BY BILL ENGAR

PRISONER MANIFEST:  ATLANTIS MODELS BRINGS BACK ANOTHER CLASSIC HORROR MODEL KIT.  BRING OR DEVELOP YOUR BUILDING AND PAINTING SKILLS  FOR A DELIGHTFULLY SPOOKY BUILDING EXPERIENCE.  COLLECTORS TAKE NOTE:  ATLANTIS HAS GONE THE EXTRA MILE WITH PARTS, BOX AND INSTRUCTIONS AND THIS MODEL WILL PROBABLY BECOME COLLECTIBLE!

Atlantis Models releases Glows-in-the-Dark Forgotten Prisoner of Castel-Mare in a square box.  51 parts.  MSRP US$26.99

Atlantis adds a full-color photo on the back of the box of what the model will look like when built.  The story of Forgotten Prisoner is included here!

Atlantis Models has brought back from the dead a number of classic Aurora horror figure kits.  Phantom of the Opera, Godzilla and King Kong have shown up in Atlantis boxes looking better than ever.  In 2020, Atlantis Models re-released Forgotten Prisoner of Castle Mare.  Forgotten Prisoner has seen a few releases since it came out originally in 1966, but Atlantis brings it back with glow-in-the-dark parts for the first time since the original glow-kit release in 1969.

All plastic parts included in the kit are shown here.  Note the glow-sprue at top left.  Like most of the other glow-kits, the parts on the glow-sprue are duplicates of parts molded in regular gray plastic.  This means you'll end up with a lot of extra bones for other projects!  Do your own Hamlet thing!

Atlantis’ other monster models are based on popular movies.  Forgotten Prisoner is unique in that it is not based on a movie.  On the back of the box, Atlantis includes a nicely done full-color showcase with a built model and a brief story of Forgotten Prisoner, the despotic Baron Sorgi, oppressive overlord of Castel Mare!
 
As mentioned, Forgotten Prisoner has actually been re-released by a couple different model kit companies since Aurora Models ceased operations in the late 1970’s.  However, for the first time, Atlantis Models’ release includes a separate set of glow parts. 

Here are the glow-parts in natural room light.  The plastic is a light yellow-green that phosphoresces (glows) briefly when exposed to room light.  It's 100% safe.

This photo was taken immediately after room lights were shut off.  No photo enhancement or black-light was used here.  The plastic has a nice, bright, spooky glow.  Check our our Atlantis  Godzilla article to learn more about the science of radioactivity and glow-in-the-dark stuff.

By 1969, after Forgotten Prisoner had been around a few years, Aurora Models got the bright idea to release their monster kits with some glow-parts, and a new sprue was tooled using masters for some of the key parts from the regular kit that would look great with a ghostly-glow.  The separate glow-in-the-dark sprue has most of the figure’s bones; the only bone-parts not duplicated are the bottom tips of the femur bones showing below the figure’s pants.  I suppose you could get some glow-in-the-dark paint for those femur condyle-regions that show below the figure's rat-eaten pants.

This closeup shot of Forgotten Prisoner's torso shows the exquisite sculpting work that went into the tooling for this kit.  The layering of tattered clothing and bones is just spectacular.

No aftermarket set is needed for a nameplate or base with this kit!  Note that FOUR apparently well-fed rats are included.

So you can paint the figure’s ragged clothing remains and the base, and leave the bones unfinished to take advantage of the creepy glowing effect.  I’ll possibly add some light weathering to the bones but plan on leaving them unfinished otherwise to take advantage of the awesome bone-chilling glow feature.

Not for the squeamish:  The ill-fated figure's extremities can be found on this sprue along with his prison shackles.

This detailed wall-base will benefit from your dry-brushing or wash painting skills.

Aurora Models did not anticipate the glow-in-the-dark versions when these kits were originally tooled.  The glow-product line necessitated the making of new sprues using existing masters of parts scattered among the regular kit sprues to put all the special glow-parts for the kit on a single new sprue.  That's why the glow-sprue has the same parts but is laid out differently from the regular kit parts.  While the standard monster model kits were spectacular sellers in the early-to-mid 1960's, the glow-versions gave them new "life" and introduced them to a younger set of modelers,

If you’ve built a plastic model or two using paint and glue, you’re ready to build Forgotten Prisoner.  You will definitely need glue intended for plastic models.  Cyanacrylate super glues or solvent glues intended specifically for styrene plastic model kits will work.  A hobby knife to separate parts from the sprues is needed, and this tool is recommended for removing a small bit of plastic “flash” webbing and mold seam lines present that are typical of vintage plastic model kits. 

​Kit specs are included on the side of the box.  51 parts are stated, but we counted 52!  Not that we care about this insignificant discrepancy; the bigger picture is that this is the best this kit has ever looked.  We've been totally impressed by each and every  re-release of the monster model kit re-releases that Atlantis Models had done.

This is the view that greets you the moment you open the kit box.  Why not order one today and experience it for yourself?

If you’re an experienced modeler who might consider building this kit to compete at a model contest, you’ll probably want some putty to fill a few sinkholes and fill some minor seams between parts. Sandpaper in fine and extra-fine grits might be helpful with parts cleanup and smoothing of any putty used in a few spots to cover seam lines.

Instructions consist of a single 8-1/2X11 (approximately A4) piece of coated paper.  That's right, Atlantis went all out with a heavy glossy bond paper used for high-end brochures and pricey coffee table books.  These kits will be collectibles, some day, modelers.  Better buy one kit to build and one to keep in your will-be-valuable-some-day collection!

