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Future Value Of Late 90's Tamiya Kits?

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Hi guys

what do you think - will older tamiya kits appreciate endlessly? Shall I keep my 582XX TA03 and TB02's NiB to resell them in 10 years and fund my retirement house in St. Barth???

Seriously - my take on this is, the current wave of crazy high prices we see on 70's/80's tamiya gear is due to the hobby's heyday way back then, and us hitting 30 and 40 this millenium and wanting to relive our youth. RC these days is kinda low profile... I don't think my TA03's and TB02's will be worth much in 2018...

What's your perspective?

Paul

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My thoughts are that the 90's or current models, probably will not appreciate in value like the old 70's and 80's stuff. the reason for my opinion is that there has been a trend for keeping NIB stuff for maybe ten to fifteen years, by collectors, so in ten to twenty years time, there will be a lot more NIB kits available. I've seen it alot with die cast, and scalextric stuff. If I was collecting NIB stuff, I would guess that it will probably be the cheap cars, that get given to children, then smashed to bits, that may command a good value in the future. Maybe the TL01 perhaps?? Plenty of them get wrecked B) There will of course be a serious market for very limited editions, but these days limited edition seems to mean a production run of at least 10,000 units.........

I think the reason why 70's and 80's stuff is getting the money now, is because back then, not many people were too bothered about collecting them, just having fun with them. So finding a mint Scorcher, or 3 speed will be a much more difficult journey for the collector today :rolleyes:

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Just search eBay... Stuff from the early-mid 00's is being branded as "vintage" :rolleyes:

I certainly agree with retroman. The mass marketed generic chassis TA, TL, etc probably won't achieve the status of the SRB and Quatro/Willy, with the exceptions of "special" models. They very much lack the charm and kookiness of the 70's and 80's, and they were sold in much greater numbers.

Although, NIB FF's seem to be pulling a pretty penny (unlike the NIB JACCS Civic) I found in a hobby shop for $165 AUD....

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I think Retroman and B.M.T already stated some important facts, although the situation is and will be different in the upcoming months/years.

Most recent kits don't hold their value very well since they are not collectible enough yet, but there are some exceptions:

- Limited edition kits - For example the 1/10 Porsche 934 - should hold their value better than the other recent kits due to the title "Limited" on them.

- Kits with round model numbers - For example 58200 (David Jun TA03F Pro Chassis (Ltd. Ed.) - are often more collectible. This example is from the early 90's, but does show the effect of a Limited edition combined with a rounded model number.

- Renewing, groundbreaking and popular chassis designs or shells make a car much more desireable.

- Limited edition re-releases drop the value of the original car a bit, but limited re-releases are often wanted by people who want to run "vintage" cars.

As I mentioned, the situation is and will be different the upoming years. People have the feeling they need to prepare for economical lesser times, and many more kits can be found at the moment than normally. The holidays also play a role, but many cars will still be on sale after the holidays. Because of this the demand may be lower while there are more cars for sale. The price drops, and thus it's not the time to sell but buy :rolleyes:

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I think Retroman and B.M.T already stated some important facts, although the situation is and will be different in the upcoming months/years.

Most recent kits don't hold their value very well since they are not collectible enough yet, but there are some exceptions:

- Limited edition kits - For example the 1/10 Porsche 934 - should hold their value better than the other recent kits due to the title "Limited" on them.

- Kits with round model numbers - For example 58200 (David Jun TA03F Pro Chassis (Ltd. Ed.) - are often more collectible. This example is from the early 90's, but does show the effect of a Limited edition combined with a rounded model number.

- Renewing, groundbreaking and popular chassis designs or shells make a car much more desireable.

- Limited edition re-releases drop the value of the original car a bit, but limited re-releases are often wanted by people who want to run "vintage" cars.

As I mentioned, the situation is and will be different the upoming years. People have the feeling they need to prepare for economical lesser times, and many more kits can be found at the moment than normally. The holidays also play a role, but many cars will still be on sale after the holidays. Because of this the demand may be lower while there are more cars for sale. The price drops, and thus it's not the time to sell but buy B)

Just like the classic car world. A low milage dealer service history only '90s BMW 320 is never going to appreciate like a 1960s Alfa Romeo Giulia.

