BY BILL ENGAR

ATLANTIS #P278 - MSRP US $24.99 - ASSEMBLY KIT WITH 27 STYRENE PLASTIC PARTS MOLDED IN LIGHT TAN - RECOMMENDED FOR AGES 14 AND UP - PAINT AND GLUE NOT INCLUDED - BUILT MODEL APPROXIMATELY 9" (23 CM) TALL

Some historic figures have achieved legends that became bigger than reality.  King Arthur of England.  Ned Kelley of Australia.  In the USA, Wyatt Earp was known as the legendary lawman who helped tame the “Wild West.”  Of course as is often the case, the  truth is a lot more complicated.  But Wyatt Earp achieved the status of being immortalized in the form of a styrene model kit.  Circa 2023, nearing a century after the legendary lawman’s death, Atlantis Models brought back a classic 1/8-scale figure kit of Wyatt Earp.

​My sketchy memory of the 1950’s (I wasn’t even born) assumed this was a classic Aurora kit, but it was actually produced by Pyro in 1958 and not seen since then.  However, the kit has many of the features that gave Aurora Models the reputation as the premier maker of plastic model figure kits.  Atlantis Models has assumed that legacy and today offers an unparalleled number of classic figure kits.

The model appears to be loosely based on Wyatt Earp as depicted in "The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp," a 1955 TV show created as one of the first Western-based dramas produced specifically for an adult audience.  The show is a lost classic compared to much better-known competitor Gunsmoke, which debuted at nearly the same time.  We'll explore the TV show and some additional Western-themed model kits in the bonus features accompanying this article.

Original versions of the Pyro Wyatt Earp kit included images on the box from the TV show so the kit was an example of early product merchandising.  Stick with us through the bonus features accompanying this article and we'll tell you how you can watch as many free episodes of "The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp" TV series as you want!

Atlantis' Wyatt Earp comes in a long box that evokes a classic Aurora figure kit.  We love the colorful vintage artwork!

Atlantis' Wyatt Earp has 27 styrene plastic parts with some nice features and details  The finished figure will be about 9" tall.

Atlantis' Wyatt Earp kit has 27 parts molded in buff-colored styrene plastic.  It'll go together like any other conventional plastic model figure kit requiring glue for assembly.  Like just about any vintage model kit, the builder will experience some gaps between parts that will benefit from a little modeling putty (we like to use 2-part, slow-curing epoxy) as filler.  There is some flash and a few sink-holes.

No respectable Wild West gunman would be without a pair of six-shooter revolvers.

The lawman's badge is a separate part!

The figure's face has some nice details.  

We'd recommend using rubber bands to secure the halves of the head, legs, arms, feet, and torso together while the glue dries.  This will help reduce gaps and provide a more secure bond between these parts.

In addition to a pair of revolvers, a lever-action rifle is included.  This is similar to a Winchester Model 1886.

It's often the little details that make a model kit great.  Atlantis' Wyatt Earp includes three authentic-style guns with correct period characteristics.  You'd expect a Wild-West gunman to have a pair of six-shooters and the Atlantis kit includes two of what appear to be Colt Single-Action Army Peacemakers.  Of course a pair of belt-holsters are included.

Boots with spurs and holsters are standard equipment for a legendary Western marshal.

The modeler can decide whether or not to use the cowboy hat since it's a seprately molded accessory piece!  Perhaps you could build the figure holding his hat instead of the rifle.  A simple tree stump "base" allows the figure to stand in a contemplative pose.

The figure holds a lever-action rifle with characteristics similar to a Winchester Model 1886.  During the American Civil War (1861-65), the antiquated muzzle-loaded musket was the most common troop weapon.  Repeating rifles were new technology during the period but it took time to get these manufactured and distributed to the front lines.  Post-war, it would be expected that a lawman such as Wyatt Earp would possess the latest weapon technology he could get.  The Winchester 1886 designed by legendary John Browning was truly state-of-the-art at the time and had many characteristics ubiquitous today such as high-power cartridges with smokeless gunpowder.  There might be some sinkholes and ejector-pin marks to fill on the rifle if you plan on building the model to contest-standards.  Otherwise they're minor and could be ignored if you didn't want to go to the extra effort.  You might lose some of the bolt-detail if you decided to fill the depression on the receiver.  But it wouldn't be too hard to replace the detail and many rifles of the period had a featureless receiver cover anyway.

