Hibernaculum

I think you've answered your own question It won't be vintage/original anymore - but if that doesn't matter - replace the broken parts with remake parts. I would only add that a fresh build from vintage parts is no different today, to a fresh build from those same parts in 1986. I see zero deterioration in vintage parts that have been kept out of UV light over the years. So there is nothing preventing running (gently), and maintaining cars in a completely vintage state, if so desired. However, if you want to run "vigorously" with loads of jumps and tumbles - either pad the car out with remake parts as you please (remembering that this makes it no longer vintage/original). Or buy and build an entire fresh remake kit, and run that. One more question - will your Blackfoot mean more to you in the long run, if you stop modding it today and keep it preserved in the setup you currently have? Is there sentimental value in that? Sometimes when we have an original car from our youth, then we ENTIRELY retrofit new parts into it, changing it completely from what it was, it becomes no longer the same car we originally had - and loses sentimental value. Sometimes there is value in keeping a certain car exactly as you had it (whatever that was) - warts and all, and just shelving it. This is a rare behaviour - but it does happen for some. However, it may not be the case for this Blackfoot. I just thought I would mention it.

Has anyone heard recently that items posted from Japan are now being scrutinized more tightly for substances like modelling glue and damper oil? I've been told (by a reliable Japanese collector I have known for over a decade) that these items are now outright prohibited from being posted via Japanese postal services, overseas to foreign countries. This potentially has an impact on things like Tamiya kits and many other model kits and supplies - in particular, think of kits that contain oil bottles under blisters, or otherwise packed. These items may end up being cut out of the kit, before it can be sent. This may potentially affect any Japanese retailer, large or small, that you buy from, anywhere (including eBay). Here is Japan Post's list of prohibited items. I do not know if it has changed. (And how does it compare with other countries? Are they more restrictive, or the same?) https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/UGX/restriction_en.html I have been told there is now a fine of up to 500,000yen (about US$5000) for any seller who ships items which break the rules - and this fine could conceivably be passed on to the buyer. So if you want to buy a bottle of damper oil from Japan for $5, it will now cost you: $5 (Damper Oil) + $5000 (Prohibited goods fine) = $5005 Though it really makes me wonder, if general sellers or smaller traders are subject to these rules, how will larger retailers and producers get around it? All Tamiya kits still contain damper oil. If this news is true, and these harmless substances are being cracked down upon (after the sheer chaos caused by decades of incident-free shipping)... then I think this is yet another sign the world has become, how might I say this... idiotic.

My utmost respect then I should also sleep better tonight, because the nightmare visions of non-Tamiya screws invading vintage builds have already subsided...

+1 for degreaser. Old toothbrushes with a bit of soap and water, are also incredibly useful for cleaning most things. Tough going though, when its one screw at a time I have in the past also put screws into a washbag, and run them in the dishwasher. Steps required: 1) Get divorced. 2) Run screws in dishwasher. I'm curious about ultra-sonic cleaners. Do those things work? Should we all have one? Personally, I wouldn't choose random replacement screws online for vintage builds, if I needed more screws. It's original Tamiya kit screws, or nothing for puritans like me. I also get tired of the many spam artists on eBay purporting to sell Chinese screw and bearing sets "for Tamiya Bruiser!!" (plus every other vintage RC car). If a vintage RC car has been restored with those, I wouldn't buy it except at half price Then all the screws will go in the bin. My wallet, my choice. Many aspects of vintage RC collecting are particular and fussy. And I'm just one Tamiya nerd. But one of my biggest pet hates, is the use of non-Tamiya parts (even screws, washes, bearings, or anything else) in cars when people also claim those cars are fully restored original/vintage. So anyway, it's nice to see such effort in restoring original screws