An M3, like a limited TRF, will always be worth more, but the past is the past and true classics are made in ways never to be repeated in our cost conscious share market driven modern times. :rolleyes:

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I think the chassis itself might not appreciate but the more unique bodies will definitely worth a lot more in the future.

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Good thread.. Late 90's models, hmmm? I think a few kits have potential. A David Jun Limited should hit a high, especially if you get him to sign the box (if it is not sealed)! I think the early TRF TA03R and TA03R-S tourers has potential along with the FF tourers-due to the cool bodies :rolleyes: . The Wild Willy 2 and Mettalic version are on my list B)

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One of the factors that makes the 70s & 80s models more collectible is the audience that is collecting them. Much like 67 Mustangs that are fetching $100k because the folks that had / wanted one as a kid can now afford whatever stupidly high price tag comes with it. Those of us who had / wanted the "vintage" Tamiya kits are influencing the market by paying the price tag that come with those kits. Newer generations might be less enthralled with their 1st TT-01 especially considering it is competing with IPods, PS3 or whatever ultra-cool new gizmos the newer generation goes nuts for. God only knows what an original NIB IPod will bring in 20 years.

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the peak of the vintage market is today - and it is "US" here at TC and other nutters like us who are driving it. :rolleyes:

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I think that the TRF cars will be collectible one day, especially the really limited number ones like the early 414s. These were landmark cars for Tamiya.

The 934 30th anniversary will definitely appreciate over time too - limited item, nice presentation, high-spec TRF chassis - and it's a Porsche.

I can see the Hi-Lift cars and trucks with MFC becoming more valuable as they go out of production too.

Mainly the collector appeal will lean towards kits that were expensive, exclusive, hi-tech, high performance at the time, or otherwise unique and interesting, that people aspired to owning.

But basically, for the plastic touring cars that are based on a generic chassis that's shared with several other kits, a large part of the appeal lies with the body shell. Those kits that were based on a low-end generic chassis are really only worth as much as the body shell. Porsches are always appealing subject matter. But a generic Subaru WRX or Ford Focus isn't as likely to increase in value.

Case in point - The original Schnitzer M3 was worth a small fortune, because it was an E30 M3, until the TT-01 re-release came out. They were on a completely different chassis, but because it was easy and cheap to get the body shell again, original Schnitzer M3 prices fell sharply.

Another example - the Blitzer Beetle. Appealing body puts it over the line into the collectible camp. Its chassis isn't really anything special, but it's unique enough. Other cars share parts, making restoring one possible, but I don't think another car has exactly the same chassis.

The later touring cars don't have the appealing blister pack presentation from the earlier cars that makes them extra nice to have NIB. They started to come packed in the 'shoebox' type kit boxes without blister packs, just a box full of bagged parts. So they're not as nice to keep NIB as the older kits.

Any kits that are 'high end' and desirable, but too expensive so don't sell in huge numbers, or are genuinely rare and limited, will hold their value and have a better chance of increasing in value.

- James

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I'm a Star Wars collector and I can see a big parallel between vintage R/C and vintage Star Wars. I've paid AUD$130 for a single figure due to its vintage and somewhat limited run and certain popular items or figures can command good prices whereas the figures released with Episodes I and II will need some time ahead to be worth much. I saw a NIB AUD$500 Frog recently but as my Dyna Storm which is almost a runner is on its way I talked myself out of that purchase :lol:

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I would say the Fiat Abarth with its open engine compartment at the rear and the Nissan R91CP with standard cockpit, wiper, side mirror and engine scoop... each model series has its own gem in the case of the M02 chassis is the Fiat; for the C chassis is the Nissan. (Provided these models are from the late 90's?)

My thoughts are model that can hold its value are the one's made with metal like the SS, RR, old 3 spds. Models made in plastic can easily be reproduce by Tamiya while the metal ones are tougher and more costly to do.

Other model that appreciate in value is it availability. I'll take a shot at it. I would say in X years from now the Voltec Fighter, Thunder Blitz and Wild Ceptor could be highly sort after given no one wants one or likley be trashed and thrown out, hence the collectibility. (On the other hand since is all made with plastic and if Tamiya sees the demand is there, it can easily take the mold out and make some more.

In the end is all about availability and the amount of detail whether is the body or the chassis.

