123 in 2023

My stash is too big, so I'm going to reduce it by 123 models in 2023!

Okay, I have to be honest with myself and admit that that's an overly ambitious goal, but it sounds catchy and it captures the spirit of this downsizing effort, so I'm sticking with it.

Here's the thing -- having a large stash (in my experience) presents three very real problems.

First, I'll never build them all. I have 25 to 30 years of good eyesight and hand/eye coordination left to build models, so at my current rate of 5 models per year, that's just 150 models. Even if I double my build rate, that's only 300 models. Suffice to say, I have many more unbuilt models than that, not to mention new kits that we'll see see in the coming years. There's a psychological effect when I realize I can't build everything; it's depressing to look at, for example, that Hasegawa F-111E or the Trumpeter T-64AV and realize I may never build them. 

Second, my stash consists of many models that I find less interesting than others, so there's a risk of my wasting time building models that don't bring me joy. This has happened. Time is precious. Shouldn't I focus on the most enticing subjects and dispose of the others?

Finally, I really don't want to leave hundreds of models to my heirs when I go to the Great Hobby Shop in the Sky. I've seen a lot of modelers talk about the disposition of their stashes with, "I'll be dead, so I don't care what happens to my models." That crass attitude ignores the burden that your family or friends will endure to pack, organize, and sell your models. 

Just over two months into my downsizing, I can say that selecting models for sale is difficult. Like you, I can point to every model in my stash and tell you how I intend to paint it, the markings I'll use, and the weathering I envision. I bought each model for a reason (at the time), so I'm making tough choices.

Ultimately, I think 60-70 models seems more realistic than 123, but I expect to continue the task through 2024 and beyond. The models that remain on the shelves will be those I'm most passionate about. They are likely to be 1/72 aircraft from the 1960-2000 time period, roughly 25 1/48 modern aircraft from the same period, and 1/35 Soviet, Russian, and Israeli armor. Everything else is a candidate for culling.

I feel good about this. There's very little risk, in fact. As a fellow blogger pointed out a few years ago, if you sell something and then want to build it in the future, odds are you'll be able to buy it again. And, I would add, buying it with a strong, compelling desire to actually build it and not put it back on a shelf.

Even more eBay insanity

Gosh, it’s been well over a year since I shared an eBay insanity post, but the laughs have not stopped. Here’s another round of auction items that made me wonder aloud, “WTF?”

With all due respect to Admiral David Nichols and his service to the United States (he retired as Deputy Commander of US Central Command in 2007), I find it hilarious that the seller of this photo was asking $899 about a year ago. You can find autographed photos of Presidents Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama at the same price point. (Autographs of the Kardashians will set you back much less.) I see that the price is now down to $180.

Okay, it’s pretty cool that someone saw that this Frito-Lay Sun Chip looks like a jet and is willing to sell it to the right aviation enthusiast. But $999? I don’t think so.

If you enjoy sloppy seconds, $19.99 will get you this model. I hope the seller included what was left of his tube of Squadron Green Putty. Oh, and if you’re in the US you’ll need to tack on an additional $17 for postage from the Italian seller.

For just $14.99 you can buy this model of the Space Shuttle…less the Space Shuttle itself. Really? On the upside, the seller claims it was owned by a former NASA engineer.

I’ll never understand why people believe that old, yellowed decals are worth anything more than one dollar. Hell, anything at all! Here’s another example of a demented eBay seller offering decals that would look like shit on your model, assuming you could get them off the paper. The price? $15.

I’ve shared a few eBay auctions of slides that have sold for over $200, but this one takes the cake. The seller was asking $405 for this slide of a C-124, which would be insulting enough if it hadn’t been marked down from the original price of $899.

eBay decal insanity

It’s been a long time since I shared some of the outrageous, model-related listings I’ve seen on eBay. I never expected it to stop, of course, but the ongoing insanity gives us another opportunity to laugh at some of the junk people try to sell on eBay. This time, it’s all about decals.

