Someone paid $600 for a '68 Coronet Yikes!

[StevenGuthmiller]

On 12/27/2019 at 9:35 PM, Rob Hall said:

I can't think right off of a single 1968 annual that still exists today in it's original form...pretty much all '68 annuals were retooled into 1969 versions.  So '68s haven't been reissued countless times like many 1969 annuals...  (the Johan '68 Cadillac convertible, '68 Chrysler 300 and '68 Fury are the only ones I can think of that were reissued in the last 40 years, but they are long gone now). 

I think you're right.

The vast majority of 1968 kits are really hard to find.

Some are darn near impossible!

1968 Impala, original '68 Chevelle annual, '68 GTO annual, '68 442,  just to name a few of the GM kits.

All of these are going to cost you top dollar in unmolested condition!

Some are nearly non-existent even as a built up or builder!

 

 

Steve

Edited December 30, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[OldTrucker]

I always have said I'd never give that kind of money for any kit but then I would have never had that kind of cash to shell out on something like that!

So I guess I'm saying if I did have the cash, I'd probably be one that would if it was something I really wanted that bad! But not as a collector but as a builder as I see no point in collecting.

Have seen too many people collect things that are going sky high in value saying that was their retirement plan only to see the ceiling fall in on them in the end!

I can't fault or condemn anyone else that does same as I will not beat up on a seller that is just getting what the market will allow for something they own! Ain't my business what he does with it!LOL

 

Edited December 30, 2019 by OldTrucker

[Bucky]

Another one that is hard to come by is the Jo-Han 1968 Ambassador convertible. I got lucky and found one a few years back in the flat box for a great price.

[Motor City]

I picked up the '68 Ambassador convertible kit at the Jo-Han factory several years after it came out, but sold it since the real car didn't exist!

[OldTrucker]

7 hours ago, Bucky said:

Another one that is hard to come by is the Jo-Han 1968 Ambassador convertible. I got lucky and found one a few years back in the flat box for a great price.

[Tom Geiger]

13 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

1968 Impala, original '68 Chevelle annual, '68 GTO annual, '68 442,  just to name a few of the GM kits.

A perfect modified reissue (off the 1967 kit) for Round 2 would be 1968 and 1969 full size Chevys.  You can pretty much buy a complete run of Chevys from the 1950s through 1970 except for these two!  They'd do well.  They are popular and low rider cars as well..

[ranma]

16 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

 buy a complete run of Chevys from the 1950s 

 I don't think that any model companies made a 1/25 1952 Chevy Bel-air. I know lindberg has a 1/32 '52 but nothing like it for 1/25, and to make a '52 you would have to get resin conversion parts for a '52. The 68 Impala  molds either were scrapped, lost or damaged, and the '69 Impala molds were changed into the '70 Impala. 

[Tom Geiger]

6 minutes ago, ranma said:

 I don't think that any model companies made a 1/25 1952 Chevy Bel-air. I know lindberg has a 1/32 '52 but nothing like it for 1/25, and to make a '52 you would have to get resin conversion parts for a '52. The 68 Impala  molds either were scrapped, lost or damaged, and the '69 Impala molds were changed into the '70 Impala. 

You are correct about the 1952, which is essentially a 1951 with some minor trim changes.  You'd think that back when AMT did three different versions of  the 1951, they would've done them as a 1950, 1951 and 1952!  

The '68 Impala mold became the 1969 and then the 1970 car. 

[Bucky]

3 hours ago, Motor City said:

I picked up the '68 Ambassador convertible kit at the Jo-Han factory several years after it came out, but sold it since the real car didn't exist!

I didn't know that until now. So, the kit is of a phantom. I like that! Sorta like MPC's '76 Road Runner kit.

[ranma]

1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said:

The '68 Impala mold became the 1969 and then the 1970 car.

Really? I  heard  that the '67 became the '68 as they share the basic body shape. Where as the '69 is totally different in body design even the roof is different from those of a '68

[ratdoggy]

On 12/22/2019 at 2:00 PM, StevenGuthmiller said:

This is not at all unusual for a rare sealed kit.

These are "collector" prices.

No doubt this kit is destined to be lined up in a neat row on a shelf somewhere.

