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Aurora's Monster Models

Monsters Anyone?​
By Dick Engar


MY ENTRY INTO THE HOBBY STARTED ON A RAINY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AT AGE EIGHT WHEN MY FATHER AND I BUILT THE REVELL BOX-SCALE KIT OF THE HOSPITAL SHIP "HAVEN."  AFTER THAT, I WAS ON MY OWN AND THE NEXT SUBJECT I BUILT WAS A FRENCH POODLE MANUFACTURED BY ITC (IDEAL TOY CORPORATION).  THEN WHAT?  IT IS HARD TO RECALL WHAT I BUILT RIGHT AFTER THE POODLE WAS FINISHED BUT MONSTERS WERE LURKING IN THE SHADOWS.
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UPDATE 2022:  A LOST AURORA MONSTER?  ATLANTIS MODELS RELEASES METALUNA MUTANT
READ MORE BELOW.

​I do remember that my mother, who did not seem to enjoy my newly discovered hobby (did she know my father triggered it??), preferred that I not make a big mess by painting my models.  Of course, all we had in the 1960s that would stick to plastic well were the enamel paints that required cleanup with turpentine. Remember the little bottles of Testors paint that you could buy for ten cents each?  I started to accrue them along with the Revell or Testors tube glue that was easily procured via a bike ride to the reliable Rexall corner Drugstore about a half-mile from the house.  My mother knew I was good at spilling things and she did not like the residual odor of paint thinners in my recently remodeled bedroom.  Eventually, though, I discovered the Aurora monster model kits and started out with The Creature, which needed some paint to spruce it up even though it was molded in green plastic.
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What's old is new!  Atlantis Models is re-releasing a number of Aurora monster models with the same box art you know and love.
From there, I followed up with Wolfman and The Mummy.  Wolfman came in brown plastic but it still required a lot of paint to make him look decent.  The Mummy, on the other hand, was built as-is with the gray plastic left unadorned.  For the first time (and last, since I did not like the headache-causing odor nor the aggressive plastic melting ability) I used Testor’s liquid cement in lieu of the standard messy tube glue.  Immediately, The Mummy conjured up a lot of scary thoughts in my vivid imagination as I slept alone in our downstairs with an aversion to the dark and a tendency toward nasty nightmares.  ​
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"Boys love dogs!!"  One can imagine the enthusiastic acceptance of this pitch by ITC (Ideal Toy Company) executives to produce this long-forgotten "Dog Champions" line.  Model kit companies tried some interesting experiments in the early 1960s.  Aurora's monster kit line was equally risky but succeeded beyond anybody's expectations.
"Dog Champions" just didn't resonate with young modelers in the 1960's and they don't particularly excite collectors today.  This kit, unbuilt with box (at left) was less than ten bucks on eBay.  Aurora's monsters are much more plentiful--and much more expensive!
Soon, I'd had enough of his glaring at me from his menacing perch on a shelf overlooking my bed.  Ultimately The Mummy met a sudden demise from the business end of my friend’s BB gun.  I ended my monster building efforts right then and there.  But kitmaker Aurora was just getting going with them.
 
How did Aurora even come up with the notion in the first place to manufacture classic monster models?  There is more than one version, depending on whom you wish to believe.  According to Tom Graham’s book Aurora Model Kits published by Schiffer Books and still available, three molds for knights in armor were the impetus in 1956 for Aurora to create a long line of figure kits ranging from these early knights and the Three Musketeers to Indians and Guys and Gals.  None of these types sold near as well as the classic movie monsters.  
 
Aurora’s advertising and idea-employee Bill Silverstein thought that boys would buy and build movie monster kits such as Frankenstein and Dracula if they became available.  It took Silverstein a couple of years to convince Aurora’s decision making Board to go for it.  The first Frankenstein mold pattern was displayed at the Hobby Industry Association of America (HIAA) annual convention in 1962.  The reaction of excitement by some boys who had been let into the show on the last day convinced two previously skeptical and initially indifferent California distributors that Aurora might have a winner.  Kits were ordered and the rest was history.  ​
Aurora used the blessing of Universal Studios and advertisements in Famous Monsters magazine and the backs of DC comic books to build the monster line into unprecedented success.  Various customizing contests sponsored by Aurora also fed their monster frenzy.  In fact, Aurora’s development costs for these monster kits were relatively low so by early 1964, the company had sold over seven million monster kits with Dracula, Wolfman and the Creature following Frankenstein in late 1962 and early 1963, just in time to pique my own early interest.
 
