question for collectors

[Typicray@rainmans]

Depends on your definition of cheap...the item I traded I would value at about $300-$350 had I sold it for cash. So, a great deal, but not exactly stolen
I get what you are saying about it being very unlikely to come across a package deal like that again, and as neat as I think they are, I might be more inclined to sell or trade most of them to get something I REALLY want...although I suspect that the longer I have them, the harder it will be to part with them. I already have jrx2 and rc10 runners, so those at least will probably go...and an optima, since there were 2...

It is definitely close to being stolen my friend. Go ahead and try to find another avante in that condition for sub $400... It is almost impossible.

Edit: not only that, the motor in the avante alone is very hard to find.

[R Cane]

These are the 3 uncut bodies...
bottom left -> Optima Mid
bottom right -> Tamiya Avante
top -> haven't identified yet. stamped Losi #3003, can't find a listing for that. Any ideas? Doesn't quite look like a JRX2, maybe something similar? Sorry, I know the clear bodies are a bit hard to see in the pic...maybe I'll try them on a black background...

These are the original boxes I got in the deal:

And finally, I grabbed a couple handfuls of misc from the big box-o-parts...there's lots more in there...

[Typicray@rainmans]

The avante body is the one on the bottom right. I dont know about the others but there will definitely will be someone who does answering very shortly.

You are making me very jealous
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[slow_jun]

Top losi body is for Losi JRx2.

[R Cane]

Thanks for the info everyone.
I will dig through the parts and see if the correct Optima items are in there.
And sorry, really not trying to rub in my good luck...just amazed that I found this deal relatively soon after jumping from modern RC to vintage. Just shows...the neat stuff truly is out there, just have to look around and be ready to jump on it when you see it!

[R Cane]

One more thing...these tires and aluminum wheels were also in the box. I really like them...just wanted to know if anyone recognized them. Just curious - were they originally intended for a specific vehicle, or a "stick 'em on whatever you want" addon? No markings on the wheels, the tires have Michelin TRX on the sides. I did a Google search, and of course 95% of what I got was actual Michelin tires - not helpful. Fronts are slightly narrower than the rear.
As is, they look like they would work on the RC10...

[shodog]

Those Michelin tires are from a Tamiya Audi Quattro. The rims may be from advance racing.

[R Cane]

Thanks!

[Kyoshojoe]

The first car is a regular optima not a turbo. The turbo would have a bottom chassis plate and 1.9 inch rims and sway bars. the second car looks to be a turbo optima mid se. the silver rims are my first clue, alloy MSC mount, frp shock stays, and sway bars also were standard equipment. if it is an SE then it has ball diffs and a anodized countersunk chassis. Its missing the platinum shocks as well the belt covers.

The unidentified body on the left bottom is for an optima mid.

hope this helps. They look to be in fantastic shape and if you are restoring to sell I wouldnt worry about getting aftermarket bodies. Ive sold several optimas and mids as rollers and had no problem getting what I asked. Most of the time a buyer will get a body and tires themselves. to me its not worth buying a body for 40$, trimming mounting and painting only to up the value of the car by 30$. Also the more money you put in the less margin for profit and most buyers on ebay are very frugal and will be prone to lose interest as the price goes up.

[R Cane]

Thanks...I plan to be learning a bit about all of these cars. I'll see if I can online manuals, and go through the build that's been done, so if I do sell them, I can truthfully claim them to be original parts to the car.

[Kyoshojoe]

Competition x has almost all the manuals on pdf. You got an excellent deal on those cars. The optima looks pristine and except for rear shocks and towers it looks complete, same with the mid. I am for the most part only familiar with the specifics of Kyosho optima, ultimas and their cousins, so as to the other cars im pretty ignorant. Ive observed and watched kyoshos on ebay for the past three years and they are getting rarer. Back in the storage war heyday they would pop up regularly, but since have diminished in numbers and gone up in price by about 10% per year

The optimas in unrestored condition go for *** to *** and top out around *** for a restored mint car. Of course there are rare deals that come ever so often for cheap. The mids have become quite popular as vintage racers and have a huge following and fan base as seen by all the builds on this forum.

