Johan prices $$$$

[Mark]

The plastic axles came in in the early Seventies.  I thought all of the SC/Rambler kits had them until a couple of years ago.  The earliest ones had wire axles.  The USA Oldies series came in around 1974; I believe all of those had plastic from day one.

[crazyjim]

I could have had a Johan '69 Road Runner but didn't like that the chassis had the suspension and exhaust system molded in.

[High octane]

23 minutes ago, crazyjim said:

I could have had a Johan '69 Road Runner but didn't like that the chassis had the suspension and exhaust system molded in.

You can always change the chassis to one from the AMT '68 Road Runner or '69 GTX kits

[StevenGuthmiller]

48 minutes ago, High octane said:

You can always change the chassis to one from the AMT '68 Road Runner or '69 GTX kits

That has become standard operating procedure with the Johan & MPC B-bodies.

I have yet to try it with a Johan kit, but it was a pretty simple procedure with the MPC Dodges.

 

Steve

 

[SfanGoch]

I used the chassis and running gear from the Revellogram '68 Charger to replace the less than detailed components of the Johan Police Pursuit Car which I'm building as a NYPD RMP. This is what the mockup looks like:

I added an extra 5 mm, measured from the rearmost spring mounts, so that the gas tank is the proper length for a Fury I.

Interestingly, the wheelbase of the '68 Charger kit measures out to exactly 119 mm (or 119 inches 1:1), which is the wheelbase for a C Body Plymouth. Now, I gotta get the Lindberg '64 Dodge 330 for the Slant 6. I also used a '59 Impala chassis, which I stretched and modified, to use under the Johan '64 deVille ragtop. I had to scratchbuild the front lower control arms since nobody makes AM parts and the same with the rear suspension.

[NYLIBUD]

I actually lucked out and found the police car on eBay for a great price...But like I said,it seems like Johan kits went through the roof,overnight.

[Ron Hamilton]

I was quite lucky, as I bought most of my JoHans in the 80's and 90's while they were cheap, and I had money. I have several flat box kits. I did buy some that were built before, but restorable, but most were un built, and in white styrene for the most part..  Joe, I like your use of the Revell Charger Chassis under the Johan Fury.

[SfanGoch]

Thanks, Ron. It was a better choice than the Lindberg Mopar chassis.No comparison as far as details were concerned.

[PlymouthFan]

My only true “Grail” kit I’m on the search for is the Johan 70 GTX last one I seen on eBay was 400$ it’s got me almost giving up hope of finding one

[High octane]

3 minutes ago, PlymouthFan said:

My only true “Grail” kit I’m on the search for is the Johan 70 GTX last one I seen on eBay was 400$ it’s got me almost giving up hope of finding one

I recently finished a Revell '70 Road Runner and have no desire to find a JoHan '70 GTX or spend that kind of money for it either. Of course I understand that some people would like that GTX in their collection.

[PlymouthFan]

5 minutes ago, High octane said:

I recently finished a Revell '70 Road Runner and have no desire to find a JoHan '70 GTX or spend that kind of money for it either. Of course I understand that some people would like that GTX in their collection.

I’m just a 1/25 kind of guy but for the prices some of these guys want I could almost go without it

[gtx6970]

7 hours ago, High octane said:

I recently finished a Revell '70 Road Runner and have no desire to find a JoHan '70 GTX or spend that kind of money for it either. Of course I understand that some people would like that GTX in their collection.