Why were these models so attractive to youngsters of the era when the movies on which they were based were decades old?  Quite simply, television largely introduced the classic monster movies to a new, young audience. The original Universal monster movies were not deemed suitable for TV broadcast during prime-time.  Mostly, they were shown after the 10:00 news at night by local stations, often on weekends, and it was usually an effort to get mom and/or dad on board for approval to stay up that late to see them.  Of course the movies were quite scary (but rather mild by today's standards), and indulging them went into the midnight hours.  The sun had long gone and our imaginations knew it was the time when the monsters lurking there would begin their terrorizing rounds.  So one had to be a bit brave to watch these movies in the first place.
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A classic bottle of Testors enamel paint in a color that could be slathered on your Aurora monster as "blood."  The fact that parents and sociologists were squeamish about these products perhaps emboldened youngsters to want them.  Well, things quieted down and such backlash towards authority waned as the 60's proceeded--NOT!
The younger you were, the bigger bragging rights you'd have with your friends later on as you regaled them not only with plot points of the movies, but how you pulled off getting to see them in the first place.  Likewise, you had to be tough to have a model of these scary monsters in your bedroom—especially at night when you were sleeping!  So an adrenaline factor and some bravado may have at least partially fueled their popularity.
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Aurora cropped the box art and turned it backwards for the later "Square Box" kits that included the glow-parts.
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Compare the original art on the long-Box.
The monster craze triggered by Aurora boosted new television shows such as The Munsters and The Addams Family in the 1964 Fall TV Season.  Of course the Monster-Mania generated production of AMT’s 1/25 scale Munster Coach, which was one of my early car models, long lost after I originally built it, but now recreated in my own Mad-Doctor workshop to modern contest quality standards.  But that one is another story.  
 

Aurora designed and molded additional subjects and variations to go with the original iconic four monsters already described and these original Aurora molds persist to this day.  Circa 1969, after the monster models had been on the market for a few years, Aurora gave them "new life" by including a few key glow-in-the-dark pieces, included on a separate sprue.  For example, Frankenstein could be built with a glow-in-the-dark head, hands, and boots.  To distinguish this spooky innovation, the kits were packed in square boxes starting in the early 1970's.

The original Aurora Plastics Company met its unfortunate demise in the late 1970's, but competitor Monogram acquired the monster kit molds.  They released the original four described earlier in 1983 and then in fluorescent “Luminators” plastic in 1991 along with King Kong and the Phantom of the Opera following in 1992. ​
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The extent of the early 1960s Monster Craze and its effect on the overall culture of the period is illustrated by this iconic cover on Mad Magazine in September, 1964.  It must be noted that Aurora Models actually produced a model kit of Alfred E. Neuman, Mad's cover boy.  We have a webpage dedicated to the mischievious Mad Magazine mascot.
Regular standard plastic re-issues from the original molds came out in 1994 exclusive to Wal-Mart and in 1999 exclusive to Toys-R-Us (ouch!!  To think our favorite classic models are considered to be toys???!?).  Interestingly, these exclusive sets had the original “Aurora” logo on the box courtesy of CineModels.
 
In 1995, Playing Mantis reissued these beloved monster models from new molds created through copies of the original Aurora kit parts.  These kits were boxed under the Polar Lights moniker with the original Aurora artwork through 2004.  Of course, since the mid-2000s, one of the the latest companies on the scene to market a line of these original, lovable and venerable monster kits is Moebius Models.   At the 2006 IPMS Nationals in Kansas City there was an excellent Diorama built by Chuck Collins, “Aurora Tribute,” with the original Aurora Monster models in all of their glory and mayhem illustrating their availability and continued appeal.  Space prevents a complete dissertation of the entire Aurora line but if you want more information about your favorite old Aurora kits, you must obtain Thomas Graham’s excellent book, simply titled Aurora Model Kits.  It can be found on Amazon.  
Tom has made presentations at the IPMS Nationals and the book was originally copyrighted in 2004.  I can highly recommend it to any Aurora aficionados and any of you with an interest in your old classic Aurora kits.
The book covers the history of all Aurora subjects and has a collector’s price guide at the end. And it is fun to read about the hue and cry raised by upset parents and psychologists during the advent and progression of the monster kits, especially at the debut of “The Forgotten Prisoner."  Even more information can be obtained by  Googling Aurora Models, or visiting the Moebius Models website.  The original monster models can be found in various vintages and conditions on eBay.
2022 UPDATE:  METALUNA, RETURN OF THE MUMMY AND THE WOLFMAN
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Atlantis Models makes model kit history with the release of Metaluna Mutant--a Lost Aurora classic!
Atlantis Models currently has most of the tooling for the classic Aurora Monsters.  As part of their 2018 acquisition of much of Revell USA's liquidated tooling assets after the demise of parent company Hobbico, they received files and materials relating to the original Aurora company in addition to the legacy tooling.  Aurora Models had planned a new science fiction line of kits in the mid-1970's, which would have included the "Metaluna Mutant" from 1955's "This Island Earth."  Aurora went so far as to produce sculpted masters from which tooling would have been cut.  However, just before producing the tooling, the kit was cancelled.  Atlantis has taken that next step, producing kit molds from these surviving Aurora company masters.  Our review of this NEW kit is NOW LIVE with plenty of bonus features elsewhere on this website.
In addition to releasing the Metaluna Mutant lost classic for the first time, the year 2022 brought the announcement by Atlantis that The Mummy and The Wolfman will return!  We understand that only a limited number will be produced and distribution likewise will be limited.  With the extra attention that Atlantis puts into molding quality, boxes and instructions, we can bet that these releases will become collector classics!  We'll provide updates and don't forget to visit Atlantis-models.com often!

