Maybe I shouldn’t post this here , but , here goes . I recently obtained Another Aircraft Carrier . Yup , Like I really needed another one that wasn’t the " Beehive " Enterprise . My Question , burning in my mind , is this .
Like many of my neat finds this came from my favorite Flea Market . It wasn’t among other models or toys . It was inside a Washing Machine ! New , in the box , Never had the plastic removed from the box , and 1/400 scale .
I know , I know , it isn’t 1/350 or 1/200 but who cares ? It was and is a ship model ! A very unusual ship too . The French Nuclear Carrier " Charles De Gaulle "!
My question is this .How much did this kit cost when new ? How old is it ? and when did Heller Release it ? I have a feeling the poor lady had no idea what the value of this large ship model is or was .
Do You ? I don’t and couldn’t even hazard a guess . Based on today’s pricing . I am thinking about $60.00 or higher . How close am I ? Has anyone ever reviewed it ? If so When ?
There is no P.E. And the planes supplied have landing gear like so many toys from long ago . You know little tabs that hang down and hold them off the deck .The molding is sharp and flash free and and molded in very light grey . The decals are on a page as large as the box flat area .
They have large pieces that cover a large portion of the deck and a weird curved piece that you use on the stern for a bootstripe . The little plane decals are spot on and very much in register .
Well , there you have it . Can anyone help me ? I want to return if needed and give the lady a little more cash if she sold it to cheap . Oh , by the way I only paid $ 6.00 for it ! Tanker - Builder
Guess I have to visit that lady . Maybe give her another ten .That way she will be surprised and I will feel I’ve done the right thing . After all flea markets are for deals not robbery . Intentional or otherwise . T.B.
Well, that depends. Since it’s a little old lady, yeah, I could see making the effort you’ve made. In other cases, though, just as, “Let the buyer beware”, “Let the seller educate himself about the items he has for sale.”
If the situation had been different I probably would . She was constantly being asked about the price of stuff and she seemed confused about that .
I think she had never done this before , and had no help or advice . I just thought it would be nice if that was true , to make the gesture.
This goes to who I am . I don’t want to feel that intentionally or accidentally I took advantage of someone . Remember I am over 70 , so morality was drilled into us when I was young .
Taking advantage of someone in this type of situation was considered okay . Maybe with everyone else , but , not with me . My DAD would’ve killed me ! T.B.
P.S. I am going to check with the flea market owners and see if she was really a newbie or this was a sales gimmick ! If it was , Oh Well , shame on her and Good for me . !
…okay, first you’re feeling guilty about the bargain, now you are talking about investigating her (the seller’s) background to see if she ran a scam on you?
As it turned out , this is the story . No overthinking on my part . It was a sales gimmick !
She buys from estate sales and then sells using her oldest boy , daughter or herself as the hapless first - timer . Sooo. No Guilt here . Just got one heck of a deal that’s all !
She was asked to leave before closing , because one of the customers recognised her from elsewhere ! They told owner/mgmt. and owner/mgmt. did their thing . T.B.
Tha community of sellers between the three largest Flea markets are like an association . She took the owners of one market for a two months ride on getting fees reduced till the owners found out the truth .
The family does sell cheap , But , gets real uptight about paying a fair price from other dealers and garage sale folks . In other words they aren’t appreciated for some of what they do . I will be honest , after I got home and started checking I felt like maybe it might’ve been stolen .
Truth .They sold me a model that was NEW and worth more , for six bucks . Great deal ! ! My LHS says the price on the one he has is , With tax $ 94.00
See , when something makes me uneasy , I will , to some , overthink it maybe . But I always want to know I didn’t rip-off someone . That’s all . If I go to a sale and someone has a New Tiger and I know what it’s worth , I ,like Mike and Frank from American Pickers will offer a higher amount than they ask at times . It’s just the way I am . T.B.
That’s why I posted what I did. At a flea market, you’re mostly going to find sellers who are shrewd, even if they don’t know much about a specific item. And there will be some folks who are unloading a lot of things they want to get rid of, but most of those folks have garage and yard sales (where dealers also buy up a lot of the stock that they then flip on their flea market tables, in their bricks-and-mortar locations, or online. If you’re going flea-marketing, I always think of a comment from Andrew “Dice” Clay–“If you can’t party with the big boys, don’t show up!” So, just as the buyer should beware, the seller should educate himself about the value of his items, or he will soon go out of business.
I started the kit yesterday . Geez , What a confusing instruction sheet .This booklet has got to be the worst one I’ve ever seen from Heller ! Anyway she’s certainly going to stand out on my " Bird Farm " shelf !
I am going to use generic 1/400 P.E. from G.M.M. for this build . I believe that it will result in a nice looking ship . T.B.