I just bought a spotless Johan 1970 GTX builder in the past 6 months for $85 delivered and darn glad I got it. It was the last one of the Johan Mopar 5 I needed. The Monogram car sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of your shelf is all 1.25th scale

Ive picked up  original issue Superbird, 69 Roadrunner and 70 Road Runner in recent years and none were over maybe $40-50 range. My 69 GTX on the other hand ,,,hurt the toy fund pretty good

Edited May 26, 2018 by gtx6970

[Snake45]

47 minutes ago, gtx6970 said:

I just bought a spotless Johan 1970 GTX builder in the past 6 months for $85 delivered and darn glad I got it. It was the last one of the Johan Mopar 5 I needed. The Monogram car sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of your shelf is all 1.25th scale

 

Last year I bought and Snake-Fu'ed an inexpensive (Welly? Maisto? something like that) diecast '70 GTX that seems to be true 1/25. It's the same size as the AMT '69, anyway, and smaller than the Monogram 1/24. It does look like it was copied from the Monogram, though, and has the same slightly chunky look in the height of the body. Mine came in what looks like Go Mango orange. I'm pretty happy with it and it looks good on my shelf (until I can find an affordable JoHan rebuilder, anyway). 

[PlymouthFan]

3 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

I just bought a spotless Johan 1970 GTX builder in the past 6 months for $85 delivered and darn glad I got it. It was the last one of the Johan Mopar 5 I needed. The Monogram car sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of your shelf is all 1.25th scale

Ive picked up  original issue Superbird, 69 Roadrunner and 70 Road Runner in recent years and none were over maybe $40-50 range. My 69 GTX on the other hand ,,,hurt the toy fund pretty good

If I would’ve made a move on some recent ones I’ve seen my toy fund would be completley gone

[Tom Geiger]

Back around 1990 when I had recently gotten back to the hobby, Hobby Masters in Red Bank, NJ had a one day sale.. 20% off all kits.  I had admired all the Johan Oldies Series on the shelf there so I went in and liberated all the ones I wanted.  I remember that I spent something like $100, back when kits were maybe $12, so this was quite a purchase!  That was the base of my Johan collection.  I've added a lot over time, through swap meets, purchase from friends and eBay.

 

[Snake45]

29 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Back around 1990 when I had recently gotten back to the hobby, Hobby Masters in Red Bank, NJ had a one day sale.. 20% off all kits.  I had admired all the Johan Oldies Series on the shelf there so I went in and liberated all the ones I wanted.  I remember that I spent something like $100, back when kits were maybe $12, so this was quite a purchase!  That was the base of my Johan collection.  I've added a lot over time, through swap meets, purchase from friends and eBay.

 

Yah, there was a hobby shop a couple towns over I'd drive up to every couple months or so. They had boo-coo JoHan reissues in the '80s/early '90s and I pretty much stocked up then. Didn't know at the time that that would be my lifetime stash.  But I did manage to get Maverick and Comet pro stocks, AMX, '69 Road Runner, '70 Superbird (S&M), S&M '71 Cuda, SCRambler, Marlin, '70 Olds 4-4-2, '64 Dodge and Plymouth, Mustang funny car, and maybe a couple more I don't remember now. Have built some, hope to build 'em all sooner or later, so no begging, please. Wish I'd bought a few more. 

Edited May 26, 2018 by Snake45

[PlymouthFan]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Yah, there was a hobby shop a couple towns over I'd drive up to every couple months or so. They had boo-coo JoHan reissues in the '80s/early '90s and I pretty much stocked up then. Didn't know at the time that that would be my lifetime stash.  But I did manage to get Maverick and Comet pro stocks, AMX, '69 Road Runner, '70 Superbird (S&M), S&M '71 Cuda, SCRambler, Marlin, '70 Olds 4-4-2, '64 Dodge and Plymouth, Mustang funny car, and maybe a couple more I don't remember now. Have built some, hope to build 'em all sooner or later, so no begging, please. Wish I'd bought a few more. 

Cheapest Johan kits I’ve ever gotten was 20$ on a factory sealed petty 64 still sealed 20$ on a Sox Cuda and 25 and 30 on mint petty 70 superbirds

[Bucky]

Down thru the years, I have amassed several JoHan kits. I still have 50 unbuilt, including at least 11 Caddy kits. I have a few that I have built, and hope to build the rest......some day!! Most of the kits I have were bought at a time when the prices were "going-out-of-business" type prices. I got lucky, then. A few of the later purchases were in the moderate range, but I haven't paid paid more than $75 for any one JoHan kit. Some of the kits I'd like to have, when the price goes above $75 on places like eBay, I stop looking at them!

