Lj Ii 1/45

[tbzep]

A partially assembled 1/45 Little Joe II just went for over $200 on eBay. The tower was assembled, but hidden from view in the photos by a piece of paper conviently wrapped around it, most likely on purpose. No telling what it looked like. I would love to have had it anyway, but $200 is way over my head. :eek:

[Gus]

I have a partially assembled Centuri Little Joe II.

Unfortunately the silver wrap has not fared well over the years having bubbled and warped in spots. That's not easily (if at all) repairable. Similar bubbling has occured in the Command Module stick on wrap. I have seen similar bubbling in most of the Centuri 1/45 kits being sold on eBay (mild imperfections in the silver wrap can be seen in the photo from the auction which just closed, below).

The kit that Mark Mayfield built for his article in the first issue of Launch was beautiful. Unfortunately I have yet to see any of the opened kits on eBay that look as nice.

The major benefit of the Centuri kit is ease of build. But for value for dollar or quality of finished product the Roachwerks 1/38.5 kit is far superior.

[dwmzmm]

The silver/chrome wrap on mine has been superb since I bought and built it back in 1971.
It's commonly used as my avatar in many of the forum/blogs I subscribed to :D . Despite
its' age, the model is very much "active" as far as flight status is concern in my fleet.

[5x7]

You should drag race the 'model' in the distance!

[dwmzmm]

You should drag race the 'model' in the distance!

I wish, but I don't think JSC would "allow" it for the total impulse the "real" Apollo Little Joe
produces!? :p

[Gus]

The silver/chrome wrap on mine has been superb since I bought and built it back in 1971.

Dave,

Yours looks great, and that picture is just awesome.

Steve

[Ltvscout]

A partially assembled 1/45 Little Joe II just went for over $200 on eBay. The tower was assembled, but hidden from view in the photos by a piece of paper conviently wrapped around it, most likely on purpose. No telling what it looked like. I would love to have had it anyway, but $200 is way over my head. :eek:
Ya, I was watching that. I had the seller send me pics of everything in the box to make sure it was complete, it was.

Went for way too much, IMHO for an opened, started kit. On the other hand, some of the kits that Danny Sagstteter has sold in the past few weeks went for WAY more than I feel the actual values are. An A-20 Demon of his sold for well over $200 today. That's out of line.

[dwmzmm]

Ya, I was watching that. I had the seller send me pics of everything in the box to make sure it was complete, it was.

Went for way too much, IMHO for an opened, started kit. On the other hand, some of the kits that Danny Sagstteter has sold in the past few weeks went for WAY more than I feel the actual values are. An A-20 Demon of his sold for well over $200 today. That's out of line.

Oh, so it was Danny that was selling on e-bay?! He was one of those (along with John Pursley) who help start the Challenger 498 NAR Section back in the late 1980's. I tried to
get Danny back on board (in other words, "active" once again) about five years ago, but
for some reason he wasn't interested (someone said he lost his job)......

[dwmzmm]

Dave,

Yours looks great, and that picture is just awesome.

Steve

Thanks, Steve. That picture was taken by Warren Benson of the NASA/Houston Rocket Club
(Section # 365). There's a story after that launch: As you know, the Apollo/LES returns
separately from the main body section, and I badly misjudged the distance/location where
the capsule landed. Almost couldn't find it!! With the grass at JSC a little more than knee
high, I had to really look hard for nearly an hour in the high heat Houston is well known for.
Finally found it, much closer to the launch area than I'd thought. I took some pictures of
how the two sections looked where they touched down; maybe if I can find them I'll upload
them shortly and post it :D . Couldn't imagine what it would be like if I gave up the Apollo/LES
as "lost."

[Gus]

I've had a number of dealings with Danny over the last several years and always found him to be remarkably pleasant and helpful. For those new to the forum or to kit collecting it was Danny who produced the Rocketeer Collector's Journal (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=769&highlight=rocket+collectors+journal).

My understanding is that Danny now pretty much supports himself selling off what remains of what was once upwards of 3000 items in his collection. The items he offers are usually in pristine condition and fetch premium prices.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me to see Danny occasionally benefit from some wildly inflated price. He paid his dues.

