1964 Aurora Plastics Godzilla Model
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GUEST:
Well, where I live, they had a community garage sale. When I saw Godzilla, I said, "I have to have it." And I, I got it.
APPRAISER:
So if you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for this beautiful model?
GUEST:
I paid a dollar.
APPRAISER:
A dollar! Well, that is money well spent. I mean... So this is made by Aurora Plastics, which is a New York-based toy company established in 1950. Now, this is part of 13 models that Aurora had produced in their monster series, beginning about 1962. The first model they actually had produced was Frankenstein. But in 1964, two years later, this model would have been released around the time Godzilla versus Mothra was being released in theaters, which was only ten years after the very first Godzilla film released in Japan. Now, when it comes to Aurora model kits, original is key, and this is as original as it gets. It's never been assembled. It's never been painted. And what it's made from is actually what we refer to as fuchsia plastic. But when it comes to model kit collecting, it's condition and being unassembled. Now, you have all the pieces here, you have the original instruction pamphlet, and you have the box, which is in unbelievable condition. I mean, just look at the box art on that thing. It's absolutely gorgeous. So when it comes to the Aurora models, they were reissued in the 2000s, mid-to-late 2000s. But what's funny is, the monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Wolf Man, all these really old Hollywood horror stars, the market has come down a little bit on those model kits, versus, while Godzilla is appreciating, because just, how cool is Godzilla? Everybody loves Godzilla. Honestly, he's my favorite. For an original Aurora Godzilla kit in today's world, it would be $300 to $500 at auction. So spending a dollar, you have literally done 300 to 500 times your dollar spent. So that is a super-good investment.
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