While I agree that for the kiddies, it’ll be safer buying either a newer buggy or a remake, and letting them loose with that...because they will likely smash it... I really don’t think we need to say “vintage car X should not be run because it will break just by looking at it” Restore and run vintage cars gently. That’s all. But DO run them. Just remember they are historics. And like 1:1 historics, its nice to run them. It may even be nice for others to see them run. I don’t agree at all with the idea that people should avoid running vintage cars because of some myth about them being ultra fragile. It’s nonsense. Don’t jump them hard, smash them into trees, run them on stupidly rough terrain, or run them too long without servicing them... and there is nothing wrong with them. Even mechanical speed controllers will last for years and years with light running + a clean after each run. Some spares for Falcon are actually fairly cheap too, so keep some vintage spares handy if you like the idea of keeping the car vintage. It’s all a scaled-down parallel to owning a 1:1 classic. And people take millions of those classic cars out for Sunday drives around the world, every single weekend. There is no need to keep our vintage Tamiya toys locked away or shelved only, never “daring” to run them. You should also not feel required to “upgrade” every vintage car just to make it “runnable”. Not unless you want to run it hard and smash it. You can keep it original. But just need to be prepared to look after the car and maintain it with a few spares. But I argue that is a huge part of the fun of owning an historic car - provided your budget expectations around doing this, are realistic. ie. If you run the car a lot (once a month or more), you might need to spend a little money on it each year for tyres, or driveshafts or gears or something. If you run a vintage car occasionally, you won’t need to spend much on it at all. Even plastic wheel bearings will last for years, if fitted with molybdenum grease and cleaned after runs. I know because I grew up doing this, when I had zero money and had to make do with what I had. With care, vintage Tamiyas last forever.

Yeah that’s totally true. And I’ve had kits with ESCs, and used them. But just the standard ESC from the kit, with no hassle required on my part. And yes, of course ESCs were the vintage/standard setup in some cases, from the late 1980s onward. But by “hassle” I mean - I recently did look into buying a newer (ish) buggy and fitting a basic brushless motor. And it struck me that the barrier to entry in the hobby was much more technical now than it used to be. Early 80s: MSC + any motor you like + any battery you like (that physically fit the car). Today: ESC vs motor vs battery has to be a combination that works and won’t damage each other, or the car. There are a huge number of options and less “standardisation”. To a total newcomer in the hobby, there is more research required. It’s become more nerdy and less “default”. You see countless questions online from newcomers asking “what combo?”. And it seems the only way to figure that out, is via tipoffs from others - and your own experience. Again, this is all easy to those who’ve done it and found the sweet combo they like. Or if you buy a pre-packaged chinese car with everything included. Or in many cases, Tamiya kits and the like still make it easier by including the ESC and motor in the kit. But step outside that, and there are a bazillion products and options. I was looking into buying the Schumacher XLS Masami a few months ago. Admittedly a retro car, but requiring third party electronics. And I settled on a combo that worked, and even confirmed with a hobby shop to make sure it was “ok” - and it was. But the more I researched it all, the more options I saw. And there are some serious pitfalls out there around combinations of third party ESC/motor/battery. Choose the wrong ones and there are issues, or something doesn’t fit the particular car you bought. So that leads you to “advice” videos and forums and all this. What for? We never had any of that in the 80s. Didn’t need it. Life was simple. I just feel the industry could make it all far, far easier to know which car works with what, based on some sort of compatibility chart or code system. Maybe that’s crazy and impractical. But I think that’s essentially what this thread is about - the assumptions people are making that a certain combo of equipment will fit a certain vehicle. Only to discover a crazy hassle nobody knew before. And with the enormous number of products on the market, there are more of those pitfalls out there now than ever before. Again though, I am a luddite in this topic, and my opinions will likely trigger 10 replies about how “it’s easy now!” or how it was never easier before, etc etc But from time to time on forums, I see the odd posting even from experts in the modern gear about how they “kinda miss” when there were simply less options or variables. I’ll shut up now, as I’ll only get howled down in this one I have no dog in this fight anyway... I love building Foxes with AM radios and MSCs. I bid everyone good luck with their builds tho, you have my admiration. I’ll be in my Jurassic R/C cave if you need me. Today I’m tinkering with the Tamiya Audi Quattro.

