Collectible Kits?

D

Dan85

New Member
Nov 24, 2008
53
0
6
Buffalo, NY
So I'm curious - say you come across a kit that has long since been out of production and is hard to find. Furthermore, it fetches a decent price on eBay.

What do you do? Do you build it? Do you hang on to it? Do you immediately resell it?

I'm just curious about what others do. Partially because I picked up another part of the Ford Plant series today. So now I have both the tire plant and stamping plant. However, I just can't bring myself to break the seal!

Also, not sure if this is common or not, but the box is misprinted on the back. They have two buildings (assembly plant & uptown motors) mixed up! To bad it isn't like a baseball card misprint where it'd be worth quite a bit!

- Dan

Picture201366crop.jpg
 
If you bought it to add it to a collection....put it away...
If you bought it to use it on a layout...break the seal, build it, and enjoy it..!!!
 
It depends...since that is clearly a Walthers kit from 5 years ago, I doubt you'd find a collector who'd give you any more than you paid for it. A rare, high quality kit will commonly fetch a small fortune since they were limited run (not injection molded) craftsman kits of classic prototypes that haven't been offered for 20+ years. MDC Roundhouse's HOn3 kits now fetch more than their former full list price...yet their standard gauge items are worth what they were used when still in production. As a rule of thumb, simple kits (like the Walthers kits, atlas kits, etc) are worth more painted and assembled to the owner than to anyone else...while complicated, low production kits (from people like Don Winter) are very infrequently assembled but much sought after...and fetch collector prices.

Therefore, build it and forget about it.
 
Congrats Dan on the win!!

I have 2 of the Stamping Plants (kitbashed together and built-up right now) and 2 of the Assembly Plants still in the boxes in kit form. i also have 1 of the Distribution Facilities that i will use on the M&ET Mods in the Transload Facility

I have been trying to get my hands on the Tire Plant for some time now!!!! If your interested and willing to trade it for one of the buildings i just sent you a PM about, i would be more then happy to :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

The tire plant and 1 more Distribution Facilities are all i need to complete what i want from that series of kits :mrgreen:

As for me, when i come across them kits like this from Walthers, i hold onto them as i know one day they will become part of a layout. Other kits, mostly ones that are not retired by Walthers or have just recently become retired, i will sell if im not using them at the time because i know i can always get another or 2 later on.
 
nkp174 - You certainly make some good points. I do understand comparing the value of injection molded kits to craftsman kits is like comparing apples to oranges.

However, quite a few cornerstone series kits still fetch a good dollar and are quite hard to find. For instance, the steel series used to command a fairly high price. Likewise, the Cornerstone Superior Paper in HO scale is still very hard to find and often goes for a good price. The same could be said about the ore ship and motorized bascule bridge. Granted it's not as much as a collector kit's worth, it's still a steep climb in value. And I can only imagine as time goes on these kits too will also be even more valuable - barring any re-releases.

Anyways, get one boring day and the itch to build something - all that goes out the window! lol.

Josh - That's quite a collection! Man, I need to find some better hobby shops that stock the older stuff!


- Dan
 
I have approximately 50 craftsman style kits. Some are getting quite rare, like the Tom's Railroad Corner kits I have. Others, like the dozen Campbell kits I have are not so rare but make very nice structures. In my opinion, they were made to be built, not to be kept on a shelf to collect dust. To me there is just no thrill in looking at a cardboard box. I would much rather see the finished product. But I can get some really good deals on kits with ratty boxes that the collectors don't want. That way everyone is happy.
 
rlundy90 said:
I have approximately 50 craftsman style kits. Some are getting quite rare, like the Tom's Railroad Corner kits I have. Others, like the dozen Campbell kits I have are not so rare but make very nice structures. In my opinion, they were made to be built, not to be kept on a shelf to collect dust. To me there is just no thrill in looking at a cardboard box. I would much rather see the finished product. But I can get some really good deals on kits with ratty boxes that the collectors don't want. That way everyone is happy.
Click to expand...

Well said :mrgreen:
 
I used to work with a guy that collected old, and rare HO scale slot cars. He would get them from evilbay, and shows. I went with him to a show one time(In hopes of getting something for the layout).
He bought a car from one vendor(Tyco Richard Petty Plymouth Super B, with the wing) , and right in front of him, started to take the car out of the package. Being a NASCAR diecast colllector, and knowing the value of the car in the package asked(In a shrill voice mind you), "What the hell are you doing?"
"I don't collect cardboard", was his reply.(The vendor actually asked for the package back)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, something like a kit still in the box, sealed, is only a collectible to the guy who really wants it, still sealed, and unassembled.

Crack that puppy open and build it!
 
jbaakko said:
I want Uptown Motors, and the Assembly plant (if you look at the photo, they actually have the picture of those two kits backwards!).
Click to expand...

LOL Josh, Dan mentioned this in the first post that they were mis-labeled :mrgreen:

I kindof want Uptown Motors as well, but i dont know where i would fit that in, and that would mean i would have to buy a bunch of cars too lol
 
Josh, Uptown Motors would not fit you current layout plans as a car dealership at any rate. It is definitely a big city car dealership where the building is multistory like a parking structure. In big cities like New York, Chicago, or even relatively small cities like San Francisco where land is at a premium, multistory auto dealerships were common. In a town like Modesto, land was readily available so any auto dealership would be a single story facility, at most it might be 2 stories with the second story reserved for offices and a conference room.
 
Russ Bellinis said:
Josh, Uptown Motors would not fit you current layout plans as a car dealership at any rate. It is definitely a big city car dealership where the building is multistory like a parking structure. In big cities like New York, Chicago, or even relatively small cities like San Francisco where land is at a premium, multistory auto dealerships were common. In a town like Modesto, land was readily available so any auto dealership would be a single story facility, at most it might be 2 stories with the second story reserved for offices and a conference room.
Click to expand...

You make a good point Russ. The one car dealership i did see in Modesto was a used car dealership, small building with a medium sized lot of used cars. I was under the impression that Uptown Motors was just a small showroom and did not include the bigger structure behind it in the picture, i dont know why, but i never really noticed the structure behind it in the picture lol
 
Russ Bellinis said:
I just noticed the picture of the "Assembly plant" in the first post. The office section of that kit would make a perfect small town or suburban auto dealership showroom.
Click to expand...

sign1 that seems to be throwing everyone off. I wonder if Walthers noticed that.

If i happen to stumble upon the Uptown Motors kit, i think i will pick it up incase i every wanted to add it into the M&ET mods. i am modeling the location that is is, but i was planning on just making the spot where it is just a yard for some trailers for the buildings surrounding it lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom