# Some eBay buyer has lost his mind



## Tim Casey (Dec 4, 2004)

And the seller is probably pinching himself to see if he's really awake:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Aurora-Dracula-1969-Model-Kit-Unopened-/270671026044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0540177c

He's selling sealed frightening lightning long boxes of Dracula, Phantom, Prisoner, and Frankenstein, and right now it looks like his grandfather's old models are going to bring him over $3000.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

I've been watching this auction and bidding as well ( no I'm not the top bidder)...That's some serious coin for those kits and it ain't over yet...
Mcdee


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

The rarest of the rare still brings record bucks. Its got to be something in high demand and low supply and minty mint...with a sprig of mint.


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

"1youcantrust?" Hopefully, he's not made of stainless steel.

I hope everything is legit with him. I didn't see any location information on him. I've known some people who've gotten burned on ebay when things seemed "too good to be true."


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## IanWilkinson (Apr 23, 2010)

I agree with the Perfesser!!... if i was going to spend over $1000 on a kit i would ask for a serial no or another close-up of the box.. as the seller even said his camera was not operating correctly??..


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## Chinxy (May 23, 2003)

Well somebody is going to have a good Christmas!:thumbsup:

Chinxy!:dude:


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

I'll admit, I'd want lots more pics as well. The few rare kits I've sold had lots of pics, pics of every side panel. Mine didnt bring that much....maybe I had to many pics. LOL. Its hard to believe someone would pay that much with so little info. Esp. since the guy selling really doesnt know "that" much about the kits as they were his ( supposed) grandfathers. I think its probably all legit, but still, it makes you go hmmmm...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

It just boils down to who sees it, who has the $$$, etc. You get two collectors with extra cash in a bidding war and the price goes up.

Pictures can be meaningless. When i sold my Moon Bus I had a guy who kept bashing me saying my unbuilt kit was painted because the parts were molded in dark grey and not off white. Thats just how the kit was but he didn't want to believe the pictures!


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

This is making me wonder if my Lindberg "Slick Slacks" car kit would command this much money?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

In general Lindberg stuff does not command the $$$ that Aurora does. Rarity also does not always play a factor. Aurora Dracula kits are not rare per se. There is almost always one or two on eBay if you want one. But they do command some $$$ because there is demand. Demand is what drives the price up.

I had probably the same Lindberg car you have in 1/32 (one of their old Mini Lindys?) but in a different box...


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

It is a 1/32 kit....but I'm just wondering because I've never seen the kit on Ebay, and I've searched for one on and off over the years.

What's the true value of the thing - I might not sell it, but I am curious none the less.


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## Tim Casey (Dec 4, 2004)

djnick66 said:


> Aurora Dracula kits are not rare per se. There is almost always one or two on eBay if you want one.


I think the rarity in these particular kits is that they're the Frightening Lightning versions, but in long boxes. Apparently the long boxes were being confused with the old non-glow long boxes, so Aurora switched to the square boxes almost immediately, hence the rarity of the long box versions.

But I have to admit there's no rhyme or reason to some of these bidding wars. One day a Polar Lights Dracula will go for $70, and the next day one will go unsold at $20.


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## xsavoie (Jun 29, 1999)

Were the Frightning Lightning issues only made in Canada or in the U.S. as well?


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## Zathros (Dec 21, 2000)

*Sorry Guys, but I'm gonna be the "bad guy" here...To me , NO KIT
is worth $1,000.00, as well as no one is worth paying that much to even build one, as far as I am concerned, no matter what it is or who...I did that twice, and got out of it as soon as possible...I bought a Marusan Jupiter II kit, and the Chariot kit only sold in Japan...after thinking about what a mistake I made, I sold them and barely got my money back...I was lucky..$1000 for a kit like dracula, and especially since the mold survived??, and has been reissued many times...If the box is so desireable..it would be far cheaper to have a printer recreate the box...

another thing to consider is that generations change..meaning sooner or later , these kinds of kits in my opinion, are not going to be as desirable as they are now...and in fact, have dropped in popularity considerably, since thier heyday, as not that many build and collect 
as much as they used to..but hey..its your own money..and its up to you to spend it as you like...