I thought of this thread recently, as I watched a nice, used Fox project with period radio, parts, manual and original box... sell for an absolute steal under bidding on eBay, for just AU$117. A Fox empty box alone is normally worth $70! https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143246270144 I also thought of this thread recently, when I saw a nice Frog set (with cut but unpainted body), undergo a strong bidding war and sell for a strong AU$454. That’s almost exactly 4 times the price of the Fox. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F223496964133 .:. Both of these examples kinda dispute this thread. The first because every person only has themselves to blame if they are not paying attention when things sell for ridiculous low bargain prices under bidding sometimes. (14 bids on Fox by 5 bidders) The second, because it shows how there is also plenty of genuine demand under bidding, to drive prices high, when people are actually awake and paying attention. (43 bids on Frog by 8 bidders)

So I don’t do ESCs, at all, ever. *audible gasps* To me the entire RC industry has become overcomplicated from what it used to be. Batteries, ESCs, cooling, brushless, turns, sizes, lengths, charging LiPo without burning your house down... And you can (and will) all laugh at me, and my diehard vintage approach I don't mind. I have fun anyway. Even though I am completely prehistoric compared to all of you. But reading threads like this just... makes me so glad that my preferred way is the simple, vintage way for everything. I don't care. And it’s not because I don’t like technology - I love it! But when it comes to vintage R/C cars, I actually enjoy everything the old way. It goes together. It’s simple. It’s what the cars were made for. And for regular running, it works. I don't need increased speed or huge run times. Even if I was running a remake of a vintage car, I'd still keep everything dead simple... use the stock ESC I guess, and some dead simple radio. Nobody give me any cheek about MSCs being soooo unreliable you can’t stand them and they ruined your childhood back in the day, either I have MSC/Resistor sets I drove with for years in my youth, that still work to this day - decades later. But I looked after stuff, kept it clean and never thrashed the life out of it. To me, that old wiring and mechanical functionality, is part of what these cars were always about. It's part of the mechanics. I wouldn't fit a new touch-screen centre console in a 1970 Porsche 911, either. I just will never get what’s so essential about all the extra cost and hassle and fitment of modern equipment. When the old stuff is dead simple, fits and works well - for vintage cars anyway. It's a similar thing with other types of new technology. Sometimes I see people spending hours working through, say, codec issues and NAS setups for home media streaming to their big screen TVs. You can spend hours and hours on that stuff. And hours and hours encoding your DVDs into files that will stream. All in the name of convenience. But there is a point at which it becomes a rabbit hole... where the alleged goal of convenience is actually being undermined by the inherent complexity and variability of the newer technology itself. There are too many options, too many links in the chain, and too many things to go wrong. This also applies to new 1:1 cars - the more technology packed into a new car these days, means more things can go wrong. By far the #1 area of complaint from new car owners across every car brand, is the screen and infotainment system. Or all the idiotic "smart" devices we see now. Like "smart" toothbrushes, or "smart" bicycle-locks that can communicate with your smartphone, instead of an ordinary padlock. There's nothing smart about it. But it's a great way to extract money from consumers who simply want the latest of everything. Ok, I have my armour on - fire at will! And sorry for butting in. Back to your regularly scheduled technical debugging...

