I never did make Aurora's The Bride of Frankenstein when I was a kid and I always regretted it.  I was able to put my regrets away when I purchased Polar Light's reissue last year.  It's been sitting around in it's box on a shelf since I got it and I've been considering it all this time.  From what I've heard The Bride was one of Aurora's most difficult kits to put together.  Now, I believe it.  There are a lot of fiddley little bits that are very difficult to put together.  At one frustrating point I checked the box to see what the age range for the kit was.  I couldn't believe it when I read it was for ages 8 and up.  I don't know about you but this kit would have defeated me at eight years.  
 
As I said, I found the kit to be difficult to put together but I finally got it the way I wanted  The only seams I puttied were around the Brides's body which was a pain what with all the bandages.
 
I threw the painting instructions out as I had my own ideas about how it should be done.  You'll notice that everything is dark except for the Bride herself.  I felt she would stand out better against the darker lab table and equipment.  It was a nice surprise to find that the figure bore a striking resemblance to Elsa Lancaster, the actress who played the Bride in the 1930's movie.
 
I decided to paint her skin a light green rather than the suggested flesh tone because I had heard that the Boris Karloff Monster was supposed to have had green skin and thought that Dr. Frankenstein would have made her the same way.  It also looks creepier with a green flesh tone.
 
The lab table was painted flat black then metallic silver and finished off with gunmetal grey.  The stones of the floor and wall were painted with different earth tones to resemble field stones.  I thought that was more interesting than just leaving them all grey.
 
I left the electical lightening bolts off as I couldn't figure out a way to paint them realistically to match the rest of model.
 
Mark Arnold