NO NEED TO WONDER - SHE'S DEFINITELY A WOMAN (Even Though She's Made Of Plastic)...

Copyright DC COMICS

I always find it fascinating how some things are indelibly associated in our minds with certain places from years before.  For instance, I first saw an ad for Aurora's Wonder Woman plastic model kit in a b&w mag at the end of the '60s or start of the '70s.  I've never forgotten it, and whenever I see it (or the model) today, I'm right back in the living-room of the house my family lived in at the time.  It's not unusual (as Tom Jones would say), because first impressions are usually stronger, and that was the first time I'd ever seen the model, albeit in printed form.

Some Aurora kits have been reissued over the years, by Monogram, Revell, MPC, Polar Lights, Moebius, Atlantis, and Monarch, usually using the same box art as the original versions, with a logo strongly resembling the Aurora oval, or, in the case of Atlantis, a big letter 'A' with the company's name through the middle.  Some models have also been reissued in repro boxes bearing the original Aurora logo and I have four of them, being Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, and The Forgotten Prisoner - all as yet unbuilt and still in their boxes.

Then there's my collection of originals, including Frankenstein, Superman, Batman, Forgotten Prisoner, Superboy, and possibly others.  The superhero models were first issued in the '60s, and again in the '70s, and in a few instances, I have both versions.  The '70s incarnations had some slight amendments to them (name signs omitted and bas-relief emblems removed from capes and costumes and replaced with decals or adhesive labels), along with new box art.  Also, the '70s Batman kit no longer had an owl for atop the tree Batman swung from.

Back in 2010, Moebius reissued some superhero models and I bought the Superboy one (as yet unbuilt), though dithered over buying the Wonder Woman model, with it disappearing from sale before I'd made up my mind.  Now, however, my indecision has been remedied, due to me seeing one on eBay recently at an extremely attractive price and buying it immediately.  I got it for a tiny fraction of the one currently up for sale with an asking price of £516.70, so didn't I do well?!  There's another Moebius one also available for only £34.95, as well as an original Aurora for £699.99.  (Talking of indecision, I used to think I was indecisive, though now I'm not so sure.)

The original kit's figure didn't have a belt like in the comics, so Moebius have added one to make it more authentic to the comic strip version.  I haven't removed the shrink-wrap and opened the box, though it's entirely possible I never will, as I own quite a few unassembled model kits bought over the last 30-35 years or so which are at the front of the queue (though at the back of a cupboard), Creature From The Black Lagoon and Phantom Of The Opera among them.  Maybe one day, eh?  

Any of you Crivs ever have any of the models listed in this post?  What happened to them and do you ever miss those long-gone plastic pals from childhood?  Reminisce to your heart's content in the comments section.  And if you'd like to see some of my own built-and-painted Aurora (and reissue) kits, simply type Aurora into my blog's search box, then scroll down through the results and feast your eyes.  They're spread over several pages and interspersed with other posts where their name is mentioned.