Kit Review:

Angry Red Spider

Ultratumba Productions

reviewed by the Mad Skotzman

Appearance of the Kit
pose, expression, details/articulation, accuracy (or originality)

Paul Schiola's "Angry Red Spider" kit is a breakthrough piece that should draw attention to this little company hiding away in Colorado.  The kit very accurately portrays the bat-rat-spider-crab that resonates from the 1960 sci-fi space film, Angry Red Planet.  The parts are beautifully rendered and the kit is really wonderful.  The fur and features are nicely done and capture the monster in all it's surreal glory, and has more sense of movement than the pictures might indicate.  Every detail is captured in arguably the best BRSC kit ever produced.

Construction and Quality of the Kit
ease of assembly / fit of parts, putty / sanding work, 
quality of cast / ease of painting /painting options

You will want some heavy duty 3-minute epoxy for attaching the legs, arms, mouth and tail because this kit is big.  It is not difficult to assemble but you might find it useful to use the prop rod supplied when putting it together.

There is zero (as in NONE) clean up to be done with the kit, and the parts fit exceedingly well.  A little trimming of the leg pegs helps, but they slide right into place as is.  There is a need for putty at the joints, but the kit is really well designed and the seams are essentially hidden with minimal blending. 

Time/Energy/Money
 how much effort, headache, etc. is there versus the cost

This kit is at the top of my list this year for value.  It only costs $75 plus $18 shipping (and it is huge, so this is an an exceptional price), but more importantly, the quality of the cast and sculpt is worth way more than that sum.  The kit comes packed in a great box with Styrofoam, form fitted trays to insure safe arrival.  It is easy to put together and paint and at $75, it has to be the steal of the year.  I can't say enough about the value of this deal.

Other Factors
"wow" factor, suitability for dioramas, flexibility for modification

This is a commanding kit at nearly 20 inches wide and 10 inches tall.  The bizarre, surreal nature of the subject really appeals to me and there is no way a person will miss this kit in contest room!  The base is nice too and will allow for a great presentation as designed.

Also, I would like to point out that the kit comes with an acrylic rod (mentioned above) that will support your Angry Red Spider--but I found that if you use a strong epoxy style adhesive, this is not a necessity.  So, if you are saying to yourself that you don't like the center rod, I am here to tell you that you don't need it if you use strong glue and have a little patience.

Overall Recommendation
Level of skill required and general thoughts

Well, again, let me stress the fact that this is a runaway choice for best value this year.  I love the kit and you won't believe how much you will get for this price.    Everything about Ultratumba's latest offering tells you that quality is their top priority and with that price tag, it is probably enough to spoil you.

© CreatureScape 2006