Folks,
I'm still searching for a name, term, word, what have you, for some of Polar Light's reissues of Aurora's kits. Why? Because it's one thing to rerelease Dick Tracy or the Batplane, where the major distinction between an Aurora original and the reissue is only the trademark/copyright notice stamped under the model's base. However, when PL issues a kit which, although based on an Aurora sculpt, has been increased in scale and may also contain clear parts or other features, the word "repop" hardly applies.
So just what sort of model will the upcoming release of Capatain America be? He'll come in 1/8 scale (I'm not sure whether the original kit was that size), with three options for his facial expression, more refined detail, and clear water-splash parts. It won't be a brand new item, since it was based on a pre-existing model. Nor will it be merely a reissue, given all the new features that the original did not have.
People joke about the appearance of the phrase "New And Improved" on the packaging of well-established products. However, I think that "New And Improved" is exactly the right description of Polar Lights' reissues. Sure they're based on Aurora model kits, but technology has made it possible to make them into something quite different from the original kits. Yet, as is often the case, technology has outstripped language.
So I suggest that model kits that have been altered with major changes in scale or the addition of parts or other features which did not come with the original kit - in other words, models that have been given the "Polar Lights treatment" - be given a new descriptive term. I propose "Super-reissue".
Anybody else got a suggestion? Have a great weekend while you ponder this Mighty Question!
I'm still searching for a name, term, word, what have you, for some of Polar Light's reissues of Aurora's kits. Why? Because it's one thing to rerelease Dick Tracy or the Batplane, where the major distinction between an Aurora original and the reissue is only the trademark/copyright notice stamped under the model's base. However, when PL issues a kit which, although based on an Aurora sculpt, has been increased in scale and may also contain clear parts or other features, the word "repop" hardly applies.
So just what sort of model will the upcoming release of Capatain America be? He'll come in 1/8 scale (I'm not sure whether the original kit was that size), with three options for his facial expression, more refined detail, and clear water-splash parts. It won't be a brand new item, since it was based on a pre-existing model. Nor will it be merely a reissue, given all the new features that the original did not have.
People joke about the appearance of the phrase "New And Improved" on the packaging of well-established products. However, I think that "New And Improved" is exactly the right description of Polar Lights' reissues. Sure they're based on Aurora model kits, but technology has made it possible to make them into something quite different from the original kits. Yet, as is often the case, technology has outstripped language.
So I suggest that model kits that have been altered with major changes in scale or the addition of parts or other features which did not come with the original kit - in other words, models that have been given the "Polar Lights treatment" - be given a new descriptive term. I propose "Super-reissue".
Anybody else got a suggestion? Have a great weekend while you ponder this Mighty Question!
