# M.I.B. Aurora MoonBus found in Garage!!



## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

I had my own "Garage" find experience last week, while looking over a house that we will be renting. I saw some model kit boxes as I was approaching the garage, and as I got closer my heart nearly skipped a beat, at the bottom of a Revelle Goodyear Blimp, and AMT Galileo, was a pristine box of the "Aurora MoonBus": I had asked the property management about the kits, and was told that anything in the garage was going to be thrown in the trash, and if I wanted the kits take them! Well needless to say I ran back and got the kits. The Aurora box is unsealed but mint,the kit is unbuilt still bagged with its decal sheet and instructions.:woohoo:


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Quite a find.The MOONBUS is more than ever a rare kit.:thumbsup:


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

:woohoo: Um, I mean, I'll give you $25 bucks for it! 
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :thumbsup:


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## hedorah59 (Nov 24, 2008)

Congrats! That is a great find!


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## Dar (Apr 20, 2007)

WOW. Good find. Lets see some pics. Those things go for quite a bit with decent boxes and parts out of the bags. Sell it on ebay. Theres one there now for a buy it now of $500.


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## mrmurph (Nov 21, 2007)

I love reading stories like this. Congrats on your find and your super luck.
Did you buy a lottery ticket, too?


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

They say if you don't have pics it didn't happen? So here are pics of my Aurora MoonBus find:thumbsup:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Very interesting. The kit is usually molded in white and pale green. I sold a grey and green kit on eBay and had a couple fruit loops insist that I was selling a fake or painted kit because it didn't come in grey. Grey is definitely more unusual.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

djnick66 said:


> Very interesting. The kit is usually molded in white and pale green. I sold a grey and green kit on eBay and had a couple fruit loops insist that I was selling a fake or painted kit because it didn't come in grey. Grey is definitely more unusual.


 So Aurora made two different color castings? What is the story behind it's short production run?


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

That is just great! Very cool and congratulations!


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

Dr. Brad said:


> That is just great! Very cool and congratulations!


 Thank you, I feel very fortunate to have come across such a find


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## falcon49xxxx (Aug 4, 2008)

a score of a lifetime......!


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## Zorro (Jun 22, 1999)

Man! I used to have recurring dreams about this kind of thing. Nice to know that it actually happens in real life. _Very_ cool!:thumbsup:


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

I still do Scott!!
Great score Max Wedge!!:woohoo:. At the price you paid, maybe you should build it.
Well done mate. I'm genuinely happy for you.:wave:

Chris.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

I may catch flak, but I am not building this kit, or selling it on e-Bay. I got lucky enough to find such a rare kit, I think it would make a great display piece as is, and perhaps Scott will offer one that I can build up to display with the Aurora kit


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Aparently Aurora didn't actually own any of their molding machines. They sort of free lanced the actual molding. And if they were running some metallic burgundy Fokker Triplane kits, they didn't remove the plastic pellets from the machine when they swapped out molds. So if the Moon Bus was to be white, the first few might be metallic burgundy until it was time to change the plastic pellets. I think I have the German Albatros fighter in regular red, regular green, metallic green, and black. Green is the normal color although the box art usually shows a black plane.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

djnick66 said:


> Aparently Aurora didn't actually own any of their molding machines. They sort of free lanced the actual molding. And if they were running some metallic burgundy Fokker Triplane kits, they didn't remove the plastic pellets from the machine when they swapped out molds.



I think Remco was notorius for this also, look at all the different color versions of the Lost in Space Robots? What ever color pellets that were available thats what color it would be:tongue:


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## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

How come finds like this never happen to ME ???

Congrats


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

I love stories like this. 

Thanks for sharing those pix. I've got an old, unbuilt Moonbus kit, but that near-pristine box of yours puts mine to shame.

Congrats!



djnick66 said:


> Grey is definitely more unusual.


Huh.

I've owned three of these kits over the years, and each was molded in a combination of grey and green. In fact, this is the first I'm hearing of the Moonbus ever having been molded in white.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

FWIW, every Moonbus kit I've seen is molded in pale green and light gray. The gray parts in those pics are a much darker shade of gray than I've ever seen.


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

scotpens said:


> The gray parts in those pics are a much darker shade of gray than I've ever seen.


Yeah, I just checked my model, and it's molded in a much lighter shade of grey than the model shown.


