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Posted

I took some of my collection to a local contest/swap meet this weekend to raise funds to purchase some of the new releases that I am anxiously awaiting to be released this year. After the show was over I quickly packed and left. I was unpacking what didn't sell today and noticed that one of my trucks was missing. I didn't make a pre-sale inventory like I did last year but, I did make note of every purchase that was made. I checked my notes twice and the price I had on the truck was not in my notes. I know theft happens everywhere but I was not expecting it to happen at a contest/swap meet. I would not be as upset if it were almost any other kit I brought but it was a sealed Model King F-250 re-issue. Those things are not cheap. I guess I shouldn't cry over spilled milk but I hope the person who stole it gets what's coming to them some time soon.

Posted

I had several things missing from the last show, it was also the first time i sold things. It was stupid things too, like a body shell, some tires and an engine. Some people! lol

Posted

Sorry to hear that Benny, as that's pretty "low." Most of the swap meets and contest/swap meets around here, everybody knows just about everybody else. But it did happen a few years ago when someone "lifted" a built model that was on display from one of the vendors. I don't think that it was ever recovered.

Posted (edited)

It stinks when people steal from others in the hobby. None of us would do that, first because we're honest type people but also because we have deep roots in the modeling community and wouldn't risk our hobby for a few cheap kits. Those who do mustn't be as involved as we are. A while back there was a string of thefts at NJ area swap meets. Dealers were complaining about costly older kits going missing and they surmised that some guy was walking around with a kit box lid, that they were putting down on top of the dealer's kit. When the dealer saw them walking away, they were just carrying a kit that wasn't theirs. I don't know if they ever caught him.

We had a bit of stealing in the dealer area of NNL East many years ago. The Parsippany PAL building where we used to hold the show made us hire a couple of their police officers as uniformed security. Well one year a young guy thought he could just make a mad grab for a kit and run out the back entrance of the vendor room. What he didn't realize was that one of our cops was standing on the other side of the door. The cop grabbed the guy with the affected dealer right behind him. The kid got fidgety and tossed a cigarette pack in the garbage. The cop pulled it out and found he had tossed some joints. So we didn't have to prosecute him for shop lifting, he got a ride to headquarters for possession! As I was there the cop was yelling at him that he was stupid because he never would have searched him for that offense. He was planning on just yelling at him and kicking him out of the show! Dumb kid!

The cops did tell me we really didn't have problems and we had a nice crowd. They told me horror stories about what went on at baseball card shows. Guys would watch people drop stuff off in their cars in the lot, then go break in and steal whatever was in the car.

We did notice that our shoplifting problem went away when we stopped advertising. We could only figure that the thieves were picking up our flyer in the hobby shops.

Last year I got an irate phone call from a guy the night of NNL East. He was chewing me out about our 'den of thieves' who STOLE his bag of kits and such he had bought at the show. I had him describe what he lost, and sure enough we had the bag. He had left it behind at a vendor table and someone turned it in. That shut him up quick! We generally have a good group and most lost stuff does get turned in.

Edited by Tom Geiger
Posted

We had a lot of secondary employment opportunities at baseball card shows. Any show, at any venue in the greater St. Louis area hired at least five off duty coppers. Two for the lot and a minimum of three inside. When you consider the value of the cards themselves, one theft of one card was a $150,000 loss, it makes sense to protect the show.

G

Posted

When you consider the value of the cards themselves, one theft of one card was a $150,000 loss, it makes sense to protect the show.

and now those same cards are worth a buck or two apiece! Oh, how times change!

Posted

What's irking me right now?

It's nearly 7am and it's still dark outside! Which means the sun will come up on my way to work so I can stare right into it! Argh!

Posted

As of late, I would have to say it pertains to the trading and wanted section here. People are either so vague it becomes a series of PMs back and forth to only discover what they have is a pile of parts for a long OOP kit or they want to unload their built dusty Sci-Fi kit for some new release, despite being told otherwise.