Z


*


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## 1bluegtx (Aug 13, 2004)

Made in the US and also Canada but the canadian boxes are different and rarer! Heres a picture of my canadian Frightening Lightning kits:









BRIAN


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Well Dracula just sold for $2,608.
"Phantom of the Opera" 1969 Model Kit $1,525.00
...and the Forgotten Prisoner and Frankenstein each went
for chump change...$720.00 apiece
Someone thinks it's worth it...


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## Tim Casey (Dec 4, 2004)

mcdougall said:


> Well Dracula just sold for $2,608.
> "Phantom of the Opera" 1969 Model Kit $1,525.00
> 
> Someone thinks it's worth it...


$6.00 for shipping? That's outrageous. I'd refuse to pay for it!

Anyway, I'd never spend $1000 for a model, either - though I did spend about $500 (I think) for the Janus Dracula and Bride double kit, which is standing on it's own table in my model museum. I'll never regret that purchase, though I still feel guilty about the price. But if Bill Gates is really into Aurora models, I can see him spending $10,000 for a particular sealed model if he really wanted it. The money means nothing to those types.

But if the buyer is a middle-class wage earner with a family, he should be ashamed of himself for spending that much on these models.


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## Lloyd Collins (Sep 25, 2004)

I got to late to bid....


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

mcdougall said:


> Well Dracula just sold for $2,608.
> "Phantom of the Opera" 1969 Model Kit $1,525.00
> ...and the Forgotten Prisoner and Frankenstein each went
> for chump change...$720.00 apiece
> Someone thinks it's worth it...


All of those prices are just insane. But, I guess, if you have some very deep pockets you can be as insane as you want. Amazing. The sellers have to be doing the Snoopy dance.


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## Matthew Green (Nov 12, 2000)

Agreed! I would never pay that much even if I were a millionaire! I gripe if I pay $30 for a kit.


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## tr7nut (Apr 18, 1999)

*Gotta agree with Matthew on this one...*

I am king of the Cheap skates when it comes to kits. I'm going to build and file and fill and alter it to my liking anyway, so why pay more than i have to for it? I buy incompletes and parts assortments, sometimes waiting a year or two to complete rare kits. It's like hunting without a gun.  Speaking of which, anyone got any Hercules and the Lion parts sitting around?? Merry Christmas all!
Cliff


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Part of my getting older means that I no longer collect for collecting's sake. If I'm not going to build it I won't buy it. That being said when I was into collecting I still would not spend that kind of money for any kit no mater how bad I wanted it! Just to sit in the box on a shelf....no way! Now there are various sites that sell reproduction boxes for your display at reasonable prices so it's not even necessary to spend that kind of coin.

The seller is doing the happy dance for sure!


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## longbox (Nov 4, 2007)

1bluegtx said:


> Made in the US and also Canada but the canadian boxes are different and rarer! Heres a picture of my canadian Frightening Lightning kits:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for posting this picture Brian, these are the versions I had. Still got the guys - but the boxes are long gone. They were available in the UK around 1970.
First time I've seen them since
Ahh... happy days!
John


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

MadCap Romanian said:


> It is a 1/32 kit....but I'm just wondering because I've never seen the kit on Ebay, and I've searched for one on and off over the years.
> 
> What's the true value of the thing - I might not sell it, but I am curious none the less.


Yeah, it's not just rarity. It's demand. Something could be one of a kind and still not be worth anything. 

It's mainly supply and demand marketplace forces at work as they are in other aspects of our lives. It basically comes down to something only being "worth" as much as someone is willing to pay for it, or, conversely, what payment amount someone will refuse in order to keep what they have. Those values can change from day to day, moment to moment, and even due to what particular circumstances the buyer and seller are in. In many cases, the differences are purely arbitrary and a state of mind could drive the price up for no rational reason.

The model kit you have is worthless to me since I do not want it. If someone else has spent years tracking one down and finds you have one, the situation could be very different. 

One of the amazing things to me is how the internet has changed the collectors' marketplace so dramatically. I sold some vinyl Beatles albums years ago for a goodly sum that I couldn't get now since the market is saturated. The increasing availability of certain hard to find items on the internet has driven prices down incredibly. 

