AURORA MODELS - From Modeling's Golden Age: X-13 Vertijet, X-15 Rocketplane, and Douglas DC-8!
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
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One point on the Aurora X-15 kit - it shows the plane's original configuration with two XLR11 rocket motors, the same motor used in the X-1. These were later replaced with one XLR99 motor with much greater thrust.
The Aurora X-15 was the first plastic model I ever built, in 1959 when I was five years old. Several years later, Dad and I built the X-13 kit. I built another X-15 in the late 60's and it still has a place on the shelf.
Good point on the XLR11 motors Duncan, thanks!
I loved the aurora X15 kit. I built it a couple times as a kid growing up in the 70s. The box art was spectacular too. I still cherish aurora box art from the 60s and 70s.
Mr. Machat, I never stop feeling thankful for being a boy in the 'fifties. What wonderful times, aviation in full progress, the beginning of the space race, and PLASTIC MODELS, among other things. Keep up your fantastic work!
Agreed on the 1950s, and thanks for your comment!
Being 75 and an avid aviation nut I believe I built all of those models before transitioning into control line nitro models then on the radio control which then led me to obtaining my private pilot and instrument ratings. I still fly RC planes today. Thanks for the memories.
Thank you Mike for this well done and informative video! Growing up the 1950-60s, I built many Aurora models. They were everywhere, from my corner candy store in the Bronx NY, to hobby shops, toy stores, departments stores, and even hardware stores. I 'cut my teeth' and honed my skills early on and continue to build models today as well as curating my large collection of vintage kits from many manufacturers. I am now 70 years old or young if you will, and am always on the lookout for kits to add to my collection. The joy is still there many years later!
I grew up on Long Island in the same era and share many aspects of your wonderful comment, thanks!
Ahhh, I have to wait one more day....... Thanks ahead of time.....
Thanks again, Mike.
Lots of '50s and '60s memories here.
Absolutely love this series on model aircraft.
Thank you!
Great video Mike, thanks for posting. $2.98 was about my week's profit from my paper route !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!! Great trip down memory lane and very interesting tidbits on the "collector" side of things!
Very enjoyable and informative thank you Mike
Great video. Thanks. Those Aurora models of the jetliners are fantastic. My friends and I always bought the smaller scale kits as the were more inline with our allowance of the day. Funny thing, as a kid I never knew how good the box art was but now thanks to you I really appreciate it. You have quite the collection. Thanks for your time and work.............
Many thanks, Mike!
Aurora must have done a production run of the X-15 kit in the 70's. I remember buying one at the newly opened National Air and Space Museum's gift shop! Back in the days when the NASM gave a hoot about selling model kits!
Great presentation Mike!
Incredible collection of kits.
Thank you!
I just love the style that you and Max do your videos, informative, educational, entertaining and most of all, they give a very....homely feeling, if that's the right word.
As beautiful many of the boxart of today are....there's something special about those old classic boxarts....
Keep up the phenomenal work, both you and Max!
Many thanks!
Thanks
Thank you Mike......
Mr Machat; You have made an amazing contribution to Aviation history over the years, and your artwork is among the best. I loved the series of books you did with REG Davies looking at specific airlines, and the book on the Rainbow. When CZcams finally fed me one of your videos a couple of weeks ago, I subscribed right away, and have been enjoying the back catalogue ever since. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos - all of them have been interesting and entertaining.
Really appreciate the wonderful comment Ian, thanks! I was very fortunate to have worked on all the projects you mentioned, and I'm glad you're enjoying the channel.
That Aurora X-13 is my most treasured Aurora kit in my collection....sadly it will likely never be built... as rarity and value prevents that. Great show Mike...you have some amazingly pristine vintage Aurora kits there!
Agreed on the X-13 model - bought and built one back in 1957. One of Aurora's absolute best kits ever!
Maybe Atlantis Models will reissue the Aurora Ryan X-13 in time seeing that they probably now own the mold for this kit.
@@WAL_DC-6B Let's hope!
Everytime when I see this marvelous machine, the X15, I'm immediately reminded to a Scott Crossfield quote.
'You are not in a dangerous situation until you run out of alternatives...Unless you panic - and we don't do that.'
Legends say that the X15 had a 10kn of extra thrust just to lift the weight of his balls.
