Introduction

This newest release from Moebius Models the 1/12^th scale Creature from the Black Lagoon is a continuation of their popular Universal Studios “Monsters of the Movies” series of famous movie monsters. This kit is smaller than the previous releases of Frankenstein and the Mummy, which were 1/8^th scale. This kit is also a Snap-Together kit with only 14 parts. The entire kit only took 15 minutes to clean up and “Snap-Together” the parts. In the past I have never been fond of Snap-Together kits. Usually they are designed for the younger modeler and ease of construction is the underlying factor in these kits.

The finished kit also has moveable parts that include both arms and the head. Once the kit is assembled Moebius has included a neat base to display your finished model on. This again is typical of the Moebius monster figure models where their display bases are detailed models in their own right. The instruction sheet is simple and includes a brief history of the Creature and a paint chart to aid in painting and finishing your model.

Construction

I have never been satisfied with the final results, which often had wide visible seams and gaps when the parts were assembled. This kit was different in that the seams were tight and all parts fit snugly. However, I had decided early on that I was going to glue and clean up all the seams before painting the finished model. So to start, I assembled the kit by snapping the parts together to see if there were any fit issues and how the kit assembled in the Snap-Together mode. As stated all parts fit cleanly and the seams were tight. Once the initial Snap-Together assembly was completed, I disassembled the kit and started again, this time gluing the parts together. Construction started with the arms, which are in 2 parts. Once glued and cleaned up the arms were placed in the torso and that was glued together. Next is the head, which is three parts. A front and back skull and a set of gills that fit between the front and back of the head. The head is designed to swivel sideways and is keyed in such a way that it can be added after the head is painted.

Finishing

Once construction was completed I primed the entire model with Tamiya flat white and started the detail painting. I spray painted the entire figure with Humbrol Chrome Green. This is an older Humbrol color I had laying around and I thought the color was perfect. I then painted the chest in Tamiya Dark Yellow as a contrast and the claws with Vallejo Buff. The eyes were Tamiya Orange with black pupils. I then painted the mouth with another old Humbrol military color Polish Crimson. The base was next. I painted the sand with Tamiya Buff and the large boulder with Tamiya light gray. The seaweed was painted light green and the starfish again with dark yellow. I painted the anchor with Sophisticated Finishes Rust. This is a really neat paint that has a gray base, impregnated with iron filings. Once this is dry, you treat the gray paint with a solution that actually rusts the iron pigment in the base coat of paint and you have a plastic part with real rust. I painted the tropical fish with Vallejo lemon yellow and added stripes with a black Sharpie pen. There is a name plate that resembles the old movie clap board and the kit comes with 4 different decals with the movie title in different styles.

Conclusion and Recommendation

This is a neat little kit that makes a perfect weekend project when you are looking for something different to help relieve the AMS that results during your latest super detailed modeling project. It also is a great starter kit for your son or daughter to build. Who knows, once they build it maybe they would be inspired to sit and watch the old boring black & white movie with you. I enjoyed building this model; however, I wish it was in the larger 1/8^th scale so it doesn’t look so out of place alongside my Moebius Frankenstein. Once again I find myself sitting and waiting for the next Moebius Monster Movie release. I recommend this kit to modelers of all skill levels. I would like to thank Moebius Models for the review sample and IPMS for allowing me to review it. Visit the Moebius Models website for more information www.moebiusmodels.com.