Howdy folks, a few months ago my uncle passed away, and left us with his incredibly extensive collection of models. He was one of those guys who would buy models to take parts from them and make other models with them, some of them were pretty incredible. However in addition to the things he had built up there are hundreds upon hundreds of unopened boxes of various models and figurines he hadn't even touched. He was kinda a shut-in with some slight OCD going on. He had these boxes in his main room stacked probably 8 feet tall and taking up all the floor space, with small walkways carved around the edges. That's how many unopened modles we're talking about. The vast majority of these unopened boxes are of WWII models - troops, tanks, planes, boats, warships, jeeps, troop transports, etc, of every nationality and every army - Brits, the French, Germans, Japanese, etc. Hundreds upons hundreds of these things. There are the occasional sci-fi or fantasy model or figurine but the vast majority are of the WWII era. So a few months ago my mother carts all this stuff back to California when my grandparents moved in with her, where it is currently taking up every square inch of her garage. As you can see she wants to start selling some of these models (particularlly the unopened ones) and naturally turns to me as her geek in trust. Problem is I know jack squat about models, fantasy figurines, or any of that stuff. In addition to models he also has a lot of interesting things - old D&D books, board games, various random collectables, etc. Does anyone out there know of any good sites or boards where model builders frequent? I need to start researching the value of some of this stuff. Also some of the models are from Japanese companies which I can't read but I know some of you guys can, can I ask for some translation services? Thanks in advance.
My mate was into model building and I must admit I paid little attention to his long rambling discussions about how much he paid for various box sets etc, but I know he could only afford it because he was single, lived in a one bedroom flat and had no kids! Some of the figures he mentioned (money terms) were very high! What I'd do is tentatively contact various model shops and get their opinion. List every single item, put it onto an Excel sheet and start adding it all up. Goldmine is the word that comes to mind as model makers are a breed apart!
Airfix was one of my hobbies as a kid, and I later on ended up a hardcore Warhammer player. I don't do much now, but I sell a lot of the stuff still through Ebay. Airfix etc aren't great sellers unless they are old and mint/near mint condition. The Warhammer and more specialist wargames stuff however, go like hot cakes.
Word to the wise. When you get quotes try to get them from a place that doesn't buy less they try to lowball you thinking they might get a deal.
Thanks Snow, good advice. Currently I'm going over there on the weekends to try and catalog this hoard. Problem is they live pretty far away, so I can't just pop overthere whenever I feel like it. And it is truly a horde, I don't think I'll be finished anytime soon.
Yes I do though I'm more or less what they call Gunpla modellers. You can see some of them on my blog here. ^ ^ And to be frank the expensive bit is more or less to do with variety of etching option kits... Plastic injection kit themselves aren't that expensive and the tools are although bit pricey for the initial outlay but you're going to use them for eons~
Try hobbytalk.com for the models. Click forums along the top, then on models to get into that section, and post under Model Swap & Sell.
*Raises hand* I quite like gunpla modeling. In fact, I'm in the middle of assembling a Gundam Mk. II.
Looks like you know your way around an airbrush. Anyway, I really like your work! It makes me want to invest in an airbrush!
