The Headless Hearseman

The Lover

2011-06-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Great new release from Resin Crypt coming soon. Told in the words of Resin Crypt's president:

Good evening modeler's and collector's,

I hope everyone is having a great summer. What we have here, Hot off the heels of Wonderfest as promised are some updated WIP pics of my upcoming new release "The Lover" sculpted by the very talented and gifted hands of Chuck Needham. I just got the latest round of pics from Chuck and my jaw hit the floor. I thought I would share them with you. The sculpture is 1/6th scale and will pay tribute to the great Ingrid Pitt. Chuck has captured our female vampire in all of her captivating glory. Incredible detail given to the likeness from her fangs to her hair to the folds of the gown. I really love the pose of this figure as well. She gives you the impression that she is on the prowl and be hunted at the same time. The base has been beautifully rendered. Amazing detail has been given to tomb stones from the vines intertwining to the names on the tomb stones (depicting some of "The Lovers" victims) to the cracks of the head stones and beautifully detailed roses and willow tree. There will also be a special monument commemorating Ingrid Pitt included with the kit which the modeler will be able to place wherever they choose. The monument (nameplate) will also be highly detailed and quite special. Big Thanks to my good friend Fritz Frising (The Headless Hearsman) for providing the name plates for the head stones. The entire sculpt should be done shortly and I will post the finished sculpture soon. All feedback gladly welcomed. Best, Vin

Now Available: Gigantic Frankenstein Head

2011-01-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

This unbelievably cool rendition of Glenn Strange as The Monster has been done by garage kit legend Tony Cipriano. A fellow Long Islander, Cipriano has made his mark in the kit hobby, pre-paints, and his work for major toy and figure companies.

The Headless Hearseman proudly announces that this will be made available as a limited edition bust, or as a replacement head for the Gigantic Frankenstein model kit, as pictured below. Based on the box art by James Bama, circa 1965, this recreation captures many fine textures and details. Stay tuned for updates!

Eerie

2011-01-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

We've reissued a classic model from Germany. This new base will place him in a setting more worthy--a fresh mound of earth, tombstone, and a hand breaking thru the mound.

Released by Nightmares in Plastic about 7 years ago, this American reissue thru Headless Hearseman will be under a banner combing the names of the two companies.

Painting tips--Name Plates

2010-11-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked about tips and tricks I use when painting Name Plates, I'll knock this down into steps and hope that these can be helpful to folks.

1) After cleaning up the resin casting, use primer to coat the plate.

2) Base coat it the colour desired and then use a broad flat brush to dry-brush the highlighted letters. Highlight white as a coating under anything that will be red or yellow -it helps those colours stand out.

3) Once you get the colours you like on the letters you may have to step in and edge or detail some points.

After that is done, go in with washes and details around some for effect. If you want to get crazy, try to outline a raised edge in black to contrast the letter more between the raised and recessed colours. Sometimes backgrounds need to be retouched.

4) When you are done there is a great accent piece to your model kit. No matter what your skills, I'm sure you'll be proud of what you have done.

Lastly, there is one important step throughout; clear coat between colours to protect your work. This way if you slip with the brush, you can wipe it off without damaging the other layers you have done. Nothing is worse than starting all over because the last colour messed up all the previous work!

Happy painting!

Clare Pearson Elephant Man kit

2010-02-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

The Elephant Man figure below fits nicely into Monstrology Model's vision. The sculpt, by Clare Pearson, is a release by our good friends Artifactus Arcanus. We are distributing this in kit form for a limited time. The price is $110.00 including shipping.The kit consists of five pieces, and box art.

Typically this will be sold as a painted statue. For more info, please email us. You'll find more details at Monstrology Models.

Resin Realities sculpts Ken Kelly's art!

2009-12-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

Two good friends of mine have collaborated on a new line of model kits. Fantasy artst Ken Kelly, known to me for his Creepy and Eerie covers, has joined with John Diaz and Resin Realities for a line of fantasy sculptures based on Ken's original paintings.

Prototype images are shown here. The final kits may vary.

The Keeper and Auction Block kit images have a direct link to Resin Realities order page. The Priestess will have a link once the kit is made available. You can see the original artwork at KenKellyArt.com

Hope you like these. When you order, tell them the Headless Hearseman sent you.

Interview about Monstrology Models

2009-09-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

I want to share an interview done with me for the Resin the Barbarian blog. Todd P. was really great to work with, and pieced this together from various sources he found online. A questionaire, and interviews fleshed out his findings quite nicely.

I'm rather proud of this, and author Todd P. should be as well. Now scurry over here and read it!

John Barrymore as Mr. Hyde Resurrected!

2009-09-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

In 1994, this model kit made its debut at Chiller Theatre. Jon Wang presented this astounding sculpture by William Paquet featuring the Great Profile in his 1920 film, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (as a side note, this was filmed in Bayshore, Long Island. The building is still there.)