For just $5.00 – the price of a venti coffee at Starbucks – you can be the proud owner of these old, yellowed decals from a Monogram 1/72 F8F Bearcat. Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll look great once applied to your latest masterpiece.

Experienced modelers know that we can fix a lot of things, but water or mildew stained decals is not one of them. Here's a sheet of 1/72 F/A-18 decals.

A sane person would toss these Mosquito decals out with today’s vegetable scraps, but not this eBay seller. At least he (or she) opened bidding at just over one dollar.

Here’s a crappy sheet of decals for your Hawk that will set you back just 1.15 GBP.

Are you looking for a set of completely useless decals for your Revell F-4? (And I know you are.) This set was available for $6.99 last year. Put them in a south-facing window for five to eight years and maybe, just maybe, that yellow decal film will fade away.

Enjoy earlier moments of eBay insanity here and here.

Those crazy eBay prices

A recurring subject of conversation on the discussion forums and Facebook groups is the exorbitant prices we often see on Amazon for models and books in particular. I wrote about those crazy Amazon prices some time ago, and now we’re seeing algorithmic pricing on eBay. There are many companies offer software that allows eBay sellers to monitor product pricing across eBay and Amazon and adjust the prices of the seller’s items automatically.

I’d noticed some unusually high-priced models on eBay recently, but when I saw this one, a Fujimi 1/72 TA-4J for over $500, I had to dig a little deeper.

I’ve always suggested contacting sellers when you see an item that appears to be priced too high — I mean, typos do happen — so I thought I’d do just that with the seller of this model. I got right to the point:

"Hi. Is this price correct? It seems very expensive."

To their credit, the seller responded within an hour:

"Hello, thank you for contacting us. This is correct price. The sales volume of this item is decreasing, so the selling price is rising. Thank for understanding.”

I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the seller. They’re paying for algorithmic pricing software but being poorly served by it. A quick search of completed eBay listings finds the same kit having sold recently for $31 and $36, with others going unsold for $29 and $30. Clearly, this model isn’t as pricey as the software believes. I could see the software suggesting a price of maybe $50, but $500 suggests to me it’s missing the mark, by a lot.

Everybody knows that no one is going to pay $500 for that Skyhawk; well, everyone except the seller it would seem. Seeing the listing provides an interesting view into the world of eBay and Amazon sellers. I wonder how much revenue they’re missing by relying too heavily on technology.

BTW, if you get a big tax refund in the next couple of months and intend to lay down $500 for the Skyhawk, I have one in my stash that I’ll let go for just $300.

More eBay insanity

A few months ago I wrote about some of the silly postings I’d seen on eBay, and needless to say the insanity continues. I don’t expect it to stop, which gives us another opportunity to enjoy and laugh at some of the crap people try to sell on eBay and via other venues. Enjoy!

This Testors F4U Corsair was described as “parts only…as is,” and “nice.” I think a more accurate description would’ve been “Testors F4U Corsair, nothing but sprues.” At least the Buy It Now was only $2.00, which buys you a good bit of sprue to stretch.

This “rare” Dragon 1/35 Shilka was offered on one of the buy/sell forums for $38 earlier this year. Nevermind that a.) there were five kits just like it on eBay at lower prices, b.) the last kit like this one to sell on eBay went for $22, and c.) there were two new-tool kits in the pipeline at the time.

If a decal sheet can be considered “rare,” the Two Bobs F-14A Splintered Tomcat sheet would qualify. An eBay seller listed this one at a Buy It Now price of $70. I could admire this capitalist for being optimistic, but see that he’d had it listed at that price for more than eight months makes me think otherwise. If your high-priced item hasn’t sold in, I don't know, six months, it just might be overpriced.

