Paul's Aurora Phantom Part 3

Hi Woodsy

Now it is on to building my very first Aurora movie Monster – the Phantom of the Opera. Because I will need to be able to get in to some hard (or impossible) to reach places, I need to break the assembly down in to a number of sub-assemblies, then paint them, before finally putting the model together.

If you have one of the Glow-in-the-Dark issues (with a sprue of duplicate parts, comprising the head and hands of the Phantom, his cravat, the face and arms of the prisoner, the rat, and the lizard), there is the choice of whether to use these, or the normal parts. Since I did not have a Glow version, that was not a consideration for me.

I broke the build down in to seven sub-assemblies: the body, with the arms and hands, and the cravat; legs and shoes; the head; rat; the base with the rocks; the cell window with the arms of the prisoner holding the bars; and the rear wall of the cell, with the prisoner’s half-head attached. The cape remaining a separate part at this stage.

I did not plan on using the lizard, so I filled in the location hole for this. I was worried about Mr Rat, and his tail, so I repositioned him, filling in the original location hole.

Erik is moulded wearing a shirt, but I thought that giving him a waistcoat – as seen in some photos from the movie – would allow me to add a bit of colour at the painting stage. So I glued two short lengths of Heat Stretched Sprue to the shirt front, to create the edge of the waistcoat and make it easier to paint.

Other than that the kit is a straight from the box build. As long as you take your time aligning the parts, there should be little need for any filler, except around the base of the rocks flanking the cell.

The photos showing the un-painted model assembled were only done to test the fit and alignment of the parts – no cement was used. They are rather precariously balanced, and the cape is not shown because it will not stay in place without cement.

Now the sub-assemblies can be under-coated, and painted. This really is a first class kit, and a joy to build.

All eight photographs are mine.

Part 4 to follow.

Paul Adams

 New Zealand

The Birthday Magic Show! The Mad Mad Mad Magician Set by Paul A

Hi Woodsy

While I was looking in to the Mad Mad Mad Scientist Laboratory chemistry set, I discovered that there was a companion magic set called The Mad Mad Mad Magician. Information on this is very limited, and what follows is based solely on a couple of mentions on Worthpoint.

The Mad Scientist Lab set was produced by Homelab, Division of Physio-Chem Corp., 101 Frost Street, Westbury, Long Island, New York, 11590. The back of the instruction booklet is dated 1965.

The Magician set was apparently planned as a follow up, but never went in to production. The artwork for the box top was done by Mort Kunstler (famous for his Aurora box art), and according to the mentions on Worthpoint, the boy in the picture was his son.

The initials MK are visible just above the table top, on the far right of the picture. These are also to be found on the Mad Scientist box top, so he did that one too.

‘The Mad Mad Mad Magician – Amaze & Mystify Your Family and Friends !’, contained all the Gimmicks & Gadgets required for over 200 magic feats and tricks. A great pity that it was not produced ?

There is not a lot of information on the Physio-Chem Corporation. Based on Long Island, New York, it distributed a wide range of imported toys and other items – die-cast models from Europe, model trains from Italy, and prepared microscope slide sets from Japan, around the 1960s.

Artwork

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/mad-mad-mad-magician-art-mort-1831920815

The set

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/magic-trick-set-mad-mad-mad-magician-1890452413

Three photographs from Worthpoint

 

Here is the last photo of the Homelab, Physio-Chem Corp., Mad Mad Mad Magician set. This shows the initials MK, for Mort Kunstler, on the far right of the box top.

What a set!

Paul from NZ

Paul's Bloggiversary Phantom of the Opera Part 2 – The Aurora Kit Itself

Hi Woodsy,

Aurora released their movie Monster kits in the 1960s and 1970s, with the kits remaining available in to the 21st Century. Both Polar Lights and Atlantis have re-issued many of these classics in recent years.

My first taste of an Aurora Monster kit was the Atlantis 1/8th scale Phantom of the Opera. Mine is the most recent version, copyright date 2022, moulded in Metallic Green plastic, and with the Premium Hobbies name on the side of the box.

Atlantis kits have a prefix which identifies the original source of the kit – in this case A for Aurora, followed by the original Aurora kit number. The Premium Hobbies version also has a PH suffix.

The Chaney Entertainment logo appears on one end of the box. This is in the old Hard Box style, with a glossy paper slick glued to a heavy cardboard box lid.

The kit contains 34 parts. In addition to the Phantom himself, there is a prisoner in the dungeon, a lizard, and a two-piece rat.

Eric is holding his famous mask, with his face exposed. He stands on a rocky base, which includes a moulded name plate.

The standard of detailing is this kit is outstanding. Every detail of Erik’s face, and clothing, is shown, along with the poor creature in the dungeon.