I try to be as straightforward as possible with my trades. If I state I am interested in GM Muscle cars, please don't ask me if will take a partially built, brush painted 66 Mustang in trade for a sealed Revell Camaro Yenko kit, it ain't happening!

In regards to the table thefts at swap meets, I always have another person with me at the shows (usually my wife) and never leave the table unattended, whether it is setting up, during the show or loading up afterwards.

Posted

The corner office posted the transfer list effective 3/24.

I am the only guy staying right where I'm at. I get a whole new crew to work with. Not a bad thing really, but you learn each others mannerisms through time and develop great working relationships.

Now I get to start over.

Poop.

G

Posted

You bathing regular?

You better believe Mary makes sure of that Danno :lol:

Truth is the division supervisor, a rank akin to Captain, is newly promoted. He likes to write checks we have to cash if you know what I mean. Then he takes the credit, go figure. Well I'm the guy who won't tolerate that BS and called him on it. It's interesting that he didn't boot me.

My partner Louie says the guy is afraid of me, that's a good thing, he should be..................... B)

G

Posted

Really P.O.'ed by people who figure it is Ok to change lanes in the middle of a turn in a double turn lane and then flip you off when you use your horn to alert them to the fact that you are next to them. Double turn lanes? Stay in your own frikin lane!

Had a lady who was gutsy enough to roll down her window and start cursing at me when I didn't yield to her trying to change lanes. I verbally let her have and she was not pleased.

Posted

I saw one do a u turn from the outside lane of a double left. I was far enough back, but the guy in front of me darn near t boned the idiot. I used some choice Hebrew phrases on that one.

Had a soccer mom park in a no parking zone across from the park to drop the kiddies off last week. Thank goodness we were all at the speed limit 'cause the munchkins naturally didn't think and bolted into traffic. I again used some choice Hebrew on the soccer mom, I even added some Vietnamese and Tag.

I can curse fluently in seven different languages, ask Danno or Jonathan. :D

G

Posted

I saw one do a u turn from the outside lane of a double left.

Really P.O.'ed by people who figure it is Ok to change lanes in the middle of a turn in a double turn lane

And they're the ones who, when they call the insurance company or significant-other, say "the car wrecked".

Posted

I can curse fluently in seven different languages, ask Danno or Jonathan. :D

I find it useful to know a curse word and how to order a beer in every language! And that's all I need to know. :lol:

Posted

The fact I now need a windshield for my truck..................... <_<

Having a bad week, then the windshield decides after having a stone chip for 18 years that it will crack today.............Wonderful...............because I didn't already have enough things to buy and replace on my truck.............

1891018_10203285972287503_2102996679_n_z

Nick

Posted

Coldish outside, didn't have the defrost on............and in the last 18 years there has been many colder days when the defrost was on full blast while driving down pot hole riddled roads, but today I only have my wipers on, it's fairly mild and I was driving down a freshly paved road, stopped at the same stop sign I stop at everyday and *crack* I watched it go across.....................

Posted (edited)

My Jeep is on its 4th windshield in 14 years..seems when I get a chip it grows into a crack pretty quickly...

Edited by Rob Hall
Posted

Really P.O.'ed by people who figure it is Ok to change lanes in the middle of a turn in a double turn lane and then flip you off when you use your horn to alert them to the fact that you are next to them. Double turn lanes? Stay in your own frikin lane!

Had a lady who was gutsy enough to roll down her window and start cursing at me when I didn't yield to her trying to change lanes. I verbally let her have and she was not pleased.

I think there are a lot of people that suffer from "lane change incompetency". Simple things like you described, or old sitting across from one another and both going the same direction onto a two lane road... I turn into my lane closest to me, you turn into your lane closest to you..simple right?....must not be to some.... or the person that swings WAY in/out during a turn, effectively using their lane and mine..

We could no doubt start a whole new topic on these types of quips... :huh:

Posted

This is the original 21 year old windshield, Guess I'll be getting one from a scrap yard, refuse to put a new paper thin windshield in it, I would rather an original.

Nick

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