Charles Taylor’s Phantom of the Opera

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This is a Monogram kit I purchased from E-bay. All my kits are dioramas. I find that many of the original kits lack sufficient detail and texture. So I start with a general idea of a motif, then see what I have in my workshop. It took about three weeks to figure out how to combine the dungeon setting with the opera setting. After a few beverages  it just popped into my head. I think it flows very well.

I start by constructing the figure, then build everything else to fit. I used a scrap piece of fabric hot-glued to a thin hardboard. I used a dowel rod to shape the creases into panels. The frame around the stage is scrap wood routed and molded to provide detail. The stage floor is a scrap piece of luan that I lightly ran over my table-saw to produce grooves as wood planks, which I then stained and varnished.

The piano I made many years ago as a jewelry box. It has felt on the inside. It’s not as hard to make as it may look. Start with a piece of 1 1/2″ stock or glue two pieces of 3/4″ together. Cut-out a horseshoe shape with band saw or jigsaw. Cut or plane two pieces of stock down to 1/4″ – trace horseshoe onto stock – cut top piece slightly oversized – rout or bevel top lid -attach small (very) hinges. For the keyboard I used radial-arm saw to cut grooves, the legs I turned on a lathe. You could use small square stock sanded down to a bevel for legs, then stain and varnish. I know – easier said than done.

For the lower dungeon I used Styrofoam lightly sanded and painted. I’ve found that this looks great for replicating stone or concrete. I used cut-up pine needles for the flooring in dungeon. As the Phantom was horribly disfigured in the original tale, I used a hot butter knife (put it on the range for a short while) then gently apply to figure to produce scarring. I got it to hot and melted through the head, so I stuffed some tissue paper into it to replicate brain matter. Everything else is standard painting and assembly. Hope you enjoy it and get some new ideas.

Charles Taylor