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## WarpCore Breach (Apr 27, 2005)

My Moonbus is molded in grey and green. The grey was definitely a mid-range colour, not too dark or light.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Ok...here it is...4 Lumininators and a Polar Lights Godzilla for the Moonbus, Yeah I know what your thinking...How can I let an opportunity like this slip by?...Too good to be true...but hurry before I sober up...Trades like this are rare :wave:
Mcdee


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## Dar (Apr 20, 2007)

MAX WEDGE said:


> I may catch flak, but I am not building this kit, or selling it on e-Bay. I got lucky enough to find such a rare kit, I think it would make a great display piece as is, and perhaps Scott will offer one that I can build up to display with the Aurora kit




Great idea. The box is in excellent condition. Heck maybe even put it in a display case.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

djnick66 said:


> Very interesting. The kit is usually molded in white and pale green. I sold a grey and green kit on eBay and had a couple fruit loops insist that I was selling a fake or painted kit because it didn't come in grey. Grey is definitely more unusual.


 The one that is currently on e-Bay is white with a dark green interior? The release date on that one is 1972? I was under the impression that the MoonBus was released in mid 1969, and after a short time was discontinued? So apparently Aurora did re-release the MoonBus, probabily following the re-release of the movie?


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

MAX WEDGE said:


> So apparently Aurora did re-release the MoonBus, probabily following the re-release of the movie?


Yeah, an _extremely_ limited re-release. Until today I didn't know which colors had been used in the molding, but the kit currently being offered on ebay is about as rare as they come.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

Carson Dyle said:


> Yeah, an _extremely_ limited re-release. Until today I didn't know which colors had been used in the molding, but the kit currently being offered on ebay is about as rare as they come.


 How short was the initial release in 1969?


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## SoleSky (Feb 20, 2009)

Well I don't know much about the rarity of models, but from what everyone has posted in this thread it sounds like you've got something worth a lot. Very well done. I probably would have taken the models and been totally oblivious to the fact that it's rare. Good find though! I'm sure that it will look good on display even if you never build it


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

If I remember right, 1973 was the last year Aurora offered the Moonbus kit.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

Dar said:


> Great idea. The box is in excellent condition. Heck maybe even put it in a display case.


 Actually thats the plan. I want to have a custom box made to cover the Aurora box, and to keep it from getting damaged.


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

This is the one rare occasion for which I liked that AURORA used a picture of the real kit instead of the usual box art approach.This is surely because the Moonbus was displayed in a moon like diorama setting.Especially the picture in the 1969 catalogue.I can't count how many times when I was young that I just looked at that dreamy picture.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The kit I had, I got in an interesting way. In the late 80s/early 90s I worked in a hobby shop that was both heavy into plastic kits, and also RC. One of the regular RC customers came in one day, and needed new tires for the Friday night race... So he offered me the Moon Bus kit for two packages of foam tires. Retail on them was only about $8 each set, and my price would have been about $5. So for $10 out of pocket, i got my Moon Bus


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## Hooty (Mar 4, 2000)

Great find!:thumbsup: 
I just gotta' know....did it still have that Aurora smell? I came across an Aurora Viking ship a few years back and it still had the old Aurora smell. The old timers here will understand.

Hooty


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

Fantastic find!


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

Hooty said:


> Great find!:thumbsup:
> I just gotta' know....did it still have that Aurora smell? I came across an Aurora Viking ship a few years back and it still had the old Aurora smell. The old timers here will understand.
> 
> Hooty


I can relate, Hooty. There's nothing quite like it.....

Chris.


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## ChrisW (Jan 1, 1970)

What a great find! Congratulations!


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

Hooty said:


> Great find!:thumbsup:
> I just gotta' know....did it still have that Aurora smell? I came across an Aurora Viking ship a few years back and it still had the old Aurora smell. The old timers here will understand.Hooty




Oh yeah,its got that Old Aurora smell.


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## Lee Staton (May 13, 2000)

xsavoie said:


> This is the one rare occasion for which I liked that AURORA used a picture of the real kit instead of the usual box art approach.This is surely because the Moonbus was displayed in a moon like diorama setting.Especially the picture in the 1969 catalogue.I can't count how many times when I was young that I just looked at that dreamy picture.


Gee, I did the same thing! Loved that catalog photo, and both the Moon Bus and Pan Am Space Clipper boxes.