Very nice collection you have there. Truly amazing in which shape the boxes are.
and of course..... he did not panic, even as he flew right into a storm..... very untimely end for Dr Scott :)
nevermind the incorrect gesture--- :( :( Nothing to smile about.
Love it!
And here we've got the man, again, loving the balls of another man. I don't share your obsession. I think it a strange expression. Just say somebody is brave, please.
Great video, Mike...👍
building model airplanes was very popular among young boys throughout the 60's and 70's as well.
Two Aurora kits on my shelves are the Rockwell Jet Commander and the Cessna 337. I had them built before I learned that they were two of the
molds destroyed in the train weck. Being 72 scale they can still be found and don't demand high prices. While fairly basic kits they both were nice kits.
Hello Mike,
I have never had a desire to build plastic models, but I love your videos!! Perhaps it's the historian in me.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
There must be $30,000 in kits in that magnificent collection on your table.
Love your videos. Always informative. Great collection of kits. Must have taken years to collect. Most of the Aurora kits I remember building were the Monster kits. I even built the John Kennedy fireplace kit. Most of the Aurora aircraft kits out had a Revell or Monogram version, and for some reason I built those. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
You always take me back Mike. I don't remember prices that low, born in 64, but I did have the x-15, and the vtol kit, more that once. Still love these planes today. Keep'em coming Brother.
Many thanks, Rick!
Thank you for this great video, Mike.
My two favorite subjects, aircraft and models...my cup runneth over!
Building kits when young developed motor skills and patience and the rewards of taking your time to do something right. I remember struggling with a nose wrap decal for a F-100. When I finally got it right, I felt I was an aircraft producer in league with Grumman and Northrup !!!
Great video Mr. Machat. Aurora will always hold a place in my life as I built many of their kits on the late 50s to late 60s. I remember a lot of those kits seen in your collection stash.
Many thanks!
Not sure if I remember building any Aurora models. To me the name Aurora will always be synonymous with HO scale road racing and N scale postage stamp train sets.
@@lancomedic I worked in a store that sold a lot of toys. Aurora model kits and their HO race sets were big sellers.
Good stuff as always. Thank you.
I have kept a few Aurora kits but the build quality is child like because that's when I built them.
As always a very nice video and informative. A nice collection of kits you have and the boxes look great.
Thanks John! Looking forward to seeing you after the trip - will bring photos from there too.
Hi Mike! Thanks for another great video.! All those kits I see in your video make great "eye candy" indeed!
Thanks for reminding me that there was nothing so hideous as faux silver molded styrene. Something I had hoped to un-see after fifty years.
Dear Mike,
Another nice slice of modelling history, bravo.
The 'speculative' nature of the X15 kit resurfaced prior to the availability of images of the F117. I recall several model companies producing 'educated guesses' of the Stealth Fighter. I imagine those kits would be worth a great deal now also.
Good point Frank, thanks! Many of those "misses" are now cult collectibles today.
Great video.
Mike, you could take each one of your kits, tell a small story, make a video, and I'd watch it.
Wrapped or unwrapped. Unwrapped. As long it all is original, whenever you pick up the box you'll be looking at it. And you don't want to miss the great box art.
Many thanks for the nice comment, and I agree - unwrapped so you can always open the box and savor its contents!
Hi Mike. The Aurora Satelloid X-15 is shown by Jo Kotula as flying over Long Island!
And the X-13 was taken to Edwards under a tarp, which Aviation Week called the XF-109!
Fantastic videos. They sends us back many years when plastic modelling was REAL modelling without spending fortunes for extremely difficult kit like most found these days, way out of any purchasing possibility-.
Hava you ever thought of giving us a well documented story of the Monogram's Piper Tri-Pacer and Cessna 180? Private aviation has always been neglected by model companies and the only good renditions of these classic airplanes are those made by Monogram way back in 1956 (The Cessna 180) and the beautiful Piper Tri-Pacer (1957). You can confirm that the Tri-Pacer is my favourite plastic kit by looking my photo of the CZcams account!!! Keep up the good work Mr. Machat. which we appreciated very much to keep REAL modelling alive. Greetings from Colombia, EDUARDO
Interesting video (as always) on the Aurora kits, especially the airliners. I grew up in a small town near an Air Force base and the stores rarely stocked the airliners. Thanks!