And I feel the same about a few others who frequent this board who similarly invested a lot of effort to build their collections. If anyone "deserves" the occasional windfall, it's them.

[dwmzmm]

I've had a number of dealings with Danny over the last several years and always found him to be remarkably pleasant and helpful. For those new to the forum or to kit collecting it was Danny who produced the Rocketeer Collector's Journal (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=769&highlight=rocket+collectors+journal).

My understanding is that Danny now pretty much supports himself selling off what remains of what was once upwards of 3000 items in his collection. The items he offers are usually in pristine condition and fetch premium prices.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me to see Danny occasionally benefit from some wildly inflated price. He paid his dues.

And I feel the same about a few others who frequent this board who similarly invested a lot of effort to build their collections. If anyone "deserves" the occasional windfall, it's them.

Ok, just checking that link you gave and see that thread in 2006 shows his addess is Ohio;
he was still in the Houston area when I contacted him in late 2003 or early 2004. I was under
the impression he was still in the Houston, TX area.

[LeeR]

I've had a number of dealings with Danny over the last several years and always found him to be remarkably pleasant and helpful. For those new to the forum or to kit collecting it was Danny who produced the Rocketeer Collector's Journal (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=769&highlight=rocket+collectors+journal).

My understanding is that Danny now pretty much supports himself selling off what remains of what was once upwards of 3000 items in his collection. The items he offers are usually in pristine condition and fetch premium prices.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me to see Danny occasionally benefit from some wildly inflated price. He paid his dues.

And I feel the same about a few others who frequent this board who similarly invested a lot of effort to build their collections. If anyone "deserves" the occasional windfall, it's them.

Your heart has to go out to someone who is selling off items from a prized collection, to support himself. I've not won anything on eBay in awhile -- lots of really high prices. But glad to hear that his items are fetching good prices.

I was at a fund raiser tonight for a old acquaintance from a church we attended 7-8 years ago. His wife is battling cancer, at stage 4 now. I spent nearly $500 on auction items, and over $10K was raised tonight to help with medical bills. When you have your health, and in this economy, when you have a job, you have to be incredibly thankful.

[JAL3]

I've had a number of dealings with Danny over the last several years and always found him to be remarkably pleasant and helpful. For those new to the forum or to kit collecting it was Danny who produced the Rocketeer Collector's Journal (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=769&highlight=rocket+collectors+journal).

My understanding is that Danny now pretty much supports himself selling off what remains of what was once upwards of 3000 items in his collection. The items he offers are usually in pristine condition and fetch premium prices.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me to see Danny occasionally benefit from some wildly inflated price. He paid his dues.

And I feel the same about a few others who frequent this board who similarly invested a lot of effort to build their collections. If anyone "deserves" the occasional windfall, it's them.

I too have had nothing but good dealings with him. In fact, a significant part of my collection came from his Ebay auctions. Some were good deals and some I paid too much for (because I was the impatient one) but always he treated me well and delivered on his promise.

I'd still be buying from him if it were not for the Paypal only policy on Epay these days.

[Leo]

The Centuri LJ II is one of the grand daddies in model rocketry and I'll bet even a crushed version would go for over 100 bucks.

[Jimid123]

[QUOTE=Ltvscout]Ya, I was watching that. I had the seller send me pics of everything in the box to make sure it was complete, it was.

Went for way too much, IMHO for an opened, started kit. On the other hand, some of the kits that Danny Sagstteter has sold in the past few weeks went for WAY more than I feel the actual values are. An A-20 Demon of his sold for well over $200 today. That's out of line.[/QUOTE

I am the guy that won the Estes A-20 Demon Kit On Ebay. Yes I know this was way to high, but it help me fill a gap in my collection of Estes Vintage K Kits that I have in my collection. I have all but about 5 or 6. of the K Kits in my collection. Many of my K Kits are from the early 1960s Mint In Unopened Packs. Many before the headers were added. I even have the Estes K19 Invader Kit Mint Unopened.

