How to Smartly Aquire Vintage Kits?

[Ace-Garageguy]

13 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

A lot of people are suggesting to check out antique stores, model shows, etc, and yes they are certainly worth checking out.

That said, what I've found in recent years is that in the circumstance of antique stores or flea markets and that sort of thing, is in general, those people are not idiots.

They are accustomed to finding and knowing the value of things, and if anything, I often find antique store prices greatly inflated, or at least no better than what you'll find anywhere else.

Not only that, but there is enough of a market out there for vintage kits, and enough people looking for them, that if anything does turn up on a antique store's shelves, it's not there long...

Generally true, but very recently I've been buying tons of vintage HO scale model train stuff for on average less than 1/3 of what any of it could be purchased online or in a hobby shop for, and in some cases, as little as 1/10.

I've also picked up vintage car kits for around 1/2 of what they're going for online, and a few for much better deals than that.

I personally wouldn't rule out any likely source for models, as you don't know what's out there until you try.

You might find insanely overpriced gloobombs, and you might find a grail kit NIB for $10. You just never know.  

Edited January 4 by Ace-Garageguy

[Don Sikora II]

You can get lucky at antique malls, but it's very hit or miss. Plus, if you don't look you won't find anything. And if you look, have cash in your pocket that you're ready to spend on a good deal.

A few years ago on a Saturday morning I stopped at an antique mall and scored a very rare 1956-issue Revell gift set for something like 25% of what I'd expect to pay for that kit on eBay or at a show. Other semi-recent antique mall finds include a very nice Jo-Han '61 Rambler wagon promo for $20 and a started Monogram Little Deuce for $25. A few months ago I bought a lot of 14 Eighties and Nineties-era kits for $12 each. There were some kits in there that are $50-$75 kits on eBay. There are also a couple that are probably worth $15 each, but as group it was a good deal.

[Falcon Ranchero]

Well thanks guys for all that advice, very informative I appreciate it. Next week I do plan on checking out our vintage junk shop as I have been meaning to do so for a month now. I did go to Value Village today just to see again; there was no kits but I did find something else of cool vintage interest that I did pick up. 

Edited January 4 by Falcon Ranchero

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Generally true, but very recently I've been buying tons of vintage HO scale model train stuff for on average less than 1/3 of what any of it could be purchased online or in a hobby shop for, and in some cases, as little as 1/10.

I've also picked up vintage car kits for around 1/2 of what they're going for online, and a few for much better deals than that.

I personally wouldn't rule out any likely source for models, as you don't know what's out there until you try.

You might find insanely overpriced gloobombs, and you might find a grail kit NIB for $10. You just never know.  

Sure, there are always possibilities, but luck is the main factor.

I've had much more luck finding pretty good deals on eBay and in years past than I have had anywhere else in recent memory, but unfortunately, at least for me, those years have passed.

The only chance that I can remember having in an antique store in the past 10 years of finding a true gem was when I happened upon a still sealed 1967 Barracuda in one of the many antique stores in Stillwater Minnesota for I believe around $150.00.

I passed on it partially because I was somewhat strapped for cash at the time, and partially because it was sealed in cellophane, and I had no idea of what the contents really were.

 

My suggestion if anyone wants to find that elusive gem in an antique store would be to check the small, lightly trafficked, out of the way places versus the large heavily trafficked places that encounter possibly hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.

They of course will have much less inventory to look through, but they will probably be more likely to retain any of those hidden jewels for a longer time.

 

 

 

Steve   

[Pierre Rivard]

I love vintage kits and I buy to build. I was not in the hobby 20 years ago so I deal with what's available TODAY. Ebay is my principal source but patience and discipline are essential. My gig is 1960's and earlier racing cars and I can circle around a kit on Ebay for quite a while before pulling the trigger, sometimes considering if I really want that kit, sometimes waiting for the seller to offer a discount or ask for an offer. I also pay attention to shipping cost (some sellers ask silly money for shipping to Canada). I make sure I enjoy the chase and try to resist impulse buys.

