BY BILL ENGAR

In 2023, Atlantis Models released a limited-issue the Creature model kit.  Originally, Creature was one of the classic Aurora Monsters.  In the 21st Century, the re-release of a classic figure from a  beloved entertainment property requires licensing and permission from the company that owns the character to be depicted in the model kit.  Today these agreements can be complex and expensive.  

Creature from the Black Lagoon was a 1954 3D monster horror film produced by Universal International.  It was presented in sophisticated-for-the-time polarized light projection meaning that viewers watched the film with a pair of glasses with polarized lenses with the elements turned 90 degrees to each other.  This technology is common for current 3D movies.

By 1954, the original 3D film-craze was waning but Creature From the Black Lagoon was popular enough that sequels followed in 1955 and 1956.  The original 1954 film was nowhere a Top-Ten hit for 1954, but Creature went on to find an audience when the movie was shown repeatedly on television.

In 2023, Atlantis Models was able to secure licensing from Universal City Studios LLC for a limited release of The Creature.  Atlantis did not offer Creature at retail on their website; they wholesaled the kit to other retailers.

The run was very limited and it sold out fast.  As of time of posting (late 2024), the kit can still be found but prices are escalating.  If you want one, grab it now!

We made a special arrangement with Atlantis Models to get a review kit.  Since the standard green-plastic kits were gone, Peter Vetri, President of Atlantis Models, made me up a special kit using a leftover set of clear parts bagged and shrink-wrapped in a box without any instructions!

Instructions were available for download from Scalemates.

The kit came in a long-box of the same type that Aurora Models used for the first releases of their early 1960's monster kits.  Late in the decade, the kits were packaged in square boxes containing glow-parts.  Atlantis has chosen to release many of its monster kits using the square-box format.  So this release should provide some extra interest for those collectors who enjoy the early Aurora long-box format.

While Creature did eventually get a glow-parts issue with the other Aurora Monster kits later in the 1960's, the 2023 release of Creature did not come with any glow-in-the dark pieces as is commonly found in most other Atlantis monster kits.

Atlantis' The Creature uses vintage Aurora artwork.

Atlantis' Creature kit has 29 parts.  Note that our exclusive kit was molded in clear plastic!  Regular versions of the kit were molded in green plastic.

Being a classic Aurora figure kit, the modeler can expect to get some use out of a hobby knife to clean flash, mold separation lines and sprue attachment points from the parts.  Gaps will benefit from application of a good modeling putty.  This sort of work will be needed to produce a contest-quality model but the casual builder may not even care about these construction techniques.  At very least plastic model cement will be required to glue the parts together.

Creature's head has authentically reproduced "Gill Man" detail.

A small reptilian figure is included for the base.

Aurora's monster figure kits were well-done.  The bases had some nice extras.  Creature includes a lizard-thing and a snake to embellish the large three-piece base.  Aurora's figures were nicely textured which gave the builder the opportunity to enhance this detail with a nice paint-job.  After painting base-colors, a skilled painter will usually use techniques such as washes and dry-brushing to enhance the textured surfaces.  It's this sort of effort that will make a figure model kit "come alive!"

A large three-piece base makes your Creature model into a mini-diorama--right out of the box.

Aurora tooled in lettering for "The Creature."  Nicely appointed bases helped cement Aurora's reputation as the premiere maker of legendary figure model kits.

Atlantis uses vintage artwork for its instruction sheets.  They're generally very nicely done.  In this case, a nice history of The Creature is included.

We were very impressed with Atlantis Models' execution of the classic "Creature" model kit!  From box to instructions to quality of kit parts, Atlantis always goes the extra mile to insure you're getting a best-ever release of a classic kit.  We give this kit an enthusiastic Four Thumbs Up!  It's becoming rare, so better get your hands on one soon.  While the kit isn't currently in Atlantis' catalog, we'll bet it will get a re-release at some point.  We'll keep you posted if we're aware of a future re-release.

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR SHARING THIS SPECIAL-RELEASE MODEL KIT WITH US!

BONUS:  AURORA MONSTERS PAGE!

Aurora's Monster Models are an iconic part of the early age of the plastic modeling hobby.  A few years back, we created what was intended to be a lighthearted blog piece on the topic.  Our article quickly became one of the top Internet searches for the topic.  Check it out!