[barone]

Hey Jimid....welcome to the forum........

We've all paid more for an item someone else wouldn't pay that much for.......how else do we win auctions? :D

[Rocketflyer]

[QUOTE=Ltvscout]Ya, I was watching that. I had the seller send me pics of everything in the box to make sure it was complete, it was.

Went for way too much, IMHO for an opened, started kit. On the other hand, some of the kits that Danny Sagstteter has sold in the past few weeks went for WAY more than I feel the actual values are. An A-20 Demon of his sold for well over $200 today. That's out of line.[/QUOTE

I am the guy that won the Estes A-20 Demon Kit On Ebay. Yes I know this was way to high, but it help me fill a gap in my collection of Estes Vintage K Kits that I have in my collection. I have all but about 5 or 6. of the K Kits in my collection. Many of my K Kits are from the early 1960s Mint In Unopened Packs. Many before the headers were added. I even have the Estes K19 Invader Kit Mint Unopened.


It was worth it to you to get the kit, that's all that's needed.

Echoing BARONE, welcome to the forum.

[ghrocketman]

I had a bid in on this one for $125 and that was my absolute limit for what I would pay for one that has had ANY construction work done.
$200 for that kit was ridiculous.
$200 for NIB is reasonable.

[lurker01]

A partially assembled 1/45 Little Joe II just went for over $200 on eBay. The tower was assembled, but hidden from view in the photos by a piece of paper conviently wrapped around it, most likely on purpose. No telling what it looked like. I would love to have had it anyway, but $200 is way over my head. :eek:


I agree, the paper around the tower was to HIDE what every sloppy build or damage there was to the model; there are only 2-3 sellers on ebay who I TRUST when they describe model rocket kits.

If you were looking for replacement plastic parts or a better conditioned box, then $200 is the high side, but not unrealistic.

There was a Strombecker TWA Moon rocket EMPTY box that closed for $200!!!

Here is the link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=330316348974

So i some one just needs the box and replacement papers and plastic parts, then $200 is at the upper limit.

Howsoever, in today's economy, it is a very BAD purchase unless you are a safe/secure job or lots of $$$ and you are not effected by the recession/depression; IMHO.

Bob

[lurker01]

Ya, I was watching that. I had the seller send me pics of everything in the box to make sure it was complete, it was.

Went for way too much, IMHO for an opened, started kit. On the other hand, some of the kits that Danny Sagstteter has sold in the past few weeks went for WAY more than I feel the actual values are. An A-20 Demon of his sold for well over $200 today. That's out of line.


$200 for Skill level A-20 Demon is wrong. Free market yes, but I would have stopped around $125.

Bob

[lurker01]

Oh, so it was Danny that was selling on e-bay?! He was one of those (along with John Pursley) who help start the Challenger 498 NAR Section back in the late 1980's. I tried to
get Danny back on board (in other words, "active" once again) about five years ago, but
for some reason he wasn't interested (someone said he lost his job)......

He lost his wife to cancer, and has lost his job ... I think he has lost interest in a lot of things along the way.

Bob

[lurker01]

[QUOTE=Ltvscout]Ya, I was watching that. I had the seller send me pics of everything in the box to make sure it was complete, it was.

Went for way too much, IMHO for an opened, started kit. On the other hand, some of the kits that Danny Sagstteter has sold in the past few weeks went for WAY more than I feel the actual values are. An A-20 Demon of his sold for well over $200 today. That's out of line.[/QUOTE

I am the guy that won the Estes A-20 Demon Kit On Ebay. Yes I know this was way to high, but it help me fill a gap in my collection of Estes Vintage K Kits that I have in my collection. I have all but about 5 or 6. of the K Kits in my collection. Many of my K Kits are from the early 1960s Mint In Unopened Packs. Many before the headers were added. I even have the Estes K19 Invader Kit Mint Unopened.


Oh OK, cool. I do believe as the economy goes into the tank, more and more old and extremely rare items will be surfacing. I have had people offer me some stuf from late 50s/early 60s, but I will wait them out. One guy said well if you don't take it at $400 I will just ebay it ... I hope he does because I will get it for less than what he wants.