The results of my hunt in the last 24 months: Monogram Chaparral 2D ($68 incl. shipping), Monogram Ferrari 275P ($56 incl. shipping), Lindberg MB SSK ($44 incl. shipping), Monogram XK120 ($88 incl. shipping), Monogram Aston DB4 ($64 incl shipping) Otaki BMW 3.5csl ($60 incl shipping), Ben Hobby Porsche 935/78 ($73 incl shipping). No steals there but within what I am willing to pay for kits that I really want to build. To date 4 have been built and a one is on the bench.

[Falcon Ranchero]

27 minutes ago, Pierre Rivard said:

patience and discipline are essential

Yes patience is the virtue that sometimes evades me when it comes to certain things, such as vintage kits. 20 years ago I wasn’t even around to be in the hobby so I too have to deal with what’s available today also. Around here it’s a little challenging as I can really only rely on second hand stores as there are never any swap meets or anything like that even remotely close so finding stuff is quite tricky.

[iamsuperdan]

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Sure, there are always possibilities, but luck is the main factor.

 

Bingo!

 

I've found some deals on EBay. Kits that are normally a couple of hundred, and found it for less than $50. Have to be patient though. 

Same with the antique malls and thrift sales. The deals are out there, if you keep looking.

 

I've actually found quite a few deals at garage sales. People just selling their junk and making space. Last summer, I found three old Corvette kits for $2 each. Not that I care about old Corvette kits, but for that kind of deal? 

 

[RSchnell]

This thread reminded me of an event, one that I had forgotten until all the right neurons connected. I used to sell parts at the now defunct swap meet/auction that used to be held in Zephyrhills, FL. A group of us would setup together and make a weekend of it, selling car parts, BS'ing around, go hit the bars at the end of the day, sleep in the back of your car etc. Where else could a Ford guy, a Corvette guy, a Porsche guy, a Pontiac guy all hang out for 4 days and not get on each other's nerves? LOL 

We had a pair of walkie talkies so if one of us wanted to go walking around the others would watch their spot and if any questions arose one could get an answer. I'm watching Porsche guy's spot when he gets on the walkie "hey you build model cars, did you see this guy on row 3 with about 1000 kits?" I replied that I hadn't and as soon as he got back I'd go check it out. Well Pontiac guy sees me salivating like a blind dog in the smokehouse, tells me he'll watch my stuff if I want to go see what the dude has.

I find the magic booth is short order and there was at least 700 or so kits. The vendor tells me "all kits are $5 each". Nothing earth shattering, mostly newer stuff but there were a few 60s & 70s AMT kits in the mix. I notice they're all sealed. I start making a pile. I grab all the 60s & 70s AMT kits, There's 5 of the Revell '48 Ford Woody add those. This went on for about 30 minutes when I thought I could flip a lot of these for $10-15(still had 3 days of the swap meet to go), keep what I wanted for my collection and the stuff I kept would be free in the long run. I ended up buying 325 kits, sold 250 of them minus a 10 or so I gave away to kids who showed a sincere interest.

Went back Sunday afternoon and bought the last 25 he had for $2 each since he didn't want to take them home. I found out that this was all his father's collection and he had neither the interest or room to keep anything, that's why the blowout prices. 

Only problem was now I had a bunch of kits with no room in my '55 Ford to haul them home. Luckily Corvette man lived in the same town as me and offered to haul them in his truck. 

Things went great when I got home until the wife saw Corvette guy backing his truck in the driveway. She went in third orbit when we started stacking kits in the garage. I still have some of the kits both built & unbuilt. No longer have the wife! 

One thing that I've thought about since this happened in 2005 and I'm sure some of y'all have to. Like Porsche guy said "it makes you wonder how many of those kits are going to get bought, never built, resold, never get built and it's like an endless cycle. I'd venture to say 35% of the kits produced ever get built." He was a numbers guy so he thought about stuff like that. But he does have a point!