I would be flabbergasted if it were ever built.

 

I got a '68 Coronet a couple of years ago.

I don't recall the price, but it was a fraction of what this one went for.

All of the relevant parts were in pristine condition and included everything needed to build a stock model except the stock grille, which I picked up later.

Some of the chassis parts were missing, but it didn't matter because the chassis and engine will be replaced with modern kit parts when I build it anyway.

 

These are the kinds of kits that a builder looks for.

Something rebuildable or restorable with the necessary parts included.

Sealed kits are for collectors/ speculators who either want to display them as is, or just want to hang on to them and hope to make a profit down the road.

They can have them.

 

As a builder, I would be nervous about buying a sealed kit anyway.

I want to know what I'm getting.

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

Lot's of businesses have shrinkwrap machines...The same ones that the models were originally wrapped in

I bought a "sealed" model that way and when I opened it it was apparent someone was in there already...

Not happy but it was only $20

[Brutalform]

14 hours ago, OldTrucker said:

I always have said I'd never give that kind of money for any kit but then I would have never had that kind of cash to shell out on something like that!

So I guess I'm saying if I did have the cash, I'd probably be one that would if it was something I really wanted that bad! But not as a collector but as a builder as I see no point in collecting.

Have seen too many people collect things that are going sky high in value saying that was their retirement plan only to see the ceiling fall in on them in the end!

I can't fault or condemn anyone else that does same as I will not beat up on a seller that is just getting what the market will allow for something they own! Ain't my business what he does with it!LOL

 

Yea, I totally agree. If a seller can get the asking price, more power to them. But I just can’t figure out some people who buy on eBay. That buyer could have most definitely bought that same kit for $300 less from another seller. They ARE out there, I’ve seen them. 
Ive seen two identical kits, both sellers have 100% feedback, but one will have 5 bids on it, and it’s already higher than it’s worth, and another one will be “buy it now” for less money? Go figure....

[Mike999]

This might make some of us feel better (or worse).  The kit shown below regularly sells for over $1000, and has for many years.  It's a 1/32 scale kit of the Pershing I missile with transporter truck and trailer.  

According to various Internet sources/rumors:  the molds for these kits were designed by the Engineering and Prototype Laboratory (EPL) of Martin Marietta Aerospace in Orlando, FL. The kits were produced by Renwal, around 1973. The models were never sold to the public, only to Martin Marietta employees.  A few were built by Martin Marietta and given to Generals and various DoD people. Promos, we might say. After one run, Martin Marietta destroyed the molds, so the kit will never be produced again in plastic.

Years ago, Marco's Miniatures re-popped the Pershing kit in resin. Those resin copies are now almost as rare as the original plastic kit, and sell for almost as much.

So if you ever see one of these at a flea market or yard sale...grab it!

Edited December 30, 2019 by Mike999
omit

[Tom Geiger]

39 minutes ago, Brutalform said:

Yea, I totally agree. If a seller can get the asking price, more power to them. But I just can’t figure out some people who buy on eBay. That buyer could have most definitely bought that same kit for $300 less from another seller. They ARE out there, I’ve seen them. 
Ive seen two identical kits, both sellers have 100% feedback, but one will have 5 bids on it, and it’s already higher than it’s worth, and another one will be “buy it now” for less money? Go figure....

Computer skills!  A lot of folks cannot search and sort on eBay.  And as you showed, it can cost them big time!

[Motor City]

7 hours ago, OldTrucker said:

this car pictured is a '68 Rebel (intermediate) convertible; the Ambassador was a full-sized car

[Motor City]

6 hours ago, Bucky said:

I didn't know that until now. So, the kit is of a phantom. I like that! Sorta like MPC's '76 Road Runner kit.

Another phantom '76 MPC kit was the Corvette convertible.  I took the rally wheels and used them for my '68 Impala SS convertible kit to replace the wheelcovers that came with it.  I sold the Corvette kit to a guy and said that no '76 Corvette convertible was made.  It was a good kit that also had the optional aluminum wheels.   Looking back, it would have been neat to have a shelf of these phantom models.

