Author Description

Planes! Tanks! Monsters! Ships! Superheroes! Cars! Spaceships! Build Them Yourself! In the words of Aurora - It’s a Hobby For Everybody! From 1950 to 1977, the Aurora Plastics company of West Hempstead, NY made and marketed plastic models of just about every subject under the sun. In 1961, the company hit lightning in a bottle with a figure model of Universal Studios’ Frankenstein monster just as the classic horror films were released to television and a new magazine called Famous Monsters of Filmland was gathering steam on newsstands all over the country. The kit was a sensation with kids everywhere! More monsters followed, as well as other pop culture figures, spaceships, automobiles, and submarines from films and television. The story of Aurora is the story of American popular culture during the 1960’s and 1970’s, and author Anthony Taylor has finally aggregated the company’s full-color sales catalogs from the two decades of their heyday. Aurora Plastic Models Catalogs Volumes 1 and 2 capture the excitement felt by hobbyists and collectors everywhere for the vintage models. Volume 2 - The 1970's includes the final seven catalogs, as well as an interview with comic book artist and Aurora model designer Dave Cockrum.