Interesting video on YouTube - good history on the Aurora, Monogram and Revell plastic models.

[Pomeroy41144]

I have been building scale models since 1971.  I have over 400 unbuilt 1/48 scale aircraft kits.  I have about 50 or 60 unbuilt 1/24  --  1/25 Scale cars / truck models.  I have a couple dozen models displayed here in my house.   I have built a couple dozen models for paying customers.  

 

I am presently building this 1/8 scale 1932 Ford.  I will house the car in a 1/8 Scale garage shadow box that repurposes a large old type television cabinet.  

 

 

[lump]

7 minutes ago, Pomeroy41144 said:

 

Tony, 

As we speak, I am talking with my family about bringing these cars n kits in the house to start the arduous project of sorting them out, and trying to get the right parts with each car...as much as possible. IF we could get that done, then I could try and sell some of the cars and some of the kits...and ALL of the leftover parts, etc. I promise to keep you first in line for those large whitewall slicks. ----Jim

 

 

7 minutes ago, Pomeroy41144 said:

 

 

 

 

LUMP,

 

 

Hello, I would love to purchase some of those 1/8 scale white wall tires you have there.  Is that possible?  

 

TonyM.  

 

 

[Pomeroy41144]

On 3/25/2020 at 4:08 PM, Billy Kingsley said:

I'm part of two scale modeling clubs. The Town of Newburgh Model Car Club, founded in 1980, is based in Newburgh NY. I joined in March 2002 and it's the best thing that could have ever happened to me in the hobby. We don't host a show on our own but we do co-run a show held by the local oldies radio station. At this point in time, our most famous draw is the diorama of the Newburgh Drive-In built by two of our members. 

Ron, in the blue shirt, is one of the two guys who did most of the work and is the caretaker of it. (You may notice my 1953 Ford convertible in the photo)

Did I mention the show I took these photos at was held in center court of the Poughkeepsie Galleria?  

 

The Drive-In is requested by several full-scale car shows every year, and is a staple at the Orange County Antique Auto Club shows, which Ron is a member of, he has a 1923 Ford TT Stake truck.

 

I'm the official photographer of the Town of Newburgh Model Car Club. https://public.fotki.com/ElCaminoBilly/tnmcc/ is our official photo archive. Our Facebook page is currently our website (which I also run) https://www.facebook.com/TNMCC/ 

 

The second club I joined is the Hudson Valley Historical Miniatures Guild, based in East Fishkill, NY, which is not just cars. It covers all forms of modeling. We host a judged show every October in Poughkeepsie NY, and as of 2019 I am now head automotive judge. That sounds like a fancy title but all it means is that I have to find a group of people to judge the classes, lol. We actually have a website, http://hvhmg.org/ and a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheHVHMG/

I joined the club in 2009 after attending the annual show in 2008 and having a lot of fun. Actually got me to build some non-car builds as well, like this:

SNJ Texan, which I build in 2012, and let me tell you, digitally removing my hand from this image was not easy!

 

Unfortunately, both clubs are on hiatus due to the virus for the time being. Perhaps it will allow me time to build some new models...my current project is a 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, factory stock black-on-black.

 

  

 

 

That drive in is AWESOME!!!!

 

You might want to change the landing gear legs on the SNJ.  You have the right leg on the left wing and the left leg on the right wing.  They need to be switched. 

[Pomeroy41144]

My 1/48 Scale Douglas C-47. 

 

1/48 Scale Consolidated B-24J

 

 

[Pomeroy41144]

1/48 Scale Boeing B-17G.  

[Pomeroy41144]

11 minutes ago, lump said:

 

 

 

 

Thanks Brother.  Take care of yourself.  

 

 

[Billy Kingsley]

Thanks for the heads up. Next time I get it out I will see what I can do. I'm not really an airplane guy...only reference photos I had to work with was the box art! 

[JamesR]

Okay, now be honest...how many of you guys blew up model cars on the 4th of July when you were kids?

[Laughing Coyote]

8 minutes ago, JamesR said:

Okay, now be honest...how many of you guys blew up model cars

Wasn't on the 4th of July, but have done it a few times on some bad builds. Firecrackers and sometimes model glue and matches. Fun times as a kid.

[JamesR]

1 minute ago, Laughing Coyote said:

Firecrackers and sometimes model glue and matches.

 

It was a drag when the Testors folks tried to market non-flammable non-toxic glue back in the 1970's. What fun is that?

