So Exactly What do You See When You Buy an Old Built up or Glue Bomb?

[W-409]

I enjoy seeing old built ups. They are very cool and every one of them has a story (Even if I wouldn't know that story). Anyway I've never bought an old build up with plans on keeping it as it is. But that's because I have never bought a good enough built up so that I could just clean it up and put it on shelf, the ones that I buy usually are missing lots of parts or then there are broken parts. That makes me rebuilding them or using as a donor kit for some resin body.

So to answer the question So Exactly What Do You See When You Buy an Old Built Up or Glue Bomb, I see a great basis for rebuilding or a good donor kit.

[disabled modeler]

I enjoy seeing these old build ups from days gone by and it does hit home of my own childhood days of building. Me if I find one that is pretty nicely done Ill leave it as is but if there in need of repairing or a total makeover I will restore them to factory stock if possible. I look at old models and promos as restoring and trying to save some history and love doing it. With my main source of models coming from garage sales or trades I have seen many of these old builds...some are just crying out for help...far too many do end up in the landfill in my opinion...wish I could be there to get them and give them another life nothing ever goes to waste here there is always another use for them if they cant be restored or repaired.

[ZTony8]

I'll add this thought-It's rare that well built or contest winning models end up being sold off.Those seem to be retained by their builders or their heirs.

I recently did some reorganizing of my stash of my old built ups and separated out the ones that needed repair.My old builds are nowhere near being very good so I have no qualms about re-doing them.I ended up filling up a good size box with them.Those are added to the stash of old builds that I've gotten from a couple of collections that I've obtained in past years.

[FordRodnKustom]

I almost always buy vintage built ups for the purpose of rebuilding/restoring them. Lately though, I'm starting to appreciate some of them as a type of "folk art" and worth preserving or enhancing. That's the route I took with this 40 coupe I bought.

It just didn't look finished to me so...I dug up some vintage period perfect parts and decals from my stash

and finished it. It's displayed with this original box that I had.

Then there's some builds like this Lincoln, that I think looks great just the way it is, I just cleaned it up a little and will probably stay like this.

[Teddy J. Tannehill]

Wow what a neat train of thought....I normally get kits that are not built or parts cars....I often wonder about the "Treasures" we gather. Lets face it who's kid'n who? we love model cars for reasons that range from wishes wished upon a star...Good memories of that perfect day in your first car on the road....The last ride you took with someone you love....Forgotten memories...A treasured model car Dad or your older brother built...Has "Builders" we intend to built them all....You know what I am talk'n about your "Stash" the ones in tube your waiting just the right color or concept to hit you...To built that car and make it look has good as you can...I must confess I went into a collecting mode for a while...I had a job that had me on the road a lot...I would route my trip's to take me through small towns...I was surprised how many places had model cars...Variety, drug, hardware, toy, stores....If I saw one I wanted Id pick it up....Sometimes I would pass one by and regret not getting it later...One day my Wife opened my closet in the basement...She was amazed how many cars I had collected.....I said "Those cars have been there"...there must have been something in my response that told her that "Those cars mean a lot to me"....She did suggest that I "Get some cars built before I get any new ones". Recently I have built a few cars...

[charlie8575]

It just didn't look finished to me so...I dug up some vintage period perfect parts and decals from my stash

And some vintage glue to go along with it! Where on Earth did you find that? And is it still good??

Charlie Larkin

[om617]

I've never bought an old build up with plans on keeping it as is because most are incomplete or look awful.

The first thing i do when i spot a project with potential is going on flickr to look for vintage car advertizing for

the car i find interesting. Right now i`m obsessed with full size Cadillacs and Buick`s.

[Tom Geiger]

Just a few I own... it is possible to obtain great old pieces if you put the time in! I just love the mystery as to who built it and where it's been. Was it a local hobby shop show winner in it's day? Was it in one of the magazines? The very idea that these were built 40-50 years ago and have survived intact makes them worth preserving. This is the folk art of our youth!

[disabled modeler]

That stretched 60 Ford wagon is wild looking! Talk about a creative mind!

[John Goschke]

Tom, that '32 Ford with the pontoon fenders ('40 Ford rears?) is amazing! Love the fender trim made from '32 bumpers! That was one clever builder.

[Tom Geiger]

That stretched 60 Ford wagon is wild looking! Talk about a creative mind!

Tom, that '32 Ford with the pontoon fenders ('40 Ford rears?) is amazing! Love the fender trim made from '32 bumpers! That was one clever builder.

