76 replies to this topic

[bradblohm]

Hey Joe,

 

Congrats on the grinder. Looks like Buzz modified one of those Modelmats to add a spinning grinder against the spinning wheel/tire.

 

Glad it went to home where it'll be appreciated, and possibly used!

[nicky 65]

Thanks! Would love to visit on Saturday. How do I make an appointment?

 

They are there every day after 9 till about 4... just go and knock on the door.

[nicky 65]

They will be there today after 10 AM... go get some stuff.

[Steve Deiters]

 

I remember seeing ads for this machine. I always had visions of that X-Acto-type cutting blade binding up on the tire about two-thirds of the way into the cut. The blade, being brittle, snapping and stabbing the operator somewhere and the 'German' slick (that's what foam tires of the era were called) tire that was being cut down ruined. Thankfully we have moved on...

[scuderia venturi]

I am very, very sad.

 

Ciao, Buzz, from Rome, Italy.

 

- Marco Venturi

[Joe Mig]

I have got some trade shipped German rubber airplane ties I have got to cut down and the huddy just don't cut em.

 
I remember seeing ads for this machine. I always had visions of that X-Acto-type cutting blade binding up on the tire about two-thirds of the way into the cut. The blade, being brittle, snapping and stabbing the operator somewhere and the 'German' slick (that's what foam tires of the era were called) tire that was being cut down ruined. Thankfully we have moved on...

[Phil Hackett]

The $39.50 truer in, say early 1965, would cost $349.61 in today's money....

[nicky 65]

After today... it's all over.

[Mbloes]

Sooo... what happened to all the leftover inventory?

[Mike Patterson]

I was expecting to see at least one photo of any piece of the Emperor. 

[bradblohm]

I was expecting to see at least one photo of any piece of the Emperor. 

 

I've got a bunch of pictures but I don't want to clutter up and slow down the thread loading.  Looking for the best place to post them and provide a link.  I have one picture that shows more of the king track pieces in the basement, but in the distance there is one yellow piece from the Emperor.  No worries, it will live again!

[Matt Sheldon]

Load them up, this is a historical referencing site as much as anything.

[Phil Hackett]

I have pictures of the Emperor when it was set up at the '79 Nats... more than just track pictures, there are two persons in one of them that were very influential in the slot car industry. It is slot car history and probably one of the very few pictures of either of these two men.

[MSwiss]

Here's some screenshots from a couple of less than great video's and one pretty good regular pic at the end.

[bradblohm]

Good stuff, Mike!  In the pics you can clearly see that many sections appear perfectly fine, but the one piece was pretty hideous!  That was the worst from my memory, and a couple others halfway there, but I believe the new owner plans to rehab and resurrect.

[Paul Menkens]

That looks like my cellar, but mine's a bit more cluttered.

[NSwanberg]

I am shocked that it never seems to have been flooded.

[Mike Patterson]

Thank you for the Emperor pics, everybody, I appreciate it. It's nice to know that the fictional beast does exist.

[bradblohm]

Okay, over 70 photos loaded, but all I did was make a single HTML file to display them. Sorry for the size, but you should get enough detail to see much of what was in boxes and available for picking!

 

http://www.bradblohm...Buzz/index.html

 

If you zoom your browser out you can see the full photo, then zoom back in if you see something interesting.

[NSwanberg]

Are there any estimates as to the when purchased was retail value of all that inventory?

 

Did the Professor get all the Dynamic stuff?

[Mr. M]

Yikes! Buzz didn’t do anything small! There is mor inventory here than most distributors over a lifetime maybe…

[bradblohm]

Are there any estimates as to the when purchased was retail value of all that inventory?

 

Did the Professor get all the Dynamic stuff?

 

Hey, Nelson, we'll wait for your estimate from what you see in the pictures! When Frank and I walked through so I could give him some ideas on pricing, was only looking at desirability, what it's likely eBay price would be, and what he should probably price it to sell. Generally we were talking half-ish or lower depending on condition, and round down after pricing a pile. 

 

As I said before, I think there was a lot of stuff Buzz picked up for pennies when others closed, or trips to Polk's before others started raiding. As for the Professor, I did pick him up a few bits but not as much as I probably should have, and there was a lot left and headed to storage unless someone raided after I left.

 

Yikes! Buzz didn’t do anything small! There is mor inventory here than most distributors over a lifetime maybe…

 

Yeah, he had a lot as he was a distributor for certain things, but what made Buzz-a-Rama special is that only a few got in the basement over time. I think he and Frank sold the kits and nice cars at shows over the last 20 years, and I'm pretty sure he had a few deals in the last five. Frank had a few nice kits and cars at the Baltimore show Fall 2021, and most of those sold.

[Joe Mig]

From what I know over the years of being a customer and growing somewhat kind of a relationship with Buzzy and his wife Dolores absolutely nobody was in the basement besides himself.

[Mbloes]

Great post, Brad.

 

Really puts into perspective bidding on eBay for a lone set of orange tires or a single Lancer body!

[bradblohm]

I would have loved to bring it all home with me, but my house is already full. I've been lucky to find a lot of boxes of this and boxes of that, and dumb enough to just keep buying over the last 30 years.

 

When I see what people pay on eBay for some things I shake my head. There are a few of us who just go to our basements and find what we need, but I have to remember that some people who live in rural areas, or are returning to the hobby and remember the joys of their youth, don't have that luxury. If they're lucky they have a friend who shares their interest.

 

For the guys who like vintage stuff, what can you do? I get 15-20 requests a week to try to find things, or reproduce in resin certain pieces. I help when I can, and if/when I hang up the IT work my job will be selling the houseful of stuff I have. Perhaps I need to start now while I'm physically able, and there is somebody out there who wants it!

 

Ultimately, this Buzz-A-Rama thing, while sad because of the loss, was a fantastic experience! Oh, the goodies to see and buy!  Frank took tubs to short-term storage, and it will likely come out this spring/summer/fall, and the fact is it will get snarfed up.

 

I usually recommend to people to be patient; that there is more out there, but when you got to have it, and some things are rare, buy it!  t's only money!