Basic construction is fairly simple, with most of the components – head, body, arms, legs, and shoes, being moulded in two halves. Oddly, the thumb of the right hand is a separate part.

The left hand, cape, cord, cravat, and mask are separate parts. Construction is nice and simple.

The base has two separate rocks, flanking the prison cell. The poor inmate (who is in a terrible state), comprises only a half-head which is glued to the back wall of the dungeon, and two forearms which are holding the bars of his cell window.

To further dress up the scene, there is a rat (Aurora really loved rats – they were included with most of the Monster kits), and a small lizard. These scenic bases are a great feature of the Aurora Monster kits, and are great fun.

Next up will be the construction. This is a beautiful kit, and I will certainly be getting more of these Atlantis re-issues when I can.

All eight photographs are mine.

Paul Adams

New Zealand

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Part 3 7pm UK Time Tomorrow

Birthday Box: The Mad Mad Mad Scientist's Laboratory by Paul A

Hi Woodsy

That Mad Mad Mad Scientist Laboratory chemistry set ad recently seen on MC was amazing!

But I wondered what that box top looked like in full colour – so I went looking.

As you said, the style is pure Aurora Monster kit, right down to the lettering. Compare it to a real Aurora box top of the period.

These sets were produced by the Homelab, Division of Physio-Chem Corp., 101 Frost Street, Westbury, Long Island, New York, 11590. The back of the instruction booklet has a 1965 copyright date.

The Mad Mad Mad Scientist Laboratory was billed as ‘Completely Safe! No Heat or Flame Necessary! Over 100 Experiments!’. Just below this is ‘Note To Parents: This is a very sneaky way for kids to have fun while learning about chemistry’.

The set, Style No. MM 300, sold for $2.98. There were bottles and test tubes of chemicals, along with lab equipment.

Materials provided included Moon Powder, Mummy Crystals, Skeleton Powder, and Leech’s Love Dust. Some of the experiments also involved the use of more everyday items from the kitchen.

The instructions start off by suggesting that you lie down on a bed of nails, as you read through them. There is also a warning ‘Beware as you open each vial, it might be booby-trapped !’.

The ad refers to the experiments having been developed by ‘our ancient scientific colleague chained to the wall in the basement’. 

Is this the Aurora Forgotten Prisoner of Castel-Mare?

The above Eight photographs, from Ebay and Worthpoint.

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Taking another look at the set, it looks like the box art is by none other than Mort Kunstler, famous for his Aurora box tops!

 The initials MK are just visible about the letter Y in the word Laboratory, on the right side of the picture.

These Photographs from Worthpoint

Paul A

New Zealand

 

Birthday Icons : Aurora's Phantom of the Opera 1 by Paul A

The Phantom of the Opera

Part 1 – Birth of a Phantom

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Hi Woodsy

Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, lives beneath the Paris Opera House. He tutors, and promotes the career of a young opera singer named Christine – murder being among his methods.

He abducts her, and takes her to his underground lair. There, she removes his mask, revealing Erik’s deformed face.

He eventually releases her, then changes his mind, and tries to force her in to marriage, and attempts to kill several other people. Eventually Erik dies, and is buried in secret.

The Phantom of the Opera was originally published as a serial in the French newspaper Le Gaulois in 1909- 10 and then in book form in 1910. It was written by Gaston Leroux (1868-1927).

The serial/novel has been adapted for the stage and cinema several times. The first film version appeared in 1916, while the more famous 1925 version starred Lon Chaney Senior, in one of his most celebrated roles.

There was a 1943 adaption with Claude Rains; a 1962 Hammer film; and the later Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which was also filmed; among many others. All of these are covered by Wikipedia.

The Aurora Plastics Corporation launched their line of famous movie monsters in 1963, starting off with Frankenstein’s Monster. Most of the kits were based on films by Universal.

The Phantom of the Opera appeared in 1964 (copyright date 1963). The kit had box art by James Bama, with the original version being available 1964-68.

These early boxes have the Universal Pictures name on the top, with the Aurora name confined to the sides. The prisoner in the cell behind the Phantom is shown standing at a door, yet in the kit he is barely visible at the feet of the Phantom.

The original was followed by a Frightening Lightning version in 1969, which contained a sprue of duplicate parts in Glow-in-the-Dark plastic. These comprised the head and hands of the Phantom, and his cravat; as well as the face and arms of the prisoner, the rat, and the lizard.

As you still got the regular parts, this meant there were a number of left-overs for the spares box. Glow plastic was more expensive than regular polystyrene, hence only some of the parts being produced in this material.

The artwork was cropped, with the prisoner almost disappearing. It was also revised to show the Glow parts.

The Aurora name was added to the box top, along with the Frightening Lightning flash. Even the Phantom of the Opera name was given a different lettering style.

In 1972 Aurora changed from their tall, narrow boxes; to the square style, with a new Aurora logo. The Frightening Lightning name was dropped, and the art work again cropped to fit the new box proportions.

A green star, containing the words ‘Glows in the Dark’ was applied over the face of the prisoner, completely covering it. The artwork was flipped, with Erik now facing to the right instead of the left.

Following the demise of Aurora, their moulds were acquired by Monogram. The Phantom of the Opera being re-issued in two different versions.

In the early 1990s Monogram released a range of kits called Luminators, which were moulded in coloured ‘Glows in the Light’ plastic - to make it glow in the dark required the use of a Black Light. The subjects included cars, planes, ships, tanks, and some of the ex-Aurora movie Monsters.

The Phantom appeared in 1992, in orange Glow plastic, with a Photo Box. This was followed by a non-Glow version in 1994, which had a Photo Box showing a built-up, painted model.

That was the last issue until Atlantis acquired the moulds. The Long Box version, with the original art work, was dated 2019; 

followed by a Glow-in-the-Dark Square Box version dated 2020, which had the flipped art work.

There was also a version which has ‘Produced by Atlantis Toy and Hobby Inc. Exclusively for Premium Hobbies’ on the side of the box. This kit is moulded in Metallic Green plastic, and has a 2022 copyright date.

All of these later versions of the kit have a notice saying ‘In cooperation with Chaney Entertainment’. A company which handles licensing for both Lon Chaney Senior, and Lon Chaney Junior.

Eight photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams 

from New Zealand

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Tomorrow, a close-up look at the Aurora/Atlantis kit.

The Superior Amoeba – A Second Look

Hi Woodsy,

Superior Plastics – Custom Molders and Extruders – was a US plastics company that produced a number of educational model kits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They were based in Chicago, Illinois.

Most of their kits were anatomical, and were part of the Superlon Science Series. Superlon being a hard-wearing industrial plastic that Superior used for their kits.

The models needed to be hard-wearing, as they were heavily promoted for class room use in schools, where they would receive a lot of handling. Several other firms also produced educational kits around this time, including Renwal with their Visible anatomy models.

One kit Superior produced was the Amoeba (copyright date 1963). This included a large, ten-part Protozoa; plus one-piece placque (this is what is says on the box) models of the Euglena and Paramecium; and a display stand.

The models were ‘enlarged more than a thousand times life size’, and everything was moulded in clear plastic. The Amoeba was kit number No.3800:200, and sold for $2.00.

All the Superior models were available either as kits, or fully assembled and painted, ready for class-room use. The assembled version of the Amoeba was No.3875, and sold for $7.50.

Sometime in the 1960s the Superior kit line went to Educational Products, of Oak Lawn, Illinois. Kit number 3800, without a price extension.

Then to Lindberg Products of Skokie, Illinois (copyright date of 1974 on the box). Kit number 1316, in the Natural Science Series.

Eventually the Amoeba ended up with Atlantis Toy and Hobby, Deer Park, New York. Kit number L3800 (combining the L-prefix for Lindberg, with the original Superior kit number), copyright date 2022.

All versions were moulded in clear plastic, although they could be painted on the inside to make the different parts easier to see. These days you can use the clear paints produced by various firms (Humbrol, Tamiya, etc) for tinting transparent parts, mainly on model cars.

The instruction sheet gives plenty of information on the kit subjects, and even has two photographs of the steel Amoeba mould. Unfortunately, the stand in my kit was cracked, but I should be able to fix this.

Now back in 2022 I did a write-up on this kit for Moonbase Central, and I am afraid I was not too kind to the kit. Wondering why on Earth anyone would want such a bizarre subject.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-superior-amoeba-model-citizen.html#comment-form

Having just acquired an example, and finally having a chance to examine the parts, I have changed my mind. You can either use it as a scientific display and educational model, as Superior intended; or put it in to a Science Fiction setting.

The upper and lower halves of the Protozoa could be used separately to create various space monsters – such as The Blob, or The Green Slime. It would make a great addition to any Monster collection.

In conclusion, this is a much more interesting kit than you might think. I certainly have plans for mine.

Photos of the Atlantis kit are mine, those of the earlier versions are from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Think Pink Tyres

Hi Woodsy

Your recent post on the LP Lik B Circus Cars with pink wheels reminded me of a series of car kits produced by US company AMT. The kits clearly dated from the era of Flower Power – 1969 according to Scalemates.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2026/08/send-in-clowns-lp-circus-cars.html#comment-form

The “Wild” Flower Series comprised older AMT car kits in 1/25th scale, in new boxes, with a new decal sheet. There were six kits in total.

The box art showed the cars in strong, mainly primary colours – yellow, red, blue, green, and pink; with wild, hippy decals. Their most striking feature was that the box top artwork showed all the cars with bright pink tyres.