Edited January 4 by RSchnell

[peteski]

5 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

That said, what I've found in recent years is that in the circumstance of antique stores or flea markets and that sort of thing, is in general, those people are not idiots.

They are accustomed to finding and knowing the value of things, and if anything, I often find antique store prices greatly inflated, or at least no better than what you'll find anywhere else.

Yes, and we can thank the Internet for enabling those dealers to do a quick Google search for those items to get some ideas of their values.  30 years ago, unless they were seasoned modelers (which most were not), then they had no clue as to the value of those "toy" model kits. Of course some of the prices they see on their search might also be unrealistically high, so they have to decide what is a fair price.

[Ace-Garageguy]

49 minutes ago, RSchnell said:

...Like Porsche guy said "it makes you wonder how many of those kits are going to get bought, never built, resold, never get built and it's like an endless cycle. I'd venture to say 35% of the kits produced ever get built." He was a numbers guy so he thought about stuff like that. But he does have a point!

That does occur to me from time to time, as I easily have enough model stuff now to stock what would have been a fantastic hobby shop in the '60s or '70s or '80s.

But I just don't care. If I live forever, I'll never get bored...at least for 30 years or so.

And if I run out of interest in building, or the ability, I WILL open a hobby shop, and in the meantime I'll be trying to find someone to will it all to who won't pile it up in a big bonfire or the nearest dumpster.

Edited January 5 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[stavanzer]

Most of this is great Advice.

I can only add a little to it.

Estate Sales. Can be some great stuff, and they are usually in a big hurry to sell things. Also the best place to look for older tools, and some supplies. I got a lifetime supply of #11 Exacto blades for $5 a couple years ago. Two boxes 500 Blades each. Judging by the price tags, they are from the 1970's. Also got some Knife Handles, ans some small clamps. Guy was not a model builder, but he apparently did a lot of small woodworking. I've picked up other small tools for very little money, too.

Facebook Marketplace. A friend of mine gets quite a few models there. Not much rare stuff, (He builds NASCAR and USAF planes), but he has found a couple things for me.

Shopgoodwill.com  They have a customizable search. Look under the 'advanced search' Crafts and Hobbies, and set your search to Hobby Kits.

Couple other points...

1.Misspelled  searches will occasionally yield great results. I got a Johan Superbird get, mostly unbuilt for $10.00 about four years ago. (Just before COVID). it was listed as a "John" kit. I just stumbled on it and used buy it now. Revell gets spelled with one "L" surprisingly often by folks who don't know the name.

2. What hasn't been mentioned is that the "Early Bird Gets the Worm." By this I mean, My friend that gets his deals on Shop Goodwill, and Facebook Markets place? He is on those sites searching every day. He puts in a whole lot of time looking for the kits he wants. Back when I was going at it Hot&Heavy, I'd some times spend several hours a night searching eBay. I got great deals, but I spent hours looking. Hit 4 or 5 garage sales, ever Saturday if you can too.

3. Use networking. You are young so you don't have a large network yet, but make sure all of your Friend know abut your Hobby. Not in boring way, but a "Hey, if you ever see any of these, I'm interested in them way".  Talk to your neighbors, Friends at church, folks you get to know at school. And, when somebody clues you in to a kit buy it. Don't turn it down. I lost a bunch of older kits when I did not buy the first one my buddy found, The reason I lost them? "Well, When you turned down the first one I found, I figured you wouldn't be interested in any others I found". Thus he didn't tell me about the box full he found about 2 months later.....  If you don't buy, at least really Thank Them!  Also, newer kits are great trade fodder. If your stash is small it is hard to trade for things you want on boards like this.

Anyway, That's all the Advice I have. Hope this Helps.

