Popular Articles
Model Rocket Maintenance
You've built a rocket and flown it several times and you are starting to notice some wear and tear on both your rocket and launch equipment. How do you keep your rocket gear looking good while performing at a high level and staying safe?
Gundam Model Basics
Welcome to the fun world of Gunpla. Gunpla is short for "Gundam Plastic Models" (In Japan, it's just a fad if it doesn't have some weird word to describe it's fanbase). Gundam models are perfect kits...
Filling Model Kit Seams
Let's face it. No one, and I mean no one, enjoys filling seams. It is easily the worst part of building model kits. But, it's gotta be done. Nothing ruins a model faster than a poorly filled seam. Today, I will share some pointers with you...
Model Rocket Range Boxes
You've built your model rocket and have it all ready for its maiden flight. You've watched the weather report and have a good day for launch. In order to launch a rocket, you need to gather your range box. A range box is a fancy term for...
Aftermarket Model Kit Parts
Previously, I have talked about ways to save money by using alternatives to aftermarket parts for your model kit builds. Today I will discuss the various types of aftermarket sets out there and point out their strengths and...
Building A Model Rocket
Today, I will show you how to build a model rocket. I will be using Estes Mini Max for this demonstration. This is a basic rocket that will provide a good first step and teach you all the skills necessary to complete your very own rocket.
Model Rocket Recovery
You've just spent the weekend building your new model rocket and it's time to fly. The last thing you want to do is have all that time and hard work come crashing into the ground. So, let's talk about rocket recovery.
F-100 Model Kit Review
The Trumpeter 1:32nd F-100D is the first production styrene model kit of this aircraft in the bigger scale. The kit does come with a hefty price tag, selling for $150.00, though it can be found in the $120 range from...
Model Kit Weathering Guide
Weathering can be as subtle as the discoloration from a super-heated exhaust pipe on a motorcycle or as prominent as faded paint on a plane. A good weathering job will make your model kit stand out and jump off the shelf.
Universal Monsters
It is quite intriguing to find that horror plays a double role in the history of humankind. People are afraid of horror of any kind but at the same time, this fear induces an intrigue in the mind which wants to have a little peak to see what it is all about, and then it starts to enjoy the thrills that horror provides.
It is perhaps why film studios like Universal Studios who were able to jump the fear bridge and allow people to experience horror in a different manner. They gave the horror flick a twist where people were not so much scared of horror movies and horror characters and they were satisfied and interested in seeing more. Universal studios established itself in the early 1930's by creating universal monsters and characters which represented the deep fears of man and which was their great success.
Universal's studios greatest film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was a masterpiece at a time when the world of computers, printing, and other technological gadgets were not even imagined. Films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame were marketed by distributing pamphlets in the streets, however, this did not disturb the flow of creativity with which this special work of art was created. Films like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy illustrated the beginning of a series of different kinds of characters which captured the hearts and minds of everybody, whether young or old. One of the greatest breakthroughs by Universal Studios was the creation of many TV series which became very famous all over the world and which are still very successful, like Sesame Street.
Although the films were created in the 1930's, it was only later, in the 1960's that plastic replicas of some of the characters started to appear in the market, which of course was something new and exciting. These model kits started helped Universal Studios create a devoted cult following for their early horror movies. This cult following can even be seen today as many film buffs and collectors still very much enjoy movies of that era.
Characters like Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, and Frankenstein began to appear in the toy markets and they were also being used as masks for special occasions like Halloween as well. In 2006 the National Entertainment Collectibles Association started creating head caricatures of some of the main characters originally created by Universal Studios, and this helped revive the magic of those early monster films.
One of the most famous characters of Universal Studios Monsters is Dracula. Dracula is considered to be a black arts master who is killed in a battle and with his powers returns from death as a vampire, lives in a big castle with his female consorts who are vampires as well and thinks of conquering the world with his powers. Hobbyists can find many model kits based around Dracula. There are life-size models, busts, and toy figurines to collect.
Universal studios have spent a lot of time figuring out ways of entertaining people through horror in a very fascinating way and they have been extremely successful in their endeavor. The movies are considered by many movie buffs as some of Hollywood's finest origianl horror flicks. Universal Monster figurines are very distinctive and carry a lasting legacy of uniqueness for the avid collector and hobbyist.