Toy cars and other vehicles and pangs of guilt

[Vanvlak]

Given that toy vehicles are collectible, am I the only one to feel apang of guilt and loads of doubt when I weather or modify a vehicle for wargaming?
Do you actually check the value of the vehicle before going ahead?

I usually don't check, but very often also hesitate to the point of inaction before mucking up toy vehicles.

[zizi666]

I have no problem painting/converting my Marx cars of the future. On the other hand, I did copy-scratchbuild my Plasticville radio station. Both are equally OOP, but I don't see myself sculpting those cars

[Mason]

I don't have any qualms about chopping up/converting/modifying anything OOP or collectible if it will suit my purposes better with a bit of work.
I am sure there are plenty of collectors out there who would be horrified what I have, and will, take a saw or scalpel to.
 

[Valerik]

Given that toy vehicles are collectible, am I the only one to feel a pang of guilt and loads of doubt when I weather or modify a vehicle for wargaming?

I bought it, own it, tis mine to bend to my will, whatever that may be.

'Collectible' or not, I've yet to pay enough to warrant guilt or doubt about "destroying the value" of a die cast vehicle or airplane.

I did buy a statue once, that moved me.

Wood You?

Post by Valerik » Sun Mar 02, 2014 3:28 pm

Please help...

I just took possession of a magnificent ...article... that is destined to hit the table, in the midst of the jungle, sometime, in the future, soon, we hope...

Trouble is, it's old, clearly hand carved, NOT mass produced, and is made from
a single piece of some sorta extremely light weight porous wood...

It's not balsa, at least that I'm able to discern, possibly cypress, not really sure...

In it's new incarnation it will of course be representing a stone carving rather than a wooden object.
It needs some definition, perhaps light weathering, at least a mild wash to bring out the cuts, lines and details.
But what to use?

Just how far to carry the rockification process is the question.
I hate to paint fine wood, decidedly Mortal Sin-ish, so that's out.
All I've ever done to wood is oil it, wax it, stain it, seal it, or paint it.
Now without priming or overall painting, it needs to look like stone..
Gently...

This...thing...wasn't all that expensive, and it's mine, now, so I CAN do as I please with it, but the caretaker in me doesn't want it ruined, or defaced.
I'll be trying some things out on it's base before I tackle the surfaces, any suggestions?
I've considered oil, wax, stain, ink, dye, and very very thin paint, almost dirty water.

Plastic, resin, metal, china, glass and paper I've dealt with, successfully, surprisingly, beyond bits n'strips, never wood.
At least not a whacking great HUGE chunk of tree that weighs less than my conscience...

Those here, all with far more talent and experience than I, please chime in with your suggestions.

Just what Wood You Do?

Thank you

Valerik

We're approaching a year yet, and I've not yet touched the object.

Mass produced toys, nah.  Hack On, Algie!!

I have more doubt about my ability to do a good job, & guilt about mucking it up.

Valerik

soft heart, soft head, depends on the day, don't it

[FramFramson]

I received my Matchbox Rolls Royce armoured car in its (admittedly lovely) collector box, with a hand-signed certificate. There were offered for free on the boards and when no one took them they were binned. When it comes time to repaint it a drab green of some sort to cover the odd "lemon khaki" it comes dressed in, I will have no qualms about doing so (kind of a shame to cover the HMS Ajax bit though, since I lived for 15 years in the town named after that very ship).

And anyway, loads of stuff is sold as "Collectible" that really isn't.

[Valerik]

And anyway, loads of stuff is sold as "Collectible" that really isn't.

True dat!!

~ When it comes time to repaint it a drab green of some sort to cover the odd "lemon khaki" it comes dressed in ~

Green huh?  

I had in mind a Navyish Grey, steely sorta, R.N.A.S. Personnel, for the use of...
add mud to taste...

Then the Wild Hair set in...

How about a dazzle camou'd Rolls Royce Armoured car!!



