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To Build or not to build (To quote shakespear!)

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I've never really had an opinion as to whether you should build a model or keep it. Most of the Tamiya's that I have built from scratch have been fairly simple. TT02-T/Bltzer/G6-01TR. Today I started my Asterion. I now have an opinion. Build it, it deserves it. Ive only done the two diffs and a gearbox but just the way they go together is just magic. Please don't leave them in a box. BUILD them thats why the're called kits:D

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Yep, I also think it's to be built.  Especially if it's XV-01!   

But... what if I had NIB Porsche 959? Without re-issue in sight? I don't think I could bring myself to build it.  

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The fault is with Tamiya.  They turn certain kits into "collector's items."  

If they re-issued the whole line, most kits would be built.  I'm sorry for those who are hoping for a good price on collector's items, but I wish for re-issue of everything.  Of course, there are people who just want to keep things "new," re-issue or not.  I like the idea of keeping a runner, shelf-queen and NIB. But I cannot afford that.  If I had to take a pick, I'd run it (except for 959).   

 

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I'm a builder, too.  From time to time I acquire an older / rarer kit and I find myself torn between the joy of building and the thought of keeping something new and special.  I often sell these on.

Right now I have three dilemmas.

One is a Kyosho Volvo 850 on the Mantis EP chassis.  I won it in a raffle a few years ago.  My first thought was "great!  build and run in the Iconic Cup" - but the Cup is Tamiya only, so it wouldn't be eligible.  It's too rare and way too outclassed to race at my local club, and I never have any other access to smooth surfaces, so I'd never be able to run it.  And being a Kyosho body, it's not as good looking as a Tamiya, so it doesn't make sense to build it as a shelf car.  Plus, although I'm a big motorsport fan, I don't like doing boxart, so I'd end up painting it in my own design, which would destroy any resale value (especially as I'm not the world's best painter).  So it's kind of a no-brainer that I sell it on.  And, to be honest, that had been my plan from the start.  Keep it for a while, just to enjoy owning a vintage NIB, then either sell it on or re-donate it to the raffle.

Then the first disaster occurred.  The neighbour's ivy grew up the side of my workshop, wormed its way in under the roof panels and dropped sap all over everything.  The Kyosho box was on the bottom but a corner got saturated.  It's now lost value due to having a bad box.

Then the second disaster was discovered.  I unboxed it a year ago to check the contents, and found the body was damaged.  Looks like at some point the part-built chassis was cut loose from its box and the axle stub has punctured the shell.  I'm pretty sure it was never dropped or knocked since I owned it, but I'm also fairly sure I unboxed it when I won the raffle and didn't see any damage before (not that I would have complained, it was a prize ;) ), so when and where the damage occurred, who knows?  So I guess it isn't worth much now.  Which means I might as well build and paint it.  But with the damaged body, I don't really know what style to do.  Dilemma.

The second dilemma is a Jun Watanabe Hornet.  It's not something I would have bought myself, but a mate gave it to me as a Christmas present a couple of years ago.  I don't know that I've ever been so pleased with a present.  I immediately decided that when my daughter is old enough, we'll build it together and she can enjoy learning to drive with it.  But then  I remembered that the Jun Hornet has various rare parts and perhaps it would be better to get her standard hornet that she can build and paint her own way?  Which means that yet again I have an NIB sitting doing nothing.  But it was a gift from a very special friend, and I have a thing about selling gifts, so that too might remain NIB either until it's valuable enough to be traded for something, or until I decide it's the right time to build and enjoy it.

My third dilemma came to me this summer.  I picked up an NIB Toyota Corolla WRC bodyset from a local vintage parts dealer.  I wanted one because I have a TA03-FS, and it's one of the few bodies that will fit it.  My plan was always to paint it black and style it as a modified street car, a popular colour for modified Corollas when I was younger.  But around the time I acquired the body, I realised I don't have the display or storage space that I used to have, and it's not so fun any more to build things just for the shelf.  It's actually begging for me to do a grassroots motorsport theme on it (simple colour scheme, local sponsors) and style it as a clubman rally / rallycross entrant.  In fact if there was a local rally club I would probably do just that, and have loads of fun racing it.  At least with rally it wouldn't get so badly bashed.  But it's such a rare and special body that I can't help feeling that I would be depriving the world of something that could be painted and displayed in its own rare glory.

These are the kind of things that keep me awake at night.  #1stworldproblems

 

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Build em all 100%
 

... but if you buy em faster than you build em then NiB is ok 

 

NiB kits remain mint, no wonky cuts, bad paint, cross threads, crash damage, just the promise of the idea forever preserved in the realm of dreams 

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Well, to quote another great poet: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." If you haven't built it yet, you're keeping it un-built, by definition. There is definitely some appeal to that stored-up potential energy in an un-built kit, the idea that you can take the lid off that box at any time and get cracking, but you choose not to... at least yet. I know that this is the case with my collection of static kits; they all are "to build, eventually, but not today."

I also think it's easier to leave kits in the box the older they get. I have a couple of static kits that are almost as old as I am; they command respect just for having lasted this long in their original condition. Yes, I plan to build them, but it can't be a casual snap decision.

That's one of the things I like about the re-issues; if it's still rolling off a production line somewhere, it's fair game. :)

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I have never kept a kit more than a few weeks before building it, and then it was only because I had bought a couple at the same time so built one first then had to wait til I had the time for the next.  I never understood why people would keep them sitting there unbuilt.

Things have changed a bit this year though, partly I think because of the new race cars I've bought in the last 12 months (only 2) which have had deadlines to get them built before the next race meet.  Building under pressure isn't nearly as fun as building when you want to.

Then I bought the Top Force which has been on the radar for a while (you guys never knew though eh, I kept that real quiet) and when I ambushed my wife with it one afternoon she agreed (I have a self-imposed rule about clearing bigger purchases with her, usually around $100 and up) but only if I wait until Christmas.  She won that round, last night she said she had my Christmas present sorted but I needed to get her something.  She wants a hedge planted, I am going to argue that a hedge means I have to buy the plants, plant it then maintain it for years to come so I should get a Super Astute as well.  But I digress.

I also bought a bunch of hop-ups which I've never done before (yes, none of you probably realise as I never mention it, but I'm a fan of buying a better kit, say a TA07, rather than a TT02 and spending heaps on hop ups).  They've arrived in a few packages and been added to the kit, which has also been a bit of fun.  So I now have this Top Force sitting there on my couch which is NIB with a bunch of hop ups and can't be touched (except opening it up and looking at it and stuff) until Christmas (well, mid-Dec as I've negotiated an early Christmas as we are going away).  I am actually starting to appreciate having a NIB kit lying around and can understand why you would, especially if you have one already built.

This one will get built over summer, but I think it may have influenced me a bit, to buy and hold on for them a bit longer and research some hopups, maybe.

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Some kits are too cool looking to cut up clamshells and build.  In addition nib kits show you what was included in each version of the same car which sets the benchmarks for early or late restorations. 

My thought is if the kit is vintage, keep it NIB

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