Aurora Coppersmith Set

[Count Zero]

Picked up this lot off eBay almost a decade ago - I believe. Eventually got around to getting them in custom frames and up on the wall.









Here's the kicker...



All still have the original molds attached 💀

[Hepcat]

Hmmmm. There also seem to be quite a few others:

[Mike Scott]

Picked up this lot off eBay almost a decade ago - I believe.

Great find! Your "Arts and Crafts" framing suits them. 

[MonsterBaker666]

They look great in those frames.  Display them proudly!

[Hepcat]

Although it might seem strange at first glance for Aurora to have issued these Coppersmith sets, it makes all the sense in the world when you give it some thought. As first and foremost a model kit producer, Aurora needed to make molds to cast the parts for these kits. Well why not mass produce and market the molds themselves then?

[MonsterBaker666]

I believe they were called Aurora PLASTICS Corporation.  They started out making plastic bow and arrow toys, plastic hangers, and they also made the popular Skittle Bowl toy.  So the coppersmith items had a plastic embossed base so it git with what they made back then. 

[Hepcat]

Hmmmm. I see that the Aurora Plastics Corporation was founded in 1950 as a contract manufacturer of injection molded plastics.

Aurora entered the hobby market after hiring salesman John Cuomo with the release of 1:48 scale Lockheed F90 and Grumman F9F Panther fighter jet models in 1952. Aurora's first figure kits were of several knights in armour in 1956.

Aurora entered the slot car market in the fall of 1960 with HO-scale racing sets. With the introduction of the Thunderjet 500 line in 1963, Aurora came to dominate the HO sector of the slot car market.

The company's iconic Skittle-Bowl set wasn't released until late 1968:

[Doh!]

I never heard of these before. Very cool collectibles -- thanks for sharing!

[Mike Scott]

I never heard of these before.

The Coppersmith monsters? Sounds like somebody needs to visit the photo albums. 

[Doh!]

It's one of my retirement projects...

[Monolith]

I have that Aurora Pirate Captain coppersmith set pictured in the pamphlet above. It's packed away right now in my garage. If I dig it out, I'll take a photo of it.