document.write('\x3cmeta http-equiv=\x22x-dns-prefetch-control\x22 content=\x22off\x22/\x3e\x3col class=\x22tumblr_posts\x22\x3e\x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eGet \x26#8216;em While You Can!\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eOkay, lately I\x26#8217;ve been buying up larger scale models when I can find \x26#8216;em for good prices \x26#8212; namely Corgi 1:32 and GMP 1:35 WW II fighters. Both of these series are no longer being produced (Corgi may still have one 109\x26#8212;Graf\x26#8217;s\x26#8212;coming but I\x26#8217;m not holding my breath), and you can score some for great prices on ebay at the moment. I just love the scale, which I think comes from the 1:32 models I made as a kid. And I think they could be quite collectible down the road, and possibly increase in value, particularly if no one else steps in to make a serious attempt at bringing us more planes in these scales. Hobby Master has plans to roll out one or two a year at most, with a FW 190 due in 2009. And right now that\x26#8217;s it for 1:32. (Sorry: I just don\x26#8217;t count FOV models, as they are more like mass market toys to me \x26#8212; no offense intended.)\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI got this Corgi Hackl 109 at a Tuesday Morning for $40. And the Elder P-51 for $40 on ebay. Not bad \x26#8216;tal. (Not pictured: GMP Aleutian P-40 for $45 delivered).\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22middle\x22 width=\x22600\x22 src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/409976024_5BWQ4-M.jpg\x22 height=\x22386\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22middle\x22 width=\x22600\x22 src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/409975970_zahDJ-M.jpg\x22 height=\x22410\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/409975685_CV5Mn-M.jpg\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eRant of the Week: Buy Low, Sell High!\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eOkay, so today I am going to forego the regular preview and talk about something that just bugs the heck out of me: The elitist view that some of my fellow hobbists hold regarding the sale of models at a profit.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThis comes up time and time again at one of my favorite hangouts \x26#8212; The Model Hangar. It came up this week over a fellow member\x26#8217;s purchase of three Friday the 13th Halifax models by Corgi, which prompted a diatribe from a member about how selfish an act this was and how it hurts the hobby. This was then followed up by a couple members saying they also buy dupes but \x26#8220;never to sell at a profit \x26#8212; they\x26#8217;re not in this hobby to make money but for the enjoyment\x26#8221;.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eGive me a freakin\x26#8217; break people: Who are we to say how anyone should derive enjoyment out of THEIR hobby. If they want to buy 10 of each model in the hopes that the value goes up after they sell out at retail, all the power to them. It\x26#8217;s their money, it\x26#8217;s their storage issues. (They have to explain\u00a0it to their significant others\x26#8230;)\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAre they hurting the hobby? Hell no. They are helping to ensure that models do in fact sell out and that manufacturers continue to make new models \x26#8212; and they are helping to ensure that the money we put into the hobby somewhat holds its value over time.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eHave I done this? Sure! Over the years I\x26#8217;ve come across several Flying Mule White 11\x26#8217;s for good prices and flipped them on ebay for a tidy profit. So what? I use this money to fund more models, and to fund my web site. I don\x26#8217;t do it to try to put my kids through college or pay the mortage. But if someone wants to try to do that, that is their business.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI don\x26#8217;t know about you, but it hurts a bit when I sell a model on ebay for %20 of what I paid for it, which happens plenty \x26#8212; it is tough to sell even in-demand models right now for good prices in this economy. So, when I find a chance to do the opposite, I\x26#8217;ll jump on it if I can part with the models in question.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22middle\x22 width=\x22400\x22 src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/405372513_qKy96-S.jpg\x22 height=\x22267\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eExample: Gaincorp 1:72 Sukhois are in demand right now on ebay. They have sold out at retail, are the only Russian birds in this scale, and there are people out there willing to pay a premium for them. I know this through my observations of the market. So why should I not take advantage of it? Am I actually expected to offer them up to fellow collectors for what I paid for them? I\x26#8217;ve done this a few times for collector friends, I\x26#8217;m still waiting for the inverse to happen\x26#8230;. and perhaps someday it will.