A gun-belt is molded into the figure's waist.

Historians recorded that Wyatt Earp preferred high-society clothing.  The model depicts a vest and period-correct Western tie.

The trick to making any figure look good is in the painting.  The kit's box art depicts a rather colorful clothing ensemble.  We'll defer the builder to their choice of how to depict the character's clothing.  In our bonus features, we'll include some historic pictures of Wyatt Earp as well as additional publicity photos from The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp, the 1950's TV show featuring Hugh O'Brian, on which the kit figure is loosely based.  These color photos will provide a good reference as to how the TV character appeared.

The back of the box has a photo of a built figure.

This promotional photo of Hugh O'Brian playing Wyatt Earp in the 1955 TV series has the actor in the same general pose as the figure kit (stay tuned for a side-by-side comparison).  Note that the vest and tie are the same as those on the model.

In the box art, the figure is wearing pants with a very narrow stripe-pattern.  In the late 1800's, the style was known as the Ludlow trouser.  Note that the figure doesn't have painting guides for these, but of course the modeler is free to add stripes or not as wished.

Instructions include vintage construction diagram artwork and a nicely detailed history of Wyatt Earp.

We're impressed with this kit!  You don't see too many Western-themed figure kits nowadays but there were a few of them that showed up during the early days of the hobby.  We're guessing that Atlantis Models has a few more of these "behind the curtain" and we hope to see them released some day as well.  The 2Modeler.com guys give this kit two enthusiastic thumbs up!  Atlantis packages the kit in a very attractive box that will make collectors happy and the kit includes many authentic details that will thrill historians and builders of all skill levels!  Add this one to your collection or start one today!

SPECIAL THANKS TO ATLANTIS MODELS FOR PROVIDING THIS AWESOME MODEL KIT FOR US TO REVIEW AND ENJOY!

BONUS FEATURES

WYATT EARP:  LEGENDARY LAWMAN OF THE AMERICAN FRONTIER WEST

Wyatt Earp was born in Monmouth, Illinois in 1848.  He is known for his role in the Gunfight at O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.  This event is the most remembered gunfight of the American “Old West.”  Wyatt Earp participated with his brothers Morgan and Virgil.  Older brother Virgil was the town marshal and led the campaign against the Cochise County Cowboys, a collective name for a group of outlaws.
 
There were several shootouts with the most famous being the Gunfight at O.K. Corral.  Unlike his brothers Morgan and Virgil, Wyatt Earp emerged unscathed from these gunbattles.  During the O.K. Corral shootout, Virgil was shot twice.  Later, Virgil was shot again in revenge and Morgan was murdered.  Wyatt avoided injury which helped build his legend.

Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp in 1993's Tombstone

Wyatt Earp as he appeared with a handlebar mustache.

When it came to appearances, Wyatt Earp was known for his mustache and his fondness for fine clothing.

The Gunfight at O.K. Corral made national news after it happened.  Opinions of Wyatt and his brothers varied at the time and he was a controversial figure during the period as his fame spread.  After his death, his legacy was shaped and changed thanks to books, movies and cultural trends including romanticization of the Frontier West period in the United States that occurred as the 20th Century progressed.
 
Post WWII, the Western movie genre was extremely popular.  Many historical events were adapted into movies, and later, TV shows.  As the 1960’s drew to a close, the movie-Western genre largely ran its course yet the occasional film with a Wyatt Earp character continued.

"THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WYATT EARP"

Television was a new consumer-technology after WWII and by 1949, many households clamored to buy their first TV sets.  On June 24 of that year, Hopalong Cassidy debuted as the first network TV Western after the Hopalong theatrical films of the 1930’s and 40’s were shown on TV.  The new  Hopalong TV series became a sensation.  A number of other Western series were rushed into production to capitalize on the enthusiasm generated by the brand-new demographic of TV-viewers.  These programs were written to appeal to the widest possible TV audience and it was hoped by programmers and advertisers that parents and children would watch these shows together.  The Roy Rogers Show and The Lone Ranger are just two of many that quickly became beloved and are iconic to this day.