The sculpture is 1:6 scale, and has great detail as you can see. I am very proud to be reissuing the kit, which is exactly as presented in the photo shown. I expect to start receiving castings in 2-3 weeks. If you want to get in on this early to help pay for new molds, I am offering a discount & free shipping inside the USA. The price for the pre-order, $125.00.

The deluxe base from Black Cat Resin is still in the works, but will not be ready for several weeks. The Hyde kit price is for the reissue version, and does not include the deluxe base.

Black Cat Resin base for Barrymore Hyde

2009-08-21T22:14:00.000-07:00

I am excited to finally offer a base sculpted by my very talented buddy John Comito. John took sketches and photos of gorgeous brick and stone work throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan to come up with the detail he has put into this. The door is painstakingly built with real wood and trim.

This base stands about 20" tall x 14" wide x 8" deep. Slated for release late September.

"Axe To Grind" from Resin Crypt

2009-07-10T20:27:00.000-07:00

Looking for a cool project to paint? This one knocks my socks off--it is destined to be viewed as a great garage kit. Why? It offers a classic Karloff, cool pose, a raven, sinister theme, and creepy appeal. No matter how you look at it, this is just a darned nifty kit, which should catch a wider market than the producer suspects. This is one I am eager to get my paws on, and slap some paint on it! If you feel so inclined, get hold of Vin at Resin Crypt, and tell him Fritz pushed you his way.

I even went so far as to design and make a name plate for it! It is plate #100, for those interested. 2.5" wide by 1.75" tall.

Monstrology Models "Edison Frankenstein"

2009-06-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

The first William Paquet reissue in the Monstrology Models line will be the 1993 classic kit Edison Frankenstein. Based on the 1910 Charles Ogle interpretation, this 1:6 scale kit is a true classic. The kit above is painted by Bill Harrison.

Shown below is one of the final issue kits with metal hands. At first these were cast in grey polyester, but were soon issued in white resin and lastly in tan resin. The kit has been out of production for about 10 years.

The Headless Hearseman reissues will remain faithful to the original releases and history of Monstrology Models. Working closely with old friend Jon Wang, the man whose vision brought us Monstrology in the first place, most of the original line will be reissued in due time. If you have images of any of these kits, or want to see something reissued, get in touch.

Find more images and contact detail here.

My Dear Heart

2009-06-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

My pride and joy is my son. He turned 4 recently, and is already an accomplished puzzle builder without instructions or pictures. Model kits are no different. This is a reissue Aurora Triceratops he built at 3 years and 9 months--his first kit. Makes a Dad proud!

Armand Tesla

2009-06-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a figure of Bela Lugosi as the vampire Armand Tesla in the 1943 film Return of the Vampire. I oversculpted the Billikin Lugosi head for a puffier look, and reposed the body. The folds in the sleeves are now made more natural to the pose. A modern tux shirt, cravat, and changed vest complete the style changes to the 1948 Dracula tux.
The base is made of cell foam, spackled and covered in ivy. Twigs, bats and an 'iron' gate detail the scene for the mausoleum. Brown and manilla paper was sprayed with red and brown paint, then cut with a leaf shaped confetti die.

Kitbuilders #32

2009-06-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

In 1999 I got to do two articles for Kitbuilders. One on the Janus Company, and one on Bela Lugosi model kits. Collecting Lugosi had long been a passion of mine--his portrayals and acting are quite memorable. But perhaps the biggest affinity I have for the actor comes from my Dad.

As a child I watched classic movies with Dad. He saw Dracula as a 13 year old in New York when it was new to the screen in 1931. When we would watch his old films, every entry of Lugosi's on screen was met with my Dad's announcement of "Bel-La Lew-Go-SEE!!"

The cover of this magazine ties the two articles together. It depicts the Janus Lugosi Dracula kit. And it was painted by me... although the decision to paint the cape red was not mine. But that, my friends, is a story for another time.

What is The Headless Hearseman?

2009-06-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Headless Hearseman is dedicated to the art of the garage kit. Model figures; representing early Horror Cinema--for the most part before 1950. I hope you will join me, Headless Fritz, as I present some of the figures I have been involved with since my start in the hobby 17 years ago. I will showcase photos of models I have built, as well as my involvements with Monstrology Models, Wonder Models, aka Supporting Castings, Mental Mischief, and my own company, formerly known as Vampir Unlimited.
I have painted figures for Janus Company and numerous collectors. I have kits in some notable collections out in Hollywood. I have produced a couple of model kits of my own, and you caan see these at http://www.headlesshearseman.com/. You will also find my specialty--name plates. Not only do I offer resin name plates to accessorise people's custom model displays, but I also can make custom plates. One-of-a-kind plates, or plates that can be used by kit companies and artists for their prototypes.
Most importantly, I hope that you will enjoy this chronicle and archive as it unfolds.