The story of the 1/16 Aurora Racing Scenes model kits

[niteowl7710]

The "best" part of that post on FB was the subsequent reaction by some folks who felt it was Atlantis' duty and obligation to provide everyone with a public list of what they purchased even after the post mentions they wouldn't do that.

[Casey]

1 hour ago, niteowl7710 said:

The "best" part of that post on FB was the subsequent reaction by some folks who felt it was Atlantis' duty and obligation to provide everyone with a public list of what they purchased even after the post mentions they wouldn't do that.

Yeah, I just got the info and got out. ??

[Straightliner59]

I've posted this, before. Here's Tom West's take, on the whole thing. It's from my old StraightLineModeler website.

[Muncie]

Very interesting history on the Aurora 1/16 kits.  Thank you for posting it. I can remember finding the Auroara chassis and engines in a small little hobby shop that I didn't usually go to in 1973(?).  The level of detail is extraordinary.

[tim boyd]

For those interested in more on this subject, see the section on this kit series in my 2021 book "Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits" (CarTech Publishing).  It includes additional info on what really happened to the Racing Scenes tooling when it arrived at Monogram headquarters in Morton Grove, per a source who was there when it happened....

TB 

[Chris in Berwyn]

Tom West's story is amazing!  I googled Charles Diker, the Aurora president he mentioned, and he went to undergrad and graduate school (MBA) at Harvard.  But what was more interesting is his focus on scenes, and monster scenes - and monster scenes that snap together.  His idea ending up causing Nabisco, who bought Aurora, quite a bit of trouble! Nabisco Picketed Over Monster Toys - The New York Times (nytimes.com)   The fiasco was commemorated in 2021 and this is perhaps the more interesting read It’s the 50th anniversary of the most horrific kids’ toys ever (inputmag.com)

Anyway, the whole idea that General Mills thought it was a good idea to buy MPC, and Nabisco thought plastic models and slot cars were a good fit with Ritz crackers is pretty bizarre when you look back at it.