# H.O detroit?????



## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

i just saw a guy selling what he claims to be authentic labels for chris mullis H.O detroit cars on eBay..says they are his real signature...is he back dooring a comeback???or is he still in the shadows but signing labels nowadays?????


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## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

wyatt641 said:


> i just saw a guy selling what he claims to be authentic labels for chris mullis H.O detroit cars on eBay..says they are his real signature...is he back dooring a comeback???or is he still in the shadows but signing labels nowadays?????


weird how the guy has been gone and now all of a sudden someone has signed by him labels????!!!


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

1969 PONTIAC GTO HO DETROIT SLOT CAR INSERT SIGNED BY CHRIS MULLIS AURORA T-JET | eBay

copyright is 2017.
seller notifies at top of description that ownership has changed!
doesn't say what owneship.
the list of cars near the bottom of the description has an Aurora style logo entitled UDUPE!
the rear of the insert has specific language that leads to great speculation.
there is a TM of the HODETROIT on the front of the insert.

all of this leaves a lot to be desired.

my personal observations, leading to my humble opinion is that it is a scam.

please direct answers indicating other wise to me.
maybe even invite the eBay seller to address this right here.


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## MSwaterlogged (Feb 5, 2014)

Speculating here: HO Detroit was bought by this seller. Chris Mullis retired awhile ago (hence no new cars).  He is still around and has agreed to sell his signature through this seller on reproduced labels.

OR it is a scam. Only way to really know is if someone knows Chris Mullis and can ask him.

Charlie


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## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

MSwaterlogged said:


> Speculating here: HO Detroit was bought by this seller. Chris Mullis retired awhile ago (hence no new cars). He is still around and has agreed to sell his signature through this seller on reproduced labels.
> 
> OR it is a scam. Only way to really know is if someone knows Chris Mullis and can ask him.
> 
> Charlie


that was my thought..maybe he has decided to make money to pay back people he owes??


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## Illinislotfan (Mar 8, 2009)

Check out his other items for sale. Authentic Aurora Corvair label? To my knowledge, Aurora never made a Corvair. Total scam.


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## Ho$$mad1 (Jul 25, 2016)

You are correct aurora never did


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## Ho$$mad1 (Jul 25, 2016)

"UDUPE" is owned by a friend of mine.His name is Ron. He is also an Authorized Aurora seller, as Aurora has come back and re-branding their items..Just a Heads up.Dennis


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

I thought the TM Aurora was owned by TOMY corporation?
maybe they just own AFX?
in any case, I am very interested in where Aurora will be going.
thank you for that input


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

Years ago it was announced that Aurora was coming back, I might still have the site bookmarked, but in any case nothing came of it. See the end of this Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_Plastics_Corporation
I can't recall if the earliest Tomy slot cars or sets used the Aurora name. Playing Mantis had the rights to most of the old Aurora model kits and they used the Polar Lights name. Playing Mantis is now Round 2.
Possibly the heirs of the original Aurora owners still own that trademark, the rights to the Model Motoring trademark were also sold years ago.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

*Aurora ?*

in Aurora 1st AFX international markets 1974-1983 book copyright 2008 by Albert Driessen, billed as "compliment to the complete color guide to Aurora H.O. slot cars" by Bob Beers......
on page three(3) in the disclaimer it states, "Aurora and AFX are registered trademarks of TOMY Corporation".

now, many years have passed since 2008, and we know that some changes have occured with the AFX branding.
so, maybe the Aurora Trademark has been acquired by someone new also. 

it will be interesting to see what factual light can be shed on the Aurora Trademark legacy.

Aurora Plastics Corporation
has come to naught as described by Rich D.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Ho$$mad1 said:


> "UDUPE" is owned by a friend of mine.His name is Ron. He is also an Authorized Aurora seller, as Aurora has come back and re-branding their items..Just a Heads up.Dennis


I should, certainly, like to see some evidence of this "re-branding" and "Aurora ressurection"!


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## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

alpink said:


> in Aurora 1st AFX international markets 1974-1983 book copyright 2008 by Albert Driessen, billed as "compliment to the complete color guide to Aurora H.O. slot cars" by Bob Beers......
> on page three(3) in the disclaimer it states, "Aurora and AFX are registered trademarks of TOMY Corporation".
> 
> now, many years have passed since 2008, and we know that some changes have occured with the AFX branding.
> ...


very interesting indeed.....new products????hmmmnn..we all can dream.....


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## many slots (Apr 16, 2007)

I am pretty sure Chris does not have anything to do with the "new" labels. They are not original HOD labels, and I doubt he is signing them.


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## MSwaterlogged (Feb 5, 2014)

As far as I am aware, TOMY still owns those trademarks. They and Racemasters are pretty active about protecting them. That is probably why the "new" Aurora keeps changing names.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

New message to: s*********s
Hi, maybe you can help me? I am tring to find one of those Corvairs. do you know a part number that would help me search? thank you in advance for your kind cooperation. al

New message from: s***********s (225Turquoise Star)
There is no number for this car. It is a custom insert for a custom car. Thank you.

