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Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

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BobbysMonsterModels
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Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#1 Post by BobbysMonsterModels »

Hey all,

This is the first time I have posted here in many years. I use to have a monster model website, but took it down (I wasn't practicing my HTML or CSS). It's been about 8 years since I built a model. I'm completely out of the loop and trying to catch up. I see in the styrene world not alot is new with monsters. Urgh! I did just obtain the Haunted Manor organ player. That kit's been one of my grails for years. So glad it's out again.

I am getting around to working on my Monarch Dracula and Mr. Hyde figures. I dug my finished Monster Scenes out of storage and found a place to display them, and it motivated me to slap another model together again. It's been a long time. I have the aforementioned figures glued/sanded/primed (drying now). And I am still working in enamels. I heard things have changed (Model Masters is gone....sob). Anyway, before I stopped building/painting (8 years or so back), I did manage to also glue/sand/prime 3 other styrene kits. They are the Monarch Ghost, and the Dark Shadows' Barnabas and the Werewolf. I actually have most of the Ghost painted, but am not ready to jump into working on him yet, as my paint ideas from 8 years back were a bit demanding, and I am currently rusty. I figured I'd warm up with smaller models, hence the MS Dracula and Hyde.

I also still have to build/paint the Giant Insect and the Feral Cat (which I am gluing/gap-filling/sanding now).

So, getting back to the Monster Scenes, I am left wondering – was the MOTM Wolfman the same scale as the MS figures?
And if so, I am just curious why he was never repopped in styrene? Or did I miss something?
If he was the same scale, I feel he might have looked nice among the MS characters. Maybe?
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#2 Post by go-figure »

It was repopped years ago in resin without original box design and sold around $50.00.

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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#3 Post by BobbysMonsterModels »

I think I remember that.
I was wondering why it was never re-popped in styrene?
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#4 Post by Todd P. »

I can't speak with expertise on the subject but I'll make a few guesses:

1. Aurora's original molds no longer exist. I don't know if this is true but it seems like a strong possibility given that many of Aurora's molds were destroyed. I hope that Atlantis reveals some Monsters of the Movies molds among the big pile of tooling it acquired when Revell went out of business but who knows.

2. Only one Monsters of the Movies kit representing a Universal monster has been reverse-engineered to create new tooling that I know of, and that's the Creature from the Black Lagoon by Moebius. I think the Creature is widely regarded as the best of the series so it made sense to risk the considerable investment required to reverse-engineer it. Polar Lights reverse-engineered two other MOTM kits, Rodan and Ghidorah.

3. Moebius founder Frank Winspur, as I recall, said styrene werewolves were bad sellers and so his planning didn't include any, except for a Curse of the Werewolf that seems to have been canceled when Frank sold the company. If it was common knowledge among styrene producers that werewolves are duds, then that explains why none of them have been interested in the Wolf Man.

4. Today, the potential market for styrene monster kits numbers only a few thousand people. Might be as many as 10,000 for a very popular subject, might be as few as 2,000. Licensing the classic monsters from Universal is so prohibitively expensive that Atlantis seems to have backed off plans to reissue some of the original Universal monsters, except for a silent-era subject (Phantom) that no longer requires studio licensing. I think the cost is high enough that few people would take a risk on reissuing or repopping a 1/12 scale kit that only saw life for a brief time in the mid-'70s.

Just my guesses, as I said. I'd like to see him back on the market as well.

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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#5 Post by tay666 »

Todd sums it up pretty well.

Frank at Moebius was the one who reverse engineered the Monster Scenes to do the reissues.
And made no secret that he regretted that decision. Apparently they were not good sellers.

To my knowledge, the only original Aurora tooling left from the line were the molds for the Dungeon and Animal Pit. And those were not complete. Dencomm had to have Atlantis do some work and have some molds made for some of the part in order to issue those kits.