I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of doing even a half decent job at this in 1/43



The Malta pattern might be too regionally specific, but I DO like it.



The BAOR Berlin Pattern is too late, even to my untidy mind



Didn't somebody is East Africa paint their mounts as zebras?





One way, or another, on arrival from Canadia, my Rolls Royce A/C will have it's 'collectability' violated...

Valerik

Lifelong Talent Despiser, having none of mine own

EDIT  my miserble spelling & punctuation

[Connectamabob]

If I can afford it, it probably isn't actually all that collectable. That goes for both new and OOP fleabay stuff. If I'm planning to hack something up, I don't want to pay a high price for what is basically raw material, so I don't buy expensive stuff for that. IMO above a certain price point the cost outweighs the convenience, so I might as well scratchbuild instead of mod.

But also I have an active disdain for the practice of manufacturing/marketing things as "collectable" from the get-go. Something that's earned it's collectable status legitimately through time and "free-range" scarcity I respect (and see the above on affordability as a barometer), but the attempt to deliberately manufacture that status seems like the exact same kind of BS as a Hollywood marketeer calling their latest movie an "instant classic". It's a shameless attempt to game the Greater Fool theory, and showcases how little the company in question actually regards/cares about the products in their own right. It announces they see their customers as rubes, and are happy to be a societal/cultural parasite instead of a contributor. I have no problem hacking up and/or repainting that stuff, as I don't see it as having any special value to be ruined.

[Vanvlak]

Oh dear, the Malta camo again.....and I do own a Rolls......

Thanks for the inputs. I guess the general feeling is 'get on with it'. I'll still worry I'm ruining something which might make a fortune in a decade or so, but.....

[FramFramson]

Most die-cast cars are not particularly rare and die-cast cars are in general quite common. The odds of them becoming hyper-valuable is slim to none.

As for my armoured car, well, I will be going with a generic dull green because that way factions other than the British can use it, without it being too egregious of a historical violation.  

[eilif]

If I can afford it, it probably isn't actually all that collectable...I don't want to pay a high price for what is basically raw material, so I don't buy expensive stuff for that...

...But also I have an active disdain for the practice of manufacturing/marketing things as "collectable" from the get-go...I have no problem hacking up and/or repainting that stuff, as I don't see it as having any special value to be ruined.

Said better than I could have.  If I can find one at a price I can afford, I'll paint and/or modify it without any hesitation. If you look at ebay or amazon, almost every toy ("Collectors Edition" or not) seems to double in price as soon as it is discontinued.  That doesn't make it a collectible. 

[Pijlie]

No qualms at all. I recently converted am ancient Dinky Toys ambulance into the Ghostbusters Ecto-1. And I daresay it looks better now!

[TimK]

Mint in box 1950/60s Dinky/Corgi/Matchbox Toys are valuable solely because relatively few survive in that condition. The ones that were played with and carry wear are only worth a fraction of that value, despite what some e-bay vendors would like to think. Collectors collect the former and pay for them, the market decides price and it will generally be considerably more than we'd be prepared to pay for conversion fodder.

Most things labelled "Collectors Item" are anything but, I've seen die cast models with "limited edition" certificates which run into the thousands, in my book hardly limited nor probably collectable.

If you can afford to buy it, it's yours to do with what you will.

Tim

[Atheling]

My Grandad served on this 'toy' during WWII:

There's an interesting story that goes with it, the crew mutinied but my Grandad was an engineer and did not.

Article:

http://www.hms-javelin.co.uk/hms-javelin-mutiny.htm

[Mason]

No qualms at all. I recently converted am ancient Dinky Toys ambulance into the Ghostbusters Ecto-1. And I daresay it looks better now!

 

That looks brilliant!
 

Do you have a thread featuring it?
 

[Pijlie]

Unfortunately I did not make a how-to. I was so happily building away I completely forgot to make pictures.

It will feature in a game of GASLIGHT, Pulp Alley or All Things Zombie sometime in 2015 I daresay