Like many of the Aurora monster models, Forgotten Prisoner includes a very nice diorama base with a stone wall backdrop that will be fun to paint and weather.  Macabre accessories include a partial skull and severed arm of Forgotten Prisoner’s unfortunate cellmate.  A number of included rats suggest the ultimate reason why Forgotten Prisoner is a skeleton.  A snake and large spider further suggest that Forgotten Prisoner’s abode is not a pleasant one.

Atlantis Models has done an amazing job bringing back Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare from the Great Beyond.  We’re impressed with every aspect of this kit; everything from box to kit parts to instructions has been done with the exceptional attention to details that we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Atlantis Models.  The 2Modeler.com guys give Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare four enthusiastic thumbs up and we express our thanks to Atlantis for providing the kit to review and enjoy!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THE KIT FOR THIS REVIEW!  CHECK OUT ATLANTIS MODELS' WEBSITE AND BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIER NEWSLETTER FOR THE LATEST ON THEIR MANY COOL UPCOMING MODEL KITS.

BONUS FEATURES

EXPERIENCE IT???

Believe it or not, there is an actual Castel Mare!  You can book a room there if you want.  Castel Mare Beach Hotel and Resort is a seaside resort a few miles north of Beirut, Lebanon, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare model kit or the story behind it as far as we can tell.  The real Castel Mare actually looks like a picturesque place to stay if you happen to be in the Beirut area.  I can find no website, but more information can be found on travel booking websites such as Tripadvisor.com.

THE STORY OF THE FORGOTTEN PRISONER OF CASTEL MARE

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As mentioned, Prisoner of Castel Mare is one of the notable Aurora Monster models that had no entertainment tie-in.  The other was the Witch.  This model was actually based on Aurora artist James Bama’s wife.  I wonder if he had to sleep on the couch the day he asked her if she would pose to be the basis of Aurora’s witch model kit.
 
Anyway, Aurora Models teamed up with Warren Publishing to promote Forgotten Prisoner.  James Warren published a few horror-fantasy magazines with names like Creepy and Vampirella.  Warren eventually created a backstory for Forgotten Prisoner which was published in Creepy #34, August, 1970.  We’ll refer you to Booksteve’s Library for the actual pages.

And if you didn't check it out before, Atlantis Models included the Cliff-Notes version of the story on the back of the model kit box; photo included earlier in this review.

Creepy #34, the issue with a graphic novel-type story of Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare

A MONSTER PROBLEM?

DID YOUR MOM TOTALLY FREAK OUT WHEN YOU TOLD HER YOU WANTED A FORGOTTEN PRISONER MODEL KIT?

Today, the 1960’s monster model kits seem mild when compared to the violence and gore found in modern movies and video games.  From their inception, the monster models experienced some backlash from parents and parents groups in the 1960’s who thought the models were unsuitable for kids.  A public debate evolved about content portrayed in toys, games, and model kits that exists to this day.  In the 1950’s, it was comic books that were bound to be the seed of destruction for our civilization.

Aurora Models Guillotine, first release.

Even the debate resulted in increased sales of Aurora’s monster models and they continued to develop the horror model kit line.  Continuing a theme started with Forgotten Prisoner, Aurora Models considered other macabre model kits that would thrill youngsters, and the idea for the infamous guillotine was hatched. 
 
Aurora made an arrangement with Madame Tussaud’s with interest in their Chamber of Horrors, in particular, the torture devices there, which would be used as reference for a line of “Chamber of Horrors” model kits.  The Guillotine kit was initially released with a Madame Tussaud’s logo on the box.  Part of the agreement Aurora made with Tussaud’s included a standard licensing clause, that of final approval of a product by the licensor prior to public sales of the item.  Well, Aurora didn’t get approval from Tussaud’s for the guillotine, which included a plastic figure that would be “decapitated” by the falling plastic “blade.”  The plastic head would fall into a plastic basket.  Tussaud’s was not impressed and immediately terminated their relationship with Aurora and the Tussaud name quickly disappeared from The Guillotine box.  Aurora continued to sell the Guillotine, and Tussaud's continued to display their full-sized Chamber of Horrors, portraying scenes of torture and blood in wax--but at least not in plastic.

Madame Tussaud’s wasn’t the only organization to take issue with the Guillotine; Aurora Models received many complaints about the kit and plans for The Hanging Tree and Torture Rack were cancelled.  After this, children quit talking back to their parents, prisons closed and wars ended.  Of course, we know that this didn’t happen because Aurora Models created their Dr. Deadly series, and antisocial behavior was alive and well long prior to media and toy manufacturers.

To this day, debate continues about violence and horror themes that persist in movies and video games and to be honest, Forgotten Prisoner still seems pretty mild compared to what pushes the limits of good taste these days.  Our elected officials always need something to make them look busy and public hysteria about such things will continue to help them sell.  And your mom will always freak out about stuff.  That's just what moms do.  Tell her you'll only display Forgotten Prisoner around Halloween.

MORE ON THE SUBJECT

If you haven't seen it, check out our webpage on the history of the Aurora Monster Models.  It has become one of the most popular web pages on the Internet on the topic.  We discuss the origins of the Aurora Monster Models phenomenon and its effects on our culture.  We also recollect on why they were so appealing to us impressionable youngsters at the time!

Atlantis Models has brought back several of the classic Aurora Monster model kits.  Collect them all!

WHILE YOU'RE HERE, SCROLL DOWN A TAD OR SURF ON OVER TO OUR HOME PAGE TO CHECK OUT OUR OTHER CRAZY CONTENT!