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, stavanzer said:

3. Use networking. You are young so you don't have a large network yet, but make sure all of your Friend know abut your Hobby. Not in boring way, but a "Hey, if you ever see any of these, I'm interested in them way".  Talk to your neighbors, Friends at church, folks you get to know at school. And, when somebody clues you in to a kit buy it. Don't turn it down...

All good advice, and this one especially.

One of the guys at the place I've been snagging HO stuff asked me if I'd be interested in some things he didn't want to bother pricing and putting in his stall. I said sure, I'm always interested, and gave him my number.

Couple weeks went by, he called, said he had a big box of stuff I could come look at. The catch was, take all of it, no cherry picking. I looked through it, found several nice locomotives and cars, some structures, kits, etc. I figgered a couple hundred bucks would get the stuff I really wanted, and I'd live with the rest of it, or trade it.

He asked me to make an offer, which I usually try to avoid. It's YOUR stuff, give me a price you can live with.

He kinda sheepishly said "would you go $60?"

Yup. Sold.  

[Daddyfink]

Networking at Kit Shows and Model Clubs helps. There folks who have tons of stuff, and like me, bought a lot of it due to deals and are willing to let stuff go. I have found stuff I was looking for and had stuff someone else wanted more than me. 

And on, on the sad side, there are those moments when collections need to be cleared out. 

Shopping at thrift and antique stores is very hit and miss, and most yard sales have gone the way of the Dodo bird. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

It has become my observation that if you're an avid collector of McDonalds happy meal toys,  antique stores and swap meets are the place for you! 

 

 

 

Steve

[Old Buckaroo]

Ive bought multiple collections over the years since I retired, cherry picked out what I wanted and sold /traded the rest. these collections have ranged from R/C airplanes, Armor, Model Rockets, Model airplanes, Model cars and Model Railroads.

First collection I bought was in southern Nevada while I was working at a Hobby Shop part time. A widow came in wanting to know if we bought "model kits" I could not answer that as I was the weekend clerk. I asked the owner the following Monday and he wanted no part of them. He suggested I buy them and resell since I was retired.  It takes having money not earmarked for living, a place to sort and store them and a very understanding wife.

Second collection I bought was in Spokane WA, I watched a guy walk through the parking lot with a handful of kits into a hobby shop and walk back out with them. I struck up conversation and he was trying to sell them for a elderly lady who wanted her garage and spare room cleaned.  This collection took me three trips with a full size Dodge Ram 4 door truck with a topper. The front passenger seat and floorboard was full as well as the back seat, the bed was filled all the way to the height of topper.  This lady was something else , she negotiated me down to a 1/4th of what I offered as she felt my original offer was too high.

My advice is put out flyers on community billboards, hobby shops - and this one was a coveted secret " beauty shops"  if you're serious about buying collections.  I use to sell a lot of kits on ebay until the fees and cost of shipping got too unreasonable. 

Being in a club such as your local IPMS  can give you leads on collections for sale also.

The cold hard truth is we love collecting and buying plastic but we don't live forever.  Ive seen old polariod pictures of model kits hauled to the landfill as people wanted the house cleaned out to put up for sale.

The pic attached shows only a 1/3 of a  purchase. The walk in closet off to the right was known as "The Tomb of Doom" and was referenced many times years ago when I was active on Fine Scale modeling Forum.

Good luck and if you ever need model rockets , well I think I have 15 , 30 gallon totes in storage still 🙄

 

Edited January 6 by Old Buckaroo
punctuation

[W-409]

Being in Finland makes it a little harder to shop on eBay. Or, at least more expensive. I have quite a big stash of vintage kits, even some really rare ones. And eventually, all of them will be built. Some of them are bought on eBay, but often the problem is that even though I found the kit with a reasonable price, it'll cost me minimum of $50 extra, because of shipping and taxes. With that said, I don't shop on eBay that much, but it's a good place for checking out what the asking prices are.