Described as having been acquired from a police locker, the seller of this “Vintage Model Kit panzer Kampfwagen ll Ausf F/G” priced at $109.99, should be arrested for price gauging.

eBay insanity

Spend more than five minutes searching or browsing the plastic model categories on eBay and you’ll run across all kinds of quixotic listings — so called “rare” models, prices that will literally make you LOL, kits in various stages of assembly or disrepair, and shipping fees so high that Kate Upton should deliver the item directly to your doorstep. eBay has long been a source of amusement to many of us, and at my suggestion several years ago the host of the Aircraft Resource Center even created the The Ridiculously Overpriced Thread to share noteworthy listings.

You can read through that thread, but here are a few items I’ve found on eBay over the last few months that made me chuckle.

This Tu-2 was listed as master modell tupolew tu-2 1/72 model plane partially assembled. The absence of capital letters would suggest that the seller's Shift key was broken, but oddly enough the item description was in ALL CAPs. Nevermind that, you’ve had nearly six months to buy this model, so what are you waiting for? On a positive note, since it's partially built, you won't have to spend much time turning it into a masterpiece to win the Judges' Grand Award at the IPMS Nats this summer. Priced at only $19.99.

It’s no secret that decals can truly become rare and hard to find. And expensive when you can find them. I noticed these worn, yellowed ESCI decals back in December for the low, low price of $20. Apparently the seller doesn't realize that no one has used ESCI decals since Jimmy Carter was President. Hey, at least shipping was free.

Who in the hell is buying incomplete models? Okay, maybe one or two of you are gamblers, but I'm not taking a chance that some key component, like a wing, might be missing. But if you're willing to take that chance, you may be interested in this P-38, which the seller described as Revell P-38J Lightning Model Set 1:48 Scale Might Be Incomplete. At least he’s honest, but someone should tell him that you can find complete kits for less than the $19.99 Buy It Now of this mess. I have to wonder if the seller has asked himself why it hasn’t sold in the six months it’s been listed.

As always my friends, bid often, bid high, or buy it now!

The bargains you (don't) find on eBay

I'm always amused by the weird things and downright junk I regularly find on eBay. Until recently it was the guy who sells half-used, cut up decal sheets at top dollar, but over the weekend I found this auction, for an Academy 1/72 PV-1 Ventura. As you can see from the picture of the model, almost all of the parts are off the sprues, and the interior, engine, and props have been (badly) painted. The Buy It Now price? How does $24 strike you, plus $9 shipping?

I might (might) be able to justify buying this kit if it were extremely rare, but it's not. There are at least nine other Venturas on eBay selling for less than $24.

I just hope one of my SMS friends here isn't the seller!

Buying a model one part at a time

In season 1 of M*A*S*H there was an episode titled "Dear Dad" in which Radar attempts to mail an entire Army jeep back home to Ottumwa, Iowa...one part at a time. I think that brief scene was based on actual attempts by soldiers in World War Two to do the same thing, but either way it was amusing.

You can imagine my surprise when I found this auction on eBay. Yes, it's for just the upper half of the right wing of a Heller 1/72 DC-6. Bidding starts at 99 cents with a Buy It Now price of $15.

If you want to buy that Heller kit one part at a time, you'll be thrilled to know that you can find the lower wing assembly, horizontal stabs, engines, and landing gear from the same seller. No sign of the fuselage. Maybe he'll hold it over your head for a cool $100 after you've bought the aforementioned items.

If you're not intrigued by this weird model buying program, you can always buy a lifesize M&M Lady Brown from the same seller. She's kinda hot (who doesn't like chocolate?) but has that same look your wife or girlfriend gives you when you show her all the detail you added to that P-51 cockpit.

Do we have any takers?

Something for the true Phantom phanatic

You're an aviation enthusiast, right? You claim to be a "Phantom phanatic?" Okay then, put your money where you mouth is and buy this F-4 engine cover I noticed on eBay this morning.

You have a day and half to bid as I write this. I'd love to buy it, but I don't have any good ideas on what to do with it. Maybe build a circular frame for it and display it on a wall? What do you think?