Janus' Dracula's Bride on e-bay

[derekc62]

These don't come up for sale very often.

Some minor damage, but considering how scarce this one is...

If it's on your bucket list now may be the time to strike.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/365804581755

[Tim Casey]

It's a beautiful kit. I just finished re-painting her body; I had originally done it probably 20 years ago.

[jps3404]

Sold for over 2K - yikes!

[Tim Casey]

Yikes indeed! It's only one-half of the kit you'd really need, and even then, you couldn't get the big column unless you bought both kits at the same time:



I can't imagine what the whole shebang would go for unbuilt.

[derekc62]

Yikes indeed! It's only one-half of the kit you'd really need, and even then, you couldn't get the big column unless you bought both kits at the same time:



I can't imagine what the whole shebang would go for unbuilt.

The $2025 sale price doesn't surprise me very much. I was fully expecting a number north of $1500.

The same seller had the deluxe Dracula but that had only one bid and sold for $500. It had the large column.

I'll have to check my 'prize closet' but I think I have a large column with both my Dracula and my Bride...

[Tim Casey]

The same seller had the deluxe Dracula but that had only one bid and sold for $500. It had the large column.

I'll have to check my 'prize closet' but I think I have a large column with both my Dracula and my Bride...

I'm pretty sure mine came in a large box from Monsters In Motion when it was new, and I'm pretty sure you had to get both kits to get the column. I could be wrong.

I do remember my wife and I opening the ginormous box. It was half the size of a washer machine, and it was the first expensive kit I bought - I think it was north of $500 for the whole thing.

If you do have it in your stash, check the box. It might be considered the Deluxe version of the Dracula figure when it includes the column.

And if it's in the box, my God! Why aren't you building it?

(Just kidding.)

Here's a note from John Ulakovic of Janus; I got it when I posted the finished kit on the web years ago. He had sent me an anonymous asking where he could get one. He was making sure I had gotten the kit legit; when he knew I did, he sent me this second note.:

***************************
Tim,

I am the owner of Janus Company, the maker of the Dracula, Bride and Hunchback you have on your site. All three of the kits were based upon my concept sketches and work that was sub-contracted out to four different sculptors. While I was not 100% responsible for sculpting the Dracula/Bride base you spoke so glowingly about, a sculptor from Palacious,Texas named John Garcia did the majority. I did the finishing work, or about 20% of it. He is really good at adding realism like the armor, baby skeleton and religious statue. I just developed the concept, let him run with it and then, at the tail end, "pointed it up" a bit.

In any case, I was and am still very impressed with your work and your website. Frankly, I think you did a better job of presenting our Dracula & Bride kit on the web than we did! Have you ever visited our website? It is: http://www.januscompany.com

One of the guys who works on kit-dioramas fell upon your site and he relayed the hyperlink to me. After visiting, I had to write and pay you a compliment.

Let me know if you are ever interested in other Janus kits.

All the best - John Ulakovic

****************************

So if anyone else is interested in any other Janus kits, just climb into the Wayback Machine and drop him a line!

[derekc62]

The same seller had the deluxe Dracula but that had only one bid and sold for $500. It had the large column.

I'll have to check my 'prize closet' but I think I have a large column with both my Dracula and my Bride...

I'm pretty sure mine came in a large box from Monsters In Motion when it was new, and I'm pretty sure you had to get both kits to get the column. I could be wrong.

I do remember my wife and I opening the ginormous box. It was half the size of a washer machine, and it was the first expensive kit I bought - I think it was north of $500 for the whole thing.

If you do have it in your stash, check the box. It might be considered the Deluxe version of the Dracula figure when it includes the column.

And if it's in the box, my God! Why aren't you building it?

(Just kidding.)

Tim,

What a great note from Ulakovic

I just checked a back issue of AFM and the Janus ad lists the Deluxe Dracula and the Bride kits each with two options: with and without the central pillar (you don't need two 'cause there's no room for a second).

I guess my kits originally were bought by two separate owners since my Deluxe Dracula and Dracula's Bride kits each have pillars. I bought both from one seller years ago so he likely acquired them separately. Interestingly, the Janus ad in AFM lists the Dracula kit at a slightly higher price ($280 vs $255) and today it's the Bride that by far commands the most money of the two. BTW, I think I bought both for either $650 or $750 and I thought I was out of my mind at the time! As you know, the pair just sold for $2500. I had help in finding them from a CH member who died some years back - Ed Sinker. Ed knew the owner, knew I was looking and put the two of us together.

As for why I haven't built them yet, the excuse used to be 'I'll build them when I can paint well enough to do them justice.' Now that I'm a lot more confident as a painter the excuse is 'I have no room!' I swear, once I clear some space in the basement they have a spot waiting for them

[bucketfoot-al]

The same seller had the deluxe Dracula but that had only one bid and sold for $500. It had the large column.

