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Wasn't it the idea that kits were made to be built?


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It drives me nuts to see the kit I need at a given point on Ebay or elsewhere going for anywhere between $80.00 to $200.00........seriously????

I don't care what kit it is.......if i need it for a subject matter, I will cut a Johan up into pieces! When it comes to shows, I think the reason alot of times we don't see much that is different is because someone is "hoarding" it on a shelf somewhere like it is made of gold or something! All I want to do is build my old 1:1 truck from 20 years back......an '81 Chevy Stepside 4x4. Got the tires/wheels.....a beautiful set of So Real Concepts Super Swampers with beadlocks which I won for Judges Choice in the Cartoons contest (which go for like $50 a set on ebay!! :o )....can't find a reasonably priced kit for nothing. I am not cheap, I just think that plastic shouldn't cost this much! Sorry, had to vent.

Ok, I am getting down off of my saltbox now.

Edited by Kennyboy
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Welcome to the world of supply & demand along with a dash of speculation on the part of the seller.

Let's flip this around.Would you sell a rare or sought after kit(say,for the sake of discussion,an AMT '65 Coronet) for very cheap(like $10) just to be kind to a fellow modeler?

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I agree prices are stupid high but the seller has every right to ask what he/she wants, buyer has same option and yes I have sold kits or given away kits or parts

below what they are "worth" most cases to builders for special projects, sorry no 81 chevy

in stash

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If you want it, you'll pay for it. If you don't, someone else will. That's just how it goes. Try scoring a '68 or '69 Impala like I've been for a while if you really want to hurt your wallet. The '81 Chevy you're after routinely go for $70-$80. Even the '84 GMC's go for quite a bit. Be patient and you'll get one for a decent price. If you have to have it now, open up the wallet 'cause it's gonna cost you.

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Agreed,,,,,,,,All kits were meant to be built...but its a fact a lot were not.

Even though I have several old ones that are still untouched, but I usually dont look at unbuilts simply because I want to build them . With exception to just one single kit ( its a dead mint Barry Setzer vega funnycar btw ) in my stash every single one is to build ,,,someday

And I dont consider myself a collector. So even the unbuilt / untouched 1959 Edsel I just picked up will be built . I'm not going to cut it up or anything crazy but my plans from my 1st Ebay bid to get it was to build it . It was the nicest one I could find that didnt have all the crazy custom stuff glued to it .

My budget on old annuals is about $50 each range. And so far I've done pretty well, some went over,,but some were cheaper. . Considering a new off the shelf kit will be $25 now $50 for something that cant be bought just anywhere I dont feel is to bad.

The Edsel on the other hand was more than double my original budget,,,,,,,but I wanted it so dont tell the wife god :D

I tried to get an unbuilt 1958 Buick kit yesterday,,,,, at over 3 times my typical per kit budget,,,and I ddnt get it .

post-9887-0-48189700-1429571003.jpg

Edited by gtx6970
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Agreed,,,,,,,,All kits were meant to be built...but its a fact a lot were not.

And thank heavens they weren't or there would be none of them around today.

I can't afford mint unbuilt rare kits, but I've been able to score a number of restorable glue bombs and "distressed" promos on ePay for reasonable prices. It's actually more fun to bring one of those back from the dead than to build the best new kit on the market. Still kinda odd to pay 10X or more for one what the kit originally sold for new, though.

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Some people like collecting stuff; that's their part of the hobby. I know plenty of people with a couple hundred kits piled up.

A kit might be worth twenty dollars to you. Someone else might see that same kit and be willing to spend two hundred dollars just to stick it on a shelf, that's how money works. It's not about what number you pay, but what you'e willing to pay.

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They were made to be built, just like real cars were made to be driven. We all know how many car collectors there are out there that stash a hoard of beautifully restored classic cars into a warehouse somewhere never to see the light of day again, unless it's to be trailered up & hauled to a show or an auction to be sold to another collector who will never drive it.

Steve

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A couple hundred kits? Pftt! I just sold off the bulk of my stuff (about 1000 kits), and that is nuthin' compared to some collections out there. I know of two people in my neck of the woods who have 10,000+ kits.
Yes, it is hoarding. But I rather they have it now, as compared to someones mom throwing them out 30+ years ago when he went to college. Sooner or later, most everything hits the market. And so will those.

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It's kinda like buying groceries. :P You don't want to go to the cupboard and NOT find something to eat. :oimgp1318_400.jpg

That's a good analogy, I think. Frequently (very frequently), I just want to head to the stash, pull something not yet worked on out of the pile, and commence cutting plastic, and dreaming of how cool it'll look when completed. Not exactly rational thinking perhaps, but it works for me.

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Your collection looks a lot like mine lol. I hardly build due to lack of time and space , but I love the ability to have an extensive collection of diff subjects. I plan on building someday, but happy to know I have them at my disposal. Besides the most I've ever paid for a kit is $15. I have accumulated my collection over the past 3 years , but I know that these kits are worth $5-10 more

It's kinda like buying groceries. :P You don't want to go to the cupboard and NOT find something to eat. :oimgp1318_400.jpg Now do you? :D71614003-vi.jpg

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The shelf full of kits is a lot larger than the shelf full of food.

That means you have your priorities right :D

Most of the big hoards of kits end up being tossed or sold at a garage sale when the owner dies. The lucky ones get auctioned off. Mine probably will, but I am going to thin it out quite a bit over the next year or two. I honestly had a plan or idea for pretty much every kit I have bought. Problem is that I'm better at coming up with ideas than I am completing models!

I am clearing out a whole bunch of models, both at shows and on the bay this year. I will be making some space for the new kits coming out ! I hope some of them go to builders. I think they were made to build too, but the collectors probably do almost as much to keep the hobby afloat as the builders do. Hopefully I will sell three or four for every kit I buy this year.

Gotta clear bench space for my hobby store haul today!

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