More monster model reissues

[ctc]

Say!

Anyone seen these?:

Barnabas Vampire Van Images | MPC | Round 2 Models - AMT models, MPC models and Polar Lights models, including Star Trek kits.
Strange Change Mummy | MPC | Round 2 Models - AMT models, MPC models and Polar Lights models, including Star Trek kits.
Strange Change Vampire | MPC | Round 2 Models - AMT models, MPC models and Polar Lights models, including Star Trek kits.

Don C.

[TrueDave]

Have they mad ethe Strange change time Machine yet?

[SpaceCrawler]

Have they mad ethe Strange change time Machine yet?

Its supposed to be coming out, hasn't yet.

Sean

[BOTZWANA]

Let me know when they get around to re releasing the Aurora Tarpit.

[Robin NY]

r they really releasing the tar pit or is this a wish?

[ctc]

>r they really releasing the tar pit or is this a wish?

I heard Mobius Models was looking into it, but intitial projections were too low. Pity; their reissue "Monster Scenes" kits were fantastic!

Don C.

[SpaceCrawler]

There's a company that's supposed to be releasing older and even new (original) "Prehistoric Scenes" kits. I think it's Atlantis, who just released the T-Rex kit in repro box.
http://atlantis-models.com/

Sean

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'm confused on who's who with these reissue kits. Could some explain the connection (if any) between Round 2/Playing Mantis/Polar Lights/MPC/AMT and Mobius?

Chris

[ctc]

>Could some explain the connection (if any) between Round 2/Playing Mantis/Polar Lights/MPC/AMT and Mobius?

Nope, but I can take a guess. Mobius is a completely separate outfit. The rest are separate companies (although I THINK someone else bought Polar Lights) and Round 2 is a distributor/licensor or somesuch between them.

I think.

But they got tons of kits I've been looking for. (Took me 35 YEARS to get the AMT Bigfoot!)

Don C.

[SpaceCrawler]

I believe Round 2, Playing Mantis and Polar Lights were all associated at one point, or parts of the same company (I think Round 2 was the original owners taking "Playing Mantis" back after they had sold it). Originally, back in the 90s, Polar Lights (a variant of the name "Aurora", named after the old Aurora model company and reissuing many of their old kits) was the model portion of Playing Mantis, while Memory Lane had their holiday toys (Peanuts, Rudolph) and Playing Mantis had stuff like the Captain Action action figures.

All that changed when Playing Mantis was split up or sold or something and things get confusing with Memory Lane vanishing being replaced by Forever Fun, etc. I'm not sure how MPC or AMT are linked but they obviously are linked to Round 2 and Polar Lights in some way, according to their website.

Sean

[tay666]

I can clear some of this up.
AMT / Ertl / MPC were all bought by Racing Champions (RC2)
Playing Mantis was the parent company for Polar Lights (along with Johnny Lightning, and another company I can't remember now)
RC2 bought Playing Mantis, then shut down production of all the model divisions they owned. (they bought PM just to get the JL stuff to go with the rest of their die-cast)

A few years ago, the former owner of Playing Mantis started a company called Round 2. They leased the rights to produce all the model stuff that RC2 owned.
Just recently they purchased all of those assets outright.
Press release and company histories can be found here.
CultTVmans Fantastic Modeling - Round 2 has officially aquired Polar Lights, AMT, and MPC

Moebius is a totally different company.
A smallish plastic kit company run by someone who has been involved in the hobby for a long time. While RC2 had all production shut down, he saw a market that wasn't being served by anyone, and made the jump into running a company. And seems to be doing great at it.

Other names in the game.
Monarch Models. Started around the same time as Moebius but only a few releases so far. Basically a one man operation. Done for the pure love of Aurora kits and done around his 'day job' and funded by his own personal finances.

Atlantis Models
They just started a year or two ago. Some kind of blending of the guys who own and run Mega Hobby and Andy Yanchus (former Aurora employee)


Atlantis did reissue the Aurora T-rex, using the molds that Revell still own.
Revell are the ones that have done all the other reissues of the Prehistoric Scenes. Atlantis has talked about a possible reissue of the sabertooth tiger, but nothing has been announced officially.

Moebius did want to reissue the Jungle Swamp, but when solicited the response was underwhelming. So Frank decided not to risk the cash outlay of having new molds made, as the original molds are long gone. Scrapped out by Monogram shortly after acquiring the Aurora assets.

[ctc]

>Revell are the ones that have done all the other reissues of the Prehistoric Scenes.

Now.... is Revell still Revell? I kinda recall they were bought by someone or bought someone else back in the 90's. I know they have different branches, so maybe it was just Revell USA?

It's weird how the model companies keep swapping designs around like that. I've had a helluva time following the preceedings. Seems like the bigwigs feel there's SOME interest in this stuff, but aren't quite sure what to do with it.

Don C.

[tay666]

Revell is still Revell.
They did buy out Monogram back in the early 90's.

Monogram is the one that actually purchased the Aurora assets.
But then in 90's, it became Revell-Monogram, and some time after that, they just dropped the Monogram off the end. (though, I think they do still occasionally release a few specialty collector type things under the Monogram name)

There is also Revell-Germany, which I believe is the European equivalent.

[PNGwynne]

I buy reissue kits regularly--still hoping for the rest of the Monsters of the Movies 1/12 kits *sigh*.

I just got Strange-Changing Mummy & Vampire, as well as SA Green Lantern.

But I'm not familiar with the S-C Time Machine--can someone elaborate?

[ctc]

>still hoping for the rest of the Monsters of the Movies 1/12 kits

I e-mailed Mobius about that, and they said there wasn't enough interest at this time. But maybe if a lot of folks e-mailed....

....and maybe if they got originals to run molds off of....

....and maybe.... well, I dunno. I can dream too.

I'd love to see "The Dungeon" and "Animal Pit" released too. I got the resin recast of the Pit, but it's a pain to build, and needs a fair amount of doctoring. (I was told it's 'cos the recast wasn't run from a complete kit; some of the parts were missing and they had to fudge a few things to make it work.)

Don C.