As people lose their homes, they won't mind selling their rockets ... just have to be patient. The Skill level version is uncommon. You have the "K" version of the kit right?

Bob

[lurker01]

I had a bid in on this one for $125 and that was my absolute limit for what I would pay for one that has had ANY construction work done.
$200 for that kit was ridiculous.
$200 for NIB is reasonable.


Well I have seen sealed 1/45 LJII's sell for over $600 ... so somewhere between $200 and $600 is reasonable.

Bob

[Ltvscout]

I've had a number of dealings with Danny over the last several years and always found him to be remarkably pleasant and helpful. For those new to the forum or to kit collecting it was Danny who produced the Rocketeer Collector's Journal (http://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=769&highlight=rocket+collectors+journal).

My understanding is that Danny now pretty much supports himself selling off what remains of what was once upwards of 3000 items in his collection. The items he offers are usually in pristine condition and fetch premium prices.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me to see Danny occasionally benefit from some wildly inflated price. He paid his dues.

And I feel the same about a few others who frequent this board who similarly invested a lot of effort to build their collections. If anyone "deserves" the occasional windfall, it's them.
I'm not putting Danny down for getting whatever he can. More power to him.

[Ltvscout]

I am the guy that won the Estes A-20 Demon Kit On Ebay. Yes I know this was way to high, but it help me fill a gap in my collection of Estes Vintage K Kits that I have in my collection. I have all but about 5 or 6. of the K Kits in my collection. Many of my K Kits are from the early 1960s Mint In Unopened Packs. Many before the headers were added. I even have the Estes K19 Invader Kit Mint Unopened.
Heh, send some of that cash my way. :chuckle:

[Jimid123]

Hey Jimid....welcome to the forum........

We've all paid more for an item someone else wouldn't pay that much for.......how else do we win auctions? :D


Well Said, Thank You Jimi

[Jimid123]

[QUOTE=Jimid123]


It was worth it to you to get the kit, that's all that's needed.

Echoing BARONE, welcome to the forum.


Yes, It helped fill a gap. Now I have just 5 more kits to go in my K collection and they are some of the small kits that I need to complete my collection. Thanks, Jimi

[Jimid123]

Heh, send some of that cash my way. :chuckle:


Hi, Yes it went for a very high price I agree but sometimes we can win some at very low prices. For example here are just a few on Ebay I won. Estes kit #2048 Saturn 1b 1/100 scale mint condition in factory Sealed shrink wrapped unopened box with a buy it now for $45.00 . I also won the Estes Mercury Atlas 1/35 Scale kit #2111 in mint condition in factory sealed shrink wrapped unopened box for $40.00 with a buy it now and two weeks ago I won the Estes kit #2184 Space Shuttle in Mint Condition In Unopened Pack for $19.95 Buy It Now. So sometimes things can balance out for us. Thanks, Jimi

[Ltvscout]

[QUOTE=Rocketflyer]


Yes, It helped fill a gap. Now I have just 5 more kits to go in my K collection and they are some of the small kits that I need to complete my collection. Thanks, Jimi
Jimi,

Post your 5 needed kits in the Wanted section here. There are a lot of collectors on YORF and one or more of us may be able to help you reach your goal.

[Ltvscout]

Hi, Yes it went for a very high price I agree but sometimes we can win some at very low prices. For example here are just a few on Ebay I won. Estes kit #2048 Saturn 1b 1/100 scale mint condition in factory Sealed shrink wrapped unopened box with a buy it now for $45.00 . I also won the Estes Mercury Atlas 1/35 Scale kit #2111 in mint condition in factory sealed shrink wrapped unopened box for $40.00 with a buy it now and two weeks ago I won the Estes kit #2184 Space Shuttle in Mint Condition In Unopened Pack for $19.95 Buy It Now. So sometimes things can balance out for us. Thanks, Jimi
Ya, I always love finding those Buy It Now steals. ;) Years ago I used to spend hours on eBay just hitting refresh waiting for those deals to pop up. Yes, I have (had) a sickness. :D

[kurtschachner]

Yes, I have a sickness. :D

That wasn't the word Tami used but...