2020/2021 UPDATE:  The Aurora Monster Models Story Gets a New Chapter

"IT'S ALIVE!  IT'S ALIVE!"  Aurora monster models are not dead (at least not in the traditional sense).  A relative newcomer to the model kit world is Atlantis Models.  In 2018, they acquired a large amount of tooling for legacy model kits, including many Aurora classics. 

The year 2020 quickly became The Year of the Mask, thanks to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Atlantis Models started out the year in style by bring back the Phantom of the Opera.  He even features the same mask he wore back in the 1960's!  This kit, sporting a vintage-style long-box, was so popular, it sold out on their website by summer.
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The Atlantis Long-Box Phantom was released in early 2020.
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It's the same Phantom kit you know and love.  Check out our review of Long-Box and Square Box versions!
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In late 2020, Atlantis began shipping the Glow-in-the-Dark Phantom kit in a square-box format!
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In addition to the standard Phantom plastic, an additional set of selected glow-parts (such as hands, mask, and faces) are included!
Atlantis also re-released The Forgotten Prisoner of Castel-Mare (check out our review!)  This kit drove parents nuts in the 1960's.  If yours wouldn't let you have it back then, here's your chance, because Atlantis  has brought it back as well!  In addition, a glow-version of Godzilla has returned too!  CHECK OUT OUR REVIEW OF GODZILLA HERE!  This article includes a bonus section on the spooky science of glow-in-the-dark stuff.
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It's now hip to be square at Atlantis Models.  Forgotten Prisoner and Godzilla feature square boxes.
One of the biggest challenges to re-releasing the Aurora Monsters is the licensing.  It's more difficult for model companies to get fair licensing agreements than in the past.  The expense adds to the price of a kit and in some cases can be prohibitive to a release even if other aspects of a re-release might be simple.   On February 20, 2021, Atlantis Models announced pre-orders on King Kong after securing licensing via the Kong of Skull Island brand owned by DiVito Artworks!  This is another one we were excited to wrap our claws around and we have a King Kong review live now!

Will we see Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, Mummy, The Creature  and others again as model kits???  Circa The 2020's, licensing from Universal is the big hurdle.  Dealing with lawyers and the expense of such a license are all that is currently holding back a re-release of these subjects.  We wish Atlantis Models all the best as they negotiate these hurdles!  If you haven't already, subscribe to their newsletter in order to receive updates on their monster kits and all the other cool kits they're releasing!
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Check out our Atlantis King Kong review!
(Sponsor links)

​CRAZY DEM BRUDDERS TRIVIA FACT:  Atlantis Models is about as close as you can get to the old Aurora Models (their Deer Park headquarters on 
Long Island, NY is about 30 miles away from where the old Aurora Models used to be)!  Atlantis Models are made in the USA.

Check out our page about the Weird-oh/Roth Fink craze.  Keep your own nostalgia "un-dead" by rebuilding one of your favorite old kits from the 1960s!
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The whole gamut of original Aurora Monster models presented in an amazing diorama entitled “Aurora Tribute” from the 2006 IPMS Nationals in Kansas City.  The entry was built by Chuck Collins and won him a third place award in the Miscellaneous Dioramas category.
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Scroll down a bit to see what else is new at DemBrudders.com!
Check back often!  We have a lot of cool upcoming content!