Brings back many memories. While I did not get into model building until the seventies (born 67) but I absolutely loved the video. I looked up the F102 kit and they average 250
Many thanks, and that price sounds about right for the F-102!
Damn, that sure brings back some fond memories. I once built the Revell X-15, which was reasonably accurate except for the removable engine which was a bit of a joke compare to what the real XLR-99 looked like. But that didn't stop me from building it again in the '80s when I built a version released by Revell Germany. And if you want to see the actual X-13 (unless it's a reasonable facsimile thereof) there's one at the San Diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park.
Thanks for the comment, and yes, one of the real Ryan X-13s is in San Diego while the other is displayed in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, OH.
Boeing 727 was only one of those large airliner kits I ever had. Although having, as a child, flown on a couple different outfits' 727s, instead of using kit decals I decorated the 727 for the Bicentennial.
As a kid, I built the Aurora X-15 that was molded in black. Even back at that tender age, I could tell it looked different from the photos I saw in books of the real plane.
Same here Lance, and I always wondered if model companies honestly thought it didn't matter because we were just kids. If they only knew!
Those were such wonderful times for a yougster.
Agreed!
I used to build the aurora aircraft carriers too like the Forrstal and Saratoga with their corresponding box art was brilliant.
Agreed!
On another note about Aurora kits. I avidly collect the TV Show related kits(built ups with box), any of the brands of the day, and Aurora was tops with figure kits. One thing, is that in about 1995, I had the chance to buy an Original Lost In Space Robot kit. This one was molded in a very pale Metallic Green. All the others I have ever known 0f are molded in Metallic Silver. Seller knew how to spot reproductions, so I to this day believe that model for sale that day will go down as one of the rarest Aurora items I will ever know of. I sure wish I 'woulda bought it! Does any one ever come across Aurora kits in rare colors? Fascinating subject. One guy did tell me he owns a metallic blue or green Aurora Batmobile model. Claimed to have been a test shot. I know on Aurora HO Slot Cars, sometimes a car was left on as a mold plug to the other car on the tree. Not needed in that color on certain car, then the car reground and plastic recycled.
Thanks again for more great memories of my life and building many Kit's.. one I remember was the: 1/164 ? Scale plastic model kit of the XB-70 super Sonic bomber kit from "Arora"and as a nine year old boy... thought it was neato 😁
That was an awesome kit back in the day!
As a severely dyslexic kid I used to live to build many kits as a way to get into my own wourld and feel free to be myself. My very first kit was a small chrome plated 1/72nd. scale kit of the Mitsubishi A6-M Zero Sen I'd built in Yokohama Japan as a three year old boy 1962.; the instructions were completely Japanese but I couldn't read anyway & followed the, picturial and numbered exploded diagram and cemented it together.
Thanks again for the cool memories....
@@freddyblack8394 You're very welcome, and thanks for watching the channel. Great to have you aboard!
Great story on some of Aurora's interesting kits! I recall in the very early 1970s purchasing an Aurora Eastern Airlines Douglas DC-8 kit with the original box art from Bill's Hobby & Collector's shop in uptown Park Ridge, IL. When I got home and opened the kit, I was startled and disappointed that the model came with the later Eastern "hockey stick" DC-8 livery instead of the "Fly Eastern Airlines" markings as on illustrated the box Still have the EAL box and also the Aurora Delta Airlines complete DC-8 kit without the cello-wrap.
Lindberg models did the very same thing with their United Caravelle VIR. I saved for weeks for that kit, but when I got it home and opened it up, it was the older model Air France Caravelle III with United decals. I was crushed!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Guess we both found out from these experiences that sometimes, "life just isn't fair."
You mentioned “Famous Fighters” near the beginning. Did you know that when Aurora first came out with its Wolf Man model, its instruction sheet had “Famous Fighters” printed on it.
I build all my models. I don’t collect mint boxed kits, so I would say I like the unboxed one better. Good video.👍
Many thanks!
When you pulled the decal sheet out of the Delta DC-8 kit, I swear I could smell that decal sheet smell!!
Me too! I like to think there's still 1959 air inside those boxes. Thanks!
An interesting look at Aurora models. Thanks, Mike. FYI, I was a Revell fan, and did not build many Aurora models.