Yeah, that is totally true Mark, well put. I really love the idea of a model being a unique piece, unto itself, and created by the factory. With its own parts, character... and I don't mind if those things are not interchangeable with anything else. I probably like it even more, if that is the case. I like the collectibility of it. The special nature of it. The idea that it's not all just different bodies on the same car, over and over. Or that the same parts are reused over and over. But I totally see why this would be a pain if you're more inclined to modify and transplant, across models. I never look at a model and think "what if" I prefer the idea that it's a product all it's own. And I think this harks back to how I viewed the original 1980s cars, and how they were presented... Yes some parts were interchangeable across them, and eventually there was a hop-up line. But Tamiya did "silo" them a bit in those days. I liked the idea that a Fox gearbox belonged to a Fox, a Frog body was for a Frog, and so on. I like things to be separate. Distinct and unique. Because then, the fun becomes - how those individually unique and distinct cars race against each other - e.g. a Wild One and a Super Champ are utterly different cars. Yet they were designed just 3 years apart. And that's amazing to me. If they race, it's a battle of two completely different philosophies. And I love the idea of races between unique vehicles, each with different strengths and weaknesses. I have the same outlook in 1:1 motor racing. LOVE the idea of different teams competing using unique vehicles. HATE it when its a race of 20 identical cars and the only difference is the driver alone (who cares about drivers? lol).

Re: 4x4 Monster Beetle, this appears to be along Tamtech Gear lines, without using that name. Only just caught up and saw it. Edit - After looking into it, it seems like an unnecessary rehash of the QD Monster Beetle, on a new chassis. At least when the Tamtech Gear buggies came out, there had never been a "miniature R/C Frog, Fox, Hornet, Hotshot, Rough Rider" before. So they were kinda novel for their time, and other companies were also doing the odd 1/16 buggy. Miniature Monster Beetle has already been done before. So the 4x4 Monster Beetle doesn't do much for me. Also, a miniature Wild Willy has been done before too... just not by Tamiya ( Tomy/Taiyo 4WD Army Commander - 1984)

The "Comical" buggies are, overall, a misfire to me. Pros: At least they were something "nostalgic" that wasn't just another remake of a classic model. Cons: They just look like toys for little babies. Still have fake brand decals. The fact Tamiya literally named them "Comical" over-emphasizes the fact they are "not normal" models, which is stupid. Marketing and impressions are important especially for adult collectors (which is the entire basis of Tamiyaclub). The Wild Willy (and Willys Wheelers, and Mitsubishi Pajero) worked in the 1980s because they were presented as normal models with "some stunt capability". Plus they didn't sacrifice detail and realism, to enable the stunt action. Wild Willy looks really exaggerated, but is still somehow also a heavy, realistic and interesting scale model. The Comical buggies are clearly trying to emulate those models. But they take it too far, and become too cutesy and caricatured. Even the driver figure looks like a cartoon baby. This is all just IMHO though - if some people like them and collect them, that's great. But much like the "wheelie tractors" a few years ago, they're not for me. Nice try at something different, but another misfire unfortunately. Why I liked the Tamtech-Gear buggies... Don't get me wrong, Tamtech-Gear wasn't perfect either (cons - fake decals + the cars chassis/suspension would have been far better if they were perfect miniatures of the 1/10 cars, they would also have been better as kits of course!)... But the pros were: They were something "nostalgic" that wasn't just another remake of a classic model, but a new chassis/design. Miniature versions of the classic 1/10 cars are a fun "souvenir" type idea and these were the best of the lot (there have been numerous products along these "miniature" lines, from Q Steers to Coffee Cup cars, and so on, and some have been popular) They looked good for what they were. They had a spare parts line that felt like a throwback to the past - e.g. the pink anodized optional parts felt specifically for the Tamtech-Gear Frog (much like the way Tamiya used to design certain spares specific to certain models) Beautiful packaging, despite being RTRs The above was enough for me to buy all of them. On top of all that, Fumito Taki was a designer on them. When I asked him some questions a few years ago, he said "The latest project I did from scratch would be the Tamtech Hotshot". It's great someone has finally done this, as it's been a very important factor in why I suspect Tamiya offers nothing I'd buy any more - they stretch themselves too thin. I'd rather they sold half the number of products - but produced a few "boutique" level nostalgic off road kits (with new designs, not just more boring remakes!) for collectors of our age group. With proper detail and no fake brand decals. There is absolutely no excuse for fake brand decals, when $7 Hot Wheels cars from the supermarket are covered in real sponsor logos. I have been banging on about this idea for years. Tamiya cannot seem to see that they are missing a market opportunity, by creating something genuinely new, scale, realistic, retro... but with no compromises, and in the style of the classic kits. Tamiyaclub would go nuts for it. But apparently it won't appeal to the little kids in Japan. So all we get are boring remakes and colour variants of remakes, for the "40-somethings". And that's lazy to me. Sorry for the rant - as you were! cheers, H.

