Glue bombs/ built models

[madisonwoodsmith]

I surf ebay all the time and am seeing more and more built kits/glue bombs up for bid there. What's the attraction? Why would anyone pay for a built model when they can get a kit for sometimes alot less? I also see alot of old junkyard lots that have been painted, assembled and falling apart in pcs. How does one go about taking these apart and rebulding/restoring them? I did buy a 55 Cameo p/up a while back with the idea of rebuilding it, but practically destroyed it trying to get it apart. What am I missing here?

Thanks,

John

[VW Dave]

If it's an old or OOP kit, there's value in it to somebody...on the other hand, some folks love the challenge of rebuilding rather than building from a fresh kit

[moparmagiclives]

I often wonder the same thing, and the same goes for the guys who will take apart a car they built and "rebuild" it. Why not just start with a new kit. I understand some a very hard and expensive to come buy, but I see a lot that are redone that can be purchased for the amount of stripper used on them.

[91blaze]

The only way I would buy a built kit is if it was cheap or a rare kit. Otherwise, I don't see any use for it. As for taking apart the model, I've heard freezing it will weaken the glue. Most built-ups have weak glue bonds in the first place, but if not a razor blade will help separate parts.

Edited July 24, 2012 by 91blaze

[Jantrix]

I have bought a "junkyard lot" off Ebay before. If you can get them cheaply enough, it is cost effective especially if you are the sort of person thats going to customize/kitbash/hack up the models anyway. Its also a groovy way to build up a parts stash and/or get spare bodies to practice your airbrushing on.

Emphisis on "cheaply enough". And for me, if there seems to be five models that are "mostly" there (that I'm interested in) and I can get the package for $25 or less, it's money well spent.

[Guest Johnny]

I really get more excitement and pleasure bringing an old kit someone cast off back to life than building a new kit!

I guess it is the challenge or maybe seeing the trasformation come to life. Like rebuilding an old 1:1 car!

I have gave probably too much at times to get a car that is out of production and going for outlandish prices as an unbuilt, for a "glue bomb" as they are dubbed. To replace one that I built like it as a kid and is long gone. I mean though really, it has to be savable.

Also I will buy models or trade for them to use for parts for other projects or for trading stock that I may be able to send to some other builder that may be looking for one like it!

Talk to Mark who is trying to save his dads old models that were severly damaged in a storm! Then you get another part of the big picture!

Bottom line, why not if it can be saved!

[charlie8575]

How else could I get an original-issue Jo-Han 1960 DeSoto Adventurer (curbside, no less,) in its original box for under $100? Needs to be restored, but that's cool with me.

Plans are a nice two-tone blue and make it look like a car I might have ordered myself.

Charlie Larkin

[Scuderia]

As others mentioned, It's great if you want to make a local track racer or drag out of it. Maybe need some rare out of production parts from it, glass seats motor etc. Some indeed like the challenge. You'd b surprised what you can do with some poo parts and a little effort lol.

[martinfan5]

I can see both sides, for me, I wont , I would rather spend my limited hobby money on and unbuilt kit, but thats not saying I will never buy a glue bomb, just not at the top of my list

[MAGNUM4342]

I do buy them myself. If it's a kit I can acquire by no other means. I know a friend of mine has the old stigma of "anything you can do I can do better" and that's why he buys them.

[W-409]

I buy both, Glue Bombs and New Kits. And there are few reasons why I bought glue bombs too. First one is because my Modeling Budget is not too great, and Glue Bombs are just simply cheaper to get. And another reason is, that if the kit what I'm looking for is very rare or expensive it's much easier and cheaper to get a Glue Bomb.

Usually as they are possible to build as nice as if you started from new kit.

[CorvairJim]

To me, restoring a glue bomb is like restoring a 1:1 car, but in my workroom instead of in the garage that I don't have! I find a lot of satisfaction in bringing a rare kit back from the dead. Eventually I'd like to have at least one of every year Corvair annual on my shelf, but the price of the original kits is astronomical. If I can get my hands on a rebuildable glue bomb, even if I have to sacrifice a reissue kit for some of the parts, to put that year annual Corvair on my shelf, I'd much rather do it that way...

AMT 1965 Corvair Corsa annual - BEFORE:

AMT 1965 Corvair Corsa (converted to a Monza, a replica of my first Corvair ) - AFTER:

[Junkman]

I surf ebay all the time and am seeing more and more built kits/glue bombs up for bid there. What's the attraction? Why would anyone pay for a built model when they can get a kit for sometimes alot less? I also see alot of old junkyard lots that have been painted, assembled and falling apart in pcs. How does one go about taking these apart and rebulding/restoring them? I did buy a 55 Cameo p/up a while back with the idea of rebuilding it, but practically destroyed it trying to get it apart. What am I missing here?

