Buyer beware. There seems to be a stabilization or even reduction in Aurora kit prices for some models. Here is what I saw today. www.boxartden.com and www.scalemates.com
Inflation of essentials like energy, food, and housing is taking a big bite out of the money that used to be spent on hobbies such as collecting models. I had lots of Aurora models back in the day.
Great trip in the time machine....I had many many Aurora kits in the years before the "flood" just ask Noah! To one up Orange Tabby, Aurora kits were made about 20 miles from my home in West Hempstead, NY. We never had any problem with the availability of the kits. Safe journey and safe return, look out for the cumulomaxumus in the frontal boundaries.
Thanks for a nice stroll down memory lane. Built many of those kits and non have survived. Aurora had great box art as well as great ads. For us Canadians it was the go to model company as they were made in Rexdale Ontario for the Canadian market. This made them cheaper than Lindberg or AMT which had to ne imported.
Thank you for another great video. Keep 'em coming. I bought many Auroras on Ebay, and sold some, too. I check every day, and it has seemed to me for about 5 years that prices have been pretty stable. Aurora had great kits for kids. Most were easy to build, and fit well. A few were painfully inaccurate, but most were fine. Most lacked much detail, but I like them anyway. Thanks again. p.s., There is nothing like that smell of the inside of an Aurora box 50 years later. It is probably bad health-wise, but it is nostalgic.
Aurora has a special place in my childhood and memories. I developed a passion for WWI warbirds thanks to Aurora and I got my start with home slot car racing with Aurora Thunderjet HO cars. I’m mostly building Eduard kits these days but my Aurora warbirds collection will always be prominently displayed on the shelves. 👍
Wow. You are right about the nostalgic grip Aurora has on modelers, especially older ones who grew up with Aurora. I built a few Revell Highway Pioneer car models, but my modeling interest really took off when I started building ww1 Aurora planes. I built up a pretty good collection of them, and still have a few. I still remember when the Gotha bomber was released in red styrene. I still have mine. I thought it was really cool, and I liked the improvement in Aurora molding and decals that got better and better in the late 1960s. I'm not a collector. I like to build them, and I'm grateful to companies like Round 2 and Atlantis for reviving old kits. Otherwise we would have less fun with old kits, but spend alot more to enjoy them.
I cut my teeth on Aurora (and Hawk, Monogram, AMT, etc.) and hope that Atlantis reissues the Panther D/A/G tank (it's a wonderfully bad hybrid of all three models and the first kit I built without parental aid). I've never considered collecting them when there are so many good, modern kits to buy. Great kits at the time with great artwork to entice an impressionable young boy.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US GLUE TROOPERS ,MAX, .MODELS MAKE YOU FEEL YOUNG AGAIN,THEY ARE OUR TIME MACHINE TO BETTER TIMES.AURORA MODELS TO ME WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY LOVE FOR HISTORY.BE SAFE AND GOD BLESS.AS A MAN ONCE SAID 'MODEL ON;
Good video Max with some sound advice and observations, thanks for sharing. There's a similar trend this side of the pond with collecting Airfix and Matchbox kits and some issues with the circulation of counterfeit kits and or boxes. The Internet marketplace is a jungle so it really is buyer beware.
What a great video! Thanks Max! I've built most of the monster kits as a kid, even the Guillotine 🤪. Kits of the planes too. Unfortunately, none have survived. Thanks again for the great memories! As always God bless you and yours and thanks again for all you do! Model On Sir! 👍😊🇺🇸
Enjoyed ur vid showing the box art for Aurora's monsters. Brings back so many good memories of modeling those. Feel the pictures on those boxes are a true work of art. It drew me more to buy n model it as a child. Kudos for vid. How about modeling a monster like Aurora's Frankenstein or Wolfman on ur next project. Haven't seen one of ur vids yet, although I'm a newer subscriber. Anticipating ur next one.
As a kid, I built many Aurora kits, and none now exist. So, it pleases me to see Atlantis bringing many back. Some rekindle old memories, others I missed out on when Aurora was still in business. Prices of vintage kits can be pricey when found on Amazon, but for personal reasons, I will not use Ebay/Paypal, period. My choice.
