When we talk about great characters of horror and science fiction, Dr. Jekyll and his animalistic counterpart, Mr. Hyde, should come quickly into the discussion. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was first published about the same time Count Gore was born (according to his tombstone, anyway) in 1886. Since then, Dr. Jekyll and especially, Mr. Hyde, have made a big splash on the silver screen in various incarnations, including the only Best Actor Oscar ever awarded for a horror role for Fredric March's 1931 portrayal of the classic split personality. And not surprising, there have been many kit incarnations as well.
Before we go much further, let me say congratulations to Count Gore De Vol . . . not just for 10 years on the web, nor for 40 years as a host, but also nailing such a cool movie for his fans this week. For some reason, Mr. Hyde is often forgotten in the pantheon of horror film figures, perhaps because the Oscar winning performance delivered by Fredric March 1931 was not a Universal production. However, it is a nearly universal story (so to speak) about the animal nature lurking within and with the possible exception of Dr. Frankenstein, it invents the classic mad scientist who is driven to experiment even when it is most dangerous.
The first kit produced to render the shape shifting chemist was made by the Aurora model company in the mid 1960s. In truth, it is a much better kit than most of the Auroras in terms of design, detail and build-ability. It also looks much more like the box art than most, which is a plus.
Aurora no longer makes the kit, of course, but Moebius Models does! In fact, they have really improved the kit overall and have issued it in the long box version as well as the glow in the dark version seen to the right.
I have one in fact, and if I can work it out, I will get a build up article done for the kit for the anniversary show as well, but if not, suffice it to say, I have been very impressed with the kit. Nicely molded, different color plastics and even clear acrylics for those instruments on the table. Very cool and highly recommended especially given the relatively low cost of $25 or so retail.
Another classic Hyde that has been around for a while is Geometric Design's Hyde bust. Isn't he charming . . . all dressed up for the opera and perhaps an evening of drinking and bludgeoning the patrons. This kit is cast as one piece of resin and comes with a stand as seen here. It is still available and in fact, we retail them at CreatureScape for just $49.99 plus $6 S&H. If you would like to add this to your collection, just hit the Paypal button below and make all your nightmares come true!
If you are in the mood for something bigger and have a bit more to spend, I would recommend that you check out Dark Carnival's 1:1 Mr. Hyde bust. Sculpted by Alex Oliver and cast in one piece of hefty cold-cast resin, this Hyde is a fearsome addition to your shelf. This one has nice pointy teeth which look great with a thick yellow stain on them. The kit retails for $175 and you can get yours from Dark Carnival with Paypal.
And in case you missed it, this is 1:1 scale . . . meaning it is life-sized and sure to cause a stir for your house guests.
Another nice kit comes from Tower of London kits (which can be found by clicking the link.) Officially number 15 in the series, it was sculpted by Jeff Yagher and fits in nicely with his other dramatic kits. It measures about 12 inches tall at 1/6th scale and is rendered in eleven solid resin parts. This particular build up was done by Steve Riojas and captures the strange animal magnetism of Mr. Hyde, wouldn't you say?
Only 60 models were ever produced, but it is still available as far as I know, so get it now while you can. It retails for $160 and is worth the price for sure.
Finally, not many people realize that Boris Karloff himself played the mad doctor (and his wicked alter-ego as well), but he did. It was part of Universal's "Abbott and Costello meet . . ." series and of course, after Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Mummy, they eventually had to run into Mr. Hyde.
The kit is officially licensed and is a solid cast resin kit with optional hands and heads so you can build the good doctor or the bad beast depending on your preference. It retails for $120 and can be found at Monsters in Motion.
Well, that about does it for this installment. There are other Hyde models, mind you, but most are impossible to find. However, I advise you to look around. Just grab your night stick, whip up your favorite concoction and head out into the night . . .
and feel free to email me if you want to talk kits of have a kit done for you.