My older brothers, in the '60's, lamented the Aurora kits, deciding early on that that the detail & fit of Aurora model kits was inferior to Monogram & Revell model kits. I've heard that the quality of Aurora kits was inconsistent; & some Aurora kits were quite good, but my brothers did not want to waste their (hard earned) money, & (understandably) preferred to buy kits produced from companies that they were confident would provide the best value for the money. After one or two disappointments from Aurora, I don't blame them. I'd say it's the same today. However, Aurora did offer some interesting & diverse subjects in their model kit lines.
This is a perfect point, thanks. I didn't cover this in the video, but because Aurora kits were sealed in cello wrap, you had no way of knowing if the kit was good or not. At $2.49 cents, seeing the Boeing 707 or Convair 880 models was a crushing disappointment, especially compared to the DC-8 kits which were dead-on accurate to the big Douglas jetliner. Although there was no detail at all on the fuselage, the aircraft's overall lines were nearly perfect. Thanks for the great comment!
Great video Mike, A lot of distant memories came flooding back to me while watching this first installment of "Aurora Week." Growing up in Levittown, about eight miles from the West Hempstead Aurora factory, I was exposed to these fun and mostly easy kits at a very early age. I squandered a lot of lawn mowing and soda bottle deposit back money on Aurora kits when you could get the cheaper ones for less than fifty cents apiece. Later on, I would buy the more challenging and expensive models with the incredible cover art by Jo Kotula and John Steel, two of the best in the business. The X-13 Vertijet is one of my favorites from Aurora, and fits in perfectly with this well done presentation. Look forward to the upcoming videos.
Thanks Glenn. Looking forward to "Monogram Week," "Lindberg Week," "Comet Week," and "Hawk Week" in the months ahead!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 So am I.
And that's just his Aurora!😳
Wow. That Revell Ryan Vertijet kit would sell today, I'm sure. What a cool kit. I know I'd buy one! I'm a sucker for the weird and wonderful research and prototype aircraft done in the 50's and 60's.
Great video Mike!
Thanks, and I'd buy one too! A very intricate model - the control surfaces were operated from the cockpit!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Amazing!!
Beautiful models! It’s a crying shame that generations of kids were dealt a digital fist of electronic gaming and TV that robbed many youth of creative ingenuity.
I can smell the old hobby shop right now. 🙂
Thanks for the look at the nostalgic plastic. I have an Aurora 1/72 Boeing 737 in the loft. Totally original and unstarted I know it's inaccuracies but also how to sort them. It's going to be built as a USAF T43 nav trainer.
I almost always prefer opened on vintage model kits. I need to know what is in the box. Better yet, my goal is to obtain a nice original built up and the empty box to go with it. I just bought the 747 United Airlines built up with N74700 number decals on the tail. Has Clear stand, and I think is from about 1969. I admire it for the time period history and the quality of the kit. In flight display, and has the detail and accuracy in the right places.
...good stuff, my friend...
Great and interesting and as always!....I offer to work at HOBBYRAMA EAST when you open up....I will work for kits, glue and paint!
It's a deal, thanks!
This is unrelated but I caught a couple of your Peninsula presentations for the museum and they were fantastic.
Glad you enjoyed those, thanks!
Wow! The unreleased Ryan X-13 Vertijet by Revell was a complete surprise for me. When you think you know EVERYTHING about plastic models, there is always a good surprise just waiting. Well, I suppose I can be forgiven because it was cancelled. Thank you Mike! The other two kits of this series, the F-102 Delta Dagger and the A-1 Skyraider were way ahead of their time in quality. That A-1 has a special place in my collection. it even had operating parts, like flaps. Revell should have stayed that course. Maybe she would be relevant today, as the German Revell has.
Agreed 100% - thanks!
Unwrapped. I want to see the plastic. I was too young when these kits were released but I did build my fair share of Aurora kits in the mid and late sixties. I think my big 747 was an Aurora kit.
If I knew the kit was complete I would go without the cell-wrap.
That was my vote too!
A well thought out and interesting video. Aurora was regularly trashed by Scale Modeler in comparison to other brands, but some of its aircraft were really pretty good. (e.g, Jolly Green Giant copter). Some were definitely worse (e.g, F-105). It would be good if you could more on Aurora to include its WWI planes, even though I built only the Fokker D8 and Albatross C3. Thanks again.
