Reviewer:	Steve Goodrich
Kit:	Screamin' - Dr. Channard
Scale:	1/4
Material:	Vinyl
Genre:	Horror
Sculptor:	Jeff Brower
Price:	$72.95
Updated:	January 24, 1998
Reviews:	Steve Goodrich
Buildups:

"Surgery is Open!" Yes, collectors, that amazing doctor in search of the unlimited knowledge of the maze of the mind is now yours to proudly display with your other four (six if you got 'em all) Cenobites. First of all, Richard Hammecher of Screamin' told me prior to sending this review kit, that it was harder to do than other Screamin's. I didn't actually find this to be so. He has more pieces (seven in vinyl and six in resin) than most Screamin' kits and it requires more plaster filling and painting time than the others. But the actual level of difficulty is in keeping with Screamin's reputation... EASY! What I think Richard meant to relate is that it simply takes more time to construct. Fair enough, as we have a 23" tall work which is well worth the few extra dollars. First of all, the sculpting job is fantastic! I'm an absolute fan of the Hellraiser mythos and as much as I adore all of Screamin's Cenobite kits, Channard and Chatterer are now both in a tie for perfection. Tiny errors are in both, but not even anything Clive Barker would notice! The kit is so well designed, it even fooled a producer friend of mine when he saw it at the Oct. chiller show. He said it would never survive in heat. So convincing is the illusion of the "tentacle" holding the doctor aloft over the base, it even faked out an expert! The trick is that the "tentacle" is actually sculpted with a tree-like root system on the Laiment configuration "lift" base. This, of course, is artistic licensing as the "tentacle" (so called in this kit) is hundreds of yards long and those being in the "Order of the Gash" will understand the "WURM" to be just that. The heel of Channard's left foot has a cube which fits into the "roots"of the tentacle. Filling Channard's left leg, the lower "tentacle" construction and base with plaster assures a solid vinyl piece that will not sag in any way. You will need to paint Channard and the base / WURM construction and then assemble as a final step. The only putty joints are over the smooth surface of the WURM. Now, the six "snakes," again as the instructions call them, are resin which are devoid of air bubbles. A little sanding of minimal mold lines is required. But you must approach them with a plan. You are provided with a sheet of mylar in the kit and template or pattern to trace six blades which vomit from the "mouths" of the "snakes." These are the amputation knives shown in the movie when Channard makes his final entry to his institute. But notice these are on the right hand only. Throughout Channard's scenes, before he temporarily looses his head, the six snakes spew forth a number of amazing devices. These include an eyeball, a white flower, a beckoning finger, a piece of dentures, a pair of scissors, an evisceration "drill," scalpel blade, steel "sea urchin" like device etc.. Freeze frame any 4 head VCR to see these all! Naturally, production of this kit needs to go for an ideal goal to keep the cost down. But any true Hellraisers or kitbashers will have a field day improvising on the snakes. The last piece of the kit is a thin wire to secure around the center of the face. While the other fine wires are sculpted into the head, I at first wondered, "Why only one?" Well, it's because the central wire covers the bridge of the nose. To sculpt a solid fill on either side of the nose would be sad news. Brower opted to actually have the wire gap over nose to cheek area. BRAVO! The plastic is all black in this kit. This meaning you only "fix" the surface with spray and forget black base coating on it - just go to work on Channard's unique bluish complexion! Any fan of the Hellraiser saga: I can't possibly tell you how much you need this kit... pictures won't do justice to this gigantic artwork... you have to see, you have to know! Most highly recommended by a Cenobite in training!

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