The Aurora Godzilla

12.1.2024

Thanksgiving is over. Black Friday sales have begun. The Christmas shopping season is underway. And Godzilla is on his way. Growing up in the late 70s Godzilla is what I could anticipate at Christmas because I was living through my first Godzilla Boom when the Mattel Godzilla, Godzilla Gang, Godzilla game and more were found under the Christmas tree. Nothing compares to childhood Christmas memories. My first and most precious memory is the early evening ride to Play Town not far from home. I remember like it was yesterday walking down the long aisles and on my left were the Godzilla, King Ghidorah and Rodan model kits. My head exploded! Back in those days dinosaurs were my passion. I had plenty of dinosaur plastic model kits and miniature plastic figures. The Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus were my stand-ins for Godzilla. But that would be no longer. And later that year for Christmas the Aurora Godzilla Plastic Model Kit would come to my house. Ghidorah and Rodan would soon follow. Those model kits did not last but my memories did.

The success of the U.S. release of King Kong vs Godzilla in 1963 incentivized Aurora to create new kits to capitalize on its popularity. King Kong was sculpted by Larry Ehling and Godzilla by Ray Meyers.¹ Godzilla’s design is very much like his appearance in the movie. The model inspired the Marusan Plamodel Godzilla plastic kit which later was released by Bullmark as a soft vinyl figure that Ken Yano played with in the 70s Godzilla vs The Smog Monster. The Godzilla model kit was originally produced by Aurora Plastics Corporation in 1964. It was one of two first licensed Godzilla products made in America. The kit joined the Monsters of the Movies line that included the 50’s Universal monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein, King Kong, The Mummy, The Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Jekyll as Mr. Hyde, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and more. Godzilla was reissued in 1969 as a glow kit. But in 1971, Nabisco bought the company and then sold the model kit division to Aurora’s competition and rival Monogram. Monogram reissued Godzilla again as a glow kit in 1978. Two decades later Polar Lights, a division of Playing Mantis, would again produce it.²

Sample Aurora monster kits (Source: Kevin Hauff)

In 2020, I picked up Monogram’s 1978 reissue. But last weekend, I bought a 1969 Aurora reissue at House of Fun, Barrington, NJ. The kit was assembled and dusty. It was well glued and put together for a kit so old. The box was intact along with instructions. The box art illustration was created by James Bama who was the artist for Aurora’s other monster kits. The 1964 box was long, narrow and rectangular. But the box for the 1969 reissue is larger and square. It is known as a “hard box” because the art is printed on paper glue to the cardboard box. Also printed in the left right corner is “© RKO GENERAL, INC.” The 1972 reissue has less vibrant color art with additional text: “For ages 8 and up. 1/600 Scale” in the bottom left and“WESTON MDSE CORP” on the top left.³

Aurora 1969 Glow-in-the-dark Godzilla All Plastic Assembly Kit, instructions and box

The Aurora Godzilla model kit has a long history. Today the original Godzilla kit is considered a classic and is highly sought-after. Godzilla, King Ghidorah and Rodan have been reissued over the last decade. Recently, Super7 celebrated the kit with the release of its very affordable “Toho ReAction Figures Godzilla Model Kit In Box.” Whether an original, a reissue or a commemorative product, the Aurora Godzilla Plastic Assembly Kit should be in every Godzilla fan’s collection.