The Bates Mansion - Psycho

There's a Vacancy at the Bates' Motel!

Perched atop a hill stands the memorable, Bates Mansion from Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1960 thriller, "Psycho." Like Norman Bates' incessant attention to detail, this memorable structure features a finely engraved surface detail, an option to build a hilltop version (hill not included) and a "mother" figure to place in the second story window. Psycho house molded in three shades of grey plastic.

This plastic kit of the infamous Psycho house from Hitchcock's 1960 horror classic easily recalls the great horror movie kits of the '60s and '70s from the defunct Aurora Plastics Co. Well, that's the idea, as Polar Lights has been re-releasing some of those classic kits for the past few years, as well as creating new ones like this kit. It features great detail, right down to the half-inch tall 'Mother' figure that sits in the second-story window.

Molded in tan plastic, it requires gluing and painting, but modelers with moderate experience should have no trouble building this kit. It measures 4-1/2'W x 5-3/4'H x 7'L, and more adventuresome kitsters can use the enclosed base and winding stones to build a hillside diorama. The kit is 1/87-scale, which means you can use HO scale train set accessories for detailing.

Otherwise, use the short steps to build it straight from the box. A nameplate with the Psycho logo is included, as well as a set of full-color inserts for the windows. You can use the box art as a painting guide, or try to paint it a black-and-white scheme to match the movie (you'll need to photocopy the window inserts in black-and-white if you do). Be advised, the window-insert sheet is short two windows.