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I'm a Star Wars collector and I can see a big parallel between vintage R/C and vintage Star Wars. I've paid AUD$130 for a single figure due to its vintage and somewhat limited run and certain popular items or figures can command good prices whereas the figures released with Episodes I and II will need some time ahead to be worth much.

Yep, a lot of parallels can be drawn between all forms of collecting.

Basically, a lot of the collectibles that end up going for ridiculous prices go through a similar lifecycle....

The product is usually one that was released as a product line with several items in the set, and became hugely popular or desirable, eg a huge schoolyard fad for a line of toys. Lucky kids had one or two, and the rest of the kids wanted one. Certain items in the range are immediately more desirable than others.

And possibly the manufacturer grossly underestimated the initial demand for it and didn't produce enough of them, which would have made it difficult to get a hold of, and super-special to own one and open one on Christmas day.

Competitors make knock-offs - but they're never as good, they don't capture the feel of the original.

The most expensive items are usually the desirable items from the earliest series of that original line of toys. But collectors naturally want to complete sets, so the items that people didn't really want at the time, may be more rare now, which can make those items more valuable.

Then, the manufacturer ramps up production and releases a new series, but makes changes or improvements to the product for mass-production, or changes the product line and 'retires' original products, so it's similar but not quite the same.

That makes the original production run items still unique, and still very rare, and hence very valuable.

Then there's attrition over the years. Toys are meant to be taken out of the packaging and played with, so over time, those toys are consumed. Boxed, unused and even good condition examples become harder and harder to find. This is important, because part of the experience of receiving a new toy when you were a kid is the anticipation of having it in the box, and ripping the packaging apart to get at the brand new toy.

As well as Tamiya cars and Star Wars figures, another case in point is Magic The Gathering trading cards. The initial print runs for this card game were quite small, and included some of the most powerful, unbalanced cards in the history of the game. The first two print runs were extremely small. Cards in these runs had black borders. They did a third print run with white borders, that was still very limited and sold out very quickly. At this point they realised the popularity of their product, and how people were buying huge amounts of product to get all the cards. So they released a 'revised' edition of the game, the first that was printed in a volume close to satisfying demand - but they removed all the overpowered cards to make the game more balanced. Fair enough, they made the game more 'fair'... But in the process, the overpowered cards they removed are now extremely rare and sought after, so much so that good examples of some cards go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars for the black bordered ones. Yes, one cardboard card can be worth as much as a NIB Bruiser. They now even have a reprint policy that guarantees they'll never re-print (or re-release!) certain cards, and the list includes these cards, so their collector value is guaranteed.

Unfortunately for Tamiya, the 'golden age' of cars that kick-started it all has passed. It would take something truly exceptional to come close to the exclusivity and collectibility that the earlier models like the 3-speeds and SRBs now enjoy. There isn't the schoolyard fad in RC cars anymore to kickstart the collecting bug in a new generation. RC cars were new and exciting when they went mainstream in the 80s. Now it's all been done before.

For the same reason, I doubt that the recent Episode I-III Star Wars figures, no matter how cool they are, will ever be worth anything near what the old figures are worth. Existing collectors will always prefer the originals, and there wasn't really as huge resurgence of the fad with the new toys to get enough new people interested to boost the value of the newer toys. And even then, the newer toys still compete with the older collectible toys with collectors, no matter when they got into the hobby.

I saw a NIB AUD$500 Frog recently but as my Dyna Storm which is almost a runner is on its way I talked myself out of that purchase :lol:

Yes, I saw that one... Basically the collectors set the price for these, they're only worth what a collector in the market is willing to pay. An original Frog NIB would definitely have been snapped up for AU$500 before the re-release. But since then, I don't think there are anywhere near as many collectors around who would still that price. And basically, that's the only market left for original NIB Frogs, a collector who absolutely must have the original 80s item.

- James

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I would say the Fiat Abarth with its open engine compartment at the rear and the Nissan R91CP with standard cockpit, wiper, side mirror and engine scoop... each model series has its own gem in the case of the M02 chassis is the Fiat; for the C chassis is the Nissan. (Provided these models are from the late 90's?)

Fiat Abarth - Yes, due to the body shell. The Nissan... not so much appeal as the Abarth I fear. I think the F-40 will become mildly collectible.

