Old Sealed Kits

[HotRodaSaurus]

Read another post on a vintage sealed kit here but had this thought.

With the advent of home diy stuff you can buy these days here is a small warning.

Ok, it was not a kit, but I bought a video tape(yes it was a while back) from a dealer in these things and was assured it was brand new, being sealed in shrink like kits I thought it was. So when I opened it up there was the tape, the correct tape But when I looked at it , it had been wound on. When I played it the end credits were rolling showing that though what was on the box was in the box it was obvious it had been watched and re sealed, but without re-winding the tape.

So you buy a real expensive kit, sealed in shrink, it's for your collection so do you unseal or leave it as virgin material.

What is to stop anyone from swapping the contents then re-sealing the thing. I am sure there are modern kits that fetch high prices that are shrink wrapped though the older Monograms with the tightly folded cellophane would be a lot harder to seal than those using a home bought shrink wrap machine.

Just thoughts, there are genuine unopened kits out there, I have bought the odd one or two myself, but the incident with the video made me think.

Cheers, John

[MrObsessive]

I learned my lesson about old sealed kits way back in the mid '80's.

Long before eBay, I was checking out vintage kits for sale in SA(with an E) mag and came across what looked like a nice sealed '53 Stude (Golden Classics?). The guy wanted $20 bucks for it (pricey in 1986) but I wanted the kit and I sent him a money order for it.

Much to my chagrin, when I opened the kit (looked like the original seal) the whole one side of the body was all bent under, like it was pulled out of the mold too quickly and it got distorted while still warm in the box.

There was not much I could do as the fella could've said "How was I to know------the kit was sealed!"

Needless to say, I've never bought an old sealed kit again (eBay included)................'cuz if I can't see it, I don't want it!

Heck, even the new ones could leave you fuming because they're warped!

[Ben]

In my 35 + years of building and collecting kits, I have learned what to look for when dealing with a "sealed" kit.

I buy mostly truck kits and have two or more of almost every american truck kit that has ever been produced fom the 50's till present. Not to mention hundreds of car kits, pickup kits and a smattering of everything else available as a kit! LOL

I can tell, usually by the feel of the shrink wrap, if it's original or recently done. The shrink wrap from the 60's and 70's was more crisp and crunchy so to speak whereas the shrink wraps today are softer, more like a clear vinyl than clear plastic.

I had purchased a "factory sealed" AMT Bandag Bandit from a reputable seller a few years back and when I held the kit in my hands for the first time, I knew something was wrong!

The shrink wrap did not feel right. It was too soft and loose fitting. When I gave the box a little shake, things did not sound right. The parts inside made more noise than they should have. I then looked very closely at the box itself, under the shrink wrap and I could see tiny"wear" areas that could only get there if the shrink wrap was not in place.

I contacted the seller and told him I would like my money back because I felt that this kit was not factory sealed as stated.

He gladly refunded my money and I sent the kit back to him.

When he got the kit back, he opened it. He wrote me back telling me that I was right, the kit had been opened. It was the correct kit inside but all the parts were out of their bags and loose in the box. Which explains the elevated level of noise when the box was shook.

I sometimes wonder if there is a kit in my collection that is not what it appears but feel that it's kinda like gambling. Ya win some and ya lose some.

If I never open that kit and it is filled with scraps or something, then I feel I win because it did it's job as a sealed kit so to speak, but if I open it to build it and it's a bunch of trash, oh well, that's the chance I take.

On another note, I had won an auction on Ebay a few years ago for three truck kits that were open. The picture showed the three boxes with one box open showing the contents. I recognised the kit for what it was and felt that, with the seller stating that "all parts apeard to be there" in all three kits, this was a good deal!

I got the kits in the mail and opened them up. The one kit in the picture that was open was complete as stated, the other two kits were filled with parts trees, with no parts!!!!!!!!!

Basically, one kit and two boxes of trash!!!!!

I was not happy! I emailed the seller and found out she was a lady that knew nothing about kits but was told that they were complete.

She refunded my money and told me to just keep everything. I got one good kit out of the deal so all was not lost.

[mademan]

Ive opened 10 sealed johan kits that ive gotten off ebay, heavenly hearses(3) cadillac ambulances(4), 64 cadillac hardtop, 64 cadillac convertible, and a 66 cadillac customizing kit..... all have been perfect.

the only issuue I had with 1 of the ambulances is that it was the 2000 re-issue. the box is identical and everything, but it has a glossy flyer advertising current models.

[CAL]

In my 35 + years of building and collecting kits, I have learned what to look for when dealing with a "sealed" kit.

I buy mostly truck kits and have two or more of almost every american truck kit that has ever been produced fom the 50's till present. Not to mention hundreds of car kits, pickup kits and a smattering of everything else available as a kit! LOL

I can tell, usually by the feel of the shrink wrap, if it's original or recently done. The shrink wrap from the 60's and 70's was more crisp and crunchy so to speak whereas the shrink wraps today are softer, more like a clear vinyl than clear plastic.

I had purchased a "factory sealed" AMT Bandag Bandit from a reputable seller a few years back and when I held the kit in my hands for the first time, I knew something was wrong!

The shrink wrap did not feel right. It was too soft and loose fitting. When I gave the box a little shake, things did not sound right. The parts inside made more noise than they should have. I then looked very closely at the box itself, under the shrink wrap and I could see tiny"wear" areas that could only get there if the shrink wrap was not in place.

I contacted the seller and told him I would like my money back because I felt that this kit was not factory sealed as stated.

He gladly refunded my money and I sent the kit back to him.

When he got the kit back, he opened it. He wrote me back telling me that I was right, the kit had been opened. It was the correct kit inside but all the parts were out of their bags and loose in the box. Which explains the elevated level of noise when the box was shook.

I sometimes wonder if there is a kit in my collection that is not what it appears but feel that it's kinda like gambling. Ya win some and ya lose some.

If I never open that kit and it is filled with scraps or something, then I feel I win because it did it's job as a sealed kit so to speak, but if I open it to build it and it's a bunch of trash, oh well, that's the chance I take.

On another note, I had won an auction on Ebay a few years ago for three truck kits that were open. The picture showed the three boxes with one box open showing the contents. I recognised the kit for what it was and felt that, with the seller stating that "all parts apeard to be there" in all three kits, this was a good deal!

I got the kits in the mail and opened them up. The one kit in the picture that was open was complete as stated, the other two kits were filled with parts trees, with no parts!!!!!!!!!

Basically, one kit and two boxes of trash!!!!!

I was not happy! I emailed the seller and found out she was a lady that knew nothing about kits but was told that they were complete.

She refunded my money and told me to just keep everything. I got one good kit out of the deal so all was not lost.

I had that happed too. 6 kits 1 good kit and 5 boxes of trash. Only my guy got pissy about it.

I always open them, if it's a long distance transaction I will ask to open them. I will of course agree to purchase if it is what it said to be.