Mostly I've bought my vintage kits locally. Often at a Model Car Show / Swap Meet you can find some good offers. Also, swap meets for 1:1 scale car parts are a good place to search for model kits. Many times you'll find no kits, but sometimes you do and they can sometimes be surprisingly cheap as the seller might not know the real value or then he just wants to get rid of them. But, to me, probably the biggest thing is networking, I've bought lots of kits from friends or via friends and some of them have been pretty good deals to be honest. So it's a good idea to tell your friends that you're interested in these things, and you never know what they might come up with.

Of course, many of my vintage kits are glue bombs / rebuilders. It usually takes a bit more work to restore an old kit, but when you're done, you'll have a cool, rare kit on your display case with half the price of a mint condition kit. Plus, I enjoy rebuilding old built-ups. It's always a neat challenge.

[Carmak]

I will reiterate what Alan said - Networking!

I was a 60's car nut growing that hit modeling age in the mid-late 70's. I used paper route money to buy built/box of junkers 60's vintage models at garage sales and flea markets in my relatively small Iowa city. I did get the occasional unbuilt kit and promo but they were the exceptions. I would then rebuild/restore them. This background helps me when hunting vintage models as I prefer built/junker models over MIB kits (I also prefer the much lower cost). 

Community networking:

I find roughly 50-100 50's-70's vintage models (mostly built) a year locally at very reasonable prices. Almost everyone I talk with knows I am looking for old models. When the people I talk to are also looking for things I keep my eyes open and pay it forward. For example, I know someone into mid-century lamps. I have sent a few lamps their way and they have sent some vintage models my way. I am also willing to literally work to get vintage models. Last year I spent hours helping a friend clean out a house. I spent about 15 hrs. total helping to empty the house with 8 hrs. of that in a tiny attic to get 35 models all 64 and earlier (see pictures below including a pic of the attic gap I had to get through to get the models).

Model collector networking:

Many collectors rarely sell but they will trade. I don't buy vintage models specifically to trade but when I get a collection I will often trade with what I don't want or need. Honestly the hardest part is finding other local collectors. I have collector friends that are local and online. It has taken years to develop trusting friendships with other collectors but it is worth it. Lastly join a local model club if possible and go to local swap meets. May areas do not have a local model car club but they do have a local IPMS chapter. The IPMS is a club for all scale model builders so there is typically a mix of model car, airplane, military, ship, figures and gundam builders. I belong to two IPMS chapters and one kinda local model car club.

I hope this helps.

[lordairgtar]

On 1/5/2025 at 11:59 AM, StevenGuthmiller said:

It has become my observation that if you're an avid collector of McDonalds happy meal toys,  antique stores and swap meets are the place for you! 

 

 

 

Steve

And beanie babies

[gtx6970]

1st off , define Vintage to you ? Its 50s and early 60s to myself.

It could mean 80s to some 

But , like said ,,,,Timing is everything. And in this case. Your timing is too late. for the most part.

Something to keep in mind, just because its listed for $700, doesn't mean it's worth or will sell for that.

 

I have A LOT of buildups , all old annuals . Actually just about all AMT/SMP/Johan  kits from 1958 up thru about 1964 or so . 

All were bought via ebay . But  with exception to maybe 1 or 2, none were in the past 5 or 6 years. 

Best I remember, I think the last OLD kit I bought was a MPC 1969 Coronet RT builder.  And it was less than $100 

 

 

And I have some duplicates I would cut loose of , most are early 60s annuals . various makes 

[gtx6970]

PS, Im not sure if you could still do it. 

But watch for unbuilts with issues.  

Tire marks, cracks etc etc can bring a vintage kit way down in price.

 

I bought this one a few years back. Original issue 1959 Edsel. Completly unbuilt but had a crack in the windshield frame and missing decal sheet . I think I paid under $100 for it . 