I’m seeing the word “stacked” here... don’t stack too many on top of each other. The bottom ones will end up with bowed sides on the boxes, which are tough to straighten up later. Suggest standing them vertically on shelves.

These “editions” Tamiya has been doing, where its the same car in some other colour/chrome, are like when a classic chocolate bar gets a “mint!” or “dark!” edition that nobody asked for or wanted. Want Tamiya to survive long term, they’re the only non-Chinese R/C maker left. Longtime collector/nerd for the brand and its history. Yet completely disinterested in products like this H. PS. I liked it far more when Tamiya created things like the Tamtech-Gear buggies. As they seemed like miniature tributes - at least different from the 1/10 cars. And presented in beautiful packaging. Totally cool to collect and muck about with, and even had their own line of hop-ups.

True. And while the downside is often higher prices, on the other hand... Without eBay/online trade, nobody who collects vintage R/C stuff would own even 5% of what they have collected, over the past 20yrs. In the days prior to eBay, sure, you could drive all over the place and maybe find a bargain here or there. But it was hard work. And the "finds" were scattered. And finding anything larger, like new in box whole vintage R/C kits (not just spare parts) - was virtually impossible. In those days (late 1990s) I actually believed that zero new in box R/C kits of the 1980s models, even existed anymore. I never saw one in many years of hunting through newspaper classifieds, and hobby shop consignments, in the 1990s. Once the last kits from the "golden era" were sold by stores in the early 1990s, that was it. The best I could find were lots of parts, and some used cars. Then came eBay, which I joined in 1999... and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw whole vintage kits listed. And at that time, in those first few years, prices were lower than they are now. But they quickly rose. And I remember seeing certain buyers on eBay, in particular one chap named "ocbanker", who were extremely hard to beat in auctions. Routinely outbidding everyone, and driving prices ever higher, as they amassed collections. This was before the days even, of typischdesign. Years later, I got in touch with ocbanker... a banker from (where else) Orange County, USA. He told me he had amassed a large collection, but later lost interest and sold them all off and bought a real sports car (Porsche, I think) with the proceeds.

And by made it, I meant "made it" (i.e. gone more mainstream... for better or worse)

This is true for quite a few Tyco/Taiyo models, and has been this way for about 10 years. There is an old forum (still up) where a lot of Tyco collectors used to discuss this at length, and the Lambo has always been highly prized. It's sister model, the Ferrari Testarossa, even more so. (However, the asking price for that is the height of hubris - and I will gladly debate any fool asking $2000 for one - so if you see them online, send them over to me There is no precedent for that price, that I am aware of, and I've been watching far too long) Agree about the re-re and XB stuff... but I think it was ever worse when they first came out. At that time, since the very notion of an R/C "re-release" was a pretty new concept in this hobby, there were some people who claimed they were "pretty much the same" - i.e. the remakes were the same as originals. Which is sorta why some of us tried to write up lists of the differences, large or small, to help define a distinction between them... because those in the know (like here on TC) already knew one from the other. But it helps if more people (including the general public) are a bit more "aware" when selling, or can at least search up the details quickly on Google. Of course, that still doesn't stop some sellers from wishful thinking True. And while I do agree there are some crazy over-priced items out there. Absolutely. The above sentence from NWarty also points to the reason why the base price for a lot of things has risen, and there are not many $50 vintage restos around anymore. I personally don't think it's a bubble. It's part of a long term upswing, that all vintage toys go through - and it won't stop when we all die. But I'm just one guy. Agree with @WillyChang about the Youtube vids talking about values. They're pretty funny huh. When your toys are being breathlessly hocked in Youtube vids by skeezy dudes doing "how to make money" videos, you know your hobby has made it