I never had any Aurora kits, and do not even recall seeing any in the shops in New Zealand. They may have been around, but I do not remember them. Do have one or two re-issues by other brands. Imported American kits were generally a lot more expensive that British Airfix, Matchbox, or Frog kits in the 1970s. Counterfeit models - re-issues in old boxes. I am not sure if this applies to kits, but in the world of die-cast models there are a number of small companies making and selling reproduction boxes for old models that have lost their original boxes over the years. I do have a Dinky Lady Penelope's FAB 1 Rolls-Royce in a reproduction box which I picked up at a collector's fair some time ago. I suppose kits are more likely to stay in their original boxes than a die-cast, because the box is needed to keep everything together. There are also boxes for models that never had their own boxes originally, as the models were sold individually from a large Trade Box. Again, that would not apply to kits.
If you’re doing for financial reasons, remember, buy low, sell high… If it’s for nostalgic reasons, get the kit that you want but to always keep in mind that since Aurora is no more then spare parts (if you mangled something) will be hard, if not impossible to come by. If you’re casually building things, then find companies that currently have the molds and sell kits at reasonable prices.
Just completed the Atlantis repop of the 1/48 Aurora M4A3E8 Sherman (it was in your latest viewers builds video), part of their Air*Land*Sea combo kit. Not a bad kit (tracks could use some refinement/aftermarket) for a 1968 release. Next up, after the Airliner build (also an Atlantis repop), is another Atlantis repop of the 1/48 Aurora M109 Self-Propelled Arty, nostalgia build with the short barrel.
Prices do fluctuate with the times. Just thankful it didn't get bat crap crazy like the beanie babies. The only 'old kit' I've got in the stash is the K&B Gotha an Aurora rebox if I'm not mistaken . Thanks for all your research and work putting this up along with all the other great content. Model on
I’ve picked up a few Aurora kits over the last few years when the price was right. The original monster models are now insanely expensive. Speaking of that, R.I.P. James Bama, the artist that did the wonderful monster model box art.
Yes Aurora is collectible for some. There is a gloo trooper who collected all the quarter scale ww1 Aurora aircraft and built them. And he has a vid on this. And he was happy. I thought it was great. I am currently collecting the Hawk racing planes and I did get them for a good price . My Aurora Pfalz D-3 6.00 and 4.00 for shipping. Last year they were going for 125.00 . Good hunting to all.
I would LOVE to build all their TANKS I have the JAPANESE ha GO tank in the 1970s square box… ATLANTIS reboot PATTON MONOGRAM SHERMAN E8 1980s MONOGRAM PANTHER 1980s I built the RUSSIAN JS3 with the little target picture in the turret… But yes… I want all their TANKS even if they’re REBOOTS … THANKS MAX… I had a great weekend with everything I did… The live stream with the GLUE TROOPERS you and KEN , and more AURORA FILES… I do have a couple of hours to work on my BUILDS tonight… BETWEEN THE CLOUDS MAX… CHRIS from OHIO
Keep in mind that people can buy machines that cellophane wrap packages. So when you see something that says its sealed look carefully at the wrapping. It should be aged and I have found one instance when I bought a sealed kit that did not look right so I opened it and found a mish mash of parts that had nothing to do with the model I thought I had purchased. They knew that collectors like sealed kits as their value is higher and most collectors will not break a seal. Luckily when I turned this in to EBAY he lost his ability to buy and sell. So as Max says BUYER BEWARE!!!!!
I understand collecting the box art. Collecting a "kit" that you don't ever intend to build seems a bit over the top. There are folks that collect allegedly rare Lionel trains which is great if you intend to run them or set them up on a shelf or desk but to buy something in a box as "rare/mint" that you never take out????? I have seen items up for sale at shows or auctions where they have offered X-Rays as evidence of what's in the box, and now there is even a market for counterfeit boxes and guides on how to spot them. The only mint in the box stuff I am willing to buy are Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. They don't don't stay in the box very long😀. I am surprised that there isn't a market for collecting those boxes (sans cookies) as the cookies shelf life is pretty short (two years?).
