# My Aurora Monsters



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Well some of them... alive and well in their new home. I am in the process of moving and so far everyone has fared pretty well. The Phantom's cape has popped loose but I can fix that. 





































I have another box with more of them (somewhere)


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Nice set-up deej!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks - its taking me forever to arrange stuff. Most of it all is boxed up in the garage in no real order so its kind of pot luck as to what is where for now. And moving some of the furniture is tough. Those big glass Ikea display cases weigh about 100 lbs (based on what the box said when I bought it). I had to man handle it by myself down two long hallways. I wasn't sure where I had wanted it when I moved so I had the movers just dump it off in my dining room.


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## aurora fan (Jan 18, 1999)

Really cool and a lot of the fun for me is arranging my models and unbuilt kit boxes just so for display! Everything looks great!


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## Rondo (Jul 23, 2010)

Well, it's not a dank basement or an oversized, shagadelic "closet" like I'm used to, but it will do. :jest: LOL, that's really first class djnick. Very nice monsters too.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Definitely a great display and great models DJ. Now you've got all that room too but I am sure you can fill it up! Are you still in the Lakeland area? We are on our way to Tampa tomorrow to give our son and DIL their long haired dachshunds back. I'll wave as I pass through!


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## apls (Dec 5, 2005)

Immpressive. Looking forward for more.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

They look happy enough!
You know, I've never actually seen Barnabas next to Aurora kits. I always assumed he was around 1/13th scale - that's a decent sized kit!


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## MickeyD (Oct 24, 2008)

Love this collection. Well done. I really enoy seeing other people collections (especially if there are Auroras in them - sorry but I am a bit biased) . Thanks for posting these photos.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Looks like they survived the move relatively unscathed! Nice collection!!! They all look Super but in particular I ABSOLUTELY love the lettering on Nosferatu...Fantastic job on that!
Cheers
Denis


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks !

Yup still in Lakeland...

The lettering on Nosferatu was pretty simple... I painted the letters white, and added a red "blood" wash over them. Then i went back over the white again to pick it out more and to sharpen it up. Its hard to see in the pic but there is a bit of red and purple in the stone areas.


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## Moonman27 (Aug 26, 2008)

Darn fine set of Aurora Monsters there,love the Creature's gloss wet look,and a gray Wolfman. Barnabas looks awesome too,have you done his bud the Werewolf yet? I have these 2 next on my build list. Great work :thumbsup:


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

Very cool setup mate! How many of those showcases do you have?
I nearly bought on of them from Ikea but went with the one with the black frame- slightly bigger shelves.
Great work on the figures too!

Chris.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I have two of the Ikea cases (I have not built one yet). They are great! The price went up in the last year from $55 to $60 but still... They come in two options. This is the light wood and silver metal framework. I have one in dark wood with black metal. They are the exact same size. The light is optional. I don't use it much but got one just to see how it works. It does get HOT so you shouldn't leave it on a long time or have tall models that get close to it. Ikea does have a somewhat similar case with a black wrought iron frame thats marginally bigger but also costs twice as much. I have one more case thats more traditional with a wood framework, mirrored back, etc. It's not from Ikea but is roughly the same size but with one less shelf. I have also 5 large Ikea book cases and 9 half width cases, all with glass doors on the top shelf and half with glass doors over the front. 

I need to get the Dark Shadows Werewolf kit... thats the one I had as a kid. Its just a really crappy model... I may resculpt the head a bit myself (since you get two in the box).

I did this Aurora Wolfman is a black/grey base since I had a prior build in brown. There is a hint of brown to him but the overall color is a warm grey, I was never happy with the Lil Abner hillbilly pants Aurora chose to stick him into.

So far most of my models survived the move just fine ! The Phantom's cape is loose, One figure popped off my Lost in Space Cyclops kit, one piece popped off one of the Aurora knights, and a wheel hub came loose from a Tiger tank.


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

djnick66 said:


> I have two of the Ikea cases (I have not built one yet). They are great! The price went up in the last year from $55 to $60 but still...
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yeah they are $60 USD in store. I had bought ONE and got it in my car and took it home. The box is quite heavy (around 100 lbs). I wanted more cases but didn't feel like the hassle as I have to fold the back seats down, empty out the trunk, etc. and then man handle the box into the car.

