Updated: January 11, 2018

Creature from the Black Lagoon - By Chris Wauchop:

Introduction:

This is Horizon's vinyl figure model of the Gillman in "Creature From The Black Lagoon", the cult 3D movie released in 1954. The Horizon kit is no longer in production.

Construction:

As discussed in the earlier article on Draco the Dragon, the techniques for building a vinyl kit are not complicated, but they are slightly different to a hard styrene model. Excess vinyl was first removed using a hobby knife with a new blade. Seam lines were then carefully pared from the kit.

Gillman's legs were filled with Plaster of Paris to add weight and rigidity to the finished model. The Creature was then assembled using super glue.

White Milliput (a fine grain two-part epoxy putty) was used to fill the gaps at the joins. Construction of this model was quite straightforward and trouble-free.

Painting:

Chris based the Creature's coloring and details on movie posters. He also spent plenty of time freezing frames from the video to achieve accurate shading.

The Testor Aztek A470 airbrush was used for the bulk of the paint job. Most of the effects were obtained with the fine (tan colored) tip. Brushwork was rare - even details like the warts, lumps and bumps were picked out with the airbrush.

The base was scratchbuilt. It was populated with Woodlands Scenics landscaping materials.