#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: THE MODEL PERFECTIONIST : NO SMALL TIME HOBBY

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! I have made this #BANNER using a series of promotional photographs that were commissioned by the #HAMMERFILMS  press office, during the publicity campaign of their fourth #FRANKENSTEIN film with Cushing, 'Frankenstein Created Woman' with Susan Denberg. It's true, while the good Baron was very great at making 'Monsters', Cushing was quite an accomplished and expert model maker. 

EVERYTHING FROM his model soldiers, used in his #WARGAME past-time, model aircraft, ships, boats, houses and theater's . . . particularly theaters. After Cushing's death all of his model work, was auctioned to help pay his DEATH TAX bill..a REAL horror story... of the eight or nine that still existed, displayed and fully functional in the attic studio workshop at his Whitstable home, some are now in the 'eat you heart out collectors' MEGA COLLECTION, of huge Cushing fan and director, Guillermo del Toro Gómez. Each of the theaters, consisted of a proscenium arch, scenery, tabs, curtains, actors, props and a fully operational lighting system, complete with lightning board. 

I HAVE LABELLED  the photographs, with close up images, so you can see the amazing eye for detail and authenticity that Cushing really had. Take a look at the handmade GOBO light, with different colored gels and working selection motor. The lighting positioned at the rear of the set in photograph C, a shows that colored lighting gel, was positioned over the lamps, so that the light source on the model stage, depicted daylight! I have no idea just how much the theaters sold for, but from his telephone bidding on the day, it's known their was huge interest in the theaters, and the 'lolly' that went under the hammer, was big bucks.

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA    

FIGURES WE LIKE VERY MUCH : FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING PART TWO

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: OK so, I am posting this on a #THURSDAY in our #THROWBACK spot, because this features serves as a SECOND look at models and figures of Peter Cushing. Some are self assemble kits, some are bespoke commissioned pieces and some are tableau's, depicting something in connection with Cushing. So, the strap says, 'That we Like Very Much'. You might ask yourself, well what's the criteria here? Is it points for likeness of Cushing The accuracy of the face, the costumes, the setting? Well, not necessarily. If it LOOKS like Cushing, that helps, but over the years I have seen some great 'HEADS', but the costume looks like a cross-between a sleeping bag and a fat suit! So, we are looking for, a good job. Attention to detail, and I don't mean that the figure has the right number of eyes, that are BOTH looking in ONE direction! If the figure is depicting Cushing as Tarkin from #STARWARS, then the correct colour of the uniform, the style and cut of the cloth, if it's a solid resin figure, that the figure have a 'life' about it, not a 'solid lump of dead resin look'. Paint jobs are well done . . .  basically, something I would be happy to give pride-of place on my study shelf, and part with my hard earned lolly for too. Some of these figures cost . . . !

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA TABLEAU

THIS CHARMING three figure piece above from #thebridesofdracula, has some handsome figures of Peter Cushing, David Peel and Andre Melly. I love the bits and pieces in miniature, the flagon, the bucket. Even Van Helsing's holy water flask on the ground, is very nicely done.

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN TABLEAU

 

 

 

This a pretty neat tableau featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee from THAT shot in their frits Hammer films together, 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) This I believe is a two figure set, but the lab, the flasks, jars and bottles with suspect contents, were all made later by the person who owns the figures and also did the paint jobs! This #Curseoffrankenstein also made part of a #TOOCOOLTUESDAY post we made earlier this year, along with the Christopher Lee #SCRAOFDRACULA figure below. . .

THIS PETER CUSHING bust by Paul Fay, looks very noble and has caught a great likeness too!

PETER CUSHING'S Arthur Grimsdyke, zombified is always popular with model makers, there are quite afew few kits out there, but this one is one of the best. I love the curled lip half smile... 

 

THAT VAN HELSING FIGURE again, but in isolation, still looks just as good!

MORE CUSHING VAN HELSING, this time from Hammer films 1958 Dracula  Horror Of Dracula. I like the stance and the base is very nice, though the likeness of Cushing is a little, just a touch, off.

