Thanks to Pirates and Princesses, I recently learned that Round 2 has reissued four model kits under its Polar Lights brand, originally released in 1974 by Model Products Corporation (MPC) and loosely based Haunted Mansion attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
The model reissues have been given slightly different names and are being released without the Disney licensing, using the name “Haunted Manor” instead, but are otherwise identical to the classic 1:12 scale model kits. Like the original kits, each kit features animated elements triggered by a rubber band and has been given a slight upgrade with the addition of glow-in-the-dark elements.
Haunted Manor: Play It Again, Tom!
Inspired by the pipe organist in Disney’s The Haunted Mansion ballroom, the Haunted Manor: Play It Again, Tom is a creepy pipe organ diorama that includes shocking, moving features triggered by rubber band action. Watch as the organist hits the keys, and a mummy pops out of the organ!
Haunted Manor: Flight of the Vampire
If you’re familiar with Disney’s Haunted Mansion attractions, you know there aren’t any vampires, but as part of the original model kits, Disney included a model of a vampire named Morris, who happened to be afraid of the dark. The rubber band action on this kit causes Morris to swing his arms in fear, causing him to knock the gargoyle off the tombstone, unveiling a smiling face.
Haunted Manor: Grave Robber’s Demise
We’ve always been told that the scared old man in the Haunted Mansion’s graveyard was a caretaker, but in 1974 Disney took the character and instead turned him into a grave robber for the model kits. In search of treasure, the poor chap is completely oblivious to the fact that the body he’s dug up has been reanimated. Trigger the rubber band action and the casket opens and the corpse pops up to grab him.
Haunted Manor: Escape from the Dungeon
Escape from the Dungeon features several familiar elements from the Haunted Mansion attraction. First, at the heart of the diorama is a casket that looks a lot like the one found in the attraction conservatory where riders see a skeleton trying to open his casket while screaming, “let me out of here…l-l-let me outta here!” The model kit also features the hitchhiking ghost Gus, complete with his ball and chain. Interestingly, in the 1974 kit, he was referred to as a gnome, and in the modern reissue is referred to as a troll. The kit also features the executioner, who can be found as one of the singing ghosts in the attraction graveyard. The kit uses rubber band action to pring two moving figures. A flip of the switch causes the executioner to swing his axe and causes the skeleton to pop up from his coffin.
The four 1:12 scale model kits are available through Auto World. Flight of the Vampire, The Grave Robber’s Demise, and Escape from the Dungeon are $24.99. Play It Again, Tom! is $26.99.