My advice if you plan on using ebay to sell, is to take high quality pics of all angles especially the bottom as that is where rc cars show wear the most. Make sure to make a detailed description noting any imperfections worth mentioning, scratches, worn parts, etc. I would also suggest creating or copying a disclaimer to protect yourself and put it in the description. Most buyers will want to know exactly what they are buying and will not pay top dollar for an item with blury pics and no description. Also don't get caught up in the numbers matching game. It does not have to be 100% to get a good price. A set of gold shocks on an optima instead of the red ones can be considered an upgrade.

Personally I think as it sits the optima would bring upwards of ***if the bottom is in same shape as top. Might have to get the right shocks or at least matching ones but thats only cause whats on there now are associated, which is like putting a chevy motor in a mustang. lol ultimate sin.

I usually start my pricing high with a buy it now option and wait patiently. I don't like taking a chance of losing money by starting with a low bid reserve and i dont need the money so bad that im desperate to sell.

Hope this helps and im always willing to answer any questions you have in regards to the optimas, even though im uber jealous that you scored a cache of the most desirable vintage rcs for pennies on the dollar, you easily have *** $ in that haul.

[Charlie don't surf]

Competition x has almost all the manuals on pdf. You got an excellent deal on those cars. The optima looks pristine and except for rear shocks and towers it looks complete, same with the mid. I am for the most part only familiar with the specifics of Kyosho optima, ultimas and their cousins, so as to the other cars im pretty ignorant. Ive observed and watched kyoshos on ebay for the past three years and they are getting rarer. Back in the storage war heyday they would pop up regularly, but since have diminished in numbers and gone up in price by about 10% per year

The optimas in unrestored condition go for *** to *** and top out around *** for a restored mint car. Of course there are rare deals that come ever so often for cheap. The mids have become quite popular as vintage racers and have a huge following and fan base as seen by all the builds on this forum.

My advice if you plan on using ebay to sell, is to take high quality pics of all angles especially the bottom as that is where rc cars show wear the most. Make sure to make a detailed description noting any imperfections worth mentioning, scratches, worn parts, etc. I would also suggest creating or copying a disclaimer to protect yourself and put it in the description. Most buyers will want to know exactly what they are buying and will not pay top dollar for an item with blury pics and no description. Also don't get caught up in the numbers matching game. It does not have to be 100% to get a good price. A set of gold shocks on an optima instead of the red ones can be considered an upgrade.

Personally I think as it sits the optima would bring upwards of ***if the bottom is in same shape as top. Might have to get the right shocks or at least matching ones but thats only cause whats on there now are associated, which is like putting a chevy motor in a mustang. lol ultimate sin.

I usually start my pricing high with a buy it now option and wait patiently. I don't like taking a chance of losing money by starting with a low bid reserve and i dont need the money so bad that im desperate to sell.

Hope this helps and im always willing to answer any questions you have in regards to the optimas, even though im uber jealous that you scored a cache of the most desirable vintage rcs for pennies on the dollar, you easily have *** $ in that haul.

We don't appraise, quote or estimate here. Opinions on pricing are just that, opinions. You guys can circulate opinions via PM all you care to

[Kyoshojoe]

Sorry for that, was just trying to give an idea of what similar cars have sold for based upon my observations of ebay over the past few years. Wasnt thinking I was breaking any rules just typing info I thought would help the OP. Won't happen again Sir. Sorry if I caused any problems.

[R Cane]

The first car is a regular optima not a turbo. The turbo would have a bottom chassis plate and 1.9 inch rims and sway bars. the second car looks to be a turbo optima mid se. the silver rims are my first clue, alloy MSC mount, frp shock stays, and sway bars also were standard equipment. if it is an SE then it has ball diffs and a anodized countersunk chassis. Its missing the platinum shocks as well the belt covers.

The unidentified body on the left bottom is for an optima mid.

hope this helps. They look to be in fantastic shape and if you are restoring to sell I wouldnt worry about getting aftermarket bodies. Ive sold several optimas and mids as rollers and had no problem getting what I asked. Most of the time a buyer will get a body and tires themselves. to me its not worth buying a body for 40$, trimming mounting and painting only to up the value of the car by 30$. Also the more money you put in the less margin for profit and most buyers on ebay are very frugal and will be prone to lose interest as the price goes up.

You were spot on there, but I'm sure you knew that. I went through the box-o-parts, and came across the following box insert, manual, and nice decal sheet:

[R Cane]

Also for the Optima, upon looking through the pile of extra shocks, I do have the correct red anodized rear shocks.
Both Optimas are pristine top and bottom, I believe they have never been run, possibly never even had the build completed...