Tuesday..... happy happy ,fun fun
Posted by Dr Diecast at 11/21/2007 7:41 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
What an interesting day in diecast. I swore I would only buy a car for a project off Ebay if it was my last resort. Well that happened recently and it came back and bit me in the ass again!
So I have to create a slightly modified 54 Corvette for a customer to match his fathers car. I asked a couple diecast companies/people I know and nobody had one (Ertl, 50th anniversary car made in bunches). So my desperate search takes me to Ebay. Knowing this is a mass market car I priced it at $35.00 for the customer contract. Felt if I found one with shipping to me I would be fine. So after about 10 minutes on Ebay I see a whole lot of crack smoking fools, LOL. Buy it now prices on some were starting at $35 and a couple were at $50.00. 50 !!!!!!! for that POS !!!!!
So I continue to search and find one of there LE, LOL, brushed gold versions. Shows it in the box but had been displayed. Grainy picture but said it was in perfect condition. Seller feedback is 100%...... price is $10.00. OK, this is more like it, $10.00 for a POS, lol. Shipping is 15.00..... and anyone who Ebays knows this is so that they can recoup there fees and make profit on the shipping. I really don't care..... I need the car, even in gold its still diecast metal and getting completely repainted.
So....... I bid away....... 10.00, Whoo Hoooo........ 1-2-3-4 days later IM THE WINNER !!!! Wow did I just steal this baby, I mean I must have since NOBODY else wanted this fine brushed gold piece of diecast opulence, LOL. Yeah...... more like who gives a shit its another Vette, LOL.
So I go through the billing crap and have to mail a MO for the $25.00. I don't do the Paypal thing...... long story I might hit on someday but I hate them, they hate me.... enough said. Go to the post office the next day and mail off the money, along with other MO's for cars I had to buy from people NOT on Ebay. Then comes the waiting game, but hey they have 100% feedback, no problem, there shipping USPS Priority Mail so it should be here rather quick.
I mailed the MO on or around Oct 21st.......figured I would have the car around Nov 1st-5th. Nov 7th I still don't have the car...... I email the seller and get.." Opps... sorry it didn't go out yet". Ok...... well shit happens as well I know so.... I trust it will be to me by the end of the week. They are in Kansas, not that far away. La la la la ..... time passes like the dust on a diecast car, LOL....... now its the 16th... still no car, I email again.. hear nothing back... ok , now im starting to panic.... I need a car and I need it now. My diecast plate is full and this is the cherry on top but I need it like a baby needs a bottle. I email again on the 19th and get a "it should be there today" reply with a " sorry I was out of town over the weekend story".
So... Im just curious when it was mailed and asked for the info... her (now revealed) reply was, whats your shipping address. Im thinking how can you tell me you shipped it but NOT KNOW THAT! Ugh..... people, LOL.
So heres the deal.... I DONT receive mail here.. it all goes to the PO Box but I get all UPS, Fed Ex and DHL shipments here though. I make that clear in my Ebay correspondence that they need to ship accordingly. The buyer says I will check on it. So it shows up yesterday, YEAH!!!! but was, yes, shipped to the wrong address........ was mailed here to the house...... then forwarded, thank god, to the PO Box. I should have had the car weeks ago but at least its here.
Forward to my taking the car apart...... remember what I bought ? Yeah, well dumbass me didn't know that "gold" cars are ALL FRICKEN GOLD. All the chrome, oops, is gold, the shifter and steering wheel are gold the fricken carbs are gold....... im like WTF! So guess what ? I need to buy another car now, lol. So if your paying attention and for some thats a stretch, LOL... I have $25.00 into a car that I priced at $35.00 I had a Whoo Hoo $10.00 profit on the car...... NOT NOW !!!!!! Now I will be in the red (in this case Gold and not a good way, LOL) since I have to buy another car.
Thankfully I only have to paint this White and swap the wheels. Now I know you Vette guys are thinking all 54's are White but this is different since his dad removed all the trim on the car and the bumperettes on all 4 corners, filled the holes and re shot the car in White. So I went ahead and stripped it all down and filled all the trim holes. Least this way I can get the bodywork done and get the car painted leaving just the assembly with the new CHROME parts of my new diecast Vette I have yet to buy.