But on opening the boxes, you just got a set of regular black tyres. The rest of the kit was moulded in white plastic, with clear parts, clear red tail lights, a chrome sprue, and metal axles. The large decal sheet was common to all the kits in the series.

All the kits had flower names. The Bird of Paradise was the only convertible in the range.

Kit numbers did not run in a solid block – there were several gaps. The 150 at the end of each number was the US retail price - $1.50.

T 131 150 Ultra Violet ’61 Galaxie

T 132 150 Bird of Paradise ’60 T-Bird Convertible

T 133 150 Magnolia Mauler ’60 Mercury

T 136 150 Sunflower Power ’62 Buick Electra 225

T 137 150 Peony Pony ’65 Mustang H.T.

T 140 150 Buttercup Bomb ’60 Pontiac Bonneville

This series was clearly an attempt to get some more use out of existing moulds, in order to cash in on the Flower Power fad, without the need to spend any money producing new kits. The only new items were the boxes, and the common decal sheet.

Eight photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Holy Spokes! Batman Pedal Cars

I just found this You Tube video from a few years ago on Batman pedal cars and ride-on toys (including the Marx version you covered recently), along with fair-ground rides, and Batmobile beds ! There were a lot of these vehicles, both powered and unpowered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4nifz_xvNc

The narrator has a slightly creepy voice, but the Batmobiles are great. I had no idea there were so many different types.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Aurora's Sealab on the Moon

Hi Woodsy,

I am currently reading a wonderful book called Aurora Monster Scenes – The Most Controversial Toys of a Generation, by Andrew P. Yanchus (who worked at Aurora in the 1960s and 1970s) and Dennis L. Prince, StarComm Publications, 2014. 

While it is mainly about the Monster Scenes kits from 1971, there is a lot of information in it about other Aurora projects.

In the 1970s Aurora was looking for ways to cut costs, and get some additional use out of its older moulds. One of these was the US Navy Sealab III underwater research facility.

This kit, of a real underwater research base, had not sold well, and the moulds had been expensive. According to Andy Yanchus, some thought had been given to ‘providing a new Moon terrain base and some space-suited astronauts’, to turn the kit in to a Lunar outpost.

That sounds like a great idea to me, but it does not look as though this was ever more than a suggestion. There are no illustrations in the book of what the proposed Lunar Outpost might have looked like, or what colour it might be.

The Sealab kit has a copyright notice on the underside of its seabed base for Aurora Plastics Corporation, 1970. Kit number 721-400 (the price extension to the number means that this was a $4.00 kit), was only in the Aurora catalogues for 1970 and 1971.

In 2017 the kit was re-issued by a company called Masterpiece Models. As the original mould had been destroyed, a new mould for the kit had to be created.

The kit was again re-issued by Doll and Hobby Georgia in 2024, so you could make a do-it-yourself version of the Lunar Outpost. The only problem might be finding some suitable Astronaut figures to go with it, as the Sealab was moulded in the odd scale of 1/93rd.

There might be some 1/87th scale HO model railway figures that would work with the kit (perhaps modern firemen in fireproof suits and breathing gear ?). It might also work with HO/OO Airfix Astronauts, if these were posed in the foreground ?

Two photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Time for a Cuppa Day! Yorkshire Tea Model Cars

Hi Woodsy

At an Auckland fair I spotted this Lledo model – a Yorkshire Tea van in a special box. Knowing how Woodsy loves his Yorkshire Tea, I just had to buy it.

The model is a standard 1950 Bedford 30 cwt Van, with Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea on the sides, and Family Tea Merchants Est. 1886 on the doors.

It is cream with black mudguards. The cab interior is black plastic, and clear windows are fitted.

The box is especially nice, and the front flap opens up like a book. This was a style Lledo used for a number of their models.

The box is illustrated with scenes of Yorkshire, and the back of the box even identifies the artist – Mick Ashpool. The bottom of the box carries a copyright date of 2000, and says Made in China.

Given that two vehicles are shown on the box top, I wondered if this was part of a set ? A little digging indeed turned up a companion piece, the 1953 Morris Z Van in Police markings.

This is dark blue, with Police markings on the sides, and North Riding Police Force on the doors in white. The wheel hubs are black plastic.

This has a slightly different box, with a link to the Heartbeat TV series, which was set in Yorkshire in the 1960s. The artwork being the same for both models.

It seems there was also an orange Morris Minor Van and an orange and white Volkswagen Camper Van in similar packaging. Some of these models having different copyright dates on the boxes.

In addition, Lledo produced other Yorkshire Tea models in regular Days Gone packaging. Plenty for the Yorkshire Tea fan to look out for.

Six photos, those of the Yorkshire Tea van are of my model, the Police Van models are from Worthpoint.

Anyone got any tea memorabilia?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

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Time for a Cuppa Day

promoting dementia awareness