Halloween Nightmares: The Melting Man

This kit is probably the easiest of the seven to assemble due to the low number of parts, the most complex of which is the little boy which has six. The melting man has four and the good sized base has a number of objects which can be placed just about anywhere the builder chooses.

As I said on the cover page of this collection of kits, this one was also extremely clean with nary a bubble or seam line in sight. The detailing on each figure along with the base is superb and provides a serious challenge in painting although patience, a steady hand and a #1 paint brush can work wonders.

My color palette didn't differ that much from the cover art although I added a few more details such as a Band-Aid on the boy's left knee, sun burned arms and neck, grass stained sneakers and even a vaccination scar on the boy's right shoulder not to mention a scrape and scratch here and there.

As far as our 'hero' is concerned, the manufacturer thoughtfully cast him in clear resin so you could use any color you liked for the dissolution scene. As you can see, I stayed with clear red for the smoodge on the street. I spent time on his shirt pocket which held a couple pens and a pencil and I stripped his tie with white fingernail decorating tape.

The peripheral objects, e.g. a Tor Johnson fright mask, two pumpkins (one smashed and the other intact), the jack o'lantern candy holder and the pieces of candy and leaves cast into the pavement here and there finish off the scene perfectly and are fun to paint.

Although this kit is a bit more expensive than other resin kits I have built, I think the excellent detail along with the scene's overall composition is well worth the extra expense and will surly inspire visitors to comment on it. 4/20/19