This is so nice its staying as a kit.
**PLEASE READ THIS** for anyone looking at this model displayed in my showroom and wondering if I will sell it? PLEASE DON’T ASK!!! I get numerous requests from TC members wanting to buy cars displayed in my Tamiyaclub showroom, and to be honest I get very annoyed when people ask to buy something that is clearly NOT FOR SALE!! This car is part of MY COLLECTION and as such I want to KEEP IT!! So please don’t Email on the off chance that I might sell it to you, if I want to sell any of my cars I will put them up for sale in my TRADE ROOM, so look there to see what cars I am prepared to sell otherwise don’t bother asking cos the only answer you will get is NO!!! thanks for reading this disclaimer. Regards wldnas.
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This is the main item I got out of the Vintage car haul I made today (Sat 14th Dec 2002) the full details of which can be seen elsewere in my showroom, this is the payoff of the Stoneleigh show on Dec 8th and the main reason why I went there and did that display so we could attract the attention of passers by and hopefull some of them would have old RC cars at home in the loft that they would be willing to sell to us (being Me and Richard Brooks)
One gentleman came up and claimed to have a new in box kit of a Sand Rover, I passed on my phone number and he called me on friday to saw he had sorted the kit out ready for me to go and buy it, I had mentioned at the show that I would pay upto £80 for a new kit Sand Rover and this was the price he was asking, anyway I went over to Redditch, to see the kit and to say it was mint wouldent do it justice, its as perfect today as the day it was made some 20 years ago.
The reason it had survived intact for so long in the ownership of this man is that back in the early 80's he used to be an avid RC racer and raced a Sand Scorcher in competition, as first prize for one of the races he had won he was presented with the Sand Rover kit as part of his winnings yet he never built the kit and it was put away in his loft and undisturbed for 20 odd years until he dug it out in order to offer if up to me for sale, but it had obviously been kept in perfect condition cos the box and all its parts are immaculate.
I had taken along my current Sand Rover kit as a comparison but there really was no contest when you placed the two together, I was amazed at the condition of the kit and after handing over the £80 I knew I had landed a real bargain, I managed to coax the man to bring out yet more old Tamiya stuff he had lurking in his loft but thats another story for anothe showroom entry.
When I got the kit home I took all the pictures and checked to see if it was all there and it was but there were also 2 bags of Schumacher ball barings stuffed into the kit which Im sure wernt put in there by tamiya so I've removed them for use elsewhere ;) I was a littlr worried about deteriation of the rubber parts in the kit namley the tires, cos prolonged storage is very bad for rubber and it can dry out and start to crack and perish but fortunatly the tires in this kit are still contained within the confines of their blister and appear to be in perfect condition, though I did check they were OK by gently squeezing the sides of the blister but everything was alright.
One thing I did notice was that the original price tag was still attached to the box and as you can see from the photo it was for £39.99 from Stagg Models, this car was probably sold sometime in either 1981 or 82 so considering I paid £80 for it 20 years later, takinh inflation inti account that I probably paid the equivilent price such a kit would go for if it was still on sale in the shops ;) but does anyone out there remember a shop called Stagg models?
One thing that I do know for sure is that I will NOT be building this kit, its in far too nice condition to build and after 20 years in stasis who am I to release it, I know it goes against me theory that all cars were made for driving and in keeping it MIB im denying it the right to fulfil its destiny and become a runable RC car, but then I have my other Sand Rover for that don't I? Im starting to understand why ppl collect MIB kits ;)