restorations

[thomascoffey1959@gmail.com]

    I've been tossing Original Kit Parts into the recycle bin, forever. Now I'm thinking what a waste.  I have a ton of respect, I'm sorry to say new found respect, for the skilled craftsman who restore those glue bombs hacks like me have been building since we were kids. There have been many amazing rescues, rehabs, and restorations on this site. After some exchanges here I've come to realize the Value in many of the parts I've carelessly tossed.  Like a one piece chassis plate, or an interior tub. Things I will never use but might be just what some ones been looking for to complete a resto. or just a build. It should've been obvious, even to me. Having built five shelf models from junk parts boxes,( one mans trash) I'll be hanging on to those parts now, and watching the wanted board.

[Snake45]

Now I am sad....

[lordairgtar]

Me too, Snake, Me too.

 

[iamsuperdan]

I wish I had kept all the builds I had as  kid/teen. Even the ones that rolled off a shelf or were damaged, and then became parts for other builds. All of it went into the bin and some point. Even after trying to get back into building in the early 90s, I tossed all of those as well for whatever reason.

 

Never again.

 

 

[Tom Geiger]

My teenage model hoard also hit the trash. I left it all in my closet when I moved from home. The closet got infested with termites and my father just tossed all the contents! 

Today I save everything! I have a large box I call “The Shape Box”. If I whittle something away from a kit, it gets tossed in there. Later on I’ll be looking for a shape to start scratch building something and that bit of plastic becomes useful! 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Well, a lot depends on the scarcity of the parts.

If you're throwing away an interior tub from an AMT '49 Ford, it's not a big infraction that I would lose any sleep over.

 

 

Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

5 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

My teenage model hoard also hit the trash. I left it all in my closet when I moved from home. The closet got infested with termites and my father just tossed all the contents! 

I had a similar experience when I moved out of the house.

My father decided to clean the basement one day, and everything that was left there was pitched.

I don't miss 98% of what was there, but there were a couple of things that it pains me to think about today, such as a Johan '69 Roadrunner and an X-EL '58 Olds 98.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[BlackSheep214]

I regretted tossing my spare parts and tires box over 10 - 20 years ago. What was I thinking!?!?!

[Tom Geiger]

17 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I don't miss 98% of what was there, but there were a couple of things that it pains me to think about today, such as a Johan '69 Roadrunner and an X-EL '58 Olds 98.

Ya wanna cry? My father gave away TWO Raleigh Choppers!

I had brought them to the states when we moved from Germany. I was storing them because I knew they’d be worth something!  

The irony is that he never got rid of anything!  When he died and I had to clear out his house I found things like a dozen old washer motors!

Edited April 8, 2021 by Tom Geiger

[BlackSheep214]

10 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Ya wanna cry? My father gave away TWO Raleigh Choppers!

I had brought them to the states when we moved from Germany. I was storing them because I knew they’d be worth something!  

The irony is that he never got rid of anything!  When he died and I had to clear out his house I found things like a dozen old washer motors!

I wanted that bike when I was I kid in the 70s! Yeah, that really tears your heart finding out they were given away. Wow...

[cobraman]

I built a lot of models in my younger days. They mostly were destroyed with firecrackers and M80's .

[Straightliner59]

Huh? What brought that on?

[Straightliner59]

I did. I don't see why you're upset with Snake. All he said was that he was sad about parts getting tossed. It wasn't a personal thing. He, and many others would say that, no matter who said it. That's why I asked. 

[SCRWDRVR]

It is a shame and I think most of us have done some version of it at one time or another, I know I stopped building about 15 years ago when I was moving and all my built and complete kits were boxed and moved but all my part for the most part were trashed which just makes me so sad today not that I'm back building. I had built for a long time before that and had boxes upon boxes of parts but I'm starting to get a parts stash again but sadly just newer kit parts....

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

When we (family and I) moved from one corner of our fine country to the other about 20 years ago (a corporate move where the moving company comes in and boxes up EVERYTHING (even trash) and load it on a truck), most of my builds were packed poorly (by then I was already working in our new location, so I was unable to supervise) and most didn't fare too well... most of it's all now jumbled up, broken apart in a big bin now...I've moved on from it. Things happen to old builds....it's only plastic, it's only a hobby. Don't take it so seriously...my $.02 of perspective and worth both pennies. -RRR

[Plowboy]

I keep things to a certain point. No matter what it is. If I haven't used it, it has to go. Whether by fire or the dump. Two or three years ago, I burned a medium sized tote full of old parts. Have never missed it. 

