check this auction out.

[jbwelda]

built up 66 Polara station wagon, current bid 850$! at least two people are HOT on this and its got nearly 3 days to go!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151456961238?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

jb

[unclescott58]

Beautiful model. But, $850!? Not worth it to me. Even if I had the money.

Scott

[Don Sikora II]

Who makes that resin kit?

[StevenGuthmiller]

Holy Cow!! You could buy the real car in probably as nice of shape for the same price! It's nice, but.....Whoa!!

[High octane]

I really doubt that.

[iangilly]

Wow, that crazy. If there was ever a real kit of this that would probably bring about that money.

[rasafyff]

I found this with Google search.pourdog's resin.Click on the photo and it should take you to his Fotki page.

Edited November 2, 2014 by rasafyff

[Tom Geiger]

That auction is from model car builder Paul Hettick. He has been selling superbly built models on eBay for years and has a real following of people who pay astronomical prices for his work. I've got him book marked so I get notices when he lists things. They start out low and almost immediately go up in to the hundreds. Some of his stuff is nothing more than a late 50s curbside annual, but done extremely well. He also lists a fair amount of resin work as well.

[Jeff Johnston]

Yup Paul does some really nice work and gets some incredible prices for his builds. He sure does have a strong following that's willing to pay big bucks. Nobody else who sells on Ebay has been able to capture the following that he has.

[MrObsessive]

To echo what Tom said, I follow Paul's (Robbbbbb57 on eBay) work as well, and I've seen his builds go for $1000+ there! Mostly the station wagons he does gets that kind of money, and from what I've heard, he has a dedicated group of collectors that regularly buy his items.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this one crack the $1000 barrier before it's all said and done.

[Mack_Mechanic]

Meh,a fool and his money and all that.......

[Hawk312]

Wow.

His craftsmanship looks to be top notch, I`m just not getting the station wagon thing. I have seen many of his auctions over the years, and many of his subjects are slightly obscure like this one. I guess someone can`t exactly pick up a die cast of a subject like this.

[Pete J.]

To a model builder this are hardly worth the money, but there are a lot of promo collectors out there. The old promo's can fetch a premium price even if they have gone banana over the years. His work is very clean and I can see it fetching premium prices. I have a friend who does old promo's only and he often gets a really strong price for his work as well. It is not for me but there is a niche market out there for the good stuff.

[cobraman]

I have watched some of his auctions over the past couple of years and they do sell for big money. His work is top notch.

[StevenGuthmiller]

To a model builder this are hardly worth the money, but there are a lot of promo collectors out there. The old promo's can fetch a premium price even if they have gone banana over the years. His work is very clean and I can see it fetching premium prices. I have a friend who does old promo's only and he often gets a really strong price for his work as well. It is not for me but there is a niche market out there for the good stuff.

Kind of along the same lines as guys who will pay $500.00 for a sealed vintage kit. Obviously a collector & not a builder. Seems a waste to me to buy a model kit just to set the un-opened box on a shelf & look at it. As far as they know, the box could be full of scrap plastic. I guess it's no different than people who restore real cars to better than new condition & then never drive them. All seems a little pointless to me. Steve

[mike 51]

You guys should see the real cars Paul restores...they're even nicer.

[impcon]

I saw that auction yesterday and as a guy who has a real appreciation of C body cars of the 50's through the 70's, I was thrilled and amazed to see that auction. I wish that i could afford it but even if I could, I can think of places where that amount of money could do a lot of good for others less fortunate than I in this world. As with the real cars, I see people paying huge amounts to restore cars and buy them and then as said, never drive them.

There is a certain satisfaction in just owning something when it comes to certain things. I saw a '70 Challenger Hemi car that had been a race car from new and it had a short career, so it had literally no miles on it. It had been driven on the street once and other than that, what miles it had ( under 40 original miles if I recall rightly - it was a few years ago now ) were put on a quarter of a mile at a time. It literally still had that new car smell when the door was opened. The man who owned it refused to drive it and when he pulled it out of his garage to wash it, he used a wheeled jack and pulled it out and then pushed it back in. The car was like something out of a time warp. I understood his enjoying just being able to go out and look at it or sit in it because it was one of the most original Challengers on the planet and he wanted to keep it that way. I'd likely feel the same.

