Hi Woodsy
Aurora was a US model company, who were most famous for their monster kits, mainly based on Universal horror movie characters from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. In the 1970s Aurora followed up their original kits from the 1960s with a series of smaller scale Monster Scenes.
These proved extremely controversial, as the subjects included various torture devices, and a girl character called The Victim. The line was quickly withdrawn from the US market, and the last few kits were only released in Canada.
The classic horror monsters were Frankenstein, Dracula, and a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde figure that could be built as either character. The whole range had a very short production life – 1971 only - although the kits were all re-issued by other companies in later years.
One of the last, Canada-only kits, was the Giant Insect, which I had always thought was an Aurora fantasy design. It was part Dragonfly, and part Scorpion, with a few bits from other creatures thrown in.
Well, it turns out this might not be the case after all. Because the Giant Insect bears a strong resemblance to the giant Dragonfly in the film Monster On The Campus (1958).
A regular dragonfly lands on a Coelacanth (a prehistoric fish, once thought extinct) in a lab, and reverts to its prehistoric form. So does an unfortunate scientist, who transforms in to a murderous caveman.
Since the Aurora kit was only released in Canada, it is now rare, and very expensive. The Moebius re-issue from 2008 is much easier to find, and it was a sales listing for this kit that mentioned the movie link.
The Aurora/Moebius Giant Insect is certainly not an exact match for the movie Dragonfly, but it is very similar. Aurora clearly changed the design just enough so they did not get sued.
The Giant Insect is a simple, snap-together kit, like the rest of the Monster Scenes range. It comes with clear parts for the wings and the bulging eyes.
The head and mouth are a different shape; the kit has larger mandibles and teeth; the eyes are horizontal rather than vertical; and the tail curves up and over, rather than being straight. But it has six legs, four wings, and is really ugly.
Supposedly, all the Aurora Monster Scenes kits were to a constant 1/13th scale, but the Giant Insect must have been a lot larger, if it is compared to the original giant dragonfly in the film. It seems odd that Aurora based this model on such a relatively obscure movie as Monster On The Campus, when most of their kits were taken from better known sources – movies, comics, and the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
There is a book on the Aurora Monster Scenes kits, by Dennis Prince and Andrew Yanchus, but as I do not have this I do not know what it has to say about the Giant Insect.
Does it mention the apparent movie link anyone?
Four photographs from Ebay, Worthpoint and a Monster on the Campus movie still from Ebay - not exactly the same as the Aurora kit, but very close.
Have you got the kit? Do you like Aurora?
Paul Adams
New Zealand
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