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-   -   stupid question (http://www.oldrocketforum.com/showthread.php?t=3968)

joecool 10-01-2008 11:38 AM

stupid question
 
So I'm starting to get into (and get obsessed with!) collecting old kits. I haven't paid any stupid expensive prices yet, but I've paid $30-$40 for a few old kits. One of my justifications to myself is that I can always recover this in future if I decide to sell them - and maybe even make a profit!

Then a horrible thought occurred to me - what if demand for these old kits actually wanes? What if, as the old rocketeers die, no one cares any more about the early history of the hobby? Instead of increasing or at least maintaining their value, my expensive collection might be worth nothing at all!

So here's the stupid question, which is stupid of course because no one can predict the future, but I'm curious as to your thoughts anyway:

Where is the collecting of old kits headed? Do you think it will remain a vibrant subset of the rocketry community? Or will it die off and the value of the old kits go to 0?

Eagerly awaiting your prognostications,

Joe

tbzep 10-01-2008 11:45 AM

I think the value will remain until all us old rocket folks start dieing off. The younger generation doesn't see any value in them.

ghrocketman 10-01-2008 12:40 PM

I don't think the value of the collectible kits will start dropping until the people that got into model rocketry in the 60's and 70's start dying off in large numbers.
I seriously doubt the values will drop much before 2040 or so, if ever.

joecool 10-01-2008 01:44 PM

so it sounds like you guys are echoing my suspicion - that the value of the old kits is mostly nostalgia of the folks who were there when they were new. the kits don't have intrinsic value as a record of the early days of the hobby. that would suggest that for someone like me, who doesn't have the nostalgia, buying kits just to hold 'em (and not build 'em) for posterity is probably a fruitless exercise, 'cause posterity doesn't want 'em!

tbzep 10-01-2008 02:05 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by joecool
so it sounds like you guys are echoing my suspicion - that the value of the old kits is mostly nostalgia of the folks who were there when they were new. the kits don't have intrinsic value as a record of the early days of the hobby. that would suggest that for someone like me, who doesn't have the nostalgia, buying kits just to hold 'em (and not build 'em) for posterity is probably a fruitless exercise, 'cause posterity doesn't want 'em!



If you plan to hold them long term and expect the value to increase like a real GT-40 or Shelby Cobra, I agree that it's not likely to be fruitful. If you'd like to grab some and turn them over for a profit in a few years when they become harder to find, go for it. I have a few kits saved, some sealed, some opened so that I could clone them before we got the online resources we have today. I have only built one of my vintage kits, the Interceptor. Within a few weeks of me opening the bag, I found out that Estes was reissuing it. :mad:

Rocket Doctor 10-01-2008 04:11 PM

The current Interceptor is nothing like the original.....look at it that way.
Right now, the value of kits, even the older ones on ebay are not the same as a year ago, why, the economy.

The hobby has been around for 50 years now, and, I don't think that saving the older kits would be foolish, on the contrary, if a "model rocket museum" were looking to fill out their collection, then, you could donate them, sell them or at least let them borrow them with the understanding that they would come back to you.

The Smithsonian has a good collection of rockets from the Stine collection housed in the garber Facility in Maryland, which will eventually be move over to the Dulles facility.

Look at it this way, Why do we have museums..........to protect the past for future generations.

joecool 10-01-2008 04:18 PM

cool - what's the stine collection? sounds like something i need to take my boys to when we visit DC

Race58 10-01-2008 06:17 PM

Or you could just build them and fly them all. ;)
If you don't want to do that then you could just send all to everybody here and them you don't have to worry anymore:D

tbzep 10-01-2008 06:43 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Doctor
The current Interceptor is nothing like the original.....look at it that way.


Close enough that I wouldn't have opened my vintage kit if I had known the re-issue was coming out. My son built his re-issue using toothpicks instead of the plastic things so there are only a few small noticeable differences with mine. Off the top of my head, without looking at the two....

1. His re-issue blow molded pod tips aren't even with the leading edge of the wing and cant be adjusted easily due to the TTW mounting method.
2. The new pods are a bit fatter than the old pods.
3. The new decals have subtle differences in shade, especially the yellow parts.
4. The new decals have a "recommended engines" decal added.
5. There are a couple of different lines in the nosecone along with slightly different gun port indentions.

These aren't noticeable unless my vintage kit is sitting beside his and you are looking fairly closely. IMHO, of course. :)

luke strawwalker 10-02-2008 03:11 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by joecool
cool - what's the stine collection? sounds like something i need to take my boys to when we visit DC


G. Harry Stine, co-founder of the hobby of model rocketry. (with Orville Carlisle, a hobby pyrotechnician/shoe store salesman who invented the black powder pre-fab model rocket engine) G. Harry was also instrumental in forming the NAR and was it's first president, and working with/thru NFPA to get model rocketry differentiated legally from fireworks, a large undertaking to make model rocketry 'legal' in more areas of the country. G. Harry Stine started the first commercial model rocket company, Model Missiles Inc., and sold kits and "handmade" Carlisle engines until a young man named Vern Estes invented a machine named "mabel" to produce model rocket engines with great speed and efficiency. Shortly thereafter, Vern struck out with his own company and the rest is history. G. Harry also wrote what is generally considered to be the "bible" of model rocketry, the venerable "HANDBOOK OF MODEL ROCKETRY" which is in it's seventh or eighth revision currently, IIRC, currently revised by his son, Bill Stine, who owns/runs Quest, the other big model rocket company behind Estes.

Hope this helps:) OL JR :)


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