" Ah remember arguing the Toss with my friend on a Saturday in town as to what Brand to go for Aurora , Airfix , Frog , Revell ..or to the hallowed heights of Tamiya or Hasegewa , Airfix or Revell usually won based on how much Pocket money you could generate , if you could buy Models then at then Prices now it would be a Gold rush...but back in the early 70's you HAD Model shops or stockists in Dept stores , now there all gone..E Bay and the Online Shops who took the Sink or Swim now survive , Where I am there's a Guy runs a Models Games shop how long He will last I don't know with the Council in the Town these Sods charge Rates that see Small Businesses go under ..
Inflation of essentials like energy, food, and housing is taking a big bite out of the money that used to be spent on hobbies such as collecting models. I had lots of Aurora models back in the day.
Great trip in the time machine....I had many many Aurora kits in the years before the "flood" just ask Noah! To one up Orange Tabby, Aurora kits were made about 20 miles from my home in West Hempstead, NY. We never had any problem with the availability of the kits. Safe journey and safe return, look out for the cumulomaxumus in the frontal boundaries.
Man that brought back memories. Having been born at about the beginning of the 60s, I build a few....
Thanks Max.
Thanks for a nice stroll down memory lane. Built many of those kits and non have survived. Aurora had great box art as well as great ads. For us Canadians it was the go to model company as they were made in Rexdale Ontario for the Canadian market. This made them cheaper than Lindberg or AMT which had to ne imported.
hey i grew up in Rexdale! i remember being really excited when my cousin’s girlfriend got a job at Aurora.
@@seanh2390 Nice. Did he build a big collection on Aurora kits. I grew up in Toronto. Rexdale was that that time what we called "the sticks".
Thank you for another great video. Keep 'em coming. I bought many Auroras on Ebay, and sold some, too. I check every day, and it has seemed to me for about 5 years that prices have been pretty stable. Aurora had great kits for kids. Most were easy to build, and fit well. A few were painfully inaccurate, but most were fine. Most lacked much detail, but I like them anyway. Thanks again. p.s., There is nothing like that smell of the inside of an Aurora box 50 years later. It is probably bad health-wise, but it is nostalgic.
Aurora has a special place in my childhood and memories. I developed a passion for WWI warbirds thanks to Aurora and I got my start with home slot car racing with Aurora Thunderjet HO cars. I’m mostly building Eduard kits these days but my Aurora warbirds collection will always be prominently displayed on the shelves. 👍
Wow. You are right about the nostalgic grip Aurora has on modelers, especially older ones who grew up with Aurora. I built a few Revell Highway Pioneer car models, but my modeling interest really took off when I started building ww1 Aurora planes. I built up a pretty good collection of them, and still have a few. I still remember when the Gotha bomber was released in red styrene. I still have mine. I thought it was really cool, and I liked the improvement in Aurora molding and decals that got better and better in the late 1960s. I'm not a collector. I like to build them, and I'm grateful to companies like Round 2 and Atlantis for reviving old kits. Otherwise we would have less fun with old kits, but spend alot more to enjoy them.
I cut my teeth on Aurora (and Hawk, Monogram, AMT, etc.) and hope that Atlantis reissues the Panther D/A/G tank (it's a wonderfully bad hybrid of all three models and the first kit I built without parental aid). I've never considered collecting them when there are so many good, modern kits to buy. Great kits at the time with great artwork to entice an impressionable young boy.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR US GLUE TROOPERS ,MAX, .MODELS MAKE YOU FEEL YOUNG AGAIN,THEY ARE OUR TIME MACHINE TO BETTER TIMES.AURORA MODELS TO ME WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY LOVE FOR HISTORY.BE SAFE AND GOD BLESS.AS A MAN ONCE SAID 'MODEL ON;
Hi Max. I got two of the Cheyenne repops. Got the B-24 & B- 25. Many thanx 👍
Good video Max with some sound advice and observations, thanks for sharing. There's a similar trend this side of the pond with collecting Airfix and Matchbox kits and some issues with the circulation of counterfeit kits and or boxes. The Internet marketplace is a jungle so it really is buyer beware.