On the other hand, items have shown up and sold and made some money for people who could not have sold them at all without going to so much trouble as to not be worthwhile for them to bother before the internet.


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

Very true! There are quite a few rare Aurora kits that are nearly worthless. Demand ( or lack thereof) plays a major role in value.


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

I got some decent bucks for some 1960s Estes rocket cameras I had three years back on eBay but nothing like that. I buy kits to build and display the finished kit on the shelf. I don't collect kits to keep in the box and kits like those will obviously be kept in the box. So not my cup of tea but the guy did make some money on them. I would be curious to know if he picked them up at a garage sale or something or whether he was the original purchaser? Either way he likely paid very little for them.

Bob K.


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

What do you call that condition where you buy something you REALLY REALLY want, then when it is in your hands you get a sick feeling and say, "What the hell was I thinking..." What's that called again?


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## Kit (Jul 9, 2009)

Marriage.


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

Not that one, the other one.


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## wolfman66 (Feb 18, 2006)

1bluegtx said:


> Made in the US and also Canada but the canadian boxes are different and rarer! Heres a picture of my canadian Frightening Lightning kits:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Brian,I kill to get those Canadian ones from ya:dude:!


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

frankenstyrene said:


> What do you call that condition where you buy something you REALLY REALLY want, then when it is in your hands you get a sick feeling and say, "What the hell was I thinking..." What's that called again?


Buyers remorse!


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## SJF (Dec 3, 1999)

frankenstyrene said:


> What do you call that condition where you buy something you REALLY REALLY want, then when it is in your hands you get a sick feeling and say, "What the hell was I thinking..." What's that called again?





Kit said:


> Marriage.





frankenstyrene said:


> Not that one, the other one.


 
:lol: Funny stuff! 

Sean


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Its worse when you have it in your hand, have the $$$, and decide to put it down! Had that happen and still regret it 15 years later


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Both "buyers remorse" and "you snooze, you lose" suck equally with "had it but sold it". :freak:


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

At least "had it but sold it" is reversible with a reissue. Im glad I sold my Rommel's Rod and Moon Bus since they were reissued. I had the best of both worlds. Or is it three worlds? I owned the originals, sold them for big bucks, AND got the satisfaction of building the reissue kits. Win Win WIn.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

You guys might want to keep your eyes on this auction...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTRA-RARE-1964...854?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f057f2f16
I already recognize one of the high bidders from the FL auction...
and this is probably the best Original and complete Big Frankies I've ever seen...even has the paints included ...could get crazy 
Mcdee


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## scooke123 (Apr 11, 2008)

You NEVER see the bottles of paint!!!! I bet this one goes for some BIG BUCKS!!!


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

scooke123 said:


> You NEVER see the bottles of paint!!!! I bet this one goes for some BIG BUCKS!!!


That's what I was thinking too...as a matter of fact...This is the first time I've ever seen them...This would have gone for over 3 grand 5 years ago...I wonder what it will go for now?
Mcdee


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## rkoenn (Dec 18, 2007)

It also includes a rare original rubber band and brush with some bristles missing! I bet those two components are worth at least $100 extra. It will be interesting to see what it goes for. Personally if I wanted a Big Frankie I would just buy the current one. But whatever makes you happy if you have the money I suppose.

Bob K.


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## mcdougall (Oct 28, 2007)

Threw a bid in and for a brief moment I was a contender
...Turns out that $510.00 just won't cut it...
Hmmmm ...maybe $530.00???
Mcdee


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

mcdougall said:


> You guys might want to keep your eyes on this auction...
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTRA-RARE-1964...854?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f057f2f16
> *I already recognize one of the high bidders from the FL auction...*
> and this is probably the best Original and complete Big Frankies I've ever seen...even has the paints included ...could get crazy
> Mcdee



I really miss the days when you could see the bidder's ID's.
You knew who your competition was, and in some cases, knew not to get your hopes up.
IF one of the big spenders was going for it, then no sense having your hopes build for a week then get dashed to pieces when the price would skyrocket at the end.


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