Many thanks, and another problem is that beacuse Aurora boxes were sealed in cello wrap, you never knew how good or bad the kit was until after you'd brought it home. Good idea on the World War I kits too.
I’ve marked Aurora Week on my Google calendar.
Thanks Mike for another delightful and informative video.
I have to ask, Just how many in the box vintage Aurora kits do you have?
As for which Delta DC-8 I prefer, well, I’ll be more than happy to take which ever one you’re willing to part with. Just kidding of course😉. They’re both great.
One more question- what did you do to preserve those decals? They look awfully good for a sheet that must be around 60 years old. 👍
Great comment Mark, thanks! My collection has come and gone over the years, but at the peak, I had well over 100 kits. As for decal condition, much of that depends on where the kit was from, meaning west coast summer heat, east coast summer humidity, or midwest dust storms can all be factors in how those sheets survive. The Delta DC-8 decal sheet in the video is from a California collection kept in an air-conditioned apartment since new. Lucky to have found it!
Mike, have you ever seen the Aurora model of the CF-105 Avro Arrow?
Yes, and we'll be featuring that kit in a future episode.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Excellent!
The Yak-25 on that box never existed, closest I can find is the yak-15. So what aircraft is that on the Aurora box?
Terry Tewell :
It's the "supposed MiG-19", almost like Lindbergh Line has "supposed" it too.!!!
Another hasty Aurora "dud" was the F107 model. Alas mine went to the big kit heaven long ago!
Won that very kit with tickets from Skeeball on the boardwalk arcade in Long Beach, NY. Still can't believe that was the only kit of the F-107 ever produced back then!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Well, it lost out on the F105. Models of prototypes often have a bad run. Everybody wants to own the winner. I've got a copy of the much more recent Trumpeter kit though. :-)
@@marcbrasse747 Perfect point, Marc, and yes, Aurora's F-105 was an early examples of "Truth In Advertising" - YF-105Bs on the cover art, but a wierd and toy-like YF-105A prototype in the box.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Ah. That I didn't know. They probably made both molds very early, like that of the X15, and then the F105 model survived longer in parallel to the real article. Like I mentioned before: I am not that much of a stickler for perfect detailing as long as the model projects the right atmosphere. Especially because these where still mostly seen as toys at the time. Aurora compensated it's lighte rlook on the subject through its daring attitude and flexible policy. I do however think precission in shape is important and that F107 surely scored low on that as well. But still! :-)
...the golden age of model kit art ( I grew up in the 50s & 60s and was a huge model builder as a kid...a hobby that sadly no longer exists as it once did among young boys...the hobby and kits have evolved into an adult hobby with prices prohibitive for most kids.
My favorite Aurora models were the WW1 series. By the mid 60s most of their other series were looking really dated .
Agreed!
There after 1:54, Aurora's X-15 "didn't look anything like the real airplane" ... Huh? Say what? That declaration looks a little bit excessively hyperbolic to me, or maybe we have different understandings of what "anything like" means. It looked enough like the X-15 to satisfy me back in the day and still generally represents an X-15. Ahh yes, Aviation Leak & Space Technology magazine, now there's a subject for a story all on its own.
Hi Mike, I have a question--only if you have time. I'm working on the REVELL visible v8 my son got me. There are a lot of moving parts, the instructions recommend vegetable oil? Seems that would turn to goo after a year or so and I know not to use anything petroleum based. Spray silicone?? Any ideas, only if you have time, if you don't were still friends.... LOL Also, no rush
Interesting question, and I've used 3-in-1 Oil for modeling items like spinning props or rotor blades. I agree on vegetable oil - with it being organic, it could pose a problem over time.
what is the average value of those unopened , original aurora kits in the market?
At the peak 20 years ago, a sealed Aurora airliner sold in the $150 range. Today, probably closer to $100.
$2.98 is worth almost $25 today. That was a expensive model
Yes..it would be considered a major Xmas or birthday gift back then...
Why do you say Wowwa? Then WRITE Wowwa, please. Awwe you an Amewwican? In Britain they NEVER say Wowwa. Maybe I like the Brits talking better.