Ark Models 1/400 Aurora cruiser Old – and New

Well, I went up to the attic and since I was there I got my very old Aurora model out of the box. It is somewhat battered but still there. I remember building it- when I was a child in the late ’80s my mother took me to her workplace one day, and I occupied myself with this model while she was working. (It happened sometime. I still remember building an SU-22 this way.) It had a couple of stuff rattling in the hull. I guess I wanted to float it in my bathtub and put some ballast in. Carefully opening the top I found 3 acorns, a really old, corroded pencil sharpener and a LEGO brick.

Comparing it to the present effort -not that bad, actually. Since I managed to lose a small machine gun from the new kit, the old one will donate one. I like the idea of using an old part in the new model -gives it some continuity.

Interesting, how more than three decades caused some serious discoloration on the plastic. It really is tan colored, although it is unpainted -and started out as light gray.

Back then I did not bother painting my models (there were no good paints available, anyway), so this will be painted by my daughter.