And Hooty, I used to open the boxes slightly and smell the plastic (shades of Spinal Tap). Nobody else's model kits smelled the way Aurora's did. It sounds kinky to say so, but that was part of the childhood experience. 

Lee


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

Carson Dyle said:


> Yeah, an _extremely_ limited re-release. Until today I didn't know which colors had been used in the molding, but the kit currently being offered on ebay is about as rare as they come.


 I visited "Fantastic Plastics" site when I first got the kit, here is where I read that the kit was released in mid 1969, and was discontinued not long after that, with no mention of a re-release in 1972? I then went thru my Aurora History and Price Guide by Bill Bruegman, and it states the MoonBus was molded in white and light green in 1968, again with no mention of a re-issue.. 

http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/MOON BUS PAGE.htm


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## Daikaiju1 (Apr 26, 2005)

That was a great find, well done! I, like many others am very envious, but am glad someone who appreciates it has taken it into their care.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Thomas Grahams' Schiffer Book on Aurora models says: kit 829:the Moon Bus
1969-73 Scale 1/55
Gray, light green,clear plastic. Decals..
From 2001 a Space Odyssey
Roof lifts off to show four crewmen. No base
Mcdee:wave:


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Max - Marry me? :freak:

The only thing that came close for me was when a friend gave me his builtup Aurora Godzilla and Superman. They need... work.


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

mcdougall said:


> Thomas Grahams' Schiffer Book on Aurora models says: kit 829:the Moon Bus
> 1969-73 Scale 1/55
> Gray, light green,clear plastic. Decals..
> From 2001 a Space Odyssey
> ...


 Interesting, still no mention of it being re-issued in white and dark green? Well for those of you wanting one, there is one currently on e-bay for $499.99 and it is the rare white/dark green issue


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## CaptCBoard (Aug 3, 2002)

I've had a lot of MB kits over the years. I got the MB when it first appeared on a local shelf in 1969 and it was white with dark green interior parts. I remember a subsequent release where the interior parts were in glow plastic. I was at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry in 1976 and found one in their gift shop. It was light gray and lime green. The issue I currently have is dark gray and lime green. I know one of the kits I used to have was a Canadian issue and I think it was light gray and lime green. I don't think any particular issue is worth more than another because the kit itself is just plain rare.

And by the way-- Aurora owned their own facility. Actually, Aurora was part of a larger company and they ran the kits at night.

Scott


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## Roland (Feb 4, 1999)

This was indeed a great find. Things like this happen once in a while. There still are some kits floating around in attics and closets that haven't been built in 40-50 years!

By the way, I got my first model kit from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1968. It was a brontosaurus skeleton that was too difficult to build for me alone at the age of 5. So my dad and grandfather helped me.


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

Roland said:


> There still are some kits floating around in attics and closets that haven't been built in 40-50 years!


Guilty!

I still have several kits and bottles of paint from the late 50's and 60's that have never been opened, let alone built. No real reason why, I just never got around to them. Someday...


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

CaptCBoard said:


> I don't think any particular issue is worth more than another because the kit itself is just plain rare.
> And by the way-- Aurora owned their own facility. Actually, Aurora was part of a larger company and they ran the kits at night.Scott



I wonder if the value would take a hit if it were re-issued? I know that some of the Lost in Space kits have gone down in price, I paid $280.00 for a B/U Aurora Robot back in 1993, and I just caught one on e-bay, also a B/U went for $40.00? I mean it only makes since why pay a lot of money for a kit when you can get a exact copy for less then $20.00


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## GForceSS (Feb 2, 2009)

MAX WEDGE said:


> So Aurora made two different color castings? What is the story behind it's short production run?



I still have some parts left in my spares box from my 1969 build of the moon bus and they are grey and green. Great find!


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

MAX WEDGE said:


> I wonder if the value would take a hit if it were re-issued? I know that some of the Lost in Space kits have gone down in price, I paid $280.00 for a B/U Aurora Robot back in 1993, and I just caught one on e-bay, also a B/U went for $40.00? I mean it only makes since why pay a lot of money for a kit when you can get a exact copy for less then $20.00


The track record for Rare kits is that ...Yes the price does take a hit initially, even Big Frankies that were selling for $3000.00 a year and a half ago are now going for about $500.00, I picked up an Addams Family Haunted House, Original MIB for $250.00 and at one time they were going for $1200.00...But to the Collector an Original is still an Original and that won't change no matter if it is re-issued or not...and Man I love my Originals...the Box Art, Detail, and even the smell of 50 year old kits has never been replicated 100% and I doubt it ever will...hang on to that kit man...for the true value has nothing to do with money...:thumbsup:
Mcdee


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## Carson Dyle (May 7, 2003)

Given the rarity of the Moonbus, and considering its near-mint condition, I'm surprised it hasn't sold yet (note to self: "It's the economy, stupid").