I know of at lest two of Franks talks at WF where he was asked about doing the MOTM Wolfman, and both times he said no way. As the owner of Doll & Hobby for many years Frank had a good handle on how the market reacts to things. And he said The Wolfman was always the slowest seller whenever Revell or PL reissued the Universal Monsters. So Frank wanted nothing to do with a Universal werewolf.

So, if Frank wasn't going to reverse engineer it, I don't think anyone else would be willing to.
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#6 Post by scuzzfink85 »

red planet has it.
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#7 Post by tay666 »

Yes. We all know you can find resin copies.
It isn't the same!
That is why this is the styrene forum. We love plastic kits that still requires a bunch of assembly.

I have a resin copy. If someone reissued the styrene version, that resin copy would be gone, and I would have at least 3 of the new styrene version.
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#8 Post by scuzzfink85 »

True what Todd said, is speak volumes....
Japan and china believe in sytrene figure kits..
Sadly that only sells in america is vehicle kits and airplane kits.
The baby boomer kits are not high priority list say a handful..
When Frank Winspur sold Moebius that was it for figure model kits.
he had good thing going .. but was time for him to move on.
Monarch is limited company.
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#9 Post by BobbysMonsterModels »

So styrene werewolves don't sell well? Interesting. I can see why the Aurora Wolfman didn't sell well when re-popped. It was always my least fave of Aurora's classic monster line. I wonder if PL's newer Wolfman kit sold well? I forgot who sculpted it.

Ah well, so are there ANY new styrene monster kits in the works, aside from Monarch's stuff? I love their stuff, but their output is so unpredictable, LOL. I've been out of the monster model loop for a long time.
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#10 Post by Todd P. »

The only styrene classic monster (sorta) in the works that I know of, other than Monarch's Fly and Konga, is this Vampirella from X-Plus. Has a nice Aurora look to it.

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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#11 Post by Todd P. »

I do miss having Frank at the helm of Moebius. He took chances on styrene figures that we're not likely to see from the current owners. A Bob Burns kit, for crying out loud?

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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#12 Post by tay666 »

BobbysMonsterModels wrote:So styrene werewolves don't sell well? Interesting. I can see why the Aurora Wolfman didn't sell well when re-popped. It was always my least fave of Aurora's classic monster line. I wonder if PL's newer Wolfman kit sold well? I forgot who sculpted it.
Pretty sure that was Bowen.
There was the styrene kit, and the larger resin kit.
I don't think either did all that well.

I remember both selling well below original retail on ebay for years.
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#13 Post by BobbysMonsterModels »

tay666 wrote:Pretty sure that was Bowen.
There was the styrene kit, and the larger resin kit.
I don't think either did all that well.
I remember both selling well below original retail on ebay for years.
Yes, Bowen! I've only built two werewolf kits. Aurora and the PL Bowen. The Bowen styrene kit was not an easy build. I remember parts not fitting right and I had to do some customizing. All in all, it turned out really well when finished though. Nice likeness on this kit.

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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#14 Post by tay666 »

That looks good!
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#15 Post by Scooke123 »

Great paintwork esp on his face - well done!
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#16 Post by Scooke123 »

Great paintwork esp on his face - well done!
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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#17 Post by jamesharbold »

I never would have thought that werewolves would be the worst sellers. I like both the Polar Lights Bowen version and the original Aurora one. One would think that Dracula would be the least favorite, after all, he just looks like an old guy in a fancy dress suit with a cape. He would be my least favorite.

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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#18 Post by brucebishoputah »

I was lucky enough to get a resin copy along with some of the others in resin, before it seemed there would ever be a chance they would be produced in plastic again. Happily it's one of the kits I actually HAVE built and display on my shelves. it's a very nice kit and looks great! So now I'll see if the pic posting worked..... As you can see, it's been a long time since the maid dusted!


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Re: Question: Why hasn't MOTM Wolfman ever been repopped?

#19 Post by jamesharbold »

Looks good! For a second there, I thought for some reason you had put a yellow cape on Frankenstein, then I noticed the Robin model behind him LOL!!

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