Jump to content
emilbus20

Question about some vintage models

Recommended Posts

Hey folks! I think this is the right place to ask this.

I recently purchased a nice collection of vintage Tamiya models.

Part of the goal was to sell some to get my money back and of course keep some. Only problem is I want to keep a lot of them! ha ;-)

Anyways I have a hornet, frog, and grasshopper all NIB still sealed in the cellophane.

I researched ebay a bit and even tossed up some to test the market, but my question is what do you think these are worth? It is hard to tell because you do see a handful of NIB's that are sold, but nothing that is sealed like this.

Part of me wants to just hold onto them, part of me wants to build them lol.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well those models have all been re released and they're all entry level kits so with those things taken into consideration I wouldn't expect them to fetch much more, if any, than the re released versions sell for but I might be wrong.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yeah I mean the thing is this is more of a collectible / nostalgia thing ya know, so of course the vintage stuff always goes more than the re-release stuff in that case for the true collector.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Those are classic cars. And if sealed-NIB I believe the least you can ask for them is the double of the re-released versions. If sold to the right buyer, I think you'll be able to get a nice sum for them. I know I'd love to have those myself but I'm penniless!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Tamiya's re-releases just killed the value of the vintage stuff. I spent thousands of dollars on SRB parts and cars only to have them all re-released. The cars you mentioned were re-released in almost their exact form so a vintage on would only marginally be worth more than the rere solely for the sticker sheet.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have 2 original frog kits, had one on ebay at £325 or best offer. Only received one offer from a tc member for £150 and no other sniffs of a sale. In the end decided to keep it, as I have 2 ill probably build it one day.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Roughly 2-2.5 x the re-release price. Just noticed a NIB vintage GH barely breaking the $200 USD mark. Even a NIB Fox won't get any bites at $400 as there's been one sitting on Ebay for several weeks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Yep. As others have said, the bubble has popped. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on whether you see these things as a hobby or an "investment."

Me, I'd keep them and build them, one at a time, slowly, carefully, and enjoy them for what they are, not what they'll fetch.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks guys for the feedback. All valid points. If the right buyer is out there they will pay, but of course I would love to hold onto them and wait for my sons to get older and them build them!

Yeah the re-releases def messed stuff up lol, so the real buyers would be the people like myself that locked themselves in their room for 2 days straight at age 13 building a hornet! Gotta relive that childhood! haha

I spent a lot of money on this collection of Tamiya stuff so really would love to make that money back at least and have some toys, just don't want to sell myself short.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Anyways I have a hornet, frog, and grasshopper all NIB still sealed in the cellophane.

I researched ebay a bit and even tossed up some to test the market, but my question is what do you think these are worth? It is hard to tell because you do see a handful of NIB's that are sold, but nothing that is sealed like this.

Have you established that they are in fact original releases, and not the re-release versions?

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Speculation is a fast avenue to disappointment in this hobby

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Speculation is a fast avenue to disappointment in this hobby

If that was true, Speculators would not even exist.

Now I know I don't like 'em at all, but we all know there's two or three of those out there, my friend ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, agreed. But trying to turn old models for a profit to fund new purchases is a risky endeavor. My old airplane engine made half of what is was worth on eBay last week. Luckily I had nothing invested in it, so it was just profit.

We all think about it, the value of models and if we sold them, their worth. Anyone who say they don't is lying ;)

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, agreed. But trying to turn old models for a profit to fund new purchases is a risky endeavor. My old airplane engine made half of what is was worth on eBay last week. Luckily I had nothing invested in it, so it was just profit. I'll never make back what I've spent to restore my models, nor do I care. I ain't sellin' them :)

We all think about it ;)

Agreed, too. :D

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The "models who won't be named", have value that will go up. I will not name thy models because speculators will take the "models that won't be named" and hoard parts and drive up costs. I should stop doing resto jobs on the "models that won't be named" in forum threads to thwart said speculators.

Speculators should be the enemy of TC. The Lurkers who wait in the TC forum shadows and buy up obscure parts trees from weird and unloved vehicles. Their names should be cast wide and often :) lol

Joking of course and I've gone WAY off on a tangent ;)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, agreed. But trying to turn old models for a profit to fund new purchases is a risky endeavor. My old airplane engine made half of what is was worth on eBay last week. Luckily I had nothing invested in it, so it was just profit.

We all think about it, the value of models and if we sold them, their worth. Anyone who say they don't is lying ;)

Sure. But many of us, I hope, realize that anything is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it at the moment of sale, no more and no less. We have no control over that amount, not really, so it's wiser to assign value in other ways as well...
  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sure. But many of us, I hope, realize that anything is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it at the moment of sale, no more and no less. We have no control over that amount, not really, so it's wiser to assign value in other ways as well...

Yeah exaclty unless you have some super rare model, it really is an impulse buy at the end of the day!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Have you established that they are in fact original releases, and not the re-release versions?

C'mon of course they are ;-) You can take a look here http://raretamiya.com/showcase/

Been slowly getting that site up partly to show my collection and hopefully sell some stuff. I need to get in gear over here and do the same thing. God only knows when I am going to find the time to build these and actually drive them! Maybe retirement? ;-)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Its worth what someone is willing to pay, but id say the hornet and frog are worth around 400-450 usd, with the grasshopper around 300-350.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Those are classic cars. And if sealed-NIB I believe the least you can ask for them is the double of the re-released versions. If sold to the right buyer, I think you'll be able to get a nice sum for them. I know I'd love to have those myself but I'm penniless!

I agree with this :)

Tamiya's re-releases just killed the value of the vintage stuff. The cars you mentioned were re-released in almost their exact form so a vintage on would only marginally be worth more than the rere solely for the sticker sheet.

I disagree.

- Most vintage kits are worth 3-4 times more than reissue kits.

- Sealed vintage kits generally demand very strong prices, because some collectors really enjoy the notion of them being sealed.

- All reissues have parts differences compared to originals, and also box differences compared to the originals. It is not "solely the sticker sheet".

- To serious collectors, the reissues are worth far less, not just because of all the parts and packing differences, but because like all toy reissues they are simply tributes that do not hold the same nostalgia value as true original examples from the 1980s. This factor alone makes vintage kits worth much more than reissued kits.

Yes, values have dropped in many cases since the reissued kits were released. But they are still far higher than reissued kit values, and always will be.

Longer term, I suspect original kit values will actually regain ground.

Unlike most fields of toy collecting, the concept of "reissues" has only existed for a few years in vintage R/C. Compare that to Star Wars where they have been dealing with reissues for over 20 years. As more collectors learn about the differences, and decide what they want to collect, a higher premium is placed on true originals.

Yep. As others have said, the bubble has popped. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on whether you see these things as a hobby or an "investment."

In my opinion, the black and white notion that only those who are "investors" are the ones who might be disappointed by changes in value caused by reissues, is untrue.

Anyone who has invested a lot of money purchasing vintage original kits over the years, may (justifiably) feel disappointed if their value declines slightly, regardless of whether or not they intend to sell those items in the future. This is because nobody wants to see the value of something they have just purchased, go down - whether it's a TV, a computer, or vintage toys. Else they could have saved themselves some money by buying the same item later.

Its worth what someone is willing to pay, but id say the hornet and frog are worth around 400-450 usd, with the grasshopper around 300-350.

Of all the answers given here, this one and the one from mongoose1983, are the most accurate, IMNSFH opinion :)

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...