And that's why I collect this stuff! It's just neat!

That wagon is wild. It started out as a 1960 Ford convertible. The stretch and roof are made from balsa wood. When I got it, it was missing two matching wheel covers (see back one) and someone on the boards donated the right ones. Someone pointed the model out to me on eBay and I knew I needed to own it. So I put a $100 bid in my snipe software so I wouldn't lose it. I think I did get it for around $25-30.

[disabled modeler]

Tom... I love wagons anyway so I can understand why you had to have it....real time piece and full of model history.

[Jantrix]

1. I see five times more work than any new kit.

2. I see chrome that is thrashed.

3. I see glass that is likely irreplaceable.

4. I see parts broken in the disassembly.

5. I see frustration and headaches.

Lastly, I see the money that stays in my wallet as I pass them by at shows and swap meets.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Jantrix

[disabled modeler]

1. I see five times more work that any new kit.

2. I see chrome that is thrashed.

3. I see glass that is likely irreplaceable.

4. I see parts broken in the disassembly.

5. I see frustration and headaches.

Lastly, I see the money that stays in my wallet as I pass them by at shows and swap meets.

As a factory stock builder I see your point of view and the huge task of trying to restore one of these to factory stock again...I have the same problem with many I have. But there are some that just need to be left as is if they cant be restored....trying to restore the old builds can be a HUGE task.

[VW93]

I'll add a few that I've colleced over the years. This will remain as built except for some cleaning, replacing some tires & repairs. I have one mirror for it & may have another in some vintage parts I have.

As most of you have stated, it's fun to think of what went through the builders mind as he was building over 50 years ago.

This builder must have gotten a deal on silver bottle paint and spent his other hard earned money on spray paint.

Windows need to be cleaned but all the accessories are glued down in the cargo area. I have the custom tail light spear & tail lights.

As mentioned, he liked using silver bottle paint. Oh, and it is dry.

It also came with the trailer & chrome Hemi. The trailer needs some TLC,the frame on it is also silver. I have the missing carbs for the Hemi.

[Belugawrx]

1. I see five times more work than any new kit.

2. I see chrome that is thrashed.

3. I see glass that is likely irreplaceable.

4. I see parts broken in the disassembly.

5. I see frustration and headaches.

Lastly, I see the money that stays in my wallet as I pass them by at shows and swap meets.

Agree

[VW93]

Another from the same builder. This one was built much cleaner & has a very nice finish to the paint. I didn't need to repair anything on this Nova.

I'll need to find replacement front tires as they are both kind of "crusty".

The hood opens & closes easily with the original hood clip.

Gauges & tape recorder on the dash, telephone on the console. My camera is not the best as I would like to have had a good picture of the rest of the interior to show. The interior detail is again very nice on this Nova.

Silver chassis on this one also.

I have one more kit from this builder,camera battery needs recharging.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

I VERY much understand. If something is in parts, or partially built, no biggie, use it and build on. But, if it is something like I have seen here, where I can see the history in it, then I would have a VERY difficult time undoing it.

In addition, over the years I have been tempted to re-work old models of my own. But, the more I thought about it, I felt like they were my own time capsules, of where I was at the time I built them, so I decided against that. I thought it would be cool to keep them just as they were. The sad thing, when I moved about three years ago, almost all of my old models from childhood up to high school, and a few that were completed in the early 90's were lost in the move. I only have a few left. SOOOoo, I lost those time capsules anyway is seems.

Build on my friends, build on.

[John Goschke]

Most of the time I see potential, admittedly sometimes to the point where my judgement gets clouded and the thing turns out to be a bit more of glue bomb when I get it home than I noticed at the swap meet.

I also see an opportunity to acquire a rare old kit for less than a mint, unbuilt example. I do try to look for cleanest piece I can afford, and am willing to replace a "project car" with a better one if I haven't done anything with it yet.

For instance, I didn't feel I could afford an unbuilt '60 ElCamino, so when this funky blue one presented itself in all its dusty glory, I had to have it. And in spite of the fact that it may have been some kid's dream model back in the day the quality of the build wasn't such that it was worth preserving, nor was it interesting or appealing in the "folk art" sense. So, into the stripper it went, and after fresh rolling stock and a stance and wheelbase adjustment it's waiting its turn on the bench...

Other old builds do seem to "speak to me" and cry out of for a cleanup and rebuild to a lesser or greater degree. Here are three examples, all old builds in their original paint I've taken apart, cleaned up and polished out, and rebuilt with a few refinements to the design to amp up their "cool factor" a little more. In some ways I enjoy these more than the models I've spent many hours on!

Original issue '40 Ford Tudor with box, extra parts, etc. Whitewalls handpainted in enamel!

AMT '32 Ford Roadster converted to pickup with '25 T bed. Note the wicked angle channel, canted quad headlights, and molded in taillights, and corduroy T&R upholstry all by the original builder! I took it apart, cleaned it, touched up chipped paint, repainted grill shell, replaced grill with '34 Ford custom piece, rebuilt front suspension with dropped axle moved forward and notched frame to get the front lower. Whitewalls painted with white Polly S acrylic. Glued one door shut and made a wire hinge for the other one and added the Ala Kart nerf bars to the front.

Early issue AMT '34 Pickup with polished out original Testors Burgundy Metallic. Mostly rebuilt, replaced or repainted everything except for the Burgundy Metallic and the white on the bed cover and interior. Used many original vintage parts from another '34 pickup kit.

As purchased (photo from the eBay listing...)

After the rebuild...

Edited April 2, 2014 by John Goschke

[iBorg]

I got in the habit several years ago when I was more able to find and buy collections to keep one car as it was when I bought the collection. I have had little qualms cutting up and starting or trading all the others but ALWAYS leave one untouched except a gently cleaning.

[VW93]

The last of the 3 kits I have from the same builder from the 60's. This one was built as cleanly as the blue Nova.

I'm glad he didn't go with the fins along the bed sides when he built this.

This needs minimal cleaning.

The go kart is rebuildable with a little bit of work.

I'm sure the original builder had a few choice words after he smeared glue on the rear window. I'll eventually take this apart and see if i can either repair it or replace it with Modelhaus glass.

Looks like he ran out of the silver paint before he built this PU.

If anyone has a piece that looks like this in their parts stash please PM me. Two of these are needed for the rack that displays the go kart on the bed.

[om617]

The models on this side look good,then i understand why anyone wants to preserve/touch up a little. The supercharger set-up in the

truck are really cool

[VW93]

What is sad about all these builds is that most of them were probably sold by family members after the original builder passed on.

Hopefully they kept a few builds to remember that person.

One of my prized possessions from my childhood is a 64 1/2 Mustang white hardtop promo. My uncle gave it to me when he took me to Mole Ford in Amityville, NY to see the new Mustang.

He passed away from an undiagnosed heart defect when he was 37, I had just turned 18.

Last week I gave it a thorough cleaning & replaced the bumpers from a Mustang parts kit I had.

The entire time I spent cleaning & polishing it I was thinking of Uncle Bill.

It is the first model I show people when they comment about what I have on display.

I just wonder why people don't want to keep part of their loved ones childhood passion.

[Ace-Garageguy]

What is sad about all these builds is that most of them were probably sold by family members after the original builder passed on.

Hopefully they kept a few builds to remember that person...

...I just wonder why people don't want to keep part of their loved ones childhood passion.

That's exactly the case in the very nice '40 and '49 fords I put up in post 4 of this thread. A large group of models was being sold as a collection, with some in-progress and some complete. The sale was very obviously being conducted by a family member, judging from the prices asked and the photographs. I was surprised by how nicely the two in the photos I posted cleaned up, and by what a good eye for stance the old builder had. I was also surprised that no family member wanted to hang on to these models.

I still have a few my own father built (the ones I didn't get my own grubby little paws on), and though I don't display them, looking at them sometimes takes me right back to a simpler, happier few moments. Even though as an adult I came to intensely dislike my father, I still owe him a debt for some very good days, and for teaching me many of the basic concepts that I've built my life on.

My point is that even in the least happy families, it seems to me there would be a desire to save a little of the good parts of the past.

[gtx6970]

Here are a few I have bought over the past 10 years or so ,,,, essentially because they caught my eye.

None are good enough that I would be happy with them if I had built it...but none are bad enough I'll ever take them apart for a redo

To me they represent a time when models were simpler, such as moms sewing thread for plug wires as an example.

The Saddleback Dart was probably never a glue bomb, but I think it's been for some time.(just not by me )

the others are most definitly old builds just by looking at the cracking decals or dusty glass.

The S+M Road runner is one of my old builds thats probably been built for nearly 30 years. Every once in a while I get an itch to take it apart and correct it,,,,,,but I just pull it out, dust it off and put it back in the case. It's part of MY history just the way it is .

Enjoy,

Edited April 2, 2014 by gtx6970