When I moved I wanted a bunch of Ikea book cases. They will pick your order for you and deliver it. In my case it was $149 to pull and deliver nearly 50 boxes that weighed over half a ton. Can't beat that. I'd have spent more to rent a truck. I had them toss another display case into my order.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

Those shelves are apparently currently listed in the Idea catalog. We are going to Orlando on Wednesday and were planning on visiting Ikea so maybe I'll take a look at them. They are currently $65 per unit. They are basically totally enclosed aren't they? That would help to keep the dust off. I bought a close out on a nice big book shelf earlier this year for $100 that I have been very happy with. You do have to dust all my models on my book shelves as none have doors. Here's the Detolf link:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10011055/


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thats the one. The price might vary a couple bucks. They were $10 - $15 cheaper a year and a half ago. But then they have things on sale, etc. Its still a deal. The case is not airtight, so it is not entirely dust proof. On the other hand, it does pretty well. The back two corners are sealed but around the door there is a natural gap. The light pictured in your link is not included. You can get one of a number of the Ikea bulb or LED lights and fit it if you want. There is a hole in the top (with plastic plugs) if you do want to add a light. The light I bought is supposed to be screwed into place but I used Velcro and it works fine and is removable.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

That's a Great price for those shelves!
And they do keep the dust off...








Here are 4 units squared together...









I got all these shelves at Ikea and always keep my eyes pealed for Sales like this!!
Denis


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## armymedic80 (Aug 11, 2010)

All great-looking models and the display curio is a great idea. What is the height of the 1 you showed. And where's the Zorro that you showed us a while ago?


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

They are 64 1/8 high...here is the facts sheet...
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10011055/#productInfo1

Mcdee


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I have a bunch of figures packed away from when I closed my store. Zorro, The Hulk, Batman and Robin, etc. are still boxed up. Ultimately when I get all settled and get more shelves and cabinets built I can display them all.


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## Chinxy (May 23, 2003)

dj - Love it! That's outstanding. Very well done. Love those old kits!


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## armymedic80 (Aug 11, 2010)

:thumbsup:


mcdougall said:


> They are 64 1/8 high...here is the facts sheet...
> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10011055/#productInfo1
> 
> Mcdee


Thanks. That's what I'm gonna get, maybe larger, 1 or 2 curios to display my figure models, 1/24 and 1/18 cars. Ikea makes nice display curios.


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## Dr. Pretorius (Nov 17, 2000)

Nice stuff!

:thumbsup:


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

rkoenn said:


> Those shelves are apparently currently listed in the Idea catalog. We are going to Orlando on Wednesday and were planning on visiting Ikea so maybe I'll take a look at them. They are currently $65 per unit. They are basically totally enclosed aren't they? That would help to keep the dust off. I bought a close out on a nice big book shelf earlier this year for $100 that I have been very happy with. You do have to dust all my models on my book shelves as none have doors. Here's the Detolf link:
> 
> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10011055/


Thanks for posting the link Bob.:wave:
The one I have is the Klingsbo. I can't believe the incredible difference in the price of US v Australia!! I'd expect a little difference in price but....???

Chris.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

Thanks for the great pics, all. I love the museum quality displays. As for safely moving kits, I had a pristine Creature pro built which I carefully wrapped for shipping when I heard "SNAP!"
Yup... One of the claws. (Mr Murph has a tale of woe for every occasion. I am, after all, Irish).


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I didn't really "pack" most of my kits. I just stood them up in big, deep, fruit packing boxes. They can't tip over... and then I added balls of tissue paper and wadded up plastic grocery bags in between them to keep them from rubbing/jiggling around. I put my knights flat on their backs on a folded towel, with another folded cloth on top. My Monster Scenes kits got stacked up on top of them since they are small and light.


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## Mitchellmania (Feb 14, 2002)

Awesome builds!


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## rat salad (Oct 18, 2004)

Looking cool! Moving monster models is scary! People don't realize how fragile they are. They were the last thing I moved when I last moved 4 years back. I placed each one in one of those little gift bags you give to someone for a birthday (the kind with the string straps). This way the model just sits in the bag upright. I then placed them all over the floors of my car, and drove carefully to my new place. Luckily, they all made it safely. Maybe a couple tiny parts broke off and I glued them later.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I found them to be pretty sturdy. Some of my monsters have moved up to 6 times now over a 25 year period. None of the moves have been huge with the longest being about 40 miles. Only a couple have repeat problems. My Luminators Phantom ALWAYS breaks but I attribute that to the awful rubbery neon plastic that resists glue. When I moved them before I put rolled duct tape on the bottom of some big flat tray type fruit boxes and stuck the figures down on the tape so they were spaced out from each other and wouldn't rub or hit each other. That worked really well as the models wouldn't slide or tip over.


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## Cro-Magnon Man (Jun 11, 2001)

I've got the dark wood Detolf, and just have enough room next to it for another one when I get round to it, but I found that it wasn't all that good for displaying Prehistoric Scenes kits, which is what principally wanted it for. It's ok for 'human' figure kits like the Famous Fighters with their smaller bases, but for Prehistoric Scenes you can only usually get two to a shelf... And no, it doesn't keep dust out!


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Not 100%... but substancially...
sure beats an open shelf 
Denis


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

You're not wrong Denis! 
It definitely beats having kits out in the open gathering more dust. It's nice too to not have to dust them so often.

Chris.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

They do reduce dust by a good bit. As I said earlier they are not air tight so no they will not keep dust out totally... but they probably cut back on about 75% of it.


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