I've been a fan of all things Hammer for many years, especially if they involve Christopher Lee and his first portrayal of Dracula back in 1958!
This kit as been waving at me from the stash pile for too long, so its time has finally come to meet the workbench.
It was beautifully sculpted by Chuck Needham for Alternative Images way back when and captures Lee with Valerie Gaunt in his arms from an early scene
in the castle library. However, with artistic license, Chuck has placed the figures on a stairway base which echoes the entrance to the castle outside.
As I'm sure you all know, Valerie is one of his 'undead girls' and she's just had a go at biting Mr Harker, only to be stopped and punished by Dracula on his return
from his night time feed. Lee picks her up and carries her off a though she was a feather, leaving Johnathan in shock and passing out on the floor.
This striking image was also used for the poster art and its release in the US as 'Horror of Dracula'.
My 'go to' Hammer expert and Clubhouse friend Stewart Jackson did an awesome build of this kit, adding a scratch built pillar topped with an eagle to the base,
to better reflect the scenery in the film. A great idea, I knew I'd like to try a similar addition with my effort.
So far, my time has been divided between clean up (quite a few dents to fill and smooth out, not the best of castings, note the hole on his foot!) and basic assembly
with the figures and fabricating the pillar on the base. I knew it was going to be quite tall, so I have designed it to be removable for travel and storage, if it ever
gets that far! I started with a cardboard mock up, just to get a rough idea of shape and proportion, then built it with balsa foam, plastic card, milliput and brass rod.
The figures present quite a challenge in terms of pinning them together. Lee’s hands and forearms are moulded as part of the girl,
joining at his elbows. The problem is, her left arm hangs down behind his back, but if attached to her, she cannot be lined up with
the pins. Has anyone else built the kit and found this?
Looking in an old Kitbuilders mag, they did a review of this very model and solved the issue by drilling right through the back of his cape,
so she can be pinned by holding her in place and pushing the pin through from the back. Sounds straight forward, but I’m worried about
the damage that will do to the details of the cape and how easily that can be puttied over and blended back in.
My gut feel is to paint and pin her from the front, adding the left arm separately once she’s secure. I’d welcome thoughts and experiences
on this dilemma if anyone has them!
Cheers for now,
Paul
Watching thread with interest ... 