What a great video! Thanks Max! I've built most of the monster kits as a kid, even the Guillotine 🤪. Kits of the planes too. Unfortunately, none have survived. Thanks again for the great memories! As always God bless you and yours and thanks again for all you do! Model On Sir! 👍😊🇺🇸
Thanks
@@maxsmodels You are most welcome Sir!
Enjoyed ur vid showing the box art for Aurora's monsters. Brings back so many good memories of modeling those. Feel the pictures on those boxes are a true work of art. It drew me more to buy n model it as a child. Kudos for vid. How about modeling a monster like Aurora's Frankenstein or
Wolfman on ur next project. Haven't seen one of ur vids yet, although I'm a newer subscriber. Anticipating ur next one.
I love those figure kits! This why I got into 3D printing as well - rare or no longer produced models. I can't afford styrene older than me.
You nailed it Max - super video!
Thanks Mike.
Loved their WW1 kits
really like the box art in the thumbnail … one of my all time favourites
Mine too
As a kid, I built many Aurora kits, and none now exist. So, it pleases me to see Atlantis bringing many back. Some rekindle old memories, others I missed out on when Aurora was still in business. Prices of vintage kits can be pricey when found on Amazon, but for personal reasons, I will not use Ebay/Paypal, period. My choice.
I remember the Aurora AFX electric race tracks since I had one in my childhood...
I never had any Aurora kits, and do not even recall seeing any in the shops in New Zealand. They may have been around, but I do not remember them. Do have one or two re-issues by other brands. Imported American kits were generally a lot more expensive that British Airfix, Matchbox, or Frog kits in the 1970s.
Counterfeit models - re-issues in old boxes. I am not sure if this applies to kits, but in the world of die-cast models there are a number of small companies making and selling reproduction boxes for old models that have lost their original boxes over the years. I do have a Dinky Lady Penelope's FAB 1 Rolls-Royce in a reproduction box which I picked up at a collector's fair some time ago. I suppose kits are more likely to stay in their original boxes than a die-cast, because the box is needed to keep everything together. There are also boxes for models that never had their own boxes originally, as the models were sold individually from a large Trade Box. Again, that would not apply to kits.
I may have to send you one.
Awesome video, I really enjoy these. Thanks, I know there is a lot of effort that goes into making it. Have a great day Sir.
-David
If you’re doing for financial reasons, remember, buy low, sell high…
If it’s for nostalgic reasons, get the kit that you want but to always keep in mind that since Aurora is no more then spare parts (if you mangled something) will be hard, if not impossible to come by.
If you’re casually building things, then find companies that currently have the molds and sell kits at reasonable prices.
Just completed the Atlantis repop of the 1/48 Aurora M4A3E8 Sherman (it was in your latest viewers builds video), part of their Air*Land*Sea combo kit. Not a bad kit (tracks could use some refinement/aftermarket) for a 1968 release. Next up, after the Airliner build (also an Atlantis repop), is another Atlantis repop of the 1/48 Aurora M109 Self-Propelled Arty, nostalgia build with the short barrel.
You made it look great.
@@maxsmodels Thanks to you, Max!
Great video. A few weeks ago I picked up an aurora u505 in the 1961 box.
Yeah the box art on that U505 was fantastic...put you right in the convoy.
I built all the Aurora armor kits and liked the MBT 70, M 109 and the Swedish S Tank the best.
I am building the Atlantis repop M-109 now. I have another on order so I can do both short and long barrel variants.
s tank would be great to have again
Prices do fluctuate with the times. Just thankful it didn't get bat crap crazy like the beanie babies. The only 'old kit' I've got in the stash is the K&B Gotha an Aurora rebox if I'm not mistaken . Thanks for all your research and work putting this up along with all the other great content. Model on
C😎😎 LLL Stuff Max , Thanks For Sharing n God Bless All 🤗🤗, Gary.
About 10 to 15 years ago, I tried buying every Aurora kit on eBay, and I have a major collection before the prices went through the ceiling.
NOTE TO KEN BURNS OF PBS...PLEASE CONSIDER USING MAX FOR THE NARATION OF YOUR NEXT PBS HISTORY SERIES!!!
