Favorite and least favorite Aurora monster kit

[obantox]

My Favorite kit of the org uni monsters would have to be frankenstein  and maybe the creature,
least fav would be mr hyde and the hunchback

[ChrisW]

Favorite is so, so hard. There are emotional aspects that make some stand out as well.
Much easier to select a least favorite - Dr. Jekyll as Mr. Hyde. Dull, lifeless pose, minimal accessories to the base, and that awkward angle on the throat hugging arm. When I designed the Invisible Man a major consideration to the pose and base details was that I wanted to show what Dr. Jekyll could have been.

[empty13]

i like all of the aurora kits, dont get me wrong but...

i think the base back kit that was available for hyde improves the aurora kit. also, some of the available replacement heads and teeth are options to improve on the aurora kit. the hyde kit probly should have come with 2 heads. before, and after...

altho i like the bases on the phantom and especially the mummy kits, there are also backgrounds available for those that imho improve those 2 kits.

the frankenstein base, as is, is simple and unique. imho, the bases for wolfman, dracula and the creature could all use some help. there is neat stuff in the customizer kits, but it seems they would be like rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic where those 3 kits are concerned. wolfman needs the tree from the box art and famous movie scene. the creature needs something; some have mentioned the base needs to better show what is land and what is not. and the lugosi dracula does his best work inside, playing off someone else.

the witch body/face sculpt, as some have suggested, leave something to be desired. a nameplate sure could help, too.

[StyreneDude]

My first monster kit was the Monogram Mummy, which I got around the same time as the Remco mini-monsters, so the Mummy will always be my favorite.

I still remember sitting at the kitchen table painting it with Testors gray, tan, and rust enamels. I also remember using metallic green on the snake...seems like only yesterday.

I was so proud of that damn model...I took it everywhere!

[graveghoul]

Classic memories!!

[empty13]

chris i agree... to a degree... jekyll/hyde might could have used a cape too... (at least have it in the room) and have him in a more torturous pose, with the beaker still in hand... (spilling and/or broke on the floor) the table etc doesnt bother me... but yes the bookcase add-on is an improvement.

maybe have one hand and half the face transformed... the other hand and half a face still normal...

and then it wouldnt take much to kit-bash him into two-face.

but, all in all, i like the aurora and some later derived kits a lot. i used to watch all those movies.

[ChrisW]

Oh yea! Rick (midnightman) did a great job creating his artwork inspired backdrop for the Jekyll/Hyde kit - it does add depth to the scene.

[houseofdracula]

Fav - Phantom of the Opera.
Least Fav - (hard questionbecause I love them all)   I guess that I'll go with Jekyll as Hyde.

[Gillman-Fan]

My first kits, The Forgotten Prisoner and Strange Change Vampire/Coffin will always be my favorites!

[Eye of Kharis]

Do we have the ability to make web polls in the forum? An interactive poll at the beginning of this thread might be interesting...

[CADMANDD]

Here is something to think about. If you were an original early 60's monster kid (like I was), Frankenstein was not only your first monster model, but in a lot of cases, your first model PERIOD. Therefore, our painting & gluing skills were not there yet. When Drac & Wolfie came out, we had gotten a little better. By the time the Mummy & Creature came out, out skills had gotten better and most of us had a collection of Testor's paint & had learned how to mix, paint detailed areas with a toothpick, etc.
I think that is why some of us prefer that period. I agree about Mr. Hyde. Not only the worst of the lot, but a price tag of $1.49 (for a regular sized long box. ) I could rationalize the extra 49 cents on Kong, Godzilla, Witch, etc. because you got more bang for your buck. But $1.49 for J & Hyde, come on!
CADMANDD

[graveghoul]

For a lot of us monster models are a way to capture that nostalgic feeling that is why I paint old scool with nothing but that nostalgic testor paint!! IMO anyway.

[houseofdracula]

Here is something to think about. If you were an original early 60's monster kid (like I was), Frankenstein was not only your first monster model, but in a lot of cases, your first model PERIOD. Therefore, our painting & gluing skills were not there yet. When Drac & Wolfie came out, we had gotten a little better. By the time the Mummy & Creature came out, out skills had gotten better and most of us had a collection of Testor's paint & had learned how to mix, paint detailed areas with a toothpick, etc.
I think that is why some of us prefer that period. I agree about Mr. Hyde. Not only the worst of the lot, but a price tag of $1.49 (for a regular sized long box. ) I could rationalize the extra 49 cents on Kong, Godzilla, Witch, etc. because you got more bang for your buck. But $1.49 for J & Hyde, come on!
CADMANDD

I love hearing from guys that were actually there for the "Monster Craze" of the 1960's because I am (more or less) a "Wanna Be" from the 1970's. I wouldn't have even known what an AURORA Monster Model was if it weren't for my Uncle who was 6 years older than me, who introduced me to this Funtastic world of the AURORA Monsters.

I chose the Jekyll kit as my least favorite but it didn't have anything to do with a price tag, it was more because of the fact that I think AURORA could have done a little more in the way of lab equipment on that table.  Also, I'm not crazy about his ears.  I know that it may sound silly to complain over ears but they have absolutely no detail and remind me of potato chips.

The thing with me has always been that I just fell in LOVE with the James Bama Box Art.
I mean, to me, the Box Art often beat the heck out of the actual Model Kits.
I sometimes wonder what my life might have turned out like if these paintings were used as posters, rather than box art for model kits.  Would I still have gotten into building models?
Without the Bama art, I do have some doubts.
The art is what attracted me to the kits.

So, if this was a poll about the Box Art, my answer would be entirely different because Bama did a Great job with the Jekyll art.

Let's have a round of applause for James Bama and his Beautiful AURORA Monster Art!



 

[CADMANDD]

Yep, I was there from the beginning. Born in 1953. It was a magical time I will never forget. I passed it on to my own son and he is 29 now. Since there was no real merchandise to speak of back then, to have something from Aurora that could actually touch and examine after we fought sleepiness to stay up till 1:00 am on Saturday to watch these iconic characters on Shock Theater. When the merch finally started to come , it was an incredible time in my life. I'm glad you came along a little later to enjoy it.

[Anton Phibes]

Least: Hunchback
Fave: tie between Phantom of the Opera and the Bride. Always loved the Phantom model as a kid because of the guy trapped beneath his feet.  I would always imagine a whole world existed in that little square with a half a head glued to it.