Moonbus kits in far shabbier shape than the one currently being offered were fetching north of $600 a couple years ago. Sometimes timing is everything.

The good news (well, good for the Moonbus seller and I) is that I snapped up his Hawk Manned Orbital Laboratory.










This is one of the first model kits I ever built, and one I've long been on the lookout for. Thanks to the dicey economy I got a very good deal.

If only the price for those Aurora SeaLabs would start to drop... (curse you studio scale modelers).


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

mcdougall said:


> But to the Collector an Original is still an Original and that won't change no matter if it is re-issued or not...and Man I love my Originals...the Box Art, Detail, and even the smell of 50 year old kits has never been replicated 100% and I doubt it ever will...hang on to that kit man...for the true value has nothing to do with money...:thumbsup:
> Mcdee


 I won't be selling the Moonbus, as it stands I am currently looking into having a custom plexiglass case made to display it. I figure if a Moonbus were to be re-issued in the future, I can build it up and use it to display with the Aurora kit, kinda like a shadow box?


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

That's the ticket Max...I've got my original Auroras in Plexiglas cases I got from Dr.Syn... and there they shall remain:
the Addams Family Haunted House
the Witch
Guillotine (2- Madam Toussauds, 1 -without the MT logo)
the Wolfman
the Mummy
the Vampire
Godzillas' Go Cart
Customing Kits (1 & 2 )
the Phantom of the Opera
....all MIBs These have all been re-popped over the years and so there is no need to build these up and as you can see I'm on the hunt for the other Aurora MIBs :thumbsup:
Although the monetary value of these kits has gone up and down over the years...The sentimental Value has Rocketed...:wave:
Mcdee


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

mcdougall said:


> That's the ticket Max...I've got my original Auroras in Plexiglas cases I got from Dr.Syn... and there they shall remain:
> Although the monetary value of these kits has gone up and down over the years...The sentimental Value has Rocketed...:wave:
> Mcdee



I guess you could look at the re-issues as a way of perserving the originals, and not as direct replacements? The Aurora LIS Robot is so inaccurate but it has it's charm because it is the way Aurora had it sculpted it. When I won my Aurora Robot thru a Telephone auction thru Toyshop magazine....."Remember those?" the Robot had been built up with only the legs, arms, and the little buttons painted, along with the chest piece which had been painted red and glue smears around the bubble I had it restored by a good friend of mine, and I had him restore it with the torso and feet being left un-painted to keep the original plastic color, and repaint the buttons, arms, legs, tracks, and upper dome pieces. Pretty much the stuff that was painted before, with the exception of the clear chest piece which was left clear.









Aurora Lost in Space Robot restored Spring of 1994.


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## MightyMax (Jan 21, 2000)

Nice score. that kit is kind of my grail kit.

You found your first months rent!


Max Bryant


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

MightyMax said:


> Nice score. that kit is kind of my grail kit.
> You found your first months rent!
> Max Bryant


 
I made the mistake of telling the Wife that I scored big with this kit, and She already had me selling it and splitting the funds..... Needless to say I informed her that she can go find her own kit, cause this MoonBus is now part of the "Shrine"


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I hold on to kits like that for a year or two or three... after that when the glow wears off I sell them. I sold off my MIB Rommel's Rods. That was smart! I knew I'd never build them and got tired of just looking at the boxes


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

I had that kit as a kid. Congrats on a great discovery !


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## MAX WEDGE (Nov 20, 2005)

djnick66 said:


> I hold on to kits like that for a year or two or three... after that when the glow wears off I sell them. I sold off my MIB Rommel's Rods. That was smart! I knew I'd never build them and got tired of just looking at the boxes



The nice thing is I don't have any money invested in this kit, so I don't need to sell it to recoup any expenses and I have a very desireable kit in my collection


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