In the 1960s, Aurora Model Kits were all the rage with everyone from movie monsters to comic book heroes becoming toy models. The Aurora Plastics Corporation was established in 1950 by engineer Joseph E. Giammarino and businessman Abe Shikes who created it as a manufacturer of injection molded plastics.

They started creating their own line of plastic model kits two years later, starting with models of planes and then adding automobile kits. Aurora’s next move was to create model kits based on figures, which included knights, animals, and men and women from different nations and ethnicities.

Their biggest success came when they started creating licensed character model kits. The first group was a deal with Universal Studios for their classic monsters, kicking things off with a Frankenstein model in 1961. It was followed by Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and others that were released through the early 1970s.

More monsters were added to the line including King Kong from RKO Pictures and Toho Studios’ Godzilla, Ghidorah, and Rodan. The monster line also included vehicle models like Dracula’s Dragster, Godzilla’s Go-Cart, Frankenstein’s Flivver, and King Kong’s Thronester.

Aurora also made models based on characters from comics, movies, and TV shows. They capitalized on 1966 Batmania with a kit of Batman, the Batmobile, and other vehicles from the show. The comic character lines also included the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and Superman. For the TV and movie lines, they made model kits based on Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Man from UNCLE, Lost in Space, and others.