[Billy Kingsley]

Missed @lump's haul before. There are a lot of people looking for 1/8 parts. My suggestion? Get a table at your local model show and sell them all piecemeal. (minus what you sell to Pomeroy) You'll do better with guys looking for parts than anything else. It won't be a quick process and a lot of $5 transactions but there are guys who have financed full sized cars and at least one guy financed a house doing this. It takes dedication! 

 

The red Edsel intrigues me. The warp makes me think it was a promo, which used acetate, as opposed to the more stable styrene of the kits, but I've only ever seen them in green, like this one in my collection:

Although I don't do promos as a general rule, only Edsels and El Caminos, and my knowledge of them is not as good as those of kits.  It sure looks like it's from the same AMT tooling that made the original kit and the promo. It's unfortunate that it's in such poor condition...

 

Of course, it may be a promo that the owner repainted as well. That's not unheard of. 

 

I see some late 50s kits that would have brought strong money if they had been unbuilt...the Pontiac or Olds and the Mercury both painted the metallic teal color in particular, but it looks like the former owner customized them by sanding off all the trim, which knocks them from $200+ kits down to $20-50. Bummer. 

 

Ohio is a hotbed of modeling- I think your state has more shows than any other- I could put you in touch with the right people if you want to go that route. If you decide to go that route there are also shows in the surrounding states that would be worth investigating. I don't remember where in Ohio Xenia is but there's a good-sized show in each of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky, so surely one of them would be close enough to visit, if the shows in Ohio don't sell through. Of course most are postponed or cancelled right now.  

[lump]

40 minutes ago, Billy Kingsley said:

Missed @lump's haul before. There are a lot of people looking for 1/8 parts. My suggestion? Get a table at your local model show and sell them all piecemeal. (minus what you sell to Pomeroy) You'll do better with guys looking for parts than anything else. It won't be a quick process and a lot of $5 transactions but there are guys who have financed full sized cars and at least one guy financed a house doing this. It takes dedication! 

 

The red Edsel intrigues me. The warp makes me think it was a promo, which used acetate, as opposed to the more stable styrene of the kits, but I've only ever seen them in green, like this one in my collection:

 

Although I don't do promos as a general rule, only Edsels and El Caminos, and my knowledge of them is not as good as those of kits.  It sure looks like it's from the same AMT tooling that made the original kit and the promo. It's unfortunate that it's in such poor condition...

 

Of course, it may be a promo that the owner repainted as well. That's not unheard of. 

 

I see some late 50s kits that would have brought strong money if they had been unbuilt...the Pontiac or Olds and the Mercury both painted the metallic teal color in particular, but it looks like the former owner customized them by sanding off all the trim, which knocks them from $200+ kits down to $20-50. Bummer. 

 

Ohio is a hotbed of modeling- I think your state has more shows than any other- I could put you in touch with the right people if you want to go that route. If you decide to go that route there are also shows in the surrounding states that would be worth investigating. I don't remember where in Ohio Xenia is but there's a good-sized show in each of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky, so surely one of them would be close enough to visit, if the shows in Ohio don't sell through. Of course most are postponed or cancelled right now.  

Thanks, Bill. I appreciate the advice...and it is much needed. 

 

The problem I find with taking a collection like this to a sales event is what I call, "Cherry Picking." Meaning, since I am ignorant of the actual value of various kits and parts, etc...when I put them out for sale, I must also apply a price to each item...just like we all do with REAL car parts. But, for example, if you have a collection of, say, fifty Holley carburetors, and you price them all the same (IE: $40 apiece), those folks who DO know the carbs will pick out all your factory original muscle car carbs and happily carry them away. This leaves you with all the over-the-counter carbs, the industrial carbs, RV carbs, etc. (Ask me how I know! LOL) Anyway, when you don't know the value of various model cars, kits, and/or parts, it's very intimidating to start selling them. And THAT is why they still sit there on my shelves. My hope is to sort them into kits as well as I can, and then start research. Hopefully the bigger kits will sell, as will the brand-new-still-sealed kits in boxes. Then I can start trying to sell the rest. 

 

With all that is going on right now with the tiny business that I use to feed my family, I need to maximize every penny! 

[lump]

Oh, yeah. I should have added that several of these model cars are indeed Promo models, instead of kits...including some 1st gen Corvettes. 

[Billy Kingsley]

Based on the pictures, the built kits will be $20 at the most...maybe $30 to $50 if they are built but don't have all the trim sanded off. if you're lucky. very few people will buy a kit somebody else has customized as heavily as the builder did here, even if it's a rare kit. If it were me, I'd ask $20 per build and expect to get $10. The red Studebaker, the Nova convertible, the Riviera look like in good shape. The blue Ford with the Track T nose would probably get a little more as well. The red Ford between the Studebaker and the Nova on the table is a fairly rare kit. The others have all been reissued many times over, for instance I just bought a brand new issue of the 1934 Ford pickup in December. 

