Buck Rogers Corgi Fighter - metal and plastics

starbuck

Well-Known Member
Hi together,
I was able to buy a Thunder Fighter produced by Corgi. The colouring and also the decals were not as seen in the movie. Therefore I decided to give the fighter a new look.

First I removed the front shield - whatever it should serve for I did not understand. Then I removed the front stand as I tought it is enough to stand on the three rolls and furthermore it looks cooler. For the removal I had to open the fighter with a drill. Then I removed the delviered decals. Next step was to colour the fighter with the original colours, as the wings e.g. never were seen yellow before. (See also the pictures.) -Decals downloaded, prepared and brought to the fighter - finished.
Now I am happy with my purchase as it looks like a good replica (for me).

Was fun and worth doing.

Best regards
starbuck
 

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Rhaven Blaack

!!!THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!
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You did a GREAT JOB on restoring this old toy!!!

The "guard" on the front was to keep kids from poking their eyes out.
 

Revell-Fan

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Well, it was designed as a toy, not as a model..! ;)

There was an accident with one of the Mattel Vipers in 1979. The toy featured torpedos which could be ejected from its snout. A kid put it deep into his mouth and fired the torpedo. He choked to death. This was the blackest day in toy industry. Safety protocols and testing procedures were changed to make sure that such a tragedy would never happen again. This was the reason why the later issues of the Revellogram Vipers and Cylon Raiders no longer featured firing torpedos and why the intended firing missile on Kenner's Boba Fett action figure was glued permanently to the backpack. And why the bar was added to the Thunderfighter.
 
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starbuck

Well-Known Member
I see, I have a viper from Monogram and here also the torpedo can be ejected from the snout. I will fix the torpedo to avoid accidents although no (small) kids are around at the moment. Thanks for the detailed background.
 

zathros

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I liked mixed media modeling, but this is out of the realm of modeling. Repainting old toys, if they are of any value, destroys the value of that toy. A once in a while thing, O.K., but ready made toys is not what this forum is about.

I just don't want to start seeing a influx of people posting their newly purchased, or hard to get Matchbox cars. Next, it will be Pokemon!

Now, if you make a toy into an R/C model, we have a category for that. :)
 

Revell-Fan

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I will fix the torpedo to avoid accidents although no (small) kids are around at the moment.
:eek: STOP! DO NOT DO THAT! :eek:

These vintage kits with the firing missile are most wanted because of their original configuration. They are EXTREMELY RARE and therefore PRECIOUS, even if the model has already been assembled. Like Zathros said, vintage toys and models from the late 1970s / early 1980s (especially those of the "BSG", "Buck Rogers", "Star Wars" and "The Black Hole" lines) are different from modern models and toys. They are COLLECTOR'S ITEMS and should be left "as is".

So, I suggest you leave the model with the missile(s) intact and keep it away from ANYONE (to avoid it to be damaged somehow)! Yes. I really mean it. Believe me, you would regret it once you have found out the value of the piece. I would even suggest to put it in a safe or something like that (a locked-up room would certainly do, too ;)). Once you have secured the piece it stays intact and no-one is able to hurt him-/herself with it.

BTW, what you have shown here is a "toy conversion", you have taken a toy and turned it into a model. You have changed the outer shape, applied a new paint job and added new decals. This is indeed a very common type of model building which sometimes produces GREAT results (like the one shown here).

However, it is good to see that you have performed this on a "left-over" piece while the other original toy was left untouched. :rolleyes: Please do not change that other vintage toy in any way and leave it the way it is: A unique remnant of an unforgettable era, an era initiated by a little movie which took place in a galaxy far, far away, and which changed our history forever.

:)
 

spaceagent-9

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I would have to agree to get at least one to keep original, but maybe another to modify.
 

Uyraell

Newbie
I also have (Still, after nearly 40 years!) The same Buck Rodgers Thunderfighter Corgi toy. It is in near-original condition, and I'll not alter it, despite its' faults, because it is now a rarity. However, it will make a nice "companion piece" to the Thunderfighter set I shall eventually re-acquire as paper models. {My entire 6-year-long Collection died with my external hard-drive. :( }
 

starbuck

Well-Known Member
I liked mixed media modeling, but this is out of the realm of modeling. Repainting old toys, if they are of any value, destroys the value of that toy. A once in a while thing, O.K., but ready made toys is not what this forum is about.

I just don't want to start seeing a influx of people posting their newly purchased, or hard to get Matchbox cars. Next, it will be Pokemon!