Owning, restoring, collecting, upgrading, whatever your passion is with these things, there is one thing I know - it's such a learning game. And you never stop learning about what to do with your cars. Everyone ends up with regrets because of foolish decisions they made years ago. Our perspective changes - one minute we lose interest in RC. Then later it comes back. And if you make rash decisions, you can end up with a lot of regret. 20 years ago I thought I knew exactly what I was doing. In fact, I was a fool There were many things I have owned and sold, and wish I still had. Couple of example stories. On the positive side... As a young teenager, I sold lots of other valued childhood possessions to buy a NIB Monster Beetle. I'm happy to say I still have that Monster Beetle. And after many years of half-finished paintwork, I even finished the paint job properly. My Dad originally sprayed the red body for me back in the day - causing a tiny "run" in one place (we were such amateurs). But that imperfection makes it mine. And it's now nearly 14 years since Dad died. So of course, I would never sell that Beetle for all the money in the world. And after I finally finished the paint job many years later, I think it came up reasonably ok... On the negative side... Some years ago I purchased a particular used vintage Sand Scorcher that I did a lot of work on. I spent whatever money it took to replace many parts with NIP original parts. It came up amazing - mint original, MSC, period correct mint out of the box radio gear, etc. I spent weeks... nay, months working on it. I even had a NIB original body set for it ready to go. Then in a fit of stupidity, I decided one day to sell some non-NIB vintage cars out of my collection. So I sold the Sand Scorcher to another collector in Australia for around AU$1000 including the body set. The money went toward other cool RC things.... but.... Well, as the years passed since then, I kept remembering the hours I spent toiling on that particular model - polishing, cleaning, etc. And what really annoyed me after I sold it, was that I didn't value my own "effort" enough. Turns out my effort was worth more to me, than the market value alone. The memory of nearly wearing my fingers off, polishing parts with Autosol etc, night after night... So that was another lesson learnt. When you spend a heap of your own time and labour on these things, you should really think twice before selling them off. I have sold probably close to 300 R/C models over the years. Most I've forgotten, some I merely owned for a period of time, before opting to sell them in order to get something else. But the ones I regret selling - are the ones I put effort into, by stripping them down and restoring them. Nowadays, I have a new “rule” - never sell a difficult resto car. I have since written to the guy who bought the Sand Scorcher from me once or twice. And I have probably mentioned that I would happily buy it back But he's a serious vintage collector too, and won’t let it go. And I know it went to an extremely good home. cheers, H.

Yeah, I don’t know really... you could argue that I should be buying the nice stands. But every time I look at them, its the price I just can’t comprehend. Maybe its justifiable for a once-off. But the problem for me is it just doesn’t scale-up, for a collector. At the end of the day, it’s just plastic. I’m glad it’s not made in China. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F140461540063 That one is AU$52 (AU$62 shipped to Australia). For ONE stand. Consider that you can buy a nice made in France Tefal non-stick frying pan for less than half that price. https://shop.coles.com.au/a/a-national/product/tefal-plus-ptfe-frypan-30cm I’m not sure why he doesn’t sell them for a thinner margin, and sell thousands, instead of a thick margin selling hundreds. It doesn’t justify to me, unfortunately. And this is from a guy who has spent decades of spare change on this hobby, and is a fussy collector type. Maybe 3 stands isn’t the best example. Buying 10 stands would cost me ~AU$600. And there are some NIB vintage kits I could get for that money. Buy one of those kits.... even if I crack it open immediately and build it, then put the car on top of a cheapy Ferrero chocolate box (or a Tefal frying pan ) seems a more satisfying outcome for my collection?

