/dnn/Default.aspx?tabid=373

The kit was announced but never released. Conflicting information says that either test shots were made for licensing approval, or that the kit was ready to go into production when DC pulled the license. Either way, only a few are floating around. 

Steve


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

So MadCap - are you selling these? If so, how much?

Dave


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## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

nice find MC . i love these kits for customizing and kitbashing . 
hb


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## ShadOAB (Apr 29, 2007)

MadCap Romanian said:


> "Afterall, the Luminators are now worth $75 US a piece!"
> 
> That was just a joke because ShadOAB keeps riding me about "The Witch" trade. He's just getting his "15 minutes of fame" and decided to choose my honest endeavors as a means for the butt of his joke.
> 
> ...


...like I need 15 _more_ minutes of fame. :freak:


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## Steve CultTVman Iverson (Jan 1, 1970)

http://lambiek.net/artists/c/craig_james.htm
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/3/3/t3-405-e.html
http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?book_id=1498
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185894/
Collector of Luminators

Did I miss any?


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

MadCap,
Have you seen the Luminators Corvette,Firebird or Lamborghini ? I have one of each but there's another fourth one I don't have, and probably never will ! ?! ?
stumbled across them a good while ago on eBait. Guess I'll save them for my grandsons.


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## ShadOAB (Apr 29, 2007)

Not really, Steve. That's a pretty fair accounting of my previous 15 minutes.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

Well, there's also designer of Jekyll's Jalopy...


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## JamesDFarrow (Sep 18, 1999)

James Craig?

Never heard of him.

Must be an alias or something.

James


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I was thinking of selling them at a meager $20 each. That's $20 CDN, so they'd be less in the US. 

If I run a model building contest with them, then I'll lower the price to $15 - just to get more people interested for the contest.

The reason why I'm going $20 is because I'm selling my MR. Hyde's at $23 and I want the price to be close to his so that people entering the contest won't feel too distanced, price wise, to build a Hyde model for the contest as well.

I usually have my "Grand Prize" valued at 100% more than the kit price, so that means that if you pay $20 to enter my contest, you have a chance at winning $200 worth of in-store credit.

I also want people to trust me when it comes to shipping things out. After all, I'm just starting with "Mail Order" and my own hobby shop is only 3 years running as of this upcoming July 1st.

I'd hate to shut down the store because people in our little town need something to do other than get bored and hang out infront of the 7-11 and cause trouble.


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Ah Ha ! That may be your Achilles' heal, *"our little town',* maybe you chose the wrong venue and should have located in a larger sales potential area ?

Um, or maybe move next to the 7-11 ???


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## ochronosis (Dec 29, 2005)

Hi Trevor,

I was lucky to collect all six Luminators last year. I bought them for around $10 each or less. I have put a picture of them in my Gallery if you want to look.
simon


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Hi Ochro, how've you been ? 
How did you get the Lumies to show up that well in your pix, a flash on camera or special lighting ?


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## brineb (Jun 12, 2007)

Those guys are cool ... I only recently got back into building models after a 30 + year break ... I missed all the cool monster re-issues. I would love to find some of those guys, you could always prime and paint them, who sez they have to be glowing!!!


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I primed and painted all of mine. Because of the nature of the plastic, I find that if you glue them together, you need to use a LOT of glue. Don't worry about melting this plastic with hobby glue. It's almost inpenatrable!

Also, it seems better to do all the sanding and seam line removal AFTER you primer paint them as the paint seems to strengthen the plastic. 

That's what I discovered about it for myself, anyway.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

I bought the Luminators when they came out (in spite of the butt-ugly boxes), and primed and painted a few the usual way. But I never built any specifically to enjoy in a "black light" environment. What's funny is I decorate for Halloween, and use black lights all over for glow effects. 

Has anyone here built them and displayed them on a shelf with a black light?


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## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

CW, i built up a spare Mummy one afternoon and stuck him under the the blacklight . didn't exactly give me goosebumps . 
anyhoo , he's since fallen prey to the kitbash beast . and found a home in PL's sarcophagus . 
hb


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I know that when you glue these kits together in their "Bare Plastic", that you'll be able to see all the glue joints and that they become semi-transparent.

However, I was thinking that a person could just as easily paint them using a corrisponding flourescent colour and then they would still be Black Light responsive, yet not be as transparent.

If you REALLY want the glow effect, I did find out that the Box art glows under the black lights.


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

I have the whole set. They're on a shelf here in my room with a portable, battery, 12" florescent light I scrounged from my grandson. They look ok but I could use a better, stronger light, like a 75W incandescent or longer florescent.
It's just too much hassle to run a chord to where they are.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

You should take a pic of them Dab and show them here. 

I was thinking of having a "Black light" catagory in my contest too.


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## Dave Hussey (Nov 20, 1998)

I built a Luminators Dracula and painted it like I would any other figure kit. While one had to be careful to lay down a good base coat, the finished model was quite satisfying in my opinion.

Huzz


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Here are my Luminators build-ups :























This Dracula isn't a Luminators, but is the same mould.








And at night :


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## the Dabbler (Feb 17, 2005)

Yeah I remember those. Those were the first things you posted when you joined the forum. Lots of comments then on the background scenario.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Yeah, I need to make more monsters!


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## ochronosis (Dec 29, 2005)

Hi Dabbler, :wave: 

I'm fine thanks, how are you? I'm not on the Internet at home, so have to visit my parents to use theirs. 
The pics were taken using a normal digital camera and flash. I find that the darker the room is, the clearer the picture turns out. I usually wait until evening to take any photos of kits.
By the way, I just looked through your Gallery. Wow what a lot of kits. Keep up the good work :thumbsup: 
simon


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## brineb (Jun 12, 2007)

Now I want some monsters more than ever!!! I built all those kits as a kid, I am working on a PL King Kong which is coming out better than it did when I was 10!!! It's amazing how 38 years later, I have more patience to allow paint and glue to dry ... I'm actually filling in cracks with putty and sanding. It takes a lot longer to work on a kit, but it feels like the extra care and time are going to be worth it when I'm done!!! I have about 6 models in various states of progress, I hope to finish at least one very soon!!!


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

brineb,

And a technique that you may have heard about and should try is the "drybrushing" method of painting! You'd be surprised of the difference that it makes in a kit! Look on the board and see some of the results alittle drybrushing does! And also Acrylic paints.

MMM


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## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

I built all of the Luminators when I got back into the hobby in the 1990's, and so far as I can see, their plastic carries as much detail as the normal styrene versions of the kits that Monogram later issued. Some people have said that the Luminator plastic didn't have such sharp detail, and that its surface made painting difficult, but I don't think either is true. The Luminators came along when the only other option was to build genuine Aurora kits of King Kong, the Phantom, etc, so they appeared at the right time. 
And if they had sold better, we might have seen a Luminator Creature, Forgotten Prisoner and Godzilla!


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## brineb (Jun 12, 2007)

MonsterModelMan said:


> brineb,
> 
> And a technique that you may have heard about and should try is the "drybrushing" method of painting! You'd be surprised of the difference that it makes in a kit! Look on the board and see some of the results alittle drybrushing does! And also Acrylic paints.
> 
> MMM


Thanks for the advice, I have switched to acrylics ... I prefer the wash-up with water, plus I have been doing painting on canvas or board with acrylics since the 70s (I'm a figurative painter/drawer/photographer when not at my day job). I have lots of tubes of acrylics, and have bought lots of Tamiya paints.


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