[Motor City]

8 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

You are correct about the 1952, which is essentially a 1951 with some minor trim changes.  You'd think that back when AMT did three different versions of  the 1951, they would've done them as a 1950, 1951 and 1952!  

The '68 Impala mold became the 1969 and then the 1970 car. 

The AMT '51 Chevy kits were a good idea with the Bel Air hardtop, convertible, and fastback.  The real '51 and '52 are quite similar, but the grille and side trim changed from one year to the next.  I'm not sure if the interiors were identical.  The '49 and '50 are almost identical.  All four years could have been done by providing the various side trim and grilles, etc.  Banthrico made well detailed aluminum models of the '49 and '50 in 2-door sedan and/or business coupe, 4-door fastback, 2-door fastback, 4-door sedan, convertible and '50 Bel Air (the first Chevrolet hardtop).    Product Miniature Corporation (PMC) made most of the promos for '51 and '52 in the same body styles, but in plastic.  All of these are relatively affordable, but most have no interior, and none have opening hoods.  The PMC models tend to have some slight warping.  I obtained a beautiful '50 Bel Air several years ago for about $85.00.  

With 3D printing and CAD, it wouldn't be difficult for Round 2 to take an original parts and create new '68 and '69 models, but that doesn't seem to be their business model.

 

 

[ChrisBcritter]

29 minutes ago, Motor City said:

All four years could have been done by providing the various side trim and grilles, etc. 

'49 and '50 would need a different body for the rear quarters, which were more sloped and had a chrome strip wrapping around the fender seam.

[Motor City]

I agree that it would make more sense to have a separate '49/'50 tooling.  Another variation would be to do a '50 Chieftain Catalina, Pontiac's first hardtop.

[OldTrucker]

4 hours ago, Motor City said:

this car pictured is a '68 Rebel (intermediate) convertible; the Ambassador was a full-sized car

I know Jim, I just remembered having this picture I took at a local parade a Rambler Convertible!LOL I wasn't even sure this was an actual vert as the guy also had a matching hardtop in the parade.

[jefropas]

I found my 68' Roadrunner the other day after I posted this, a perfect donor car for the most part. Shame they killed off the 68' kit...it had the best taillights around...

Jeff

[GMP440]

It's interesting that this thread has been active for a while. Alot of modelers would like to see an all new kit of the 68 Coronet R/T.  Let's all make this happen.  Contact Moebius, Revell and Round 2 and tell that this is a highly requested kit and it needs to produced.  The more requests they get the more the kit manufacturers will listen.

[TarheelRick]

Another story of high-priced auctions.  A local auction company advertised a box of older models.  I went down, looked through the box, found some boxes that could probably sell for $10-15 at a model show, some parts of a couple of the older Trophy Series kits (40 Ford Coupe and 32 Roadster) there was a fairly nice 59 Buick hardtop, a couple different built T-Birds, and a 60 (?) Ford truck.  When the box came up I had decided my top bid would be around $150.  The auctioneer started at $260 and the box ended up selling for over $500.  Guess my pricing skills are a bit off.

[Brutalform]

4 hours ago, GMP440 said:

It's interesting that this thread has been active for a while. Alot of modelers would like to see an all new kit of the 68 Coronet R/T.  Let's all make this happen.  Contact Moebius, Revell and Round 2 and tell that this is a highly requested kit and it needs to produced.  The more requests they get the more the kit manufacturers will listen.

That’s a great idea, but would they listen?  Not all, but some of the time, I’m disappointed in a few of the kits being put out. Just another new box and decals, but with the same old kit. They never seem to even correct the minor problems some of these kits have. But on the other hand, some of the kits are a home run. 
 

I could think of at the very least, ten more kits I’d like to see back on the market. I’m sure if they hear enough suggestions from their customers, they might listen. Maybe take a poll and see how many people would actually “buy” a kit that was released? I would assume most adult modelers would love to have that old MPC kit rereleased, but the companies might not see it to be profitable, because not enough people would want it, in their eyes. 

Drag City had a test of an improved Ford Thunderbolt tear drop hood, but didn’t follow through because not enough people were interested. I for one would have bought ten. 
 

In no way am I bashing any model kit company. Just my two cents. 

Edited December 31, 2019 by Brutalform