As for paying hundreds for a plastic model - like I said, if the pockets are deep enough, then so be it I guess. It's no different than the insanity at a Barrett Jackson auction but as nice as Paul's builds are, I just wouldn't pay that for any model. The most I have paid for a kit was the '59 Ford Custom 500 that I bought from Promolite. The total cost with shipping was just over $100.00 U.S. but to me, it was worth it for such a quality and unusual product. I'll likely buy another next year as well as some of other Promolite models but for now, I just do not have the extra cash. But that is about my limit for prices of models. When I see what people are asking for some older ( and not so old ) kits on Ebay, I want to throw up because it's sheer greed - nothing else. I guess that it's a matter of perspective and priorities.

[Maindrian Pace]

Yes, Paul has been selling pro built models on ebay for years, and it's taken a lot of time to build up his clientele. His cars didn't always go for that kind of money. He specializes in resin kits that were never offered as plastic kits, like the wagons, and that has become sort of his calling card.

-MJS

[Tom Geiger]

It's actually nice to know that there are people who have an appreciation for model cars as an art form, well enough to vote so boldly with their wallets! It would be cool if one of the folks who buys his models would post here. I suspect they are not builders but people with money who understand the work and art involved, and enjoy owning things of beauty!

[Sixx]

Yep, you guys are right, Paul has also done masters for the Modelhaus. Awesome builder!!!!

[Jon Cole]

Totally worth it. Low production count. Master craftsmanship by a known builder. Exclusive model built to detail of a never before offered kit. Out of reach for us commoners? Sure! Why not? A gold like nugget made of unobtainium. Heck, if they were cheap, everyone would have one.

[Pete J.]

$850 for this model? I hear people questioning that value and I have to agree, bit I think it is undervalued. Yes I said undervalued! How did I arrive at that conclusion? Well, how much time do you think he has in it for build time alone. If I build to this level, I would bet 20 to 30 hours minimum. That means he is getting between $28 and $42 and hour if he has no cost of materials. Frankly, for a skilled artist and craftsman, that is pretty cheap most places. I think most "for fun" model builders have the thought in the back of their mind that their time is worth nothing because they do it for pleasure. For a professional, they are entitled to charge a rate consistent with their skill, ability and what the market will bare, and a look at this model tells me he has some serious skill. Personally, I would think $40 to $50 an hour would not be unreasonable.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Pete J.

[impcon]

Does anyone know if Keith Sorci is still in business? The wagon is his creation and based on his Fotki page, he has several other items that are interesting. Apparently, he took over from Paul Coolidge of Promolite Models. Does anyone have any knowledge of this? If Tom has quit casting, then it is a sad day for modeling because his service and personal touch were beyond reproach and unequaled IMHO.

[PARTSMARTY]

GREAT MODEL-FABULOUS BUILDER. BUT,I COLLECT WHAT BUILD. I DON'T CARE WHAT IT IS. I DON'T WANT SOMETHING ANYBODY ELSE BUILT-NO MATTER WHAT. BUILDING IS MY PASSION.I WILL NEVER DISPLAY SOMETHING ANYBODY ELSE BUILT-THAT'S NOT MODEL BUILDING.DOES ANYBODY AGREE WITH MY PERSPECTIVE?

[fat50]

GREAT MODEL-FABULOUS BUILDER. BUT,I COLLECT WHAT BUILD. I DON'T CARE WHAT IT IS. I DON'T WANT SOMETHING ANYBODY ELSE BUILT-NO MATTER WHAT. BUILDING IS MY PASSION.I WILL NEVER DISPLAY SOMETHING ANYBODY ELSE BUILT-THAT'S NOT MODEL BUILDING.DOES ANYBODY AGREE WITH MY PERSPECTIVE?

I agree with you, Marty. But, you'll have to speak up, we can barely hear you......