AURORA Models photo thread (Polar Lights too!)

[The Batman Professor]

My dad got me my first Aurora monster kit in 1965 (Dracula,) which began a lifelong love affair with these DIY marvels. Through the 60's and 70's I amassed quite a collection (monsters, superheroes, dinos, etc,) but one kit was denied me: GIGANTIC FRANKENSTEIN. In the mid 80's I was able to purchase a beautiful built and painted example, with which I would like to kick off this thread...



Now with Moebius, Polar Lights, and others re-releasing these great kits, we don't have to pay HUNDREDS to have 'em built and painted again.

In 2003, Polar Lights released a spectacular update of the 1967 Spidey kit, upscaling it to 1/8 scale (up from the rather puny 1/12 original,) and I just painted it up after having it laying around partially built for 7 years:



Please use this thread to reminisce about the glory days of building and painting plastic kits of your favorite characters, and post photos of your treasures.

[BOTZWANA]

I have no idea how to post photos...But....

I first saw the Aurora Tarpit at a friends' house in the seventies. I was maybe 6 years old. I was fascinated by it. It wasn't until 2001 that I saw the Revell Monsters of the movies Franky and Drac in Toys R Us. It took me back to that time and how cool the monsters were. I bought both and built them. It was a GREAT experience. I soon found more to build and built those. My father was so proud of me. He never knew I had the artistic talent. In 2003 he passed away and I sold the entire collection out of depression. A few years later I open up my Monster Cafe. I bought mucho monster models and they adorn the inside of my cafe on shelves behind glass for all the customers to see. I WISH they would release the Tarpit again so I could have the one that started it all.

[tay666]

Back in 1988, I was in Toys-R-Us looking for some xmas presents for my girlfriends little boy.
While there, I happened to notice the Monogram reissues of some of the old Aurora prehistoric scenes. I bought all 3. Trex, spiked dino, and mammoth.

That is what rekindled my interest in models again.

Though, with no hobby shops anywhere near me, and TRU over 30 miles away, I was limited to what I could find at Kmart. Which meant stuff like Star Trek, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park.
Discovered that though I really enjoy watching sci-fi, I really didn't like building models of it. Just not into the hardware.
Though I did have fun with the JP dinos.

2000, I finally got online, and a whole wide world of models opened up to me.
Polar Lights was just getting ready to hit it's golden age with lots of great reissues and original kits.

Here are a few old Auroras that I really had fun with.


This one, the Forgotten Prisoner, I never even saw as a kid, but really wanted, once I learned of it.
Was so happy when PL reissued it.


I also never saw the guillotine when I was a kid, but had to have one when I learned about it. I even have a couple signed and numbered ones from Polar Lights

I have lots more, but will save those for another day.

[The Batman Professor]

Beautiful work!

I had all of the original Monsters of the Movies kits but sold them a few years ago, because they didn't have the sentimental value that the originals had. Sometimes I regret selling them (and the go-karts,) but you can't have everything. Here are some of the ones I kept, built by my dad in the 60's and painted by me in the 80's:

[J.B.]

As a kid, I had an original Godzilla and Creature From The Black Lagoon. Didn't care for Kong at the time, though now I feel that he was, by far, the best of the lot.

[megowgsh]

I remember having Superboy and possibly Hulk, Spiderman and Superman.

Awesome pics Brings back lots of memories Thanks

[TrueDave]

Stopped at my hobby shop for some Green Squadron Putty.

Wonder Woman, Batmobile, Superboy, Knights, Confederate Raider, Big Frankie . . .

my collection was lost in a move, I had everything ( affordable) monster and Hero. I was trying to track down the pirates and Green Beret . . . . .

Still these reissues are expensive. You wont pay Hundreds, just A hundred.

[tay666]

Well, you will be happy to learn that Atlantis is going to be doing the pirates.
Atlantis Models rises on a wave of plastic | Resin the Barbarian

And yeah, while these reissues aren't nearly as cheap as some kits. (usually running between $20-35 depending on the kit) they are still a lot cheaper than buying an original.

The problem for me, is that there is just so much out there now that I want.
I think my wish list tops 15 kits. Which total well over $400 (maybe even $500) at current prices.
That's not counting the fact that I want extras of the Monster Scenes to be able to build all their variations. And there are at least another half dozen kits coming out next year that I know I want also.

[The Batman Professor]

I know it's not the days of $0.98 model kits anymore, but I paid $12 for the Spidey, and I can't tell you how satisfying it was to look at once it was finished.

You can get a Mobius BIG FRANKIE for $80. I paid $800 for the Aurora at the top of the thread.

[tay666]

I hear ya.
I much prefer spending $20 for a Monster Scenes kit, than $200 for one.