Hugh O'Brian poses in a publicity shot for "The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp."  A long-barrel Colt Buntline Special was featured in the TV show.  The gun was mentioned in a best-selling 1931 Earp biography that was later criticized for certain fictionalized details.  Such a sidearm would slow down a quick-draw.

Hugh O'Brian studied Stuart Lake's 1931 "Wyatt Earp: Frontier Marshal" biography to develop his interpretation of the character for the Life and Times TV show.  O'Brian was allowed major input into the costumes.  Note many similarities between details in the photo and those found in the Atlantis kit, particularly the Ludlow trousers, patterned vest and black Western tie

In 1955, two TV Western shows debuted that were intended for adults, containing more mature (for the time) dramatic themes as opposed to lighter fare more suitable for general audiences.  Gunsmoke featured the fictional Marshal Matt Dillon as the lead character, adapted from a successful ongoing radio program.  Gunsmoke the TV show ran for an astounding 20 seasons, cancelled in 1975 as Western and rural-themed TV was experiencing a general purge from TV networks.

James Arness played fictional Marshal Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke," which debuted just days after Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.  Arness had a literally massive screen presence with his 6'7" height.  His brother Peter also had a successful career in TV and movies although he later used the stage name Peter Graves.

Another color publicity still of Hugh O'Brian promoted Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.  Note the Buntline Special on his right hip.  Although not as enduringly popular as Gunsmoke, the Wyatt Earp TV show lasted six seasons and 229 episodes.

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp TV show isn’t quite as well-known today as Gunsmoke.  It actually debuted just four days prior to Gunsmoke, so is acknowledged as being the first “mature” TV Western.  The series starred Hugh O’Brian as Marshal Wyatt Earp.  Apparently, O’Brian was considered because of his resemblance to youthful photos of Wyatt Earp.  Interestingly, O’Brian’s Earp was clean-shaven; the vast majority of photos show a mustachioed Earp, often with a pronounced longhorn-style.

The early days of TV were full of conventions and stereotypes that have either been forgotten today or would be considered offensive to current cultural sensibilities.  For example, even  though photos of Wyatt Earp demonstrate that he wore a mustache and in many cases a prominent one, in the TV show the character is clean-shaven.  Early TV shows largely avoided depicting heroes with facial hair.  Often the villains could be identified by the fact that they had beards and/or mustaches.  An interesting exception was Guy Williams' Zorro character.  Willliams sported a pencil-mustache fitting literary descriptions of the fictional character.

In 1957, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp had its greatest viewership, finishing the season as the 6th most popular TV show according to the Nielsen rankings.  While not as popular as #1 Gunsmoke, the show was successful enough that the Pyro model kit company decided to release a model kit based on O’Brian’s interpretation of Wyatt Earp.  This kit first debuted in 1958.  It came with a cardboard pallet with water-based paints.  We’re guessing that it was difficult to get a realistically detailed model out-of-the-box using these.

Box art and publicity shot side-by-side.

"The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" can be viewed free on PlutoTV as of time of posting.  PlutoTV is an ad-supported free streaming service.  It's an app that you can easily load on your smart-TV or mobile device.  Select their on-demand programming; there is a menu for TV Westerns.  As of 2024, Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp was available to view free with ads.  We enjoy watching episodic TV while working on our models.  Why not watch Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp while building the Atlantis model kit!

ENDURING LEGEND:  WYATT EARP PORTRAYED BY KURT RUSSELL IN 1993'S "TOMBSTONE"

By the 1980's and 1990's, the Western TV and movie genre had become largely dormant.  However, a few films and TV series have been produced.  In order to be successful, producers had to take efforts to make sure that writing and production values were top-notch.  "Tombstone" featured A-List actors including Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer.  The film wasn't a huge hit at the time, barely cracking the top-20 for the year, but it has since gained an increasing fan base and is now considered a cult classic.  We find it interesting how the depiction of Wyatt Earp and his frontier-lawmen brethren evolved since the 1950's.  After the 1950's, the concept of the "antihero" gained traction and it became acceptable to portray protagonist "good guys" with facial hair.  Go ahead--make your day and add a mustache to your Atlantis Wyatt Earp model!

"Tombstone" (1993) featured the story of Wyatt Earp and his brothers Morgan and Virgil at the Gunfight at O.K. Corral.  Val Kilmer (left) played Doc Holliday,  Sam Elliott (center-left) played Virgil Earp, Kurt Russell (center-right) played Wyatt, and Bill Paxton (right) played Morgan.