I've seen first hand what happens when you hang on to every little thing. I have a barn that's 72'×48' that's almost 2/3 full of junk that my dad hung onto. He literally wouldn't throw anything away. Old boards, broken tools, old car, truck, tractor and equipment parts. 

[Tom Geiger]

1 hour ago, Plowboy said:

I keep things to a certain point. No matter what it is. If I haven't used it, it has to go. Whether by fire or the dump. Two or three years ago, I burned a medium sized tote full of old parts. 

Put it on eBay! People have been overbidding on boxes of junk!

[Draggon]

It pains me everytime I think of things I've thrown away. In 1988 I initiated a divorce. The soon to be ex-wife took the completed models that I'd built as far back as 1962, placed them on the floor, and stomped on them. If that wasn't bad enough, I was too upset to look at them and threw most away, including a 64 Fairlane, a 66 Skylark, and a 67 Cougar. 

In 2006 I hadn't finished a model since that 1988 episode. I thought I was going to be forced to rent my home, and was not up to the task of packing and sorting a lot of things I'd kept for decades. I threw away dozens of vintage chassis plates and about 25 bodies and interiors that I figured could be replaced easily. 

Less than a year later I started building again, and the internet modeling forums helped me to realized what a mistake I'd made. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Draggon

[1930fordpickup]

5 hours ago, Plowboy said:

I've seen first hand what happens when you hang on to every little thing. I have a barn that's 72'×48' that's almost 2/3 full of junk that my dad hung onto. He literally wouldn't throw anything away. Old boards, broken tools, old car, truck, tractor and equipment parts. 

I feel your pain, my fathers barn is 40 by 75 with a 10 by 35 loft that I wish it was only 2/3 full. There is a path. 

[Plowboy]

4 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

Put it on eBay! People have been overbidding on boxes of junk!

I don't have the patience for selling on ebay. I thought about it. But, I figured I would rather burn it and get nothing for it than deal with ebay and get practically nothing for it. 

[Oldcarfan27]

2 hours ago, Plowboy said:

I don't have the patience for selling on ebay. I thought about it. But, I figured I would rather burn it and get nothing for it than deal with ebay and get practically nothing for it. 

I have 2 words for you...

"Trade Fodder"

We all have junk for gems!!!

[Oldcarfan27]

This thread makes me sad, as I remember a few nuggets I foolishly tossed out because I couldn't see the use in them then.

A 66 Pontiac Bonneville body and bumpers. It was buried in 30 coats of enamel paint that I didn't know how to remove, but it was intact and I assumed it was similar to the 65 that I already had. A month after I threw it out, I read an article on how to strip paint from plastic.

A "Wild Hoss" 78 Bronco. I had customized it to many times and it too had lots of paint, but I know now I could have stripped it and started over. I still have parts of this one around.

72 "Boondocker" Blazer. Same as above. Since this one has been reissued - it doesn't hurt as much. 

Johan 75 Eldorado and 74 Javelin AMX snap kits. Each had a couple chipped pieces that could have easily been fixed.

68 Chevy tow truck. My dad had built this truck twice! One as the pickup (painted dark candy blue) and the tow truck (lime gold). Since I already had the pickup and the tow truck was missing the grille and some other parts, out it went.

I know, I know. Foolish youth!

[junkyardjeff]

I wish I never threw any out and now will not,I most likely damaged them taking them apart for a rebuild and thought I could never fix them but would try now.

[ZTony8]

The only model I ever tossed was a Big Deuce. It had fallen apart and I figured I'd never rebuild it. Lesson learned. My mother, however, had tossed out a large stash of my early leftover kit parts and some of my early builds( with which we used to play Demo Derby) when I was still young. Never did forgive her for that.

[Lunajammer]

I have the opposite experience. I've never thrown anything out and regularly contemplate the wisdom of that, especially living in a 950 sq.ft. house with tiny closets.