The Model Kit Monster

In 1966, Aurora produced the last of its large scale monster model kits. It was number 13 in the line (a fitting number, indeed!), and was a departure from what they had established in the line so far.  James Warren, publisher of Famous Monsters magazine, had approached Aurora with the idea of producing a kit that would be connected with the magazine, and would feature the magazine's logo on the box cover.  In exchange, Warren would heavily advertise the kit in his monster magazines.  The idea was a classic: a forgotten skeletal prisoner, languishing away in a moldering dungeon setting.  The difference from the previous kits was its lack of a connection to any established monster film franchise,which made it unique among the kits (although it could be argued that the Salem Witch had no direct connection, either, to any film).  Another stand out feature of the kit was the inclusion of a wall "set piece" to create a mini diorama, something the other kits lacked, as wel