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI had four Su-34s, and all but one were in storage and likely to never see the light of day due to space limitations. So, I sold the three of them for an average price of $180 each. Not bad when I bought them all for less than $50 each. This money went straight to the wife \x26#8212; with the full \x26#8220;ain\x26#8217;t it great\x26#8221; story \x26#8212; to help make a dent in some of the zinc-related debt I\x26#8217;ve accumulated over the years. It made me feel good, and the wife feel better. What\x26#8217;s bad about that?\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAbsolutely nothing.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eWith the interest that\x26#8217;s out there right now in Corgi\x26#8217;s FTT Halifax, buying an extra or two is not a bad idea in my book. And it certainly does not hurt the hobby in the least.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eEveryone has the same chance to buy models at release. You may chose to wait and see if a model won\x26#8217;t sell and will drop in price. If the opposite happens and you are left out in the cold, should you really expect collectors that have one or more to sell the model to you at cost, or for less?\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you think so, please do explain that logic to me using the comment field below, I would love\u00a0to\u00a0hear\u00a0opposing viewpoints \x26#8212; and don\x26#8217;t forget to help me understand why\u00a0this logic\u00a0does not apply to any other form of \x26#8220;collecting\x26#8221; that I\x26#8217;m aware of. And I certainly wish it applied to real estate \x26#8212; I\x26#8217;d have loved the chance to buy my house in the Bay Area for what it would have cost 20 years ago.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cblockquote\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3eCDC Armour Collection JASDF F-4 Phantom #5046\x3c/b\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3c/blockquote\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cb\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22middle\x22 width=\x22600\x22 src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/404682269_Bd9Mf-M.jpg\x22 height=\x22394\x22/\x3e\u00a0\x3c/b\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22middle\x22 width=\x22600\x22 src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/404682326_V9cn7-M.jpg\x22 height=\x22261\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you\x26#8217;re a regular visitor to my site you already know I\x26#8217;m a Phantom nut. And my collecting \x26#8220;sickness\x26#8221; began with CDC\x26#8217;s 1:100 Phantoms. After ignoring the line for years while I focused on newer, larger scales, I\x26#8217;ve started trying to add all the CDC Phantoms I can find to my hangar. Here\x26#8217;s one of my latest additions \x26#8212; and it was not easy to find at all, particularly at a reasonable price. I got it on ebay, missing the outter blue cardboard packaging, for $25 in September of 2008.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eCDC Armour Collection IDF Longbow, 1:100\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3e\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eMy addiction to military aircraft model can be traced back to the launch of the 1:100 line of Armour Collection models, which were originally put out by CDC of Milan, Italy. This line was the precursor for the Armour Collection 1:48 series, which is now put out by Franklin Mint. I do believe FM is still overing a small selection of 1:100 models, but these are being phased out.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/401416609_B69bd-S.jpg\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eWhat can I say: I still like them! Perhaps it\u2019s mainly for nostalgia, as the line is not aging well compared to newer releases. But the 1:100 scale is pretty much dead, and I like the size, so I still pick up interesting models from the line when I can. Prices have really dropped on the aftermarket\u2014take this IDF Apache, for example (Art: #5264). It is one of the harder-to-find Apaches from the series I believe but I got it for $15\u2014and many CDC 1:100\u2019s that used to go for $30-$60 on ebay are now going for this amount or less. The only mold that seems to be holding its value is the Phantom, particularly the RAF schemes. I think the line will regain value way down the road, but who knows.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eBut I digress. Here are a few shots of my IDF Longbow, which I will eventually post with a review on my main site: (\x3ca href=\x22http://www.diecastace.com/\x22\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://www.diecastace.com\x22\x3ehttp://www.diecastace.com\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/a\x3e).\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/401416645_3H3wD-S.jpg\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://dabspk.smugmug.com/photos/401416688_W9Qcm-S.jpg\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp style=\x22margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 33.75pt;\x22 class=\x22MsoNormal\x22\x3eMy main complaint is that the Rotor assembly just kind of sits in hole in the top of the fuselage, and it fits loosely so it\u2019s tough to get the blades to perfectly horizontal. (And man, do those CDC stands really suck\u2026)\x3c/p\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a\x3c/ol\x3e');