BOOMER
FLASHBACK – AURORA MONSTER MODELS
I’m not old enough to land deep within the “boomer”
parameters, but close enough to catch the tail end of some of the childhood
remembrances. I had an uncle who was only five years older than me. He had
these cool monster models. I don’t remember the movies or the actors (like Bela
Lugosi or Boris Karloff) that these models were depicting, but I do remember I had
to have my own collection. My parents obliged, buying one model at a time for
me to assemble. Why my mother thought a five year old kid could handle the task
seems puzzling to me now. I’d put ‘em together alright, but there was dried
glue smeared around the edges and probably some pieces in the wrong place. I think
Mom helped with the painting and I know she renovated the models to its
intended assembly... More than once. At that age, I wasn’t content with the
models being a showpiece. These were monsters and by golly, they were gonna act
like monsters. So I’d treat ‘em like an action figure and have them square off
against each other with the subtlety befitting a five year old and, sure
enough, parts would fall off. I’d cry about it, but Mom would always come to
the rescue and restore the models. I separated them into bad guys and good
guys. The bad guys were the ones that looked the meanest to me. Here’s the
lineup with some nicely done YouTube links showcasing the models.
THE
BAD GUYS
THE CREATURE
Those claws and the teeth made this
guy the meanest. Plus he didn’t look like a human. The “breast plate” had to be
painted yellow, that was non-negotiable in my mind, and I don’t think I painted
much of his body ‘cuz the parts were already in green. (The Creature)
THE WOLFMAN
This guy took the same aggressive stance
as the Creature and had the same mean look on his face. The Claws and teeth
weren’t as sharp, but they still looked imposing enough to kick the Hunchback’s
ass. (The Wolfman)
DRACULA
The theme was dark black and he had
those cool bats hangin’ around him. He also had one of the meaner looks on his
face. (Dracula)
THE GOOD GUYS
FRANKENSTEIN
He looked like he was sleepwalking so I
guess that’s why he was a good guy. Not mean enough looking to join the bad
guys. He had that cool split on his forehead that was unquestionably painted red
against a green face, and those two things coming out of the side of his neck,
which to me were as puzzling as those two square stones on the ground in front
of him that were always the first pieces to fall off. (Frankenstein)
KING KONG
You’d think Kong wouldn’t be a good
guy ‘cuz he was squeezing that little girl in his hand. But the look on his
face seemed to be more of a mix of anxiousness and a blank stare that you’d see
plastered on the face of a doofus. Kong was killer in the fights, though. I think
the girl could easily be removed leaving him with a fist that would land some
knockout blows on the Creature and the Wolfman. He often rescued his fellow good guys. (King Kong)
THE PHANTOM
He looked like he was scared to me. I felt
sorry for the poor guy. The dude in the dungeon behind him was scarier. As I said,
I never saw the movie. So I don’t know what the mask was for. Come to think of
it, I still don’t. (The Phantom)
THE MUMMY
This guy seemed passive as all get-out
to me. Just looked like a normal dude with a bunch of tape on him. No match for
a real monster. I remembered being kinda puzzled by the box art ‘cuz I think it
showed him with a “greenish” hue. Hospital tape is white. Even I knew that and I
was only five. I painted the cobra green though. (The Mummy)
THE HUNCHBACK
This dude was a wuss. He was already
in the “don’t hurt me, Creature” stance complete with a scared look on his
face. Felt sorry for him, too. King Kong to the rescue!
About ten years later Aurora started
making some of the model pieces glow in the dark. I was too old to play with
monsters by then, but young enough to consider this “glow-in-the-dark” crap to
be blasphemous.