Wow, fun in diecast........ but wait.... it gets better........
So I had mentioned in past posts about masking off cars for stripes. One of them is a Alloy Grey 05/6 Shelby with Silver stripes. So I grab the car yesterday to shoot the stripes and think, what color are these supposed to me...... so I grab the paperwork and look...... ok, Silver no biggy..... oh but Yikes!!! Houston we have a problem !!!! I do notice on the paperwork I was to make 1/4 scoops. UGH !!!!!! Which I didn't do....... and the car is painted.... WOW, what a dope. Must be the paint fumes im sniffin, LOL.
I really need to go to Mexico and get a free wife... LOL, I can blame her then, LOL, or make her do all the work for free, LOL.
So..... off comes the tape for the stripes....... out comes my boxes of junk cars so I can try to find something close and not have to make them from scratch. Based on what I was charging for this it didn't look like I was planning on making them from scratch. So after some hunting..... BINGO.... scoops..... some that look great, not like anything else and not overwhelm the car. I will not divulge where they came from and NOBODY will ever guess. I will tell the owner though, im sure he will get a kick out of it. So..... I cut, trim, trial fit.... tack..... view..... and final glue. Then a little spot putty so I can make them puppies look factory and boom its done........ done........ but not done. Its got to be repainted AGAIN. Thankfully im a single guy and the holiday is here..... I can get stuff done (painting, clearcoating) and not be inundated with phone calls, yeah.
I wanted to add this...... Some asked about the Little Green truck. I ended up swapping it for this wagon. The situation was such that it was what I needed to do at the time. I sold this before relocating to OR and thats why 2 stalls in my garage are empty. I have no old cars anymore.... well not yet anyway, LOL.
So I have to create a slightly modified 54 Corvette for a customer to match his fathers car. I asked a couple diecast companies/people I know and nobody had one (Ertl, 50th anniversary car made in bunches). So my desperate search takes me to Ebay. Knowing this is a mass market car I priced it at $35.00 for the customer contract. Felt if I found one with shipping to me I would be fine. So after about 10 minutes on Ebay I see a whole lot of crack smoking fools, LOL. Buy it now prices on some were starting at $35 and a couple were at $50.00. 50 !!!!!!! for that POS !!!!!
So I continue to search and find one of there LE, LOL, brushed gold versions. Shows it in the box but had been displayed. Grainy picture but said it was in perfect condition. Seller feedback is 100%...... price is $10.00. OK, this is more like it, $10.00 for a POS, lol. Shipping is 15.00..... and anyone who Ebays knows this is so that they can recoup there fees and make profit on the shipping. I really don't care..... I need the car, even in gold its still diecast metal and getting completely repainted.
So....... I bid away....... 10.00, Whoo Hoooo........ 1-2-3-4 days later IM THE WINNER !!!! Wow did I just steal this baby, I mean I must have since NOBODY else wanted this fine brushed gold piece of diecast opulence, LOL. Yeah...... more like who gives a shit its another Vette, LOL.
So I go through the billing crap and have to mail a MO for the $25.00. I don't do the Paypal thing...... long story I might hit on someday but I hate them, they hate me.... enough said. Go to the post office the next day and mail off the money, along with other MO's for cars I had to buy from people NOT on Ebay. Then comes the waiting game, but hey they have 100% feedback, no problem, there shipping USPS Priority Mail so it should be here rather quick.
I mailed the MO on or around Oct 21st.......figured I would have the car around Nov 1st-5th. Nov 7th I still don't have the car...... I email the seller and get.." Opps... sorry it didn't go out yet". Ok...... well shit happens as well I know so.... I trust it will be to me by the end of the week. They are in Kansas, not that far away. La la la la ..... time passes like the dust on a diecast car, LOL....... now its the 16th... still no car, I email again.. hear nothing back... ok , now im starting to panic.... I need a car and I need it now. My diecast plate is full and this is the cherry on top but I need it like a baby needs a bottle. I email again on the 19th and get a "it should be there today" reply with a " sorry I was out of town over the weekend story".
