MPC 1/12 Strange Change Mummy Kit First Look

By Matthew Quiroz, Front Range Auto Modelers (FRAM)

First Look

MPC first produced the Strange Change models back in 1974 when I was a wee bit younger and better looking. What a joy they were to build back then. Fast forward some 37 years and we as well as our kids and grand kids have them to enjoy all over again thanks to the folks at MPC and Round 2. These are simple kits that have a working action to change the subject from one form into another. Following my recent review of the Vampire kit in this series is the Mummy. He’s just as cool and just as dead, so…let’s get started.

Mr. Mummy comes to us in the same sturdy top closing box as our Vampire friend and features equally colorful and impressive artwork. Parts are molded in the same beige colored plastic with a slightly less parts count coming in at just over 20 pieces. Again I had a couple parts come loose, but they were readily identifiable when checked against the instructions. All sprues were sealed in a single large plastic bag. The same piece of metal wire and three rubber bands for constructing the “change” mechanism of our cloth wrapped friend in a box are included as well. The molding on the sarcophagus sides and lid is extremely fine and features identifiable hieroglyphs that should prove to be a lot of fun to pick out when it comes time to paint. Those who enjoy painting should love this; lots of colors can be added.

Construction takes place over the same eleven steps, but differs slightly from my previous review piece. Paint call outs are provided in each of the steps via text and not just an arrow with a color number next to it. The instructions are easy to follow and flow well so even first time modelers should have no problems. The most time consuming area will be painting this colorful creation, but should prove to be well worth the effort.  Rounding out the kit parts, our friends the rat and three scorpions make a return appearance in this kit to help breathe some additional life into our bandaged friend….they sure do get around. No decals are provided.

I’m very happy to see these great kits back on the market after so many years. They are a great way to introduce today’s youth to our hobby. They are easy to build, don’t require a ton of time and have operating features that will appeal to the kids of today. For us old timers; they provide a way of reliving the glory days of our modeling youth.

My sincere thanks to Round2 Models for this review sample