[dwmzmm]

He lost his wife to cancer, and has lost his job ... I think he has lost interest in a lot of things along the way.

Bob

Wow, sorry to hear about that. We had a club member some years back (Calvin W.) who also
lost his wife to cancer and I can remember how devastating it was. Im so sorry.

[Gus]

JimiD,

Welcome to the forum. I've bought a few things from you over the years and always had a great experience. I've also lost a few auctions to you but was always glad to know my valuation of something was shared by you. :)

I personally have paid way too much for kits at times, for example, a Centuri Phoenix Bird. What was the logic behind my extravagance? I grew up in Phoenix and all I flew as a kid was Centuri. And at last summer's Old Rocketeers Reunion I learned from Betty Piester that she and Lee used to occasionally shop at my parents drugstore which was located a few miles from the Centuri plant. :eek:

So the words "Centuri" and "Phoenix" each bring back a lot of memories that were worth paying too much for. :D

On the other side of the coin, I was terribly embarassed when some old Centuri parachutes I was selling went for WAY more than what was reasonable. It turns out the buyer was a friend plugging a tiny hole in his collection. Had I had any inkling he needed that particular item I would have happily just given it to him. The item meant almost nothing to me (which is why I sold it) but to him it meant a lot.

[Jimid123]

JimiD,

Welcome to the forum. I've bought a few things from you over the years and always had a great experience. I've also lost a few auctions to you but was always glad to know my valuation of something was shared by you. :)

I personally have paid way too much for kits at times, for example, a Centuri Phoenix Bird. What was the logic behind my extravagance? I grew up in Phoenix and all I flew as a kid was Centuri. And at last summer's Old Rocketeers Reunion I learned from Betty Piester that she and Lee used to occasionally shop at my parents drugstore which was located a few miles from the Centuri plant. :eek:

So the words "Centuri" and "Phoenix" each bring back a lot of memories that were worth paying too much for. :D

On the other side of the coin, I was terribly embarassed when some old Centuri parachutes I was selling went for WAY more than what was reasonable. It turns out the buyer was a friend plugging a tiny hole in his collection. Had I had any inkling he needed that particular item I would have happily just given it to him. The item meant almost nothing to me (which is why I sold it) but to him it meant a lot.


Hi Gus, Thank You for your kind words. 1960s and 70s, the good old days. Centuri Great company, built many of there fine kits. Now that you brought this up I also collect there kits. I have some of theres in the very first packaging from the early 1960s Mint Unopened. I will now have to see if I am missing any 1960s kits by them and list them in the wanted section of what I need. It's a small world, Lee and Betty Piester shopping at your parents drugstore.

Take Care Gus, Jimi

[Gus]

Just finished my Roachwerks 1:37 Little Joe II.

The Centuri version is nice, but IMHO there is no comparison to the Roachwerks version.

This is a truly beautiful model.

Thanks Sandman.

[Leo]

...

This is a truly beautiful model.
...


and more some!

Very nice indeed.

[GregGleason]

This is a truly beautiful model.

Thanks Sandman.

Sweet! Very well done. Thanks for posting the pic.

Greg

[sandman]

Gus, that is freakin' BEAUTIFUL!.

It puts my rag tag veteren of 5 or 6 flights to shame.

I may have to rebuild.

Hopefully I can find the time to do more of those kits.

[tbzep]

Just finished my Roachwerks 1:37 Little Joe II.

The Centuri version is nice, but IMHO there is no comparison to the Roachwerks version.

This is a truly beautiful model.

Thanks Sandman.

That rocket looks terrible! However, it would look AWESOME sitting on my desk. I think you need to move it south a little. :p :cool:

[jetlag]

Gus, that is freakin' BEAUTIFUL!.

It puts my rag tag veteren of 5 or 6 flights to shame.

I may have to rebuild.

Hopefully I can find the time to do more of those kits.

Yes, Gordon,
Just let us know...yesterday would have been good.............. :D
Allen