 

The loose 1/25 parts I'd bring a bag of small ziplocks and say "Fill it for $5". The 1/8 parts will likely bring more for them but I don't really do large scale, so I can't be sure there. Same with promos, I'm not knowledgeable on them. I know some are super expensive, and some are $5, but I don't know which ones. 

 

I'm glad you saved that stuff...most people would probably have just tossed it! 

[Tom99]

14 hours ago, Jim Skelly said:

How about some photos, Tom?

Most, but not all;

 

[Tom99]

Next :

[Tom99]

One more, including Post Cereal Box Cars;

 

[TerryB]

Ok, you win!

[yachtflame]

8 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said:

Wasn't on the 4th of July, but have done it a few times on some bad builds. Firecrackers and sometimes model glue and matches. Fun times as a kid.

I grew up on a 3 acre pond. We’d build war ship models and either put a slow fuse (a stolen cigarette) on a cherry bomb or use a 22 to help in the war scenarios! 
 Boys will be boys!

[Gunsmoke]

Tom99, that's quite a well cared for and impressive collection. What to you do with your spare time!

[Jim Skelly]

On 3/28/2020 at 12:56 AM, Billy Kingsley said:

Missed @lump's haul before. There are a lot of people looking for 1/8 parts. My suggestion? Get a table at your local model show and sell them all piecemeal. (minus what you sell to Pomeroy) You'll do better with guys looking for parts than anything else. It won't be a quick process and a lot of $5 transactions but there are guys who have financed full sized cars and at least one guy financed a house doing this. It takes dedication! 

 

The red Edsel intrigues me. The warp makes me think it was a promo, which used acetate, as opposed to the more stable styrene of the kits, but I've only ever seen them in green, like this one in my collection:

Although I don't do promos as a general rule, only Edsels and El Caminos, and my knowledge of them is not as good as those of kits.  It sure looks like it's from the same AMT tooling that made the original kit and the promo. It's unfortunate that it's in such poor condition...

 

Of course, it may be a promo that the owner repainted as well. That's not unheard of. 

 

I see some late 50s kits that would have brought strong money if they had been unbuilt...the Pontiac or Olds and the Mercury both painted the metallic teal color in particular, but it looks like the former owner customized them by sanding off all the trim, which knocks them from $200+ kits down to $20-50. Bummer. 

 

Ohio is a hotbed of modeling- I think your state has more shows than any other- I could put you in touch with the right people if you want to go that route. If you decide to go that route there are also shows in the surrounding states that would be worth investigating. I don't remember where in Ohio Xenia is but there's a good-sized show in each of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky, so surely one of them would be close enough to visit, if the shows in Ohio don't sell through. Of course most are postponed or cancelled right now.  

Billy,

 

Stacking kits more than 3-4 high will eventually cause the weight of the kits to crush the kits on the bottom.  Regarding the Edsel promo, I have read that the newer promo-type kit (red & black) is not the same tooling as the original '58 Edsel promo.  The turquoise promo is the most commonly seen color, but there was also pale yellow, white, red, pale pink, pale green, pale blue and possibly other colors.   

Edited March 30, 2020 by Jim Skelly
forgot about the pale blue (see edit history)

[Jim Skelly]

1 hour ago, Gunsmoke said:

Tom99, that's quite a well cared for and impressive collection. What to you do with your spare time!

That's quite a collection, Tom.  Just the cost of the display cases is a lot of money!  Thanks for posting.

[John S.]

2 hours ago, Tom99 said:

Next :

Tom99, very nice collection of promos. I have been collecting promos for many years. I always enjoy seeing variations of colors, or dealer's names, or events that the cars were given out for. I especially like dealer cars that have the original boxes..Thanks to everyone for contributing to this site. John

[Ron Green]

So after reading this thread and posting my promo I painted to match my 55 above, I went digging around today and found another one. Not that I want to sell it but out of curiosity what would this be worth (ballpark). Been trying to organize things in the shop for the wife. On the frame it says Jo-Ann, General Motors Corporation, made in Michigan, USA. Thanks in advance.   

[TerryB]

Great model kit.  Company is JO-HAN.  Take a look on eBay for similar kits.

[Ron Green]

24 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Great model kit.  Company is JO-HAN.  Take a look on eBay for similar kits.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Forgot all about eBay. Quit dealing with them years ago. So checking completed items I see a 55 Pontiac assembled / painted with the box sold for $50. A 55 Desoto unassembled with no box sold for $76. For sale prices are all over the place. I think I have another one of these around here somewhere. 