Cars with cockpits are usually only desirable because of the cockpit sets themselves, not so much the car it came with. The cockpits themselves are actually generic - If tamiya re-issued just the cockpit sets, these would sell well.

My thoughts are model that can hold its value are the one's made with metal like the SS, RR, old 3 spds. Models made in plastic can easily be reproduce by Tamiya while the metal ones are tougher and more costly to do.

I don't think being made of metal alone is enough to make a car collectible. These cars came from a time when the Tamiya RC car fad took off, which is where more of their appeal comes from. You saw a Scorcher ripping across the playground, and thought WOW! And the Sand Scorcher depicts a desirable subject - the VW Beetle. The 3-speeds were very expensive and were top of the line at the time. They were rare and desirable because they were impressive to look at, and top of the line for the time, and like nothing that had come before.

Nor does making a car from plastic make it inherently less collectible. Look at the 959.

Tamiya have reproduced cars like the Top Force that had a high count of metal parts without a huge difference in cost to mostly plastic kits. So I don't buy the cost of re-issue of a metal kit argument. I am sure Tamiya could re-release a SRB without too much trouble, but the question is would they sell enough of them to return the cost of tooling up to make them?

Other model that appreciate in value is it availability. I'll take a shot at it. I would say in X years from now the Voltec Fighter, Thunder Blitz and Wild Ceptor could be highly sort after given no one wants one or likley be trashed and thrown out, hence the collectibility. (On the other hand since is all made with plastic and if Tamiya sees the demand is there, it can easily take the mold out and make some more.

Boy's 4WDs - Not a chance. Rarity due to limited appeal alone doesn't make them desirable to a collector. They're just too ugly.

- James

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Fiat Abarth - Yes, due to the body shell. The Nissan... not so much appeal as the Abarth I fear. I think the F-40 will become mildly collectible.

It really depends which part of the world you are from. If you look at the Mazda, MB, F40, Jag...all the C chassis group as a whole, you may agree the R91CP is the best one plus is a LeMans winner for that year. R91CP has the most detail. Again it could all boils down to preferring European or Asian models.

Cars with cockpits are usually only desirable because of the cockpit sets themselves, not so much the car it came with. The cockpits themselves are actually generic - If tamiya re-issued just the cockpit sets, these would sell well.

I don't think being made of metal alone is enough to make a car collectible. These cars came from a time when the Tamiya RC car fad took off, which is where more of their appeal comes from. You saw a Scorcher ripping across the playground, and thought WOW! And the Sand Scorcher depicts a desirable subject - the VW Beetle. The 3-speeds were very expensive and were top of the line at the time. They were rare and desirable because they were impressive to look at, and top of the line for the time, and like nothing that had come before.

Nor does making a car from plastic make it inherently less collectible. Look at the 959.

Is about availability, the 959 and the Toyota is only 2 model with that funny chassis unlike the M, TA01/02/03, TB01/02 etc.... Once Tamiya does a re-release the value will drop.

As for the metal cars, not all of them are the same like the XR311 where they are straight cuts with 90 degree bend (more of an industrial look and less costly to re-make) vs the SS or old 3spd where the metal are rounded / curve or bent has a better finish look and much more costly to make.

Tamiya have reproduced cars like the Top Force that had a high count of metal parts without a huge difference in cost to mostly plastic kits. So I don't buy the cost of re-issue of a metal kit argument. I am sure Tamiya could re-release a SRB without too much trouble, but the question is would they sell enough of them to return the cost of tooling up to make them?

I think Top force is a sea of plastic with some FRP unless you count the screws. Since the tooling cost for the metal cars will be high, the chance of Tamiya doing a re-issue will be low hence the value of these vintage models stay up. If Tamiya do, do a re-release of the old SS, RR, 3spd etc..as the original all the existing one's value will drop like a rock. (Look at the value of the Pajero Hard Top plus the Jeep and XR311)

Boy's 4WDs - Not a chance. Rarity due to limited appeal alone doesn't make them desirable to a collector. They're just too ugly.

That is the point. As it stands, these boy racers are so ugly that no one wants them, me included. But X years from now and I don't mean 5, 10 years from now but could be 30 or 50+ years from now and all of a sudden what was a reject now becomes the darling to everyone. Just look at the dinky toys, I can never figure out why people would pay hundreds of dollar for them, but a dinky collector would.