So... Im just curious when it was mailed and asked for the info... her (now revealed) reply was, whats your shipping address. Im thinking how can you tell me you shipped it but NOT KNOW THAT! Ugh..... people, LOL.
So heres the deal.... I DONT receive mail here.. it all goes to the PO Box but I get all UPS, Fed Ex and DHL shipments here though. I make that clear in my Ebay correspondence that they need to ship accordingly. The buyer says I will check on it. So it shows up yesterday, YEAH!!!! but was, yes, shipped to the wrong address........ was mailed here to the house...... then forwarded, thank god, to the PO Box. I should have had the car weeks ago but at least its here.
Forward to my taking the car apart...... remember what I bought ? Yeah, well dumbass me didn't know that "gold" cars are ALL FRICKEN GOLD. All the chrome, oops, is gold, the shifter and steering wheel are gold the fricken carbs are gold....... im like WTF! So guess what ? I need to buy another car now, lol. So if your paying attention and for some thats a stretch, LOL... I have $25.00 into a car that I priced at $35.00 I had a Whoo Hoo $10.00 profit on the car...... NOT NOW !!!!!! Now I will be in the red (in this case Gold and not a good way, LOL) since I have to buy another car.
Thankfully I only have to paint this White and swap the wheels. Now I know you Vette guys are thinking all 54's are White but this is different since his dad removed all the trim on the car and the bumperettes on all 4 corners, filled the holes and re shot the car in White. So I went ahead and stripped it all down and filled all the trim holes. Least this way I can get the bodywork done and get the car painted leaving just the assembly with the new CHROME parts of my new diecast Vette I have yet to buy.
Wow, fun in diecast........ but wait.... it gets better........
So I had mentioned in past posts about masking off cars for stripes. One of them is a Alloy Grey 05/6 Shelby with Silver stripes. So I grab the car yesterday to shoot the stripes and think, what color are these supposed to me...... so I grab the paperwork and look...... ok, Silver no biggy..... oh but Yikes!!! Houston we have a problem !!!! I do notice on the paperwork I was to make 1/4 scoops. UGH !!!!!! Which I didn't do....... and the car is painted.... WOW, what a dope. Must be the paint fumes im sniffin, LOL.
I really need to go to Mexico and get a free wife... LOL, I can blame her then, LOL, or make her do all the work for free, LOL.
So..... off comes the tape for the stripes....... out comes my boxes of junk cars so I can try to find something close and not have to make them from scratch. Based on what I was charging for this it didn't look like I was planning on making them from scratch. So after some hunting..... BINGO.... scoops..... some that look great, not like anything else and not overwhelm the car. I will not divulge where they came from and NOBODY will ever guess. I will tell the owner though, im sure he will get a kick out of it. So..... I cut, trim, trial fit.... tack..... view..... and final glue. Then a little spot putty so I can make them puppies look factory and boom its done........ done........ but not done. Its got to be repainted AGAIN. Thankfully im a single guy and the holiday is here..... I can get stuff done (painting, clearcoating) and not be inundated with phone calls, yeah.
I wanted to add this...... Some asked about the Little Green truck. I ended up swapping it for this wagon. The situation was such that it was what I needed to do at the time. I sold this before relocating to OR and thats why 2 stalls in my garage are empty. I have no old cars anymore.... well not yet anyway, LOL.
Ok ........ Im out
Hi, i´m Gino Becerra from Lima, Perú, i have a Blog called "Pasion a Escala" and i linked your blog on my links list, i enjoyed your pics and feel free too to leave a comment on my blog
Cheers
GINO
Reply to this
Hi John...just a Pre-Thanksgiving word of thanks and encouragement for your Blog. I'm really enjoying not only the descriptions of the cars in progress, but the "human" side of what you do. This is the kind of stuff that is best enjoyed in a comfortable chair and a pot of coffee.
Thanks for allowing us to see the business, the trials, and the rewards of making peoples Diecast dreams come to reality....
Have a productive Holiday...they can be tough sometimes, and know that as difficult as "some" customers can be, there are plenty who are just plain thrilled with what you've accomplished for them. If they're not thrilled, they are just jaded by too much money...and you owe it to them to relieve them of at least some of their burden. Thanks again John....I look forward to every installment....J.P.
Reply to this