Greetings ~
Back in July 1999, I had a gift and hobby store in downtown Akron, Ohio. At the same complex, they hosted a sci-fi convention and several old movie and TV stars attended. Ben Chapman was one of them. Ben played the creature in the 1954 feature film, "Creature From The Black Lagoon".
Ben was one of the attending celebrities who stopped by my store while they were there. Bob May, who played the robot in the 1960s TV show, "Lost In Space" was another one. Bob and I became friends later on.
Ben Chapman was a tall guy and very nice to talk to. He stopped at my store a few times in the evenings when the convention was closed. I stocked many model kits and the monster kits was one of the lines I had in stock. Ben had signed a fake $100 bill for me then I asked him if he would sign one the the boxes of the Creature models. He laughingly agreed and signed one of the boxes. I closed my store on New Years Day of 2000. I brought home a lot of stuff from the store after I closed it down. Model boxes of the Lost In Space Robot signed by Bob May and the Creature box signed by Ben Chapman was a couple things I brought home and will never part with.
Ben and Bob both are gone now. But I have very pleasant memories of my talks and visits with them back when they visited my Akron store. So, the Creature model kit is the kit that I have finally, after 21-years, decided to build. This blog shows the step-by-step construction of the kit. If your building one maybe this blog will be of use. Have fun!
The model box that Ben Chapman signed for me.