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Back around 1971, I swapped my Aurora Frankenstein plastic model kit with a nearby neighbour and classmate, George Cooper, for his Forgotten Prisoner one. I was fascinated by the glow-in-the-dark parts, particularly the Prisoner's skull, which to me, looked for all the world like a happy, smiley, friendly wee soul. Eventually, though, I began to miss Frankie, and George was agreeable to swapping back again.
Sometime in the '90s, I bought a long-box reissue of the kit, built and assembled it, and one day took it along to George's house on one of my occasional Saturday visits to show the model to him. He was back in the family home, living with his father, but whether George was struck by the significance of again seeing the model in the very house its twin once resided, well, I never thought to ask him. It fascinated me though.
A few years ago, I obtained another long-box reissue, this time with the 'Famous Monsters Of Filmland' logo on the box (as per the original), but as yet, I haven't built and painted it and don't know if I ever will, as I've loads of unbuilt models awaiting my attention. However, I recently splashed out (Oi, behave yourselves!) on a square-box reissue, released by Atlantis, with a logo in the same style as Aurora was using in the '70s.
I haven't yet removed the shrinkwrap, but I will, as I'd like to see the luminous parts again, which I haven't seen in-the-flesh 'bone' in around 55 years, so it'll be a case of 'friends reunited'. Below is my '90s acquisition of the kit, followed by the comic strip from Famous Monsters, relating the details of how the Prisoner came to be forgotten - though not by me. Did you perchance own this kit back in the day? Reminiscences welcome.
(Incidentally, 'Castel-Mare' translates as 'Castle by the Sea'.)
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You could say he's a 'model prisoner', so he should've been released years ago
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| The following tale is similar to Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado |
Click images to enlarge, then click again for optimum size.
I thought that Castel Mare was a really posh stables for French horses…
ReplyDeleteWell, S, you know what thought did - it peed the bed and blamed it on the blankets.
DeleteNo. I’ll take the blame for that. Didn’t wake up in time. Again. 🙁
DeleteAs long as you change the bedsheets, then no harm done.
DeleteI never had any of these models but I vividly remember seeing it advertised in various black and white comics at the time. First time I have seen that comic strips/ advert, I wonder if they did this for other model sets?
ReplyDeleteI think it was only this one, McS, as all the other models at the time were sourced from movies. Guess where I first saw the Phantom of the Opera kit (built and painted)? In the front window of Johnny's in Ruthergelen around 1962 or '63.
DeleteAh as you know I have great memories of Johnny's. I'm amazed I still haven't been able to source a pic of Johnny's from the internet from the 1970s ..
ReplyDeleteRemember that there were two Johnny's shops, McS, but not at the same time. I'm not exactly sure when (late '60s, early '70s), but at some stage Johnny's moved into larger premises a few shops along. It was there I got my second Quercetti Fireball XL5 parachute toy around 1970 - for a mere 2/6d. (It originally cost 10/6d in 1963/'64.)
DeleteI do indeed remember it expanding but I wasn't sure if they had actually moved premises a few shops down until you mention it . I visited Rutherglen a few months ago and popped into the charity shop a few shops down from Johnny's first location and it felt very familiar.
ReplyDeleteYou may recall me showing photos on the blog of the first Johnny's, McS, where the outline of the name could still be seen under the paint on the board above the shop. That's what you call longevity.
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