[Brudda]

I have friends that are collectors. They have every old kit and kits I have never seen. And these guys will always be around. But I was introduced to something like magic , at least for me. One of my super smart Bay Area computer friend had just 3D printed me a very old Jo- Han kit. From a very old Jo-Han kit. He said he scanned it and made a file and printed it, sprues and all. He is very rich and has no plans on selling these things. He just did it for me to prove a point. He said I can print just about anything.  Scary. So if your a builder I see this comming our way. 

[Falcon Ranchero]

I suppose it's too late to get into vintage kits, but, that being said, I did mention two complete kits, unbuilt, and with no issues that I did pay, collectively $90 for, in 2023. An original issue 1970 Bonnevile ($40) and a 1966 issue 1958 Thunderbird ($50); but, I had some suspicion that the reason those two kits were basically priced no more than modern kits was that both had been reissued recently, so technically the two kits were easily available, just these two happened to be the 60 year old issues, which made them of collectible status, whereas every JoHan kit and some AMT kits were only issued once or twice, 50-60 years ago and haven't been available since then, and so mint examples are typically priced above average model kit price.

I did build those two vintage kits, and I did also have a few my dad kept a hold of, however they were late '70s models, not the late '50s-early '60s I'm after.

[stitchdup]

If theres any cars that you're in  hurry to build theres always 3d printed kits. They need more work and some are lacking in a lot of areas but they make up for it in variety. for example say you want a plymouth belvedere, would you like 4 doors or 2? sedan or wagon? or do you want a different body style for your chevy pick up? crew cab or regular? long bed or short? dually or single? blazer or suburban? as they come they are a little basic but build a nice enough model, but some kitbashing (or the aftermarket if you want modern) gets you a nicer chassis and running parts, while the rest just needs more effort. even without any effort you get something presentable from 10ft. this was a bottle of resin at 1pm on a sunday and by 6pm on monday i had a model nobody has done in pastic. not a great example as it was just to see how fast i could print and build something and its a bad print but...

its not the same as plastic and honestly i prefer plastic but it opens up a whole world of options with clever kitbashing. they might seem expensive but how much do vintage kits cost.

 

[Bainford]

Something that has not been mentioned in this thread; if you stick with this hobby for a long enough, age is on your side. Many of the stash hoarding builders or collectors are triple your age, and as these people time-out, many of these stashes of vintage kits are going to come on the market. At the same time, the demographic that buys vintage kits will be shrinking significantly. In the world of 'supply & demand', this should translate into a glut of vintage kits available at bargain prices. Just give it twenty-thirty years.

Perhaps the glory of scoring cool vintage kits grows dull at a time when you are one of the few left who cares. And, maybe this is scenario is too unpleasant to think about, but it is inevitable. To me, the most unpleasant aspect of this scenario is thinking of how many thousands of cool, rare kits will simply be disposed of by family members left behind with the burden of a basement full of old kits. Dumpsters overflowing, and hardly a soul who will care.

[RSchnell]

29 minutes ago, Bainford said:

Something that has not been mentioned in this thread; if you stick with this hobby for a long enough, age is on your side. Many of the stash hoarding builders or collectors are triple your age, and as these people time-out, many of these stashes of vintage kits are going to come on the market. At the same time, the demographic that buys vintage kits will be shrinking significantly. In the world of 'supply & demand', this should translate into a glut of vintage kits available at bargain prices. Just give it twenty-thirty years.

Perhaps the glory of scoring cool vintage kits grows dull at a time when you are one of the few left who cares. And, maybe this is scenario is too unpleasant to think about, but it is inevitable. To me, the most unpleasant aspect of this scenario is thinking of how many thousands of cool, rare kits will simply be disposed of by family members left behind with the burden of a basement full of old kits. Dumpsters overflowing, and hardly a soul who will care.

I too think the next 20 or so years will be interesting. I'm in my mid 40s and don't know anyone my age aside from myself that seeks out the really old stuff. I'm sure they're out there but I don't see them at the shows I go to.