- James

In the end model will keep better value if the chances of Tamiya doing an identical re-release is slim to NIL and in my opinion the chance of metal cars being re-release will be less vs the plastic one as the retooling cost for plastic will be less.

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It's not possible to work out what will be collectible in the future. The stuff with value today was just common toys when we were kids - which is partly why they are collectible today.

The things that will be collectible (and valuable in the future) will most likely be stuff that we chuck away as worthless today...

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I would say the Fiat Abarth with its open engine compartment at the rear and the Nissan R91CP with standard cockpit, wiper, side mirror and engine scoop... each model series has its own gem in the case of the M02 chassis is the Fiat; for the C chassis is the Nissan. (Provided these models are from the late 90's?)

My thoughts are model that can hold its value are the one's made with metal like the SS, RR, old 3 spds. Models made in plastic can easily be reproduce by Tamiya while the metal ones are tougher and more costly to do.

Other model that appreciate in value is it availability. I'll take a shot at it. I would say in X years from now the Voltec Fighter, Thunder Blitz and Wild Ceptor could be highly sort after given no one wants one or likley be trashed and thrown out, hence the collectibility. (On the other hand since is all made with plastic and if Tamiya sees the demand is there, it can easily take the mold out and make some more.

In the end is all about availability and the amount of detail whether is the body or the chassis.

Not really sure about the RC boys :lol:

Tamiya had plenty of them still on the 50% off table along with some other stuff at the world championships this year.

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Not really sure about the RC boys :lol:

Tamiya had plenty of them still on the 50% off table along with some other stuff at the world championships this year.

I am guessing they will go the way of the Quick-Drive...

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I bought all 3 RC boys, but mostly because they were $26 apiece. I did pay almost $30 for the Wild Ceptor new built, but only because it was RTR with Traxxas transmitter & receiver. :lol:

I must admit, it never occurred to me that they might one day be collectible, mostly because they won't, not it this lifetime, but I did buy them just to see what they were and became interested in them. Such goofy little cars. Can't really say what it is about them, but they are just ... I don't even know. Just goofy.

I won't be cashing out my 401k to invest in RC Boys, that's for sure. Not that my 401k would buy a NIB kit these days... ;)

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It really depends which part of the world you are from. If you look at the Mazda, MB, F40, Jag...all the C chassis group as a whole, you may agree the R91CP is the best one plus is a LeMans winner for that year. R91CP has the most detail. Again it could all boils down to preferring European or Asian models.

I will admit, the C-class cars were creeping up in price before the re-release. I personally prefer the Mazda 787B, also a LeMans winner, and the F-40 to the R91CP by far. And there are some sellers trying to get silly money for these kits on eBay. But as I said, the appeal of these cars comes from the body shells depicting an interesting subject. I personally don't think these kits warrant attracting very high collector prices because the chassis is generic, they just come with nice body shells. However that said, I concede that they maybe highly valued to some collectors in original NIB form, because they are hard to find, eg, to a collector who specifically want all the Group C chassis kits NIB.

Is about availability, the 959 and the Toyota is only 2 model with that funny chassis unlike the M, TA01/02/03, TB01/02 etc.... Once Tamiya does a re-release the value will drop.

And that it's a Porsche. An off-road Paris-Dakar one at that. And the chassis is interesting. And it came with the best motor of the time. And it was expensive. And it's an unusual interesting scale, at 1/12. And it had a light kit. And it represented Tamiya's foray into blow moulding to create the shell... Lots of factors that make these collectible. 959 is definitely worth more than the Toyota though, yet it's the Toyota that's more rare. The 959 appeals because it was the original, and the shell is so much better looking.

As for the metal cars, not all of them are the same like the XR311 where they are straight cuts with 90 degree bend (more of an industrial look and less costly to re-make) vs the SS or old 3spd where the metal are rounded / curve or bent has a better finish look and much more costly to make.

I don't think it would be that expensive to reproduce them honestly. The only metal parts we're talking about here are the gearbox halves, rear arms, front arms and front suspension stays. Steering knuckles are shared with the Frog. They're just moulded pot metal, not really expensive to produce.

I am pretty sure they could reproduce the kit in its original form, and sell it for $200.