NEW:


Oct 2022:  Atlantis 1/48 JS-III Stalin Tank Kit Review!
Sept 2022:  Atlantis 1/32 Tom Daniel Funny Cars Kit Review!
August 2022:  Atlantis 1/665 USS Wisconsin Kit Review!
August 2022:  Atlantis 1/618 D.K.M. Bismarck Kit Review!
​29 July 2022:  D&H Cyclops and Chariot From Lost in Space Kit Review!
16 July 2022:  Moebius Hal 9000 Review YouTube Video!
07 June 2022:  Atlantis 1/135 Convair 990 Airliner Kit Review!
01 June 2022:  Atlantis 1/24 Son of Troublemaker Kit Review!
​21 May 2022:  Atlantis 1/1200 US Combat Task Force Fleet Kit Review!
14 May 2022:  Atlantis 1000/1 The Amoeba Kit Review!
06 May 2022:  Atlantis Air-Land-Sea Gift Set!
26 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/139 Boeing 707-120 Kit Review!
25 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/77 F-89D Kit Review!
22 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/245 Monitor and Merrimac Civil War Set
15 January 2022:  Dream Gear 1/3000 Arkhitect Review!  Landmark new kit includes integrated lighting!
15 December 2021:  Atlantis 1/8 Forgotten Prisoner Review!
10 December 2021:  New Atlantis 1/96 Moon Ship Review
01 December 2021:  NEW Minicraft Kit Releases!
30 November 2021:  Atlantis 1/139 707 Kit Update
25 November 2021:  Atlantis 1/54 F11F-1 Cougar Kit Review
15 November 2021:  Convair 1/135 990 Test Shot from Atlantis!
September 2021:  NEW 1/25 Atlantis King Kong Kit Review
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/200 "Spruce Goose" Review and History
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/48 T-41 Review Update
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 F-51 Review
September 2021:  NEW Atlantis 1/32 1982 Camaro Review!
August 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 B-52 (Current Flying) Review
August 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 E-3/E-8 AWACS/J-STARS Review

July 2021:  New Atlantis 1/300 Nautilus Review updates our Nautilus history page!
July 2021:  Revell's Gemini Spacecraft Kits History
June 2021:  Minicraft 1/350 RMS Titanic Review
12 May 2021:  Titanic Models List!  One Movie.  Lots of Titanics.
29 April 2021:  Snoopy vs Red Baron live on YouTube!
15 March 2021:  Atlantis Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel Lands -- What Happens when they meet The Red Baron?
12 March 2021:  Atlantis 1/120 B-29 Review!  New Kit!  
08 March 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 B-24J / PB4Y-1 / B-24D Review!
10 February 2021:  Moebius 1/144 Discovery on YouTube!
07 February 2021:  Guest Gallery!  See our pals' models!
05 February 2021:  Moebius 1/144 Discovery XD-1 Review
Will the Utah Monolith stay vertical this time?
05 January 2021:  Hawk Beta-I Atomic Bomber Rebuild!
28 December:  Bill's Airliner Gallery! 
19 December:  Just in time for Christmas!  Atlantis Phantom of the Opera with Glow-in-the-dark Parts!
13 December:  Godzilla Returns Again!  Atlantis Godzilla with Glow-in-the-Dark Parts!
30 November:  Revell KC-135 and 707 Kit History!
23 November:  Minicraft 1/144 C-18A/707 Kit Review!
Another feature in our series about the KC-135/707!

12 November:  Atlantis Mr Gasser Review updated photos
09 November:  Dick's Lindberg XB-70 Restoration
09 November:  Monogram Air Power Set YouTube Video!
30 October:  Special Project:  Monogram's 1959 Air Power Set! (web page)
09 October:  A Review of Minicraft's KC-135 Kits continues our special series on the KC-135 (feature in-progress).
28 September:  Let's Play Battleship!  Atlantis 1/535 Iowa Class Kits review - and bonus comparison between Revell's USS Missouri and Atlantis Iowa Class Battleship kits!

20 September:  Kit History --  Revell 1/535 USS Missouri
07 September:  Ship It!  Academy 1/700 Titanic ICP Kit Review
22 August:  Revell's All-New PT-109 Elco PT Boat Kit Review
13 August:  KC-135 History Series Part II - AMT's 1/72 Kit:  It's In There
04 August:  Dueling Subchasers-- Atlantis S2F Hunter Killer Review
29 July:  Kit Review and History:  Atlantis Models P-3A Orion
26 July:  Book reviews:  The Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art by Roy Cross
A Weird-Oh World - The Art of Bill Campbell by Bill Campbell

24 July:  DEM BRUDDERS GO OFF THE DEEP END WITH THEIR  ATLANTIS PBY CATALINA KIT VIDEO REVIEW!
22 July:  Why Buy a PBY:  Atlantis PBY-5A Catalina Web Review!

