TOPIC:

I suspect Martin's theory is probably closest so far. I think we should watch the prices for a bit & see if the peaks are on a 4-weekly basis

BramMeijer wrote:

Personally i don't care about NIB prices, i wanna get the most fun out of the restoration of my old tamiya's. I do on occasion buy a NIB but i have 1 rule not to spend more then 250 euro on a NIB because i otherwise feel i could get more tamiya's to restore for the same amount of money
Cheers, Bram

I definitely understand the fun of restoration. But I actually find it more fun to restore cars that have no other option but restoration - for example, ultra rare cars for which there are virtually no NIB examples in any recorded history on the internet.

Otherwise, to me restoration has a downside, especially when dealing with cars that are commonly available, and not unaffordable in NIB form. Restoration takes twice or ten times as long as a new build. And you are dealing with all the rubbish and mistreatment handed out to the car, by some other person - a person who probably had the pleasure of building that car from brand new. In a sense I think "Why should he have the clean, brand new enjoyment, and why should I have to deal with his sloppy seconds?"

I have had cars in the past that smelled like smoke, or were full of other disgusting grime that had a terrible odour

When I look back, the most joy I've ever had building cars, was building them from brand new. From kits or at least new parts. Everything is as it should be, and it just works.

In a sense, I feel like I have invested so much in this hobby over the years, that I'm at the point where - before I die - I want to experience the fun of every car I like, in brand new kit form. Nothing less.

If I found out tomorrow that I was dying, I would stop all restorations immediately. Who wants to clean other people's mess in their last days? I would do nothing but buy and build new kits to see how they went together, and enjoy the nice new kit smell.

cheers,
H.

eddrick wrote:

I suspect Martin's theory is probably closest so far. I think we should watch the prices for a bit & see if the peaks are on a 4-weekly basis

Current theory is that male hormones cycle on a 33-day basis

Hibernaculum wrote:

...
I have had cars in the past that smelled like smoke, or were full of other disgusting grime that had a terrible odour
...

I know what you mean - I've had several cars that smelled of stale Rothmans & chip fat ... And a couple where I suspect the reason for sale was that they'd been driven through a big pile of dog (or fox) nasty & the owner was too squeamish to clean it


I think the most enjoyable builds for me have been the most involved ones, older designs with hard bodies & mostly metal chassis, where I've had to use a variety of restoration & fabrication techniques - and either improving my methods and/or learning new ones ... for me, that's what it takes to recapture the fun/nostalgia of my first build - even if I had eveything the same from that first build, NIB vintage Grasshopper etc, it wouldn't be the same, because it couldn't capture the feeling of doing something new & more challenging than the Meccano, Lego & plastic aeroplane kits I'd build before.

I enjoyed building all 3 of the NIB I ever owned, & yeah I'd defo have another if I could. Wouldn't matter what it was, I just enjoy the building.
I couldn't build 2 or more of the same thing though, I find it a bit mind-numbing having the right bits presented to me & told where to put them & how, & I feel there's something missing not having to clean or fix the bits first. There's only so much skill-improvement you can get from building new kits.

Most of the stuff I do is "End of life", (Mainly cos I can't afford anything else), but I'd say I enjoy these restos more, but in a different way to new builds.
It's more of a challenge to bring something back from the dead, to work out how you're gonna fix it &/or what you can afford to fix & what HAS to be fixed rather than bought (Through lack of available spares or cash to buy them with).

These sort of restos often teach you new skills & every one gives you a greater sense of achievement than the last, especially if I've managed to "make it better than the manufacturer intended" in the process - this provides challenges, thought & learning in itself.
I also get great enjoyment out of scratch making parts too, so if I can integrate that with a resto, I do, for that extra pride of "I did that"