Thanks,

John

The first generation collectors/builders are now starting to pass away. In their bequest the inheritors find boxes with the remains of their builds, and since everything that's older than five years must be worth a lot of money, they list the rubbish on ebay.

Wait until the collections of the first serious collectors start hitting the market. You can see this very clearly in Europe at the moment with old Märklin trains and Corgi and Dinky cars. So many collections currently hit the market, that there is an overwhelming oversupply.

[scummy]

I usually buy old built up and glue bombs of out of production trucks and restore them , i've been through the out of the box part the super detail part and now the restore part of my building time .There's something about dragging out a rare restored model and placing it on the table and seeing the response form fellow modellers . There's also the feeling inside to see someones pride and joy that didnt workout the way they planed that i have brought back from the land fill where it should have gone .

Because of the age of some of them you just need a sharp knife close to the join line and twist and it normally just opens up , some have that much glue you just have to use two pointy nose pliers close to the join area and break . Yes the freezer thing works , i've found that after sitting in the paint stripper for awhile helps break them apart .

I brought a job lot a little while ago with a couple of trucks in it and there was a car in amongst it , they tell me it's fairly rare . Some said to restore it but i think i'll just leave it as it is , what do you guys recon ? See below the photo's of the car .

[Ace-Garageguy]

Over the past 5 or so years that I've been completely back in the hobby, I've found I enjoy rebuilding gluebombs probably more than building from virgin kits. Some of this derives, I'm sure, from a lot of my real-life work having been done in restoration or crash repair, and correcting other people's messes. I just seem to be wired to want to fix things.

There is also the attraction of being able to get subject matter to re-build that would be rare, expensive, and a shame to cut up if complete and nice. Because I tend to modify things heavily, I'd just sometimes rather start with a piece of cast-off junk. Kind of just like building customs and rods in reality.

Here are three of my ongoing rebuilds from trash, or kits started by someone else....

http://www.modelcars...opic=58538&st=0

http://www.modelcars...showtopic=59708

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58969&hl=%2Borange+%2Bhauler+%2Bradical

Edited July 24, 2012 by Ace-Garageguy

[slusher]

l tried to rebuild one glue bomb l bought on ebay to give it a try but there was so much glue used it destroyed it. l tried everything.

[Deathgoblin]

I picked up a gluebomb Fire Iron by Tom Daniel off Ebay some time ago. It was a pretty expensive kit normally, but I found a built one cheap. It was fun to pop apart and rebuild, and came out pretty good. I'll have to get it posted. There was a little damage when I got it, but nothing major.

[sjordan2]

Since I'm mostly into 1/16 and 1/12 kits with lots of parts, I've bought some glue bombs to study how everything fits together, how it's going to look, troubleshoot any issues, and as a resource for spare parts.

[montecarlo1980]

I have several reasons for buying glue bombs myself, some have been mentioned here already. The challenge to bring back to life a kit that otherwise looks like lil Johnny went to town with the glue n paint, to making it look new & custom. Sometimes I might have a new kit, and that glue bomb of the same kit comes in handy for customizing parts or vise versa. Some kits are just rare and hard to find now, they're out of production.

If you're like me and have a bills and family and obligations, you might not have $80 to $100 to spend on new expensive kits or out OOP's. So glue bombs are the way to go for me when it comes to this. They also keep you busy more than a new kit will. Some new kits are just a matter of cleaning, mocking, painting & gluing and you're done. Some people go through kit builds very fast. I get an enjoyment of stripping paint, taking apart glue joints trying to preserve as much as I can before the true rebuilding comes in.

It's all just a matter of preference for allot. Don't get me wrong I love new kits just as much as the next builder. Some glue bombs I wish were new & unbuilt after I get to really seeing how detailed they are. But again thats the challenge of it all. Its a whole different game of Operation.

[rel14]

If ya scatch build models,all the junk parts come in handy, like they don't made old 40-50's stock cars, so scatch building works, they don't make Bantam midgets,,so scatch build. Its call form trash

to treasure. Theres a satisfaction of taking a box of trash and making it in something sweet..

Like the man in his garage making a rat rod out of what he has, and people end up loving it,,

samething can be done with a box of model junk,,

[gtx6970]

The only way I'll buy a builtup / gluebomb as they are called is on older out of production kits ( I have dozens of older long out of production builtups stashed away - 90% of are at least 25 - 30 years old )

OR

if it's a currently avail kit and it's well done and I just want instant gratification ,,,.AND is priced reasonable . I'm not against that way either.

Edited October 26, 2012 by gtx6970