09 July:  No shyin' away from the Cheyenne:  Atlantis AH-56 Cheyenne Kit Web Review
06 July:  Rank the Lanc:  Minicraft Lancaster MK-1 Kit Review
17 June:  88 Reasons:  Minicraft Ju-88A/C Kit Review
16 June:  We Dug the Jug:  Minicraft P-47D Kit Review
15 June:  DICK DOES CARS!  Dick's Car Gallery!
10 June: 
Minicraft RB-29 Review Updated!  Minicraft's Own Lewis Nace Builds an Amazing B-29 Conversion Collection!
05 June:  Minicraft 1/144 B-17 Kit Review!
03 June:  The Big Stick:  Atlantis' B-36 Kit Review!
30 May:  Minicraft A6M2 Zero Kit Review in 1/144
26 May:  Dem Brudders On Youtube!  Watch our Atlantis Ah-56 Cheyenne review. (We're a little disappointed with our new spokesman Roddy Redshirt.  When we find all his pieces, we might not use him again.)
22 May:  The Girl Next Door:  Minicraft 1/144 G4M1 "Betty" Kit Review
20 May:  Unmasking the Avenger:  Minicraft 1/144 TBF Avenger Kit Review
18 May:  B young!  B-29 again!  Minicraft RB-29 Superfortress "Postwar" Kit Review - We've expanded content on this page!
06 May:  KC-135/707 Kit History Series Begins!

27 April:  Enter the Mentor:  Minicraft T-34A Mentor kit Review. 
24 March:  See Dick.  See Dick build.  See  Dick's Large Aircraft Gallery.  Build, Dick, Build.
04 March:  Eat all your vegetables.  Open-Box New Kit Review:  Atlantis HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant"  
06 February:  Requiem for Mad Magazine: Aurora/Revell Alfred E. Neuman Kit History
12 December:  BEECH TRIP!!!  Minicraft's Civilian Aircraft Product Line

20 November:  More pictures added to Dick's Yo-Yo page:  B-24J Liberator "Yo-Yo" - Custom-Painting a 1/48 Diecast Model
20 November:  IPMS/SLC Group Build, Italy/Bulgaria Theme!
12 November:  We welcome Minicraft Models as our first sponsor!
​07 November:  We've again expanded our Report on the 2019 IPMS/USA Nationals in Chattanooga, TN!
15 October:  IPMS Boise Mad Dog Modelers Fall Show!

13 September 2019:  Aerial Photography for a Song:  The Estes AstroCam 110
28 August:  Kit Review - Atlantis 1/92 B-24J Liberator Bomber 
01 August:  We continue our Apollo at 50 celebrations by kicking off our new model rocketry page, and ask:
​Apollo at 50:  Was it Worth It?
20 JULY 2019:  HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY, APOLLO 11 (We don't think you look a day over 40)!  Revell's Apollo Spacecraft Kits
25 June:  A New Blog Post:  Join us at the IPMS/USA Nationals!
19 June:  Build a Resin Figure Kit.  Dick shows step-by-step how he built Anime subject Mew Zakuro
15 May:  Smokey and the Bandit:  MPC's 1977 Pontiac Trans Am
25 April: 
History of Armor Modeling with pals James Guld and John Tate
03 April:  Car Modeling in the 1970's expands our History Series
26 March:  Kit Review--1/350 Space Ark from When Worlds Colllide
17 March:  Weird-oh's, Finks, Flypoggers, and More!  We continue our History Series with our various encounters in the Monster Figures craze of the 1960s
10 March:  Our First Kit Review!  Tamiya 1/48 Army Staff Car - Are we too hard on a Tamiya kit?
​23 February:  The Nuclear Family:  SSN Nautilus 571 - About the Lindberg, Revell, and Aurora Kits
15 February:  DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME I - Dick Builds a Batmobile--in 1/3 Scale!
13 February:  Modeling Outside the Box.  Dick goes all over the place, building a number of unusual subjects!
04 February:  NASCAR or Not?  Monogram's Days of Thunder Cars
31 January:  History Series Begins With The Aurora Monsters
27 January:  Build a P-82 in 1/144 Scale or Other Crazy Conversion
13 January:  The Anti-Modelers
05 January 2019:  The Day I Quit Modeling
01 January 2019:  dembrudders.com is live!!!

  • Home
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