Thursday, 14 August 2025

Will's Old Model Kits

Hi Woodsy. Still clearing mum's house.

Found some of my old kits in the attic, must have made them when I was about 11 or 12.

Top right is my own creation. The rest Aurora, with the Airfix eagle being a bit later.

Will O
UK

10 comments:

  1. So nice to see some vintage models that survived! Wish I had saved some of mine - I had hundreds! Especially nice to see that Pan Am Orion Space Clipper and (I think?) the Revell X-3 Stiletto in black! Good save! SFZ

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    Replies
    1. I had all of those as well!
      The Space Clipper I hated as the engines in the aft prevented the rear housing to fit back on.
      My 1701 didn't survive the move from Michigan to Texas but a friend did give me half a dozen of the kits in various states when he moved away. Still have some of them.
      My Flying Sub I despised. The top section on mine was warped and would never fit the rest of the build no matter how hard I tried. It ended up being scavenged for a few parts.
      My Eagle did not live a long life with an aggressive dusting mom and those spindly landing struts. All I have left of it is the top framework and the passenger pod.
      I've not seen the Aurora Ragnarok Orbital Interceptor in years. Mine succumbed to the dusting habits and ended up in fragments. I hung onto the parasite fighter for some time but I think it has vanished. It is a slightly retooled version of their Nuclear Airliner IMPETUS kit from 1959.

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    2. Ah, the classic Aurora Ragnarok! Never had it, but what a classic design! Yes, many of those Aurora kits like the Spindrift and Flying Sub had terrible fit issues. Rush jobs! SFZ

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  2. Thanks for sharing these Will. Your parents were great archivists keeping such fragile stuff as these kits of yours safe. It must be like time travel finding stuff again after decades. Bittersweet I know, it's not easy clearing a parents house, especially if it was your home too.

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  3. That custom model is rather nice! The Aurora Ragnarok is a cracker, I had that back in the day, but it sort of faded into oblivion my my own mums loft to my own when I moved. A shame as it is a rare model indeed. Bill

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  4. Paul Adams from New Zealand8/15/2025 1:10 pm

    That is a really nice collection. The Aurora Ragnarok was a modified version of the earlier Nuclear Airliner kit. The Aurora USS Enterprise was a re-issue of the AMT kit.

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  5. I had the four tv and movie related kits, but not the Ragnarok.
    My Flying Sub had the same distorted top section problem, as did my Aurora Spindrift from Land of the Giants.
    Like the custom spaceship. Very Space 1999.

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  6. My custom build was 2 head and shoulders shampoo bottles , a large plastic bobbin and the nose of an old eagle freighte, and decorated with bus and pieces from old sprues a la Gerry Anderson.

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  7. I spotted the shampoo bottles, but thought you used them cleverly, by laying them on their side, as it were, and wiggited (greeblied) them effectively.
    The best way to use familiar objects in custom made models and props, is to present them from an unusual angle or viewpoint, if you can.

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    Replies
    1. I think you have an early one
      http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/316784-amts-1650-tos-uss-enterprise/
      http://www.shawcomputing.net/racerx/trek_stuff/site_demo/index.html
      https://jt-graphics.com/RP_650.html

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n5pv3QWgwJ8
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ceKFNo2_u3w
      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vl4ULTp_dsY&pp=ygUGI21jYTU1

      https://liftoffworks.com/?p=1183

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