When the female in your life says "lets go to some garage sales", sometimes, it may payoff.

[greymack]

Really nice score Craig.

[Modelmartin]

A guy in our club was at a garage sale and the man running the sale asked him what he was looking for. He said, "model cars". The guy hauled out of his closet a mint unbuilt original AMT 58 Ford. "I need $10. for it". He brought the kit to one of our meetings. It was primo!

[ToyLvr]

My old lady likes to go on the "World's Longest Yardsale" trek every summer.

It usually follows old US Route 127 from Michigan all the way south to Alabama.

We live in the Cincinnati area, so she jumps in around there and travels down through most of Kentucky. I personally don't like this sort of thing; walking around in August heat & humidity isn't what I call fun (especially with my health problems), but my wife just loves it, so I stay home and let her do the shopping. I have spent years educating her on how to tell old original kits vs reissued, etc, etc.

She has found a "bargain" kit for me virtually every year she has gone on this wild goose chase. Of course, if you take into consideration the cost of gas, etc., not so sure it's a bargain.

Probably the best thing found in recent years was an original-issue Monogram '41 Lincoln Continental kit (circa1967), primo unbuilt, $5 bucks. I love those old "classics", so I was really pleased.

So, even if you don't like yardsales, or don't have time to waste, educate your family and let them do the shopping for you! :-)

[Scalper]

WOW... what a deal.

[crazyjim]

Nice score of kits.

[Silver Foxx]

I picked up the Johan Cadillac Heavenly Hearse and Cadillac Ambulance for $2.00 each ( not sealed but complete ) at a big garage sale , plus a big pile of other great kits for $ 5.00 to $10 .00 , so the bargains are out there .

[Zarana-X]

That's a hell of a haul! Did you pay $710 for all those? (5x142)

I rarely have more than $20 on me at any time. After those 3 Hasegawa VW kits, I'd have a hard time choosing a fourth. Lots of good stuff here.

The only model stuff I've found at yard sale was a guy selling a bunch of wheel sets for .50 cents a set. He didn't have any kits he would sell.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Zarana-X

[Tom Geiger]

great score. all I ever see is "Betty's buck-a-bag baby clothes"

That's about my experience. I don't even find the tools I'm looking for! We once joked that it was state law that every garage sale had to have a dirty baby car seat, a piece of exercise equipment and 8 track tapes.

LOL! Or 90s NASCAR kits for 10c.

More like $100 each when I see anything!

[Modelbuilder Mark]

I would love to find a score like that. My wife found a sale the other day that had about 30 kits, but all of them were over priced, so no go for me.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Modelbuilder Mark

[ChrisBcritter]

At this point, I'm sticking with estate sales rather than garage sales - they seem to have more older stuff; plus the sale companies post photos online. And if I do spot some models ahead of time I don't need, I'll post about them here for my fellow Chicago-area model nuts.

[bisc63]

DANG! Fan-flippin-tastic! Looks a lot like my stash; nothing crazy valuable, but cars I really like.

How many of those Impalas and 442s do you want to sell for SIX bucks each?!

[vintagedragcrazy]

my daughter found between 35 and 40 built kits that were actually really nice builds and i bought the whole bunch for $40 i have resold about half of them and was getting $10 each at a swap meet.

vince

[clovis]

Nice find!

[ZTony8]

I've had better luck finding bargain models at the AACA show in Hershey,Pa.,the Kalamazoo,Mi street rod show,and the Sins of Steel show in Davisburg,Michigan than at most toy shows.I (and a buddy)scored well buying a guys collection once.But no luck at local garage or estate sales.