Sinclair 1964 World's Fair Mold A Rama Machine sells at Barrett Jackson for Big$

[Doug Watson]

I watch the Barrett Jackson Auctions for the cars but they also auction off auto memorabilia and that includes Sinclair. At the recent big auction in Scottsdale AZ last month a Sinclair 1964 World's Fair Mold A Rama Machine just sold for $115,000.00 US. That has to be a record for a dinosaur collectible not counting actual fossils and life-sized sculptures.
I didn't see it on the auction coverage yet (PVRed it all) but I got a notification about it.

When I first saw the image I was sure the dinosaur graphics were incorrect, they looked too modern but then I found one in video from the Worlds Fair and I am not so sure now. The Brontosaurus graphic looks close to legit but the others are too blurry to tell. The others still look too modern for me but maybe the blurry video was all the restorer had as well so he or she ad libbed.

Here is the one that sold.


Here is the screenshot from the video, whoever posted the video says he owns one.


Here is the video if you are interested the machine shows up at the end https://youtu.be/gtbfuOlgtuc

[Ezikot]

I know almost nothing about this wonderful machine, but I found this facebook business page: https://business.facebook.com/pg/Moldville/posts/
It seems they have for sale (or already sold) at least a couple of moldarama machines identical to the one you posted, but "modernized".
One of their posts says: "FOR SALE: The very, very last MOLD-A-MACHINES available with modernized wiring" (10/2020).
Another one: "FOR SALE: ONE vintage 1960s fully restored, rewired and modernized vintage Mold-A- machine!" (12/2020).

(Loved the video)

 

[Justin_]

The word "DINOSAUR" in the video appears to be set in Eurostile , a typeface designed in 1962 so a very up-to-date choice for a 1964 machine. The auction one uses a different typeface. I agree with you the dinosaur images on it look a bit too modern for 1964, plus the ones on the video are in a slightly different style. They look like they were drawn with thicker, brush lines while the auction machine ones use finer, pen lines.

[Lanthanotus]

Thanks for linking that video, Doug, didn`t know the dinos (at least some of them) were animatronics... and for almost 60 years of age they certainly still look better
than some recent rendition in several parks today.

[Doug Watson]

I know almost nothing about this wonderful machine, but I found this facebook business page: https://business.facebook.com/pg/Moldville/posts/
It seems they have for sale (or already sold) at least a couple of moldarama machines identical to the one you posted, but "modernized".
One of their posts says: "FOR SALE: The very, very last MOLD-A-MACHINES available with modernized wiring" (10/2020).
Another one: "FOR SALE: ONE vintage 1960s fully restored, rewired and modernized vintage Mold-A- machine!" (12/2020).

(Loved the video)

Thanks for that link @Ezikot I hadn't seen that company. I had used the Mold A Rama machines at the Field Museum (got a set of mini dinos) and the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago back in 2005 they are still maintained by Mold A Rama of Chicago. You can still buy the mini versions of the original Sinclair Dinos from their web site. https://mold-a-rama.com
The company you linked to actually has some of the original big Sinclair versions for sale on their website that you can access from the Facebook page.
When I went on the Moldville website I found the following two clearer shots one is from the video and you can clearly see the original dinosaur graphics are much different. It is a shame whoever did the restoration didn't do more research since it went for top dollar. Moldville claims they have a set of the original Sinclair molds for sale along with a machine I wonder how much they are asking, out of my league I am sure?

Here is a shot from the video which shows the details better, the restored machine used modern dino graphics. P.S. They got the price wrong as well.


This shot shows three machines for three different dinosaurs at the Worlds Fair. The machines can only use one mold at a time so you need a machine for each dino, same thing at the Field Museum.

[Ezikot]

So someone can still use a mold-a-rama machine to buy a dino in Brookfield, Chicago and San Antonio (https://mold-a-rama.com/?page_id=99)... Unexpected!

(...)
Moldville claims they have a set of the original Sinclair molds for sale along with a machine I wonder how much they are asking, out of my league I am sure?
(...)

I have no clue on how they could ask, but, when I see something like that for sale, I wonder if a dino toys museum exists to acquire and collect such important "pieces" as Sinclair original molds.

[terrorchicken]

were they all Mold-a-Rama machines? they had similar things at the zoo and aquarium parks (the figures were of extant animals instead if dinosaurs)here back in the 80's. I loved those things, seeing the figure get made and the smell of the wax or whatever it was, how it was warm when it first comes out of the machine and the smooth texture it had. Good times. 

[Doug Watson]

were they all Mold-a-Rama machines? they had similar things at the zoo and aquarium parks (the figures were of extant animals instead if dinosaurs)here back in the 80's. I loved those things, seeing the figure get made and the smell of the wax or whatever it was, how it was warm when it first comes out of the machine and the smooth texture it had. Good times. 

As far as I know if it is a machine where you put money in and it blow moulds a figure it is a Mold A Rama machine. If you go to the Mold A Rama web site you will see they have done everything from Disney figures, President Lincoln busts, Frankenstein busts, Henry Ford Museum souvenirs, souvenirs for Canada's Centennial and probably many more. JH Miller used the same process to produce their dinosaurs and many other types of figures but they made them in their own machines in their own factory and then would sell the figures through retail stores, gift shops etc.. The machines I saw at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago where Mold A Rama machines they had a Gorilla and other extant animals. I got the Gorilla.

[croco_105]

There are still several machines operating currently at zoos and I think some museums.
This is an interesting video of the Mold a Matic warehouse, a different Sinclair machine (1:11min mark), original metal molds are shown at (3:11 min mark).
Not sure if Mold a Matic and Mold a Rama are one in the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC5wh3l-_cI&ab_channel=TheCarpetbagger

[Doug Watson]

There are still several machines operating currently at zoos and I think some museums.
This is an interesting video of the Mold a Matic warehouse, a different Sinclair machine (1:11min mark), original metal molds are shown at (3:11 min mark).
Not sure if Mold a Matic and Mold a Rama are one in the same.

You may notice at around 4:46 they all start referring to them as Mold A Rama machines and then at the end he explains they all started out as Mold A Rama.  The last Mold A Rama machines were built in the sixties and the original company dissolved in 1971 so all the machines maintained by Mold A Rama out of Chicago and Mold A Matic out of Florida are original 1960s Mold A Rama machines. What I didn't realize was J H Miller invented the process and licenced the Mold your own business to a company that became the original Mold A Rama company. The two companies today were started by people who bought up the old machines and moulds and refurbished them. Both companies also make new items.
Both company web sites have a Locations section where they list locations around the USA.

[terrorchicken]

yeah I read this article https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55241/brief-history-mold-rama about the machines yesterday,  I cant believe the machines(Mold-a-Matic) are still there(Seaquarium and Zoo-Miami!) At least  I assume they're the same ones. Oddly I dont remember seeing them last time I went to those parks several years ago this past decade. Or maybe I did but was too distracted by everything else to remember them.

the one thing I didn't like about these figures was how fragile they were, depending in the mold/figure they could be as fragile as hollow chocolate rabbits! they really didn't stand up to rough handling by kids.

[terrorchicken]

yeah I read this article https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55241/brief-history-mold-rama about the machines yesterday,  I cant believe the machines(Mold-a-Matic) are still there(Seaquarium and Zoo-Miami!) At least  I assume they're the same ones. Oddly I dont remember seeing them last time I went to those parks several years ago this past decade. Or maybe I did but was too distracted by everything else to remember them.

the one thing I didn't like about these figures was how fragile they were, depending on the mold/figure they could be as fragile as hollow chocolate rabbits! they really didn't stand up to rough handling by kids.