[lump]

14 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said:

Based on the pictures, the built kits will be $20 at the most...maybe $30 to $50 if they are built but don't have all the trim sanded off. if you're lucky. very few people will buy a kit somebody else has customized as heavily as the builder did here, even if it's a rare kit. If it were me, I'd ask $20 per build and expect to get $10. The red Studebaker, the Nova convertible, the Riviera look like in good shape. The blue Ford with the Track T nose would probably get a little more as well. The red Ford between the Studebaker and the Nova on the table is a fairly rare kit. The others have all been reissued many times over, for instance I just bought a brand new issue of the 1934 Ford pickup in December. 

 

The loose 1/25 parts I'd bring a bag of small ziplocks and say "Fill it for $5". The 1/8 parts will likely bring more for them but I don't really do large scale, so I can't be sure there. Same with promos, I'm not knowledgeable on them. I know some are super expensive, and some are $5, but I don't know which ones. 

 

I'm glad you saved that stuff...most people would probably have just tossed it! 

 

Billy, I am deeply grateful for the specific info and advice above. It is MUCH needed, and appreciated. 

 

The 3 ladies in my family who are riding out the COVID-19 "lockdown" with me have agreed to help me to try and sort the already-built models with the spare parts that go with them (and boxes, decal sheets, instructions, etc). I can't wait to share photos of that massive "jig saw puzzle operation" in action! 😜 When we have completed some of them, I'll share more photos...and eagerly await your opinions of some of them. 

 

The complete-in-the-box kits will go on eBay right away. With my business shuttered, a little cash flow would be nice about now! 

 

Thanks again. ------Jim 

[John S.]

3 hours ago, Ron Green said:

 

Thanks for the heads up. Forgot all about eBay. Quit dealing with them years ago. So checking completed items I see a 55 Pontiac assembled / painted with the box sold for $50. A 55 Desoto unassembled with no box sold for $76. For sale prices are all over the place. I think I have another one of these around here somewhere. 

Ron, the JoHan 1955 Pontiac were  reissued  from the original molds , I think in the Eighties. The promo kit thar you have was made after the run of reissue promos. As far as pricing, I would say at the low end, $35.00, high end $55.00 to $65.00. I really like the both  real and models of your 1955 Pontiac. Thanks, John

[Pomeroy41144]

8 hours ago, TerryB said:

Ok, you win!

 

 

How many did he build himself? 

 

[Tom99]

1 hour ago, Pomeroy41144 said:

 

 

How many did he build himself? 

 

211 are dealer promos.

391 That I built myself. With several in process. And, plenty still in boxes.

I’ve been building and collecting model cars, since my Father gave me my first dealer promo in 1955. Yes, I do still have it.

Many of the cereal box cars, I got out of the cereal boxes myself.

In one way I’m lucky, my 23 year old granddaughter, wants all the models, and my 65 Corvette. She has a strong interest in cars, both big and small.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Tom99 (see edit history)

[jpage]

Here's some more progress shots on the ' 75 Chevy truck.

[8E45E]

One of my cabinets with scale models inside.

 

Craig

Edited March 29, 2020 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Billy Kingsley]

You can still buy those Pontiacs directly from Jo-Han. I bought one in Toledo last October. $25 but no interior, that cost extra because it's resin. He was out of them that show.

[Ron Green]

11 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said:

You can still buy those Pontiacs directly from Jo-Han. I bought one in Toledo last October. $25 but no interior, that cost extra because it's resin. He was out of them that show.

 

Thanks Billy and John S for the info. Good to know. I discovered that the other unassembled kits I had I gave to fellow friends that owned 55's so all is well. Also thanks for the PM lump regarding my 55 and model.

[Brass is Best]

Anybody remember the Hubley Metal kits? Dad and I have been working on these in our free time.

Edited March 29, 2020 by Brass is Best (see edit history)

[zepher]

@Brass is Best that looks like the Duesenberg kit I had when I was very young, too young to actually complete the kit.

[John S.]

Brass is Best, nice work on the Hubley  models, I remember they also made a line of Model A and 1932 Chevrolet kits. John

[Dandy Dave]

Hubley Kits. Wow. I forgot about those. Cool! Dandy Dave! 

[Billy Kingsley]

I have one of the Hubley kits but it is beyond my current skill set, or at least it was when I got it. It's a little rough, but not unbuildable.

[TerryB]

I have the 1932 Chevy. It was built in the 1960s and the glue has dried out.  Will have to drag it out sometime and fix it up.