AURORA COUGAR BY PAUL ADAMS

In the 1960s, the Aurora Plastics Corporation in America produced a small range of Wildlife kits. All depicted the native animals of North America, or various breeds of horse.

Kit number 453-198 depicted a snarling Cougar (or Puma/Mountain Lion) crouching atop a rock, looking down on a fawn. The two models could be assembled and displayed separately, or their bases could be joined together like a jig-saw puzzle.

The models were fairly simple, with a low parts count. But getting rid of all the seams would have been a challenge, followed by painting.

The Cougar comprised only 13 parts, with a five-part base. The fawn was even simpler, with just four parts, and a five-part base.

The animals were moulded in brown plastic, with their rocky bases in grey. The kits also included a palette of solid paint cakes, a jar of dual purpose cement/paint solvent (as was typical at the time), and a brush.

The inclusion of the paints and other items was barely mentioned on the box top. Just 'All Plastic Assembly Kit - Complete With Paints', in rather small writing.

There is a copyright date under the rocky base, which says 1962, but the date on the side of the box is 1963. Unusually for the period, the kit instructions were printed in colour.

No scale was given, but Aurora Model Kits by Thomas Graham says 1/8th scale. Graham says it was only available 1963-66, in its original form, although it was last listed in the 1967 Aurora catalogue.

Most of the other Wildlife kits lasted in to the 1970s, but the Cougar, and the Big Horn Sheep, were dropped around 1966/67.

Aurora then produced a new line of kits called 'Forged Foil', which have the copyright date of 1969 on the boxes. There were just three kits in this series: the Cougar, American Buffalo, and one of the horses.

These were normal plastic kits that were to be covered in metal foil, so that they resembled a bronze statue. Not unlike the old ITC Marvel Metal series from a few years before, but using a different technique.

The Cougar was now numbered 447-350, and came on its own, the fawn having been deleted. The two-piece tree trunk had also been eliminated from the base, leaving just 16 parts in total, and all were moulded in black plastic.

There was also a large, flat base on which to stand the rocky outcrop. This was light brown.

In addition to the plastic parts, the set included a tube of Aurora cement; a jar of Aleene's Tacky Glue for attaching the coloured foil; several sheets of gold/silver foil to cover the model; a brush; and a jar of black paint to apply over the top of the foil to give it an aged look.

Scalemates do not even mention the Forged Foil version. Even more oddly, it is not mentioned in any Aurora catalogues from the 1970s.

I wonder if it was now seen as a craft item, for supply to craft shops, rather than as a normal plastic kit ? The similar, low-relief Coppersmith pictures made by Aurora, were not included in the kit catalogues either, except in the early days.

As far as I am aware, this is the last time the Aurora Cougar was released, in any form.

Ten photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand