SSD deal?

xman2yman

Alright so here is the story guys. I found by luck a guy selling the SSD for the price of 150-200. The bad news is the fact that part of it was melted due to a fire. He also has other sets like the imperial shuttle and some tie fighters all UCS. Only the SSD has damage melted parts the rest may be slightly discolored. Thoughts guys?

SuperTramp

Oh no,

Another one of Boom Blocks victims...

xman2yman

I'm confused, what do you mean??

Pitfall69

I wouldn't touch it. The IS looks like it has discolored due to heat as well. It may not be melted, but you can tell the whole thing is yellowed and some parts are worse than that.

drdavewatford

It looks utterly ghastly.

Billybrown

Should be binned.

xman2yman

:( well I was so excited at first. So these stained pieces can't be cleaned? I figure cleaned them with vinegar and then replace the badly messed up parts via brick link. Might cost me 300 total but that's still a deal for a SSD

SirKevbags

Isn't it the battle scarred special edition? ;-)

Pitfall69

It is right as the Executor crashes into the Death Star. Just remove some pieces in the front ;)

SumoLego

I doubt you're going to be able to get the pieces apart without breaking them. It probably smells too.

Dedgecko

Boom Blocks is a YouTube channel that specializes in the destruction of Lego sets via blunt force, kinetic energy, and insanely high thermal exposure to the materials.

xman2yman

Haha thanks for that info. So you guys would consider any of these then. The imperial shuttle is in good condition. Just prolly needs a god cleaning.

oldtodd33

The fire has damaged more than you think or see. They will smell of fire and chemicals for ever. Let them go.

samiam391

Looks like the A-wing just made contact.

1265

Looks pretty cool with the battle scars.  I would consider it if it was $50 and display it the way it is.

xman2yman

Wow 50 really, I guess I'll just look for a deal then. Thought that they were going for closer to 700 right now.

ecmo47

I'd pay 100-150 for it as pictured. Does it have the minifigs, instruction book or USC plaque? Those would add value. I'd bet that if you returned it to its original condition, it would run you about $200-$300 additional in parts (more if needing Instructions and sticker) and a lot of time.

Seriously, the Boom Brick guys might really be interested. Might be the perfect model for them to completely destroy.

Or you could just work it into a battle scene since it's got some pretty authentic damage.

Bumblepants

It will probably just make you wish you had a decent one even more.

xman2yman

Yeah your prolly right about that. I wish I could see it in person first but sadly he isn't anywhere near by.

xman2yman

Ecmo no books or box and I am not sure about the plaque.

xman2yman

Here is the shuttle and Death Star that were there too. These don't have any real damage but will need a good cleansing.

Pitfall69

They need more thsn a good cleaning. Looks like most of the shuttle has yellowed bricks. They might return to white by soaking them in Hydrogen Peroxide, but that's a gamble. Same with the Death Star. The grey bricks have changed color due to the heat from the fire.

samiam391

Imperial Star Destroyer- A-Wing just made contact.
Death Star- Luke Skywalker's X-Wing torpedoes just hit the Death Star (pre-explosion).
Imperial Shuttle- The damage that occurs as Luke tries to load Darth Vader onto it while the Death Star is collapsing around him.

I'd say you have a nice theme going here ;)

SumoLego

The ship's wheel in the bottom of the Death Star confounds me.

(Goes to show mine hasn't left the shipping box.)

Maybe you could do a forced perspective display with the SSD crashing into the DSII from RotJ?

richo

No.

Dedgecko

That vertical fin on the shuttle looks warped due to heat. How close were the models to the fire? And why was there a fire anyways?

I wouldn't buy them, unless I could witness them first-hand. Way too many possible issues that you wouldn't be able to tell until you could touch them, smell them, and taste them.

GallardoLU

keep in mind burning is a chemical change, it breaks down the bonds in the compounds. the core of the un warped and un melted parts are likely fine, but those surfaces are chemically altered due to the heat. (and unfortunately for us the Sun can cause this same reaction in Lego too) in theory any process to relighted an aged brick might work cosmetically, but the extent of the damage to these sets (and the size of them) is fairly large. I'd stay away from them unless I got a great deal and wanted to part them out, not display.

xman2yman

What's. Great deal.?

TheLoneTensor

Are you still asking if it's a great deal?  The answer is no.

samiam391

TheLoneTensor said:

Are you still asking if it's a great deal?  The answer is no.

I think he's asking for what would be a good deal.

I could see paying $50 each for them... $100-$200 is too much for LEGO bricks in that poor of condition. What you pay though is 100% up to you.

Bandit

I wouldn't take those if the guy paid *me* $50...

mountebank

Any buyer is at risk of finding themselves in a The Bottle Imp situation.

Pitfall69

The seller is just trying to make up his losses; I can't fault them for that, but looks like a complete loss to me. Flooding, fire and natural disasters happen and it sucks. Most of us don't have our Lego insured, so we are "flying too close to the sun" if you ask me.

1265

Pitfall69 said:

The seller is just trying to make up his losses; I can't fault them for that, but looks like a complete loss to me. Flooding, fire and natural disasters happen and it sucks. Most of us don't have our Lego insured, so we are "flying too close to the sun" if you ask me.

I'm sure a vast majority are not insured for their Lego loss if some disaster occurs.  I remember a thread that discussed this very thing.  Would be interested in knowing if someone on these boards who has taken out insurance on their Lego collection for what amount and price.

1265

Bandit said:

I wouldn't take those if the guy paid *me* $50...

Really....It's not like the Lego sets have an STD.

SumoLego

I have a rider on my homeowners policy that provides for reasonable replacement cost of 'collector' toys. And for the three pieces of jewelry in the house.

That said, if my house ever catches fire, I will be rescuing the precious bricks first...

Mathias

Just brick link one. That one looks a sad shape.

matticus_bricks

Well, now I know what nightmares look like. Thanks for that. 

I would avoid it unless I just happened to find it on the side of the road, and then I'd hope that maybe a few of the interior pieces might be salvageable. 

Basta

Pitfall69 said:

....Most of us don't have our Lego insured, so we are "flying too close to the sun" if you ask me.

^but Icarus didn't have deflector shields,.SSD on the other hand..."She may not look like much, but......", or maybe not this one looks pretty bad actually :(

Gavin83

Pitfall69 said:

The seller is just trying to make up his losses; I can't fault them for that, but looks like a complete loss to me. Flooding, fire and natural disasters happen and it sucks. Most of us don't have our Lego insured, so we are "flying too close to the sun" if you ask me.

I'm actually quite surprised by this. Admittedly I live in a different country to most of you so our instance may work differently but my contents is covered with my home insurance, including the lego. I have to individually list any item worth over £5000 (about $7500) but none of my lego comes close to that.

Pitfall69

Well, a standard policy does covers your personal belongings, but there's a dollar amount associated with your home. Usually it is 50-70% of the insurance you have on the structure of your home. I will have to check mine. If your insurance covers a $200,000 home, then your personal belongings will be covered up to $100,000-$140,000. