There is nothing sexier than a hot hot model 4 4

[batman_fan]

On 5/2/2022 at 2:15 PM, Bludriver said:

That is a great collection of models batman_fan!

I wish I could afford to collect them. I have a couple but I would love to have all the classic aurora monsters and the prehistoric scenes. My favorite Prehistoric scene as a kid was the jungle swamp but I also loved the cave & tar pit..

I loved all the various kits as a kid although the long boxes kits were not too common (I was buying in the early 70s to about 1980).  All the Prehistoric Scenes were great (even though they drastically mixed time periods).  Those are the ones I am snagging now but it appears there are some other serious collectors out there based on how often I get outbid.  The Swamp kit was great because it had all those little dinosaurs.

[Bludriver]

 

On 5/2/2022 at 5:04 PM, batman_fan said:

I loved all the various kits as a kid although the long boxes kits were not too common (I was buying in the early 70s to about 1980).  All the Prehistoric Scenes were great (even though they drastically mixed time periods).  Those are the ones I am snagging now but it appears there are some other serious collectors out there based on how often I get outbid.  The Swamp kit was great because it had all those little dinosaurs.

My mom worked in a toy store and I remember her bringing home a monster scene one day and I was in heaven.

The glow in the dark King Kong was probably my favorite aurora model as a kid. I also loved the Witch because of all the background pieces. I remember my friend got the Witch the same time as me and when he made it he put the curled snake on top of the piece of wood instead of around it...I could not stop laughing.

just picture that snake sitting on top of the wood:

 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Bludriver

[batman_fan]

On 5/2/2022 at 3:11 PM, Bludriver said:

 

My mom worked in a toy store and I remember her bringing home a monster scene one day and I was in heaven.

The glow in the dark King Kong was probably my favorite aurora model as a kid. I also loved the Witch because of all the background pieces. I remember my friend got the Witch the same time as me and when he made it he put the curled snake on top of the piece of wood instead of around it...I could not stop laughing.

just picture that snake sitting on top of the wood:

 

 

The two kits I didn’t own as a kid was the Witch and King Kong.  I think Godzilla was the 1st one I bought.  The paint on that witch looks pretty good.  All my kits sucked for paint.  I never had a lot of colors and the worst thing that ever happened was getting red paint and then doing blood on everything.

[Bludriver]

On 5/2/2022 at 5:46 PM, batman_fan said:

The two kits I didn’t own as a kid was the Witch and King Kong.  I think Godzilla was the 1st one I bought.  The paint on that witch looks pretty good.  All my kits sucked for paint.  I never had a lot of colors and the worst thing that ever happened was getting red paint and then doing blood on everything.

Lol, that is funny about the blood  

The Godzilla I really liked also. The models I liked least were the ones that didn’t have many background parts like Frankenstein. The prisoner I think was the hardest one for me to build when I was a kid  

That is not my witch kit, I just took that picture from the Internet. I never painted my models as I was too young and could not do a decent job so I never tried. my dad did the mummy once and he did a great job on it. I wish I still owned that. 

 

 

[Dick Pontoon]

On 5/2/2022 at 5:04 PM, batman_fan said:

I loved all the various kits as a kid although the long boxes kits were not too common (I was buying in the early 70s to about 1980).  All the Prehistoric Scenes were great (even though they drastically mixed time periods).  Those are the ones I am snagging now but it appears there are some other serious collectors out there based on how often I get outbid.  The Swamp kit was great because it had all those little dinosaurs.

I believe Terry's Comics has a Jungle Swamp for sale if you need one.

[batman_fan]

On 5/2/2022 at 5:02 PM, Pontoon said:

I believe Terry's Comics has a Jungle Swamp for sale if you need one.

I will shoot him an email, thanks for the heads up.

[MisterX]

I'm very curious where the sealed model kits come from. Unsold dead store stock? Warehouse finds? Where people cognizant enough to keep sealed kits for future speculation some day?

Also, is there a way to determine the shrink-wrap is authentic?  Perhaps by looking at the placement of the seams? I know resealing video games is a common concern. 

[batman_fan]

On 5/5/2022 at 8:06 AM, MisterX said:

I'm very curious where the sealed model kits come from. Unsold dead store stock? Warehouse finds? Where people cognizant enough to keep sealed kits for future speculation some day?

Also, is there a way to determine the shrink-wrap is authentic?  Perhaps by looking at the placement of the seams? I know resealing video games is a common concern. 

Very good questions.

For long box kit (US), the shrink wrap is a sheet that is folder on the box and heat sealed, no shrink wrapping.  The look is very distinctive and I have not heard of people reproducing it (but that doesn't mean they don't).

For the square boxes, it is a shrink wrap type.  This would be easier to reproduce.  They shrink wrap typically has a hole in it to let the air escape.

For the prehistoric kits, they are also shrink wrapped.  These have a very distinct look at the seams.

[Jayman]

On 5/6/2022 at 12:19 AM, batman_fan said:

Very good questions.

For long box kit (US), the shrink wrap is a sheet that is folder on the box and heat sealed, no shrink wrapping.  The look is very distinctive and I have not heard of people reproducing it (but that doesn't mean they don't).

For the square boxes, it is a shrink wrap type.  This would be easier to reproduce.  They shrink wrap typically has a hole in it to let the air escape.

For the prehistoric kits, they are also shrink wrapped.  These have a very distinct look at the seams.

Great info, thanks! 

[Jayman]

On 5/6/2022 at 12:19 AM, batman_fan said:

BTW, looking at your Flying Reptile kit above jogged an old memory of having at least two of these kits as a kid. The plastic strips that held the wings together where they could move would always break or get lost. But the fun memory that came to me was that I had taken the bird head and swapped it on one of my broken GI Joes. The bird head fit nice and snug on the plastic neck joint of the Joe. Viola! Instant GI Joe villain, Dr. Pterodactyl!  

[batman_fan]

The meager start of the Prehistoric Scenes series

[Jaylam]

I just discovered that James Bama, the artist who painted most all of the box art of those Aurora monster kits, passed away last month on Apr. 24, he was 95. He was a prolific artist, also known for his work on the Doc Savage paperbacks and Western themes. Alex Ross has attributed James Bama as being an inspiration for his work. I never saw any news releases about it and just came across it on Wiki as I was looking him up thanks to reading this thread. I found this interesting video about his art on those model kits.

The Art of the AURORA Monsters - 1960's & 1970's. - Bing video

[batman_fan]

Today was a very very good day, both sealed 

[Krismusic]

I call click bait on this thread I came here thinking I’ll see all the Millie the model comics  

Edited July 28, 2022 by Krismusic

[Robot Man]

On 5/5/2022 at 7:06 AM, MisterX said:

I'm very curious where the sealed model kits come from. Unsold dead store stock? Warehouse finds? Where people cognizant enough to keep sealed kits for future speculation some day?

Also, is there a way to determine the shrink-wrap is authentic?  Perhaps by looking at the placement of the seams? I know resealing video games is a common concern. 

I believe most come from unsold warehouse finds or store closings. At one time there was a bit of them coming out. Not anymore.

At one time, I found a little over a half a case of original Mr. Gasser Ed Roth slot car kits. Other than the one I kept, the others are long gone.

And yeah, watch for re-shrink wrapped kits. Original ones have real thin cello and are usually yellowed slightly. 

[Kromak]

On 7/27/2022 at 10:44 PM, batman_fan said:

Today was a very very good day, both sealed 

Super Cool. Congrats!

[batman_fan]

On 7/28/2022 at 10:18 AM, Robot Man said:

I believe most come from unsold warehouse finds or store closings. At one time there was a bit of them coming out. Not anymore.

At one time, I found a little over a half a case of original Mr. Gasser Ed Roth slot car kits. Other than the one I kept, the others are long gone.

And yeah, watch for re-shrink wrapped kits. Original ones have real thin cello and are usually yellowed slightly. 

The first Robin kit I bought came from an unopened case out of CA.  The dealer I bought it from had already sold the empty case box.  I believe he got an unopened case of the 1966 3-D Batman, the case of Robin models, and several Batman models.

These days the biggest group of unopened kits I see are when a collector decides to cash out of their collection.  I am always happy to snag what I can when they come up.

[Robot Man]

Couple of reissues I built and painted.

[Robot Man]

[Robot Man]

One of my favorites. Itching to build it...1958