HERE IS ONE THAT really hits the button! Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein from 'Frankenstein Created Woman'. This could be a full size figure, as in life -size. It was shown at the Monsterpalooza in 2010, but I have not seen this image until now. Superb!

ANOTHER MODEL OF GRIMSDYKE, and a very good one. I guess you can't under estimate the importance the paint job, on any model. It can often help to enhance, the figure, the textures of the resin, plastic or plaster. This Grimsdyke figure certainly has had the benefit of a very skilled application of paint.

HOWEVER FOR EVERY GREAT FIGURE, there are always some that just miss the mark . . . 

THE IS ONE ABOVE of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing from Hammer films, THE MUMMY, REALLY could have been super special, it's so close! The positioning of the figures is great, the clothing and textures look real, and it it is presented on a VERY nice base... Lee looks passable, but Cushing John Banning, needed just a little more work. It's a pity, because you don't get to see many figures from the Hammer Cushing class film . . .

AND FINALLY, in that category of 'almost but not quite', we present a Dr Terror, A Tarkin, A Baron Frankenstein from Hammer's '.....Destroyed; and '...Created Woman' a Christopher Lee from '....Curse Of' and A Dr Stein from '...Revenge' that are all good tries, but no cigar!

All photographs belong to the respected owners and makers of the models.

 

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: TOY THEATERS THAT ARE TOO GOOD TO PLAY WITH!

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: One of Peter Cushing's many hobbies, the building of model theaters. Each theater came complete with hand-made scenery, props, acting figures and characters, tabs and lighting. Every theater also had operating curtains. Each theater was set with a particular scene from a play, musical or opera. ALL hand made and painted. It's thought there were up to twenty working theaters, these were permanently on display in his loft studio, at the Cushing's home, Sea View, Seasalter, Whitstable.

FROM 1952 UNTIL 1971, Peter was hardly ever resting (resting : the professions term for being unemployed). With the obvious thousands of man hours to make these theaters, it makes you wonder, when Cushing actually had time to spend on this work. Cushing also made model airplanes, board games, train set lay outs with model villages and towns, painting, bird-watching, jewellery making and collecting and reading books! All of this, with exception of reading and studying for his professional work, stopped when his late wife, Helen Cushing sadly died. There was however, one little window of time when Cushing did set to work on making some models. CEO of Hammer films, Michael Carreras had come up with the idea of a Hammer Films museum . . . he commissioned the making of a Chinese temple, as depicted in the Hammer / Run Run Shaw Brosthers film, 'The Legend of the even Golden Vampires'. Peter set to work, and didn't really stop for four whole days! He admitted that with the glues, paints and latex involved in making the model, his working clothes had to be burned! Sadly, the Hammer museum, didn't work out and what became of the temple is a mystery . . .

 

 

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MODEL MAKING: PETER CUSHING AND HIS TOWN AND TRAIN SET ON A TABLE TOP

Cushing And His Hobbies. In the past few weeks we've posted features on Cushing's many hobbies and the many happy hours he spent in his home studio making thousands of model soldiers to participate in table top 'Little Wars' gaming, the building of beautiful working theatres, complete with acting figures, sets and lighting, his talent for painting in water colours and oils, that went on to be exhibited, the board games he invented and made for visiting friends to play..so it shouldn't surprise you to find out he also owned, a train set.

But, not a person to do anything by halves, this train set was permanently mounted in his studio room upstairs at both the Cushing's homes in Hillsleigh Road, London and Whitstable...a model train set built around a hand built town, with people, shops, streets, a factory, a train station and goods yard....Cushing's first job on leaving school, for as short a time as he could stand it, was working at the grand sounding... Planning and Drawing Office of the Surveyor's Department at Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council in his home town. No doubt, the 'town planning' experience came in handy!

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: PETER CUSHING AND HIS MODEL THEATRES

Peter with one of the many working model theatre's he made during the 50's and 60's. Examples of Peter's model work can been seen at Peter Cushing at 100 exhibition at Whitstable Museum and Gallery. The exhibition is open 10 am - 4pm every day until June 23rd. Admission £3 for adults.