1:43 Vehicle Buying Spree

Bob,

You have acquired some nice vehicles.  I am sending you an email concerning the vehicles you said you will be wanting to sell.

Bob I have sent an email to you also.

 

Sorry Bob, I just noticed that you said that the above pictured items are not for sale at the moment. If you have an extra Samba bus email me. Thanks!

 

By the way very nice collection of items you have there. I am also on a vehicle buying spree even though I don't have any more room for them.

I have found nice vehicles in Cracker Barrels and in larger truck stops along the interstate.  Usually I find them on sale with an addition percent off.  Same with some of the larger drug store chains.

Bob, looks like you caught the 1:43 bug pretty good.

 

Look ahead as to what your needs will be in the future before selling too many vehicles. You will be surprised just how easy it is to chew them up when you put your road system down.

Bob,

PTC is spot on. I thought I would not need many myself. Before I knew it I had already purchased 165 pieces. I had room for more and decided to hold back. As you know those little buggers are not cheap.

It's a disease I tell ya.   I had to go to Collectors Anonymous a few years back.   I went nuts buying the Road Champs 1:43 Police Cars (I spent 30+ years on the job).  Got a couple of those giant plastic storage containers full of them.  Got a couple more with civilian vehicles as well.  I was able to quit collecting the 1:43 vehicles when I started drinking again (just kidding).

 

Chief Bob (Retired)

I've been doing a bit of the same, acquiring BTC transit pieces, BaCity and County Police and Fire, MD State Police pieces. Could kick myself for not picking up a BTC Fishbowl bus when they were 60 bucks, now upwards of a buck 20 with shipping. I'll not have one at those prices. But have added all to my "Baltimore" train which features local brands, and teams.

Stretched into PA for the UTZ truck to go with Mr. Boh.

Hall highlighted by my Natty Boh cars. 

Chief Bob, I know your pain.  Whatever it is, I always need more than one (wife - exclusion).  I buy one, then another, then, it's on to collecting.  Even when drinking, one bourbon is not enough.  I need Jack, Jim, and, Wild Turkey, and then there are the sweet bourbons.  well, that's another story.  The people that make this stuff know we're all hooked.   

I've been on a buying spree lately also. It also seems like everything I wantn is expensive. I still have about 50 diecast vehicles under the layout still unwrapped.

Spence, what's nice about that, is that the longer they sit under the layout, it's like Christmas when you finally unwrap them.  Oh, WOW!, I completely forgot I had one of those!  Happens to me all the time!  Bob S,

I love the limo from the "Cars" movies. I collect stuff with the Sarge character on it (as I have a real WW2 Jeep in my garage) and usually buy anything from 'Cars' that is 1930s or military related. I wouldn't have them on my layout but as you can see I do have a place for them:

I saw one of those limos at a Disney store last year (can't recall the character's name right now) and have bene kicking myself for not buying it...

I will give you $150.00 for all of them.

Nick:  To whom are you offering $150 to, for what?  Bob

Hi Bob,

 

Do you have a 1:43 Batmobile or Monkeemobile?

If you're going full-bore whimsical with vehicles, you gotta have a 1/43 scale "Back to the future" Delorean time machine as well as a Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. Both can easily be found in that scale...

Bob,

Save yourself large amounts of frustration early on. Decide what era you're layout will represent and do not waiver. I thought that my 1925-1941 time period would be an easy choice..........wrong.

 

Bob, It's your playtime. Do whatever it takes to maintain your sanity.

Yeah, I am very tightly confined to vehicles prior to 1941, in a very rural and economically depressed area of the Tennessee mountains, and taking place during gas rationing in WW2. That removes a lot of cars from my overall concept that are out there. Actually, it removes most of them. I see all these really neat car models and think, "Cool, but it wouldn't work," sigh, and then move on.

I'm not into whimsy on a layout, but I must concede that those who don't restrain their concept as tightly as I have probably have more fun in some ways. But then again, they probably spend a lot more money in the end than I do...