[MrObsessive]

On 5/23/2018 at 12:03 PM, SfanGoch said:

 

Open kits can be a problem too. How many times have you seen a kit listed and the seller indicates that he's not sure if all the parts are in the box but it looks complete? Why don't you look at the instruction sheet and inventory what's in the box? You know exactly what you're selling; so, cut the naive/stupid act.

Yup! It's not like Johan's have hundreds of parts like a Fujimi Enthusiast kit or something! Of the few Johan's I've sold on eBay, I've laid out the parts nice and neat for all to see so they can check against the instruction sheet which was also laid out with pics of both sides if needed.

Some sellers are just flat out lazy, or simply devious as they can use that as their "out". I love it when they say.............."I don't know much about these----I'm selling this for a friend". They have no clue what you're trying to sell for them either??

On the subject of Johan's though, I believe at this point I have the kits that I want. There are a couple I'd love to find simply the boxes for----a '68 AMC Matador and Javelin are a couple of them that's missing their boxes for example. Even crazier than some of the prices for whole kits can be just the PARTS for those beasts! There's a certain seller on eBay that specializes in simply parts for kits. I've seen some of those Johan bodies (and just the bodies) go for insane amounts of money!

Nothing against the seller in what he does as I've bought from him, but it just goes to show how much people will pay if they want something bad enough, in which I have to plead the fifth on that one!

I do have a regret for a Johan I sold, and now wish I could find another for a "reasonable" price-----the 1967 Fury III hardtop which was in pristine shape with the original box. I can't even remember why I sold it, but I've since got the convertible (no box) and I have a couple of the '68 hardtops. One with the original box, and one without.

Those are just a few of the MANY Johans I have that I intend to keep whether I build/restore them or not.

[Mr Stock]

I've been very lucky in my Johan collection, I have probably about 22 different models (some are rebuilders)and I've not paid over £35 for any of them. If you think they are getting rare in the US, over here they are almost non existent !.

2 that seem to constantly elude me are the 72 Gran torino snapper and the Cadillac ambulance

 

Edited May 26, 2018 by Mr Stock

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, PlymouthFan said:

Cheapest Johan kits I’ve ever gotten was 20$ on a factory sealed petty 64 still sealed 20$ on a Sox Cuda and 25 and 30 on mint petty 70 superbirds

Cheapest JoHan kit I ever bought was $2 for a '66 Marlin. 

Of course, that was back in 1966. 

[SfanGoch]

You overpaid. Ted's Stationery Store had'em for a buck seventy nine.  

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

I do have a regret for a Johan I sold, and now wish I could find another for a "reasonable" price-----the 1967 Fury III hardtop which was in pristine shape with the original box.

I didn't get this one from you, did I?

I don't exactly remember how much this one set me back, but it was only a couple of years ago, so I highly doubt that it was free!

 

Steve

 

[gtx6970]

11 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I didn't get this one from you, did I?

I don't exactly remember how much this one set me back, but it was only a couple of years ago, so I highly doubt that it was free!

 

Steve

 

i would like to  find a clean builder 67 convertible. Although I might consider a 1968

[MrObsessive]

Steve, that one looks VERY much like mine, but according to the auction (I save all of them in a folder in my hard disc) I sold mine back in May of '07. Mine had a very slight lean to the roof A pillars (darn flat boxes!), but when you put in the glass, it straightened out with no trouble.

That wouldn't have been long after I moved to the house I'm in now..........it could have been sold for something I wanted for the house, I can't remember now. Hard to believe it's been that long now! As I mentioned I do have a couple of the '68 hardtops which I actually like a bit better than the '67's.

Edited May 26, 2018 by MrObsessive