Lots of people argued on here that they'd never re-release the Hot Shot because of the high parts count, and there were too many parts unique to that kit. They did re-release it, and it was not expensive.

I think Top force is a sea of plastic with some FRP unless you count the screws.

Well... Maybe the Top Force wasn't so great an example, but it does have all those turned alu chassis posts, metal diff parts, metal drive gear, UJs, shafts and joints. And you could pick these up for around US$140.

The Frog has quite a high metal parts count too, including the same die cast steering knuckles as the SRBs. It has a lot of pressed parts, though.

Since the tooling cost for the metal cars will be high, the chance of Tamiya doing a re-issue will be low hence the value of these vintage models stay up.

I still am not sure why this sentiment persists. I cannot think why die cast moulding these few metal parts would be that much more expensive than plastic tooling and moulding.

Maybe this is perpetuated by nervous SRB collectors who are trying to prevent themselves from worrying about their collection value dropping like a stone by convincing themselves a re-release could not happen? It seems that people on this site are convinced this is true, because they saw it on this site. It's a self-perpetuating myth.

The 1/24 Mercedes SLR comes with a die-cast moulded metal undertray, for example, and that's not any more expensive than the similar completely plastic kits like the Enzo. So Tamiya have the capability to do die cast inexpensively.

Until someone from Tamiya says that the cost of production would make the kit price prohibitive, then I refuse to believe this rumour. Until Tamiya publish a 'reserved' list to promise never to re-release these cars, anything's possible.

If Tamiya do, do a re-release of the old SS, RR, 3spd etc..as the original all the existing one's value will drop like a rock. (Look at the value of the Pajero Hard Top plus the Jeep and XR311)

And I think that's one reason why Tamiya haven't re-released the SRBs and 3-speeds in original form. There may be someone in Tamiya who wants these famous models to retain their collector appeal and exclusivity. Or maybe that's not the case, and they just know they can release these later in the re-release cycle or as a limited celebration item and still sell them like hotcakes to collectors?

That is the point. As it stands, these boy racers are so ugly that no one wants them, me included. But X years from now and I don't mean 5, 10 years from now but could be 30 or 50+ years from now and all of a sudden what was a reject now becomes the darling to everyone.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one. I just think they're too ugly, cheap, basic and uninteresting to ever be appealing to anyone but a completist collector who's running out of things to collect. If they aren't desirable now, they will be almost completely forgotten in 30 years time.

In 30-50 years, I don't think there will be much market for any of these old Tamiya cars, because there won't be many people left who grew up with the fad. People just won't want them, just like you don't want old Dinky cars.

But if there's suddenly a shortage of Boys 4WD kits, because someone's been buying them up, we'll know where to look! :lol:

Just look at the dinky toys, I can never figure out why people would pay hundreds of dollar for them, but a dinky collector would.

Others would say they could never figure out why people spend thousands of dollars on a radio controlled toy car, either...

Dinky cars were quite impressive for their time, in that they were some of the original die cast toy cars. They date back to the 1930s and were the first line of die cast cars made in Britain, by Hornby to match the O-gague railway sets in scale. Before that, the best you could have was a tin toy. The new die cast cars had far more detail, and were based on real cars. It's no wonder people who grew up with these looked back on them fondly, I can see exactly why they're collectible. They fit all the criteria I list above.

In the end model will keep better value if the chances of Tamiya doing an identical re-release is slim to NIL and in my opinion the chance of metal cars being re-release will be less vs the plastic one as the retooling cost for plastic will be less.

Oh, absolutely if Tamiya re-released the SRBs in their original form, the original prices would nosedive, no doubt. But there are more hurdles to the re-release of these kits than just the production costs of moulding a bit of pot metal.

I actually do think that Tamiya will not re-release these, aside from the die cast parts issue, because...

1. The cars themselves are actually poor performers with rubbish suspension which limits their appeal outside collectors and scale modelers, and some parts like the front suspension are quite fragile. Tamiya have a record so far of updating the cars they re-release slightly to try and address some of the reliability concerns. So the car would need numerous updates to make it more robust, and work a little better (eg at least make the dampers work!) to appeal to a wider market, but Tamiya fear updating these particular models is going to be highly offensive to die-hard collectors and reduce their appeal to the people most likely to buy them.

