​Just added six new photos of the Vampyr bust to that Garage Kit category entry. These are better views of my painted sample and allow for some extreme close-ups of the skin detail. 

You can view them by clicking here: https://moondevilstudio.com/gallery/info/vampyr

Also, coming in 2014, I will be producing a brand new sculpture based on this concept and this one will be a full figure of the Vampyr with a unique environmental base to complete the chilling mood.

More information will be posted here as the project is underway along with photos and an approximate release date for the resin model kit.

​Now nearing completion is the third entry in the "Crypto Legends" model kit series of mystery creatures, the Jersey Devil. A native to the woodland Pine Barrens of south eastern New Jersey since the early 1700's, this uniquely American beast is said to be unlike any other animal ever witnessed. Indeed as described over the past few centuries it more closely resembles an animal steeped in mythological legend than a biological species of a similar living creature or something from the fossil record of extinct life. 

So what exactly is the Jersey Devil? Its safe to say that no one really knows for sure but there are many people who have encountered this "thing" and maintain that it is not something they would ever want to meet again! Some say it is a bad omen to sight the creature and that disasters of all kinds follow shortly after an encounter, but that can be said of anything if one makes a strong enough case. Superstition and occult beliefs are the roots to the legend of the Jersey Devil from the beginning with one Mother Leeds blamed for giving it birth. 

The story is an old one but round the year 1735, Mrs. Leeds the mother of twelve children was in the act of giving birth to her thirteenth when she cried out, "l tire of these children...let the devil take this one!"  What followed this curse was the newborn, a healthy normal boy, suddenly transforming into a terrifying creature associated with a denizen from the pits of Hell. No longer human, Mother Leeds' 13th Child was an abomination, a creature with an elongated body and tail, a distorted horse-like head with horns, a pair of large bat wings, cleft hoofs at the ends of kangaroo-like legs and a body covered in scaly patterns and patches of dark fur. There are variations to the descriptions and the overall size of the beast but the main thing is that people claim to have seen a monster! 

Of course many explanations as to what the Jersey Devil might be involve the mistaken identity of local wildlife such as the Whooping Crane, an Owl and even a Black Bear! Many say its just folklore carried down over the years to scare the kiddies and confuse the ignorant. Not exactly a scientific explanation is it? Whatever it is, it can be labeled an unknown species and falls firmly into the ranks of Cryptozoology and will soon be a most welcome addition to the growing  "Crypto Legends" line.

In the upcoming weeks the sculpture will be completed at which time I will post extensive photos prior to it being prepared for kit production. My planned release is for the upcoming JerseyFest Model Kit & Statue Fair September 13-15, 2013. Sorta fitting to premier the Jersey Devil on Sept. 13th (Friday), in the year 2013 for Mother Leeds' 13th Child...and in New Jersey no less!

Please stop back and visit again for updates on this and other additions to the "Crypto Legends" series.

​Nearing completion at this time is the second entry into the world of the "Crypto Legends". One of the most mysterious creatures on the shadowy list of legendary animals, the Abominable Snowman or Yeti, is said to have inhabited the high valleys, forests and lonely slopes of the Himalayan Mountains for centuries. Often described by local folk, yak-herders and climbers in the more desolate regions of Nepal and Tibet as a large and hairy, man-like beast that occasionally cross their path in search of food. 

Strange footprints left in the snow along some routes thru open country have added to the legends. Questions arise as to what kind of an animal may have left these tracks and there have been several suggested candidates such as a bear, a snow leopard or a monkey. Many researchers feel that any track left in the melting snow and wind can take on distorted shape leaving an oversized unrecognizable print which then becomes suspect and thereby adds fuel to the Yeti legend. This certainly could explain some of the discovered prints but perhaps not all of them. Too often has science dismissed the unusual as folklore and superstition only to be proven wrong in their quick disregard. Not everything that exists in our world is known and catalogued so there is always room for new discoveries. 

Interestingly enough, in this region of the world during the prehistoric past there lived an enormous primate labeled Gigantopithecus, a great ape which is estimated to have stood over nine feet in height. Presumed extinct for over 100,000 years, this creature or an offshoot of it's bloodline may well be a likely candidate to the enigma of the Abominable Snowman...if it does exist.

Taking into consideration the long history of these creatures it is hard to ignore the possibility of it being a true living species. Without doubt the Yeti has earned it's place as a mystery beast and so was always planned to be an addition to the "Crypto Legends" line of model kits. As far as the look of the sculpture, much of my interpretation is based on documented local lore and the recurring descriptions found in dozens of eyewitness accounts over the past hundred years with an added element of modified Gigantopithecus to make it seem within the realm of possibility.

As soon as the sculpture is completed I will post images here and also announce the release date of the model kit. 

Please come back to visit for the latest details on the continuing line of the "Crypto Legends".