I honestly can't choose just one box. To me, the Tamiya boxes and cars themselves were all part of a "collection" of incredible toys far beyond my wildest dreams. We forget sometimes in this adult internet age where we are able to search for anything and spoil ourselves, just how remote and untouchable things like Tamiya cars once were as little kids. I don't find the Fox box disappointing - far from it, the kit is amazing inside and out. One of the greatest, probably Although again, how can I rank them? Another aspect to this is... I never really felt disappointed by any Tamiya based on the box and car being a bit different. The box was always a fantasy rendering... portraying the toy as a 1:1 illustration, as if "brought to life". There were no batteries, aerials or wires visible. I knew even as a kid, that the thing inside the box was a bit different - wonderful in it's own way. And that you could only achieve the "spirit" of the box art image, in your own imagination when you played with the car. The car inside the box was fine if it was different. It was wonderful in it's own way - and I spent just as much time looking at the catalogue photos, as I did the box art. In fact, probably more so... I used to stare at this photo in particular, for hours. Sometimes I'd be like: "Dad, this is the one with the oil bottle on the back, which feeds into the rear suspension!" "Yes son, I know about the oil bottle." He'd heard the story 16 times before. And we'd peer at the pixellated detail of the photo once again, at the kitchen table, in the singular old catalogue I had. Feeling pretty confident we'd never actually see this model (or most of the other discontinued 80s models) in real life. There were none in the local classifieds, nor at the few hobby stores within 2hrs drive. Even by the end of the 1980s, I had the dawning sense that there had been something extra special about the early years of off-road R/C models. Each one had been so unique, colourful, detailed... and realistic. Each one looked like a complete adventure on wheels - how would you build it? How long would that take? And how fast could it go? They all seemed like the "Rolls Royce" of toys, and just as far beyond my reach.

That's a good idea too, and to be honest something I should try. To get the colour logo of the brand, on the card. So really, you can spend as little or as much time on these things, as you like... it's kinda fun either way.

From memory, the Plazmost ones are ideal, but very expensive. I’d buy them, but then I think... for the price of three stands, I could buy a whole used vintage Tamiya for restoration. I have spent quite a lot on cabinets themselves, but once that financial pain was over... For me the display stand side of things was ok to be kept really quite simple and cheap, yet achieve a decent effect. All you need is something clear plastic, which suspends the car. For $6 you can eat 16 Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Then use the free clear container as a stand (either with the lid for extra height, or upside now with the lid removed). Cars will never slide off unless there's an earthquake, but a tiny bit of double-sided tape on top would also hold them in place. Nobody who visits will question it, they will just see it as some sort of intended display... https://www.bigw.com.au/product/ferrero-rocher-16-piece-share-box-200g/p/8896/ For description cards, I actually like the feel of my cabinets being a little bit museum like and/or a bit old-hobby-shop-like. So I get plain white card paper. Cut pieces about 10cm x 5cm (or smaller). Fold them at a right-angle. And handwrite in neat black letters on one side: Name of car Year Country of manufacture Anything else? (Drivetrain, other specs, approx collector value). This is fun, easy, quick, cheap, and small enough to fit one per car even on crowded shelves. Consider also that the professional stands may have the name or brand/logo of the car, but no other interesting info. Here's a small one I did for a die-cast model. Your handwriting may be a lot neater than mine. My Dad bought two of these Tomica Land Cruisers when I was little, and gave me one while keeping one himself. Mine got lots of chips, but Dad's survived my childhood in mint condition. I was interested to see the rough estimate value was about AU$60, so I put that on there. As with most of my stuff, I would never sell it... but I like the hobby shop feel of little info cards Displaying and labeling stuff is fun, and there are many ways to do it. But usually any effort you make will appear somewhat “museum like” to friends when they visit. Keep in mind that many actual museums and shops make less effort than this I have been to toy museums (and museums) where everything is just plonked onto shelves - no info or stands at all.