2. The original Beetle body mould for the Scorcher was apparently re-used and modified to make the Monster Beetle moulds and again for the Blitzer Beetle, so would need re-tooling a whole new shell

3. Copyright for the VW Beetle (not much of an issue, they re-released the 66 Beetle on the M04)

4. Whether the car would sell enough to recoup costs

5. They might be witholding release until another aniversary comes along, or it could be that they actually fear offending loyal customers by destroying the collectibility of these old models that command such high premiums on the collector market, and actually want certain models to retain their collectible 'prestige'.

The Blitzer Beetle was a re-release of the Sand Scorcher in spirit. But the chassis was so far updated, and doesn't resemble the original car, so it hasn't affected collector values. Instead, the Blitzer Beetle itself is collectible, and its shell is highly sought after to make runner shells for original SRBs. I think for this reason, the Blitzer Beetle might get another release, possibly with Sand Scorcher style livery.

- James

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RC boys are fantastic, apart from the CR01 and maybe some of the touring / rally cars that have been released with nice shells (escorts / volvos etc) they are quite unique in their own very special way.

Kids of today wont give a fig about the sandscorcher etc, why should they? they are relics that are not even good fun to drive.

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"they are relics that are not even good fun to drive".

You're right, they're not. They're hillarious!!!! :) I wouldn't get rid of my Super Champ, or Sand Scorcher. they don't make me smile, they make me laugh, with they're antique, rubbish handling characteristics :P

PS, looks like this thread might be turning into "will Tamiya re-re the SRB" thread again............ :D

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Hi guys

lots of interesting comments - and fascinating to see how everything vintage on this site sooner or later starts turning around SRB-rere discussion :D

I think a very valid point was made above - 25 yrs ago no one ever thought that RC cars would have any collectible value, hence the rarity of NiB kits from that era today. In 2008, there are lots of "wannabe collectors" (me included) who stock up NiB parts with sometimes the untold hope that someday they will appreciate like crazy in 20 yrs like the real vintage ones did the past 10. As a result of the good ol' offer and demand phenomenon, this means these won't sustain any terrific value, barring the odd kit that somehow gets weird appeal for reasons no-one understands (and I also strongly believe RCBoys will not make that list :angry: ), as well as some already crazy expensive LE's a la 934 AE and such.

Another reason is that the changes from one kit to another in the 80's were massive - in less than 10 years we saw appearing lexan bodies, light kits, offroad, oil shock, constant volume oil shocks, plastic parts, and so on so forth... whereas in the past 10 yrs we've seen no real revolutionnary changes, so there are litterally dozens of kits all declined on the same TT01, TL01, TB01, TB02 bases, with accelerated launching rates. This won't be as appealing as, say, watching the technology stepchange from the frog to the fox, or the monster beetle to the king cab.

Now let me make space on my shelves to welcome some proper value-holding cars :angry:

Paul

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My money is still on the cheap cars, that will get smashed to bits :lol: I would have thought that the cheap and nasty thing they have just released, that's based on the Grasshopper/ Hornet chassis would be a good contender. TL01B Baja Champ perhaps??

A few years back, Scalextric released a set called the "Flying Leap". The 2 cars in the set were a gold BMW CSL, and a red Rover SD1. Both cars are now as rare as hens teeth, because they all got smashed to bits doing a flying leap!! :)

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Interesting reading here, however I have a different take on what will be valuable in the future...

"Limited edition" and "collectors" kits from recent years will NOT have significant value. Simply because everyone who has bought one of these has either kept it NIB for the future or has it new built, these kits will have no rarity value.

Most of the mainstream touring and buggy kits will have little value. TRF cars are effectively mainstream now, although the very earliest 404 and 414's will have value due to being rare and virtually unknown at the time.

What will be valuable are the kits on the edge of the mainstream, but which didn't sell particularly well. So kits with a desirable/interesting bodyshell, a degree of design originality, but not something that made a regular appearance on the shelves. Off the top of my head, some things like the Mammoth dump truck, or some of the TG10/TGX cars. In ten years time these will stand out as curios in the Tamiya range and will have the rarity to make them valuable.

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The Losi JRX-S springs to mind....... They pretty much committed suicide with that one! No one keeps Losi stuff round here anymore. Shame really, as the XXXS was a good car :blink:

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