strife_wy

Hey everyone,

New member of the forum. I was cleaning through the basement the other day and found a pair of vintage RC cars from the 80s or early 90s. Back in the day, these were fairly rare but I'm not quite sure abut today. Can someone help me out?

The first is a 1/12th scale Tamiya 959. I'm missing the box and the shell/body have been used.

The second is a 1/12th scale Kyosho MK3 Limited Alfa 2. I still have the box and this was a display-queen for me so it's in great shape.

I'm trying to post pics but the forum won't let me because I'm new. Can someone offer an honest opinion on whether these are worth anything? If not I might just pass on to my nephew so hopefully he can enjoy it.

strife_wy

Here are the pics... replace the "DOT" with a "." (period)

www DOT tamiya DOT ca/CLASSIC%20TAMIYA/TAMIYA109 DOT jpg

img DOT photobucket DOT com/albums/v646/zetaking/DSC08270 DOT jpg

i82 DOT photobucket DOT com/albums/j265/Projectshangrila/2dee_1 DOT jpg

ddesros2

iTrader: (9)

Posted for you. Neat. I'm sure Bob Stormer would like to get those 12th scales from you.

Toh WL

iTrader: (6)

interesting stuffs here... what is the exact production date for the cars above?

robk

iTrader: (22)

Go to RC10talk.com . They have a huge amount of info there, and a lot of knowledgeable vintage collectors. Also check out Tamiyaclub.com

bakaguyjean

iTrader: (1)

Something fishy here,both of the owners of the Plazmas pictured know what they are and how much they are worth.

The pictures are from the Tamiyaclub forums about the Plazma MK III Limited

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/inde...7790&hl=plazma

rced1

iTrader: (17)

It is possible the OP used Google Image to find the pictures. He stated he did not have the box for the Porsche.

strife_wy

Thanks ddesros2 for posting the pics.

Yes sorry, I borrowed from another thread that I found online... I probably should have stated that up front and if anyone feels they should be taken down please do so... my digital camera is broken, and I haven't had a chance to replace it yet.

The linked thread above is exactly the one that made me wonder how much my vintage RC cars were worth in the first place. My wife and I are packing to move and I found them tucked away in a corner... she wanted me to give them to my nephew but just not so sure about doing that in case they were actually worth anything (my nephew is 5).

strife_wy

Thanks... I honestly cannot recall the exact date... it was so long ago... it should be late 80s.

strife_wy

Thanks for the pointer, I'll definitely do that

IndyRC_Racer

iTrader: (9)

If I recall, some of the parts on the Tamiya 959 might be worth something to a Tamiya collector/restorer. If I recall, an intact body was the most valuable part because thin area created by the molding process for the body meant that the body would crack/break. Tamiyaclub would be a good place to get more info.

bakaguyjean

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, but there are alot of scammers around.

Honestly you are looking at $200.00 to $400.00 for both cars,depending how you sell them. The Porsche is worth alot more than the Plazma as it alot more popular.
Good luck and let me know what you want for the Plazma.

niznai

This is another one of those "how long is a piece of string" threads.

Your cars ar eworth what someone else wants to pay for them.

The 959 was in fashion some time ago and may come back again, but it is the shell that is worth the most not the rest.

A so-and-so shell (say it has cracks) is not worth much as there are reproductions available these days which are getting better and better with each generation (and they're certainly more durable than the original).
An original shell in box basically can be sold for the asking price if the right person comes along. Then again, if it doesn't....
A restorable shell is worth about the price of a new repro.

This is all very general and basically what I have seen since I started buying these cars (I have two now and enough parts to keep them running with a little bit of care, but that's it, not buying anything any more).

There are a lot of inbetweens, of course, say a shell someone only sprayed some paint on, put it back in the box never to touch it again. That would probably be a quick resto job on a basically untouched shell. Things happen. Whoever finds one has a good chance of paying a low price for it. But these things are rare and getting rarer every time another one is dug out.

Plastics are pretty fragile and more often than not on cars actually used, the front gearbox cracks at the point where it attaches to the chassis. This is a major problem and can only be fixed by a replacement gearbox.

So you see, the actual value depends a lot on the actual state of each individual part in the box, because that's what you are selling now, a collection of psare parts, not a complete kit (even though you may think it's a complete kit). You might actually make more money breaking it (sad, but true). Some items like the original motor, tires, wheels, hubs, are things that can make or break the value of your car as they are nigh on impossible to find (and can't be replaced by modern items as nothing fits straight on).

So my advice is try selling it somewhere where collectors gather. They'll appreciate what you have, but be prepared to work a little bit to get the best out of it (i.e. describe it in detail for your potential buyers). Tamiya club is a good place to try and advertise.

For a kid (and a five year old at that) this is going to be worthless. It will be trashed instantly. Buy him a decent chinese piece of cheap crap that will see him through childhood easily.

Solara

iTrader: (17)

I can almost garantee you that the 959 is between 1985-1987 period cause I used to own one....
The Kyosho Plazma...I would guess is about the same 85 and later cause they later has the Phantom 4WD version with chain. I think it is 1985

Oh...here is the 959 page. Released on 10-29-1986 (according from Tamiyaclub)

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/car.asp?id=59