I'll just leave this here also: "Facebook co-founder calls for breakup of Facebook" https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/09/opinion/sunday/chris-hughes-facebook-zuckerberg.html Wired.com - "Chris Hughes is right, we should dismantle Facebook" https://www.wired.com/story/chris-hughes-is-right-we-should-dismantle-facebook/

Thanks for all the replies. My impression is that, statistically, most of you have pretty supportive partners. Either that, or the results are skewed because the guys with unsupportive partners, aren’t here and therefore aren’t able to reply right now ☺️ Hypothetically... If you had a partner who was totally unsupportive, what would you do? Would you quit the hobby if your partner wanted you to? Or to frame the question more broadly: Are our interests in life, more or less important than the people in our life?

Alright, this has probably been discussed before. Or maybe it hasn't. But either way - here are a few questions. Nobody needs to be more specific here than they want to be. Broadly. Do you currently have a partner in life who accepts and supports your interest in this hobby? Has the hobby ever had a negative impact on a relationship? Has a relationship ever ended in part (or in whole) due to the hobby? Has a relationship been prevented by the hobby? Perhaps you feel the better life, is to be single? etc etc. The reason I ask, is that I feel I have experienced both ends of the spectrum - from full support to hatred - over the years. And it fascinates me to think that people - potential partners, girlfriends, wives - can be anything less than supportive of something as harmless (and homely) as this hobby. In one case, a girl I dated for about a year began (toward the latter stages) suggesting I sell my collection (of ~30yrs + the years of my father's die-cast collecting before me). At one point, when I was telling her a simple story one day about another collector I was trading with, she got huffy and said "Oh God, those people. Just get rid of them!". She meant "get rid of them" from my life, and stop associating with other "hobby" guys. According to her, "hobby" people were essentially nerds who were wasting their lives on pursuits that were beneath respectable. She considered hobbies a bit weird. She was an artist... yet could see no irony in this. Even though I reminded her that many (many) artists were the definition of weird. (And yet I have no issue with artists) Sometimes, she would recall a tale of a man her family knew when she was young, who was a "model train guy". He was some friend of her father's, from work. And oh, how her parents and family used to consider him strange and awkward. "My parents don't collect anything", she would say. "They don't like houses that are like museums, or full of collectibles. They're just practical people, and they only own what they need. It's just how we are." One day, after hearing a few-too-many-times about how her parents were perfectly practical people in every way, I turned to her and asked, "Are they also f***ing hunter-gatherers? Because they really should only kill what they're going to eat that day. Rather than store it in the fridge." Which leads me to #3 My answer to that one, is yes. How about you? H.

Do you use Discogs.com? I still collect music too, and mostly on CD. CDs are coming back eventually, at least as respected collection items. Some of them are getting pretty valuable now. I'm into a lot of electronic, ambient....and rare CDs in that genre can be $100+ each without any trouble at all. Not that I sell any. I've read the Mars Trilogy, and recently read Robinson's Aurora too. Currently trying something a little different - The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin. Just finished Phillip K Dick's "Do Androids Dream..." (found it a bit underwhelming). Have a decent sci-fi bookshelf though, with lots of Arthur C. Clarke, who was always my #1. I also collect DVD/Blu-rays actually. Streaming movies? Not for me. Despite a career in technology, it's as though my entire private life is retro.... Why pay fees every month forever, for a mediocre and ever-changing library of stream-able films? Instead, I decided to stick with curating my own physical film library, and this brings me a surprising amount of satisfaction. All my favourites are there, forever. Plus perfect film quality, every time. And it's another facet of my collector nature I guess. Of course, much like with the books, I have a lot of science fiction and science fiction soundtracks, and recently set up a little media room for it all. Talk about nerding-out. Not really into superhero movies. Instead my area is films like Gattaca, Annihilation, Stalker, Solaris, 2001, Blade Runner, The Fountain, Ex Machina, Moon, Interstellar, Alien and many more along those lines. If it's one of those, or anything like those, I probably have it, have seen it, or know about it. H. PS. @Juggular you made this thread hard for everyone else mate, well done. Amazing artwork.