New message to: s*********s
hmmm, no such Aurora slot car? hmmmm?

New message from: s***********ts (225Turquoise Star)
To be honest I am not quite positive. However, I believe that the body was custom and the chassis was Aurora, but there was never a Chevy Corvair body made by Aurora to my knowledge.

New message to: s***********s
very interesting, because I got the impression from the listing that the insert I bought was a genuine replica of an original Aurora product?

New message from: s************s (225Turquoise Star)
This is a reproduction insert of Aurora inserts. If you do not like it or have a problem with the item, please send it back for a full refund as stated in the description. We are an authorized reproduction seller of Aurora made inserts using it's logo and name. What exactly are your trying to say because I feel like you are saying that my listing was fishy or something. Why would you buy it and question after the fact? If you have the car or collect, then you already know the answer. I am legitimately trying to appease you, so what is it that you want?

--------------------------------------------------------------

am I being passive-aggressive? :surprise:


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

(C) Copyright 2017 Aurora Plastics Corporation is a Registered Trademark, or The "A" Plastics Corp Logo & Dr. Gennaro Giammarino, III Lynbrook, L.I. New York 11563. UDupe (C) Copyright 2016 , All Rights Reserved


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

"Authentic" could mean different things to different people. If you are collector of Aurora stuff it would mean that the item was made by the original Aurora company. It seems like my guess that the heir to to Aurora still has the rights to the trade mark and is trying to milk that for a few bucks was correct. If someone has made an agreement with Dr. Gennaro Giammarino, III to use the Aurora logo then that use would technically be legal. The problem here is that the use might lead collectors to believe that they are buying an original Aurora product. If someone is selling items with Aurora labels when either the item or its label were not made by Aurora that could be viewed as a deceptive practice.


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Rich, Excellent! Essentially the Aurora heirs making a profit from trademark ownership thru repro products.


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## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

does anyone here still speak to chris mullis?????wondering what role he does have here..or is this the buyer beware deal.....or..is he coming out of woodworks again....maybe a comeback...but from what i have read over the years its highly suspect as the man had health issues...


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## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

oh oh....a little birdie said that chris aint signing those labels.......and the guy has no right to print the h.o.d labels!!!!...hmmmnnnnn...stay tuned


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## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

He has a right to print the labels if he has an agreement with the copyright or trademark holder to do that. What he does not have the right to do is imply that they are original Aurora labels, if they are reproductions then they should be described as such.


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## HOHarry (Nov 30, 2012)

I just attended the Parsippany Slot Show (11/19/17) Great show! I saw many old friends. Since I retired to NC, I had not been to a show in the NorthEast since 2001. 

Many of you know who I am, HACEnterprise (Harry). I am actually the guy who Created the HOD Branding, Designed, Produced, Printed and Paid for the REAL Black & Gold HOD labels. I was behind the ONLY HOD licensing effort years ago, and I actually own the copyright and intellectual property rights to the HOD Labels and BRAND. I worked with Chris Mullis years ago, before he had his issues. I hold no grudges against Chris, as I feel he was exploited by others when he was vulnerable. 

I am aware of, and I have spoken directly to the BAY Seller who originally offered blatant copies of my HOD labels design. I immediately put an end to that many months ago. The Seller then created another label format and made the claims that you see on EBAY at this time. I have had enough of all these bogus claims. You guys are correct to be wary.

I have resisted the temptation to sell "unsigned" real labels, as I wanted to protect the collector market for HOD cars. Sadly, that is a steep uphill climb. What has become a reality is that there are MANY fake HOD Cars out there. Some of us old timers, who know the actual HOD history, know who and how these cars entered the market. I reconfirmed some of these facts, as well as learned more during my visit to the Parsippany Show. 

What you all need to know is that ONLY I provided authorized printed labels to Chris for his legit cars. He signed the labels and shipped the boxed bars to his customers. I ALONE printed the serial numbers and titles for each label. NO LABELS were provided to Chris which were blank. I created the brand and introduced the Black & Gold Label at the OH show in the late 1990's. I went to that show with many HOD reproduction AURORA Tjet cars, which included these labels. I sold some of those cars at that show, as well as, several which had remained in my private collection years later. I still have many. 

ONLY I have all of the "BLANKS." I have decided to make these available as UNSIGNED Authentic Labels to those who desire them. If you have any comments or concerns, I welcome your input. Simply let me know.

Thanks for the Read,
Harry


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

thank you for clearing the air


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

I had known Chris thru the shows, he came to my previous home about mid 90's to purchases pieces of my collection and we had an enjoyable afternoon.
He came with a friend, not sure if possibly it was Harry. At a later show he pulled me aside and gave me a metallic blue Willys body as appreciation of his visit.
I have the Willys in my display case and would like to acquire an HOD card for the piece if possible.
I've heard of his past issues thru the hobby BB but have no 1st hand knowledge and hope he is well.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

slotcarinserts shut down?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/slotcarins...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
auctions ended early and no new ones.


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