Dad keeps buying kits at garage sales

General Discussion General Modeling Discussion
1

I hope no one considers this crass, especially since I think this is my first post here, but I’m here to ask about monetary value. My father is a garage sale nut, and he’s been having some fun buying up model kits since he knows I’m a model-kit nut. However, since most of what he buys isn’t the kind of stuff I build, I’ve been selling it to finance what I do want. Dad’s happy with that arrangement and has passed on my offers to split any profits, which haven’t been huge so far and I’d never be interested in trying to gouge people. I’ve considered starting to sell some of it on eBay, but haven’t tried it yet.

So, I’m here to ask about whether some of what he’s picked up recently is what some would consider a “grail” kit. I’m not asking what it’s worth – I haven’t even seen the kits yet and probably won’t until spring, so I don’t know their condition – I’m just asking whether any of this stuff leaps off the screen at anyone. All of it is likely to be listed for sale soon after I get it, and I guarantee I won’t be looking to finance my retirement by selling kits.

Here’s the list Dad gave me; I’m not sure about the company names so I’m just repeating what he’s sent me:

Aurora/ESCI
1/72 Panther A “Prestige Series”. Made in Italy, printed and packaged in the U.S.A.

Tamiya
M5A1 U.S. Light Tank with figure, Miniature Military Series, 1/35 scale.

T/34/76 1942 Production Model Russian Tank

Russian Tank Destroyer SU-85 with figure. 1/35 Military Miniature Series.

Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind w/four realistic figures, 1/35 Miniature Military Series. Instructions are in Japanese only.

German Hanomag Sdkfz 2511, 1/35 Military Miniatures Series

British Red Cross Ambulance Rover 7, 1/35 Military Miniatures Series

U.S. Armoured Command Post Car M577, 1/35 Military Miniatures Series

Revell/Italaerei?
Hetzer Tank Destroyer w/commander and driver figures.

Assault Tank M-40-M-41 Self Propelled Gun 1/35 scale

Panzer IV Sd.kfz 161-/1 F1-F2-GO, 1/35 scale, Tank Crew of 3 Mobile Suspension (Dad says the company is Italaerei; I’m wondering if he means Italeri)

Command Car Horch Kfz 15, 1/35 scale, Horch German Command Car with Officer and Driver figures.

U.S. Army-Und MaBstan 1/35 Wehrmachtsbenainkanister

Feujimi-Fujimimokei Co.
1/48 North American P-51D Mustang

Minicraft-Hasegawa
Russia’s Top Secret Mig-25 Foxbat-A

Thanks for looking. I appreciate any info I can get, even if it’s just letting me know this is a pile of extremely common, cheap stuff.

2

Italaerei changed the spelling to Italeri. Revell packaged a lot of Italeri kits in Germany. Nothing rare or extraordinary that hasn’t been re-released or surpassed by more modern kits.

“U.S. Army-Und MaBstan 1/35 Wehrmachtsbenainkanister” I’ve got no idea what this kit is.

“U.S. Armoured Command Post Car M577, 1/35 Military Miniatures Series” This is still the only model of the M577 Command track out. Nice thing about this kit is that you can mate it with any other M113 kit to update it to a modern variant.

Again, some of the older boxes may be of value to a collector, but most of the kits aren’t worth a whole lot.

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Troutman,
if you have time (and it sounds like you do) you can check prices for kits on some of the online hobby shops like www.greatmodels.com or www.squadron.com.

if the kits are OOP, then search for auctions on eBay for people selling same thing or similar and get a feel for demand or pricing.

ed.

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All my dad ever bought were bottles of Scotch. Count your blessings, :slight_smile:

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Wow, he got all those at garage sales??? I have been diligently searching the “garbage” sales in western Wisconsin for the last 10 years and have only found about three kits. This area must be a “black hole” for model building. I’m still searching for the “mother-lode” kit sale. Maybe some day…

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I have not attended one yet, but I heard that sometimes you can get good models at estate sales.
mark956

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Thanks for the information, folks.

Dad’s a garage-sale wizard; give him time, he’ll find you just about anything. Plus, he gets up so early that he’s always the first one there, so he gets to pick through the goods before anyone else sees them. What I posted above is just a lot of the armor; I didn’t even get into the car kits and 1/35 figures and equipment.

8

Your dad must be a kit magnet, because I’ve never found so much as an old tube of glue at one of those things.

9

benain might be a spelling error for benehmen which is a word for behaviour or your conduct?