In late 1993, I had a work assignment relating to mining engineering in Tucson, AZ.  At the Holiday Inn where I stayed, my room was apparently mistaken as one belonging to production crew for Tombstone, a now well-known movie about the Shootout at O.K. Corral.  For several days, I had call sheets slid under my door early every morning with production scheduling for the film, which was shooting that week in nearby Old Tucson.  I was tempted to show up and pretend to be part of the production crew, but my efforts for the week had to focus on some local mining concerns.  It would have been fun to work on this movie.  I’d have done it without pay!

"WESTERN" MODELS -- EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF AN UPCOMING LANDMARK KIT

If the plastic model building hobby had a "Wild West" period, it was the 1950's and early 1960's.  Many types of model kits were tried, some of which would seem unusual today.  A few years before the Universal Monsters became a white-hot genre for Aurora, there was a handful of Western-themed models and figure kits.  These of course were intended to capitalize on the popularity of Western movies and TV shows of the era.

Aurora's U.S. Marshal had box art that might be considered too violent by today's standards.  It's bloodless, but the hole in the victim's hat brim tells the story.

Aurora's Lone Ranger depicted the famous Western fictional hero.  The Lone Ranger was an early Western TV show intended for family viewing.  Kids of the era loved it!  Hi-Yo Silver!

The Lone Ranger kit was tweaked just a bit to make Zorro, a Disney favorite featuring Guy Williams.  I recall enjoying this series with my siblings on our living room black-and-white TV.  Atlantis Models re-released this model a few years back!

Pyro's Deputy Sheriff has a resolute expression and an itchy trigger finger.

Aurora had a figure kit of notorious outlaw Jesse James.

Aurora, Revell and Pyro each had a small line of Western-themed model kits.  Aurora's featured their figures.  Revell's featured vehicles such as stage coaches and wagons.  These kits were released after their success with the vintage "Highway Pioneers" Brass-Era cars.  Pyro also had a handful of figure kits and 1/1-scale guns.

As mentioned, throughout the 1960's, the popularity of Western TV and movies waned.  As I recall, we were excited about the Space Race and instead of playing "cowboys and Indians," we played "astronauts and aliens" and clamored to watch TV shows like Star Trek and Lost in Space instead of Gunsmoke and Bonanza.  However, many Western themes were incorporated into both of these sci-fi shows.  "Spectre of the Gun" adapted the Gunfight at O.K. Corral into a Star Trek episode and Lost in Space had a number of "wild West" guest-characters and themes.

Western model kits gave way to science fiction.  AMT's 1966 Starship Enterprise was a huge success and model kit companies embraced the new frontier of sci-fi model kits that endures to this day.

The 1/48-scale Borax 20-Mule Team model kit was a premium you could order by sending a product boxtop and a dollar to U.S. Borax.  This offer was available from the 1950's though the 1980's with apparently no increase in price.  The model kit was engineered by Revell.  These kits can still be found from time to time on eBay.  Finescale Modeler photo.

Revell's Western-themed kits were at or close to 1/48-scale.  Known for intricate, precise details, Revell referred to each of these early kits as "A Miniature Masterpiece."

The Ranch Wagon used mule tooling masters from the 20 Mule Team.  Note that the poses of the mules matches those from the Western Figure Set as well as the actual models in the 1/48 20 Mule Team pictured above.

Atlantis Models started as a small company specializing in science fiction UFO kits in the late 2000's.  One of their early releases was Zorro, which was done from original Aurora tooling and included vintage box art.  Atlantis revives important model kit history by planning additional Western model kit releases with the vintage full-sized Kentucky Long Rifle on its way soon!  This is a greatly anticipated kit.

At the 2024 IPMS/USA National Convention in Madison, WI, it was our pleasure to visit with our friend Peter Vetri, CEO and President of Atlantis Models.  In this photo, Pete shows off a built test-shot from his upcoming full-sized (1/1-scale!) Kentucky Rifle kit.  He indicated that the model was quickly built with no painting--the parts will be molded in color!  We can't wait to see this spectacular kit!!!  It's HUGE at 53 inches long!  Expect to see it ready-for-order in late 2024 or early 2025.