I'll have to check my 'prize closet' but I think I have a large column with both my Dracula and my Bride...

I'm pretty sure mine came in a large box from Monsters In Motion when it was new, and I'm pretty sure you had to get both kits to get the column. I could be wrong.

I do remember my wife and I opening the ginormous box. It was half the size of a washer machine, and it was the first expensive kit I bought - I think it was north of $500 for the whole thing.

If you do have it in your stash, check the box. It might be considered the Deluxe version of the Dracula figure when it includes the column.

And if it's in the box, my God! Why aren't you building it?

(Just kidding.)

Here's a note from John Ulakovic of Janus; I got it when I posted the finished kit on the web years ago. He had sent me an anonymous asking where he could get one. He was making sure I had gotten the kit legit; when he knew I did, he sent me this second note.:

***************************
Tim,

I am the owner of Janus Company, the maker of the Dracula, Bride and Hunchback you have on your site. All three of the kits were based upon my concept sketches and work that was sub-contracted out to four different sculptors. While I was not 100% responsible for sculpting the Dracula/Bride base you spoke so glowingly about, a sculptor from Palacious,Texas named John Garcia did the majority. I did the finishing work, or about 20% of it. He is really good at adding realism like the armor, baby skeleton and religious statue. I just developed the concept, let him run with it and then, at the tail end, "pointed it up" a bit.

In any case, I was and am still very impressed with your work and your website. Frankly, I think you did a better job of presenting our Dracula & Bride kit on the web than we did! Have you ever visited our website? It is: http://www.januscompany.com

One of the guys who works on kit-dioramas fell upon your site and he relayed the hyperlink to me. After visiting, I had to write and pay you a compliment.

Let me know if you are ever interested in other Janus kits.

All the best - John Ulakovic

****************************

So if anyone else is interested in any other Janus kits, just climb into the Wayback Machine and drop him a line!

Do you still have his email? If anyone wants to inquire about possibly acquiring one of these kits - or parts thereof - it could come in handy.

You have no idea what odds and ends these sculptors keep around their workshops for years (its how I managed to get Tony McVey's running TRex 13 years ago - many years after it was sold out everywhere. I reached out to him - found the email through the Wayback machine too - Great Minds Think Alike as my Dad used to say - and he looked around and found enough loose pieces in his workshop for a complete kit - the last one! )

[derekc62]

Let me know if you are ever interested in other Janus kits.

All the best - John Ulakovic

****************************

Do you still have his email? If anyone wants to inquire about possibly acquiring one of these kits - or parts thereof - it could come in handy.

You have no idea what odds and ends these sculptors keep around their workshops for years (its how I managed to get Tony McVey's running TRex 13 years ago - many years after it was sold out everywhere. I reached out to him - found the email through the Wayback machine too - Great Minds Think Alike as my Dad used to say - and he looked around and found enough loose pieces in his workshop for a complete kit - the last one! )

E-mail - ulakojv@gmail.com

On Facebook he's John V Ulakovic, owner of Graven Imaginings - https://www.facebook.com/john.ulakovic
https://www.gravenimaginings.com/

On e-bay he is monsteramaman. Nothing for sale right now but he does post items from his website including bronzes of planned Janus kits that were never produced (Phantom, elaborate Harryhausen diorama), original art and, lately, resin version of his Harryhausen bas relief plaque.

[bucketfoot-al]

Let me know if you are ever interested in other Janus kits.

All the best - John Ulakovic

****************************

Do you still have his email? If anyone wants to inquire about possibly acquiring one of these kits - or parts thereof - it could come in handy.

You have no idea what odds and ends these sculptors keep around their workshops for years (its how I managed to get Tony McVey's running TRex 13 years ago - many years after it was sold out everywhere. I reached out to him - found the email through the Wayback machine too - Great Minds Think Alike as my Dad used to say - and he looked around and found enough loose pieces in his workshop for a complete kit - the last one! )

E-mail - ulakojv@gmail.com

On Facebook he's John V Ulakovic, owner of Graven Imaginings - https://www.facebook.com/john.ulakovic
https://www.gravenimaginings.com/

On e-bay he is monsteramaman. Nothing for sale right now but he does post items from his website including bronzes of planned Janus kits that were never produced (Phantom, elaborate Harryhausen diorama), original art and, lately, resin version of his Harryhausen bas relief plaque.

Wow Derek! I just spent 15 minutes going through all the photos on his website, especially the photos of all the icons and legends who have acquired his bronzes!

Those photos of Ray Harryhausen with his copy of the bronze sculpture of himself animating the dragon cyclops fight almost brought a tear to my eye!

Thank you for posting that link!