GREAT IDEA… I can see ( hear ) that…
HAVE A GREAT WEEK… Joseph
@@chrispacer4231 Thanks, you too...tomorrow is my birthday...UGH!
@@joeschenk8400 HAPPY HAPPY
BIRTHDAY… you see !!! You made ONE more year 😜
My Aurora holy grail was their P-51 [H] Mustang! Yes, it is the protype H model that had a more D model short tail fin!
I’ve picked up a few Aurora kits over the last few years when the price was right. The original monster models are now insanely expensive. Speaking of that, R.I.P. James Bama, the artist that did the wonderful monster model box art.
I saw that. Very sad.
Yes Aurora is collectible for some. There is a gloo trooper who collected all the quarter scale ww1 Aurora aircraft and built them. And he has a vid on this. And he was happy. I thought it was great. I am currently collecting the Hawk racing planes and I did get them for a good price . My Aurora Pfalz D-3 6.00 and 4.00 for shipping. Last year they were going for 125.00 . Good hunting to all.
I had all of the Universal Monster kits,
I would LOVE to build all their TANKS
I have the JAPANESE ha GO tank in the 1970s square box…
ATLANTIS reboot PATTON
MONOGRAM SHERMAN E8 1980s
MONOGRAM PANTHER 1980s
I built the RUSSIAN JS3 with the little target picture in the turret…
But yes… I want all their TANKS
even if they’re REBOOTS …
THANKS MAX… I had a great weekend with everything I did…
The live stream with the GLUE TROOPERS you and KEN , and more AURORA FILES…
I do have a couple of hours to work on my BUILDS tonight…
BETWEEN THE CLOUDS MAX…
CHRIS from OHIO
I would build all the armor kits if they were available too.
Prices might come down once the specific generation that remembers them dies off...
Keep in mind that people can buy machines that cellophane wrap packages. So when you see something that says its sealed look carefully at the wrapping. It should be aged and I have found one instance when I bought a sealed kit that did not look right so I opened it and found a mish mash of parts that had nothing to do with the model I thought I had purchased. They knew that collectors like sealed kits as their value is higher and most collectors will not break a seal. Luckily when I turned this in to EBAY he lost his ability to buy and sell. So as Max says BUYER BEWARE!!!!!
I had that Grumman S2F kit.
I recall it vividly.
If I buy a kit , I'll build it. Call me a glue trooper !
Just Enrolled.
Professor Mike Machat
Suggested you.
Best to you Scott
I understand collecting the box art. Collecting a "kit" that you don't ever intend to build seems a bit over the top. There are folks that collect allegedly rare Lionel trains which is great if you intend to run them or set them up on a shelf or desk but to buy something in a box as "rare/mint" that you never take out????? I have seen items up for sale at shows or auctions where they have offered X-Rays as evidence of what's in the box, and now there is even a market for counterfeit boxes and guides on how to spot them.
The only mint in the box stuff I am willing to buy are Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. They don't don't stay in the box very long😀.
I am surprised that there isn't a market for collecting those boxes (sans cookies) as the cookies shelf life is pretty short (two years?).
😀🤣 that was a clever post
I love the models, but I collect the slot cars.
Love the medieval knights!
I just don't have the time or patience to wade through eBay listings. I know I'm missing a few gems, but most kits are just priced out of sight.
Not trying to be critical but the "airliner" XB-70 Valkyrie says, "The Lindberg Line" on the box top...
Oops! Got me.
@@maxsmodels It was just a test to see if your viewers were REALLY paying attention!
I wonder what car and truck model kits Aurora did??
Mostly slot cars
" Ah remember arguing the Toss with my friend on a Saturday in town as to what Brand to go for Aurora , Airfix , Frog , Revell ..or to the hallowed heights of Tamiya or Hasegewa , Airfix or Revell usually won based on how much Pocket money you could generate , if you could buy Models then at then Prices now it would be a Gold rush...but back in the early 70's you HAD Model shops or stockists in Dept stores , now there all gone..E Bay and the Online Shops who took the Sink or Swim now survive , Where I am there's a Guy runs a Models Games shop how long He will last I don't know with the Council in the Town these Sods charge Rates that see Small Businesses go under ..