Now, if you make a toy into an R/C model, we have a category for that. :)
Sorry, I thought it might be of interest. - Understood. Only builds no restaurations or restyling. Sorry again my mistake.
 

starbuck

Well-Known Member
:eek: STOP! DO NOT DO THAT! :eek:

These vintage kits with the firing missile are most wanted because of their original configuration. They are EXTREMELY RARE and therefore PRECIOUS, even if the model has already been assembled. Like Zathros said, vintage toys and models from the late 1970s / early 1980s (especially those of the "BSG", "Buck Rogers", "Star Wars" and "The Black Hole" lines) are different from modern models and toys. They are COLLECTOR'S ITEMS and should be left "as is".

So, I suggest you leave the model with the missile(s) intact and keep it away from ANYONE (to avoid it to be damaged somehow)! Yes. I really mean it. Believe me, you would regret it once you have found out the value of the piece. I would even suggest to put it in a safe or something like that (a locked-up room would certainly do, too ;)). Once you have secured the piece it stays intact and no-one is able to hurt him-/herself with it.

BTW, what you have shown here is a "toy conversion", you have taken a toy and turned it into a model. You have changed the outer shape, applied a new paint job and added new decals. This is indeed a very common type of model building which sometimes produces GREAT results (like the one shown here).

However, it is good to see that you have performed this on a "left-over" piece while the other original toy was left untouched. :rolleyes: Please do not change that other vintage toy in any way and leave it the way it is: A unique remnant of an unforgettable era, an era initiated by a little movie which took place in a galaxy far, far away, and which changed our history forever.

:)
Ok, understood. Puh! Didn´t fix. Keep everything as is. - I was not aware that such models might be precious, as I got it last month at a rather cheap price.

Lesson learned. Thanks to all.
 

Revell-Fan

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Lucky you! :)

Last month I got a Moebius Battlestar Pegasus model kit offered at ebay. The auction was mistitled "Battlestar Galactica model kit" (instead of "Battlestar Pegasus model kit"). As a result of that it got much less response than it had had got if it had been entitled correctly. To make a long story short, I got it for 36 US-$ which is about 25 € (plus shipping and tax service which was almost negligible). I was sooo happy because here in Germany the average price for this kit is about 100+ €! You see, sometimes you are lucky..! ;)
 

zathros

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Many of these vehicles maintain their value if they have chips, or are a little roughed up (they were toys right!), but modified, the value sinks dramatically.

If you do a vehicle like this and incorporate it into a diorama, or as part of another model, that's fine. I just don't want a "Repaint my matchbox" cat section. There is a place for incorporating paper and plastic models. "Inky" built a fantastic tractor Trailer, scratch built the trailer, and much modified the cab and asked about a Jet engine. I built a very, crude, Trent 100 engine, that he "greebled" into something fantastic, then made the engine cradle. Fantastic synergy of two hobbies.

In all honesty, I do not release models but I have made parts for many people, but don't advertise it unless they do. I enjoy helping people make models, but won't make a complete model for anyone. Certain physical problems prevent me from committing to making a full model, so I just help when I can.:)

Inky did a fantastic job on this. I also "gave him" the Trent Engine, so it is not available, from me anyways. The stand he made is incredible! :)

Thread = http://zealot.com/threads/looking-for-a-rolls-royce-trent-800.171914/

Thread with both models together: http://zealot.com/threads/1-24-kenworth-w900-scratch-built-drop-deck-trailer.172791/

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Bill Nelson

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On the repaint my matchbox front I have a models of yeasteryear #1 the steam tractot. years ago the smokestack had been broken. fortunately the piece was not losrt, so I drilled out the stack insertes a short piece of music wire to stiffin the joint, and used JB weld to repair the stack. Well since it was broken and repaired, I went ahead and painted it black, built a seat, got an operater for it, added a chain and a hook; and it lived in one of my logging camp scenes untill that camp was dissasemble that scene for my RR rebuild. over in the logging and industrial railroad section. There is a photo of it somewhere in the 49 or so pages of documentation on my DG CC & W. It is a box in the attic untill I get to a log camp on my rebuild. It is gorgious. I have another matchbox steam tractor from the same seies. it was the first my dad gave me; to see if I could handle it, and it was lost in the dump truck sized sand pile I had. It surfaced years later, has some minor paint issues. I hope to use it to power a small belt driven temporary sawmill someday; am up in the air as to weather I will paint it.
 
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