IS KONGA FINALLY COMING?

It seems like it's been a year-and-a-half or two since I pre-ordered the Konga model kit. Thus far, just a few irregular notices of delay, but just recently I received a promising message from Steve Iverson at CultTVman that it's supposed to be shipped real soon. It's not his fault, mind you, it's the manufacturer (Monarch Models, who have had problems with solvency in recent years -- maybe somebody bought 'em?). I hope it's worth the wait and it'll be a good, clean build.

Box art and prototype:

In the meantime, let's take a look at Charlton's KONGA comic book adaptation from June 1961. Edited by Pat Masulli, and with a cover by Dick Giordano, the script is written by Joe Gill and illustrated by Steve Ditko. Charlton followed up with a 22-issue series continuing Konga's story.

NOTE: There's a quirky little back-up story in this issue. "The Movies Come of Age", written by (probably) Joe Gill with pencils by Bill Molno and inks by Vince Alascia provides a brief history of cinema on the big screen.

MY FLY IS OPEN FOR VIEWING

If Aurora would have kept on making monster models, I'm sure they would have made a version of this, one of the creepiest sci-fi/horror movies to come out of the 1950s. The folks at Monarch Models went ahead and the result is one cool kit.

This scenario is from the first film, right down to the transmogrified fly with a human head! The kit is well-cast in plastic and most of the pieces actually joined pretty well. All of it is brush-painted with the exception of the lab coat which I spray-painted white. The eyes, head and claw are all built up with layers of green and blue pearlescent ink over a foundation of metallic bronze.

The toughest part was painting the control panel and I had the idea of adding LED lights, but I have so many other irons in the fire I just didn't want to take the time to do it. Mabe later, in my "spare" time!

Help meeee . . . !