Well, my layout does not model anything in particular.  It is trains, trains and more trains. It's evenly divided between passenger and freight trains, but, again, it's all trains.  I made up auto and truck carrying trains because I like autos, trucks and of course, trains.  It's different than anything most folks expect, no towns, no villages and no streets.  I have no room for anything but trains.  They go round and round, they smoke, whistle and make other sounds.  And I enjoy them for  what they do, and how they look.  It's how I enjoy this hobby.  

My grandson found this truck in his Easter basket, today we evicted the REA trailers, and mounted the John Deere.

 

 

Jim,

Thats a nice looking tractor trailor.  I see why REA was evicted.

White Mustang Super Power........ Always liked White Motor's trucks!

PLEASE!!!! What is this......my grandson collects Disney Cars......we ain't seen that one!!!!

Name etc......THANKS

Dave, 

 

That looks like Big D from the 1:43 Private Eye set.  There are several sets on the 'bay.  My kids collect them too 

 

-Dustin

Jada Toys is supposed to be releasing some 1:43 vehicles from Jurassic World (and the previous JP films) in the near future.  Not my region or era, but I may have to include them anyway!

 

My 1:43 collecting goes in sprees too, Bob, and its not because I go to one site and buy a lot at once.  Instead, something usually triggers an interest in a particularly type of car and then I go shopping on all the sites for that particular theme.  For example, about a year ago, while trying to find a 1:43 model of a very early Cobra, I stumbled upon a wonderful model of an AC Greyhound (essentially, a long wheelbase coupe version of the AC Ace, the convertible that became the Cobra).  I bought it and then decided I needed other late-'50s/early '60s  "gentlemen's express" coupes from small British companies.  I ended up buying nearly a dozen competitors to the Greyhound, including the famous Astons and Jags,but many lesser known brands like Bristol, Jensen, Elva, Alvis, Daimler, etc.  

 

 

 

Until very recently I was "in between sprees," but last week I wanted something a bit flashier for my boatbuilder's lot - the type of car you would see at a yacht builders in the early '50s.   Now I would like to add a few more upscale, major manufacturer, rare cars from the late 40s/early 50s.  The Franklin mint Chyrsler Town and Country is a model of a specific car that sold at Bonham's auction about two years ago.  It is not the most detailed, but looks good and because of its "woody" nature, the seams of its opening doors don't look bad.   The other is a real find for me, a 1953 Oldsmobile Fiesta, the top of the line, rare (fewer than 500) Olds cruiser that sold for nearly twice what the 98 sedan did.  Its Brooklin  and heavy, and again not really detailed like the latest NEO, but very good looking, and just the thing to park in front of a yacht builders.

 

I'm now looking for other low-production cars similar to the Fiesta and no doubt will find some in the next month to continue the spree. 

 

I don't have an era picked out to build my layout.  I have a Big Boy, AC4400 and a GP35.  I have been picking up cars and trucks when i see them for a decient price.  The olded antique type vehicles may just end up in a car show in my town.

It's fun to pick one era and concetrate on that, and it definately looks weird if you mix eras with your cars: at any time a city street will have a miux of newer and older cars, but putting 2005 and 1935 cars on a street together is too far.  I generally go with a range of 15 years.  

 

But I also like to change all the cars on the layout from one to another era.  It is quite effective and changing the look and feel of the layout just by itself, without altering anything else.  I have enough models to fill my downtown with pre-war (1920s up to 1941 cars), or for the era I really model (late pre-war to mostly post-war to 1955) or for the late '60s (1950 - 1969).  Its fun and I like to do it eveyr once in a while.  

Dave it is called Big D.  There is a private eye set on eBay right now, buy-it-now, $49.95 with free shipping.  Item number is 301545506527.  Also, Big D alone is being offered in Great Britain for about $25 alone, but I'm not sure of the shipping cost.  Bob S.