Interview with Mike Vredevoogd of

by Denis Bohm

Who are the people in your company?

Just Me! However I have to give special recognition to some of the people who have supported me and provided me with inspiration to go on when things have gotten tough.
Matt Mcwhirt of "The Shape of Things" has been instrumental in providing my kit production on all of my Urethane based products. The sculptors I have worked with include John Schneider, Bill Merklein, Randy Bowen, David Fisher, Tom Sasser, Jim Fawkes, Bruce Turner & Rick Wyatt. Graphic Artists & Illustrators who have lent their talents include Kevin Butterfield, Jeffrey Busch, Ken Cox, Anthony Carpenter & Wayne Meyer.

What is the history behind the formation of your company?

Same old story... Former Aurora builder gets sick of looking at bad paint jobs he did (as a kid) so he blows them up with M-80s (as a teenager). In his early 30's, he stumbles onto a copy of Model and Toy Collector and is bitten by the nostalgia bug.

What kits have you done in the past?

• Licensed 1/6 scale Ben Cross/Barnabas: Sculpted by Bruce Turner (discontinued)
• Licensed 1/8 scale Monster Posse (set of 4 characters): Jim Fawkes (discontinued)
• Licensed 1/8 scale Ben Cross/Barnabas (as seen in David Fisher's Video): Sculpted by Bill Merklein (discontinued)
• Licensed 1/8 scale Jonathan Frid/Barnabas Collins: Sculpted by Bill Merklein
• Licensed 1/8 scale Toxic Avenger: Sculpted by Randy Bowen
• Licensed Frid/Barnabas Collins Bust: Sculpted by Bill Merklein
• Public Domain 1/5 scale Masque of the Red Death: Sculpted by John Schneider & David Fisher.
• Public Domain Relief Movie Poster "Metropolis": Sculpted by Tom Sasser & Jim Fawkes.

How do you pick the subjects for your kits?

I wanted to license, as opposed to pirating the characters I liked. Affordable licenses are, sometimes, hard to find. I keyed in on those characters I both liked and could afford.

How do you view packaging (box art, cover art, etc)?

All of my kits have had full color box art, except the bust. I don't think it is absolutely necessary, but since I liked color box art, I provided it for most of my kits. Original paintings were created for all of the Dark Shadows kits and for the Masque kit. Color photographic art was created for the Monster Posse and Toxic Avenger kits.

What are your future directions?

I have to finish the Metropolis Film Poster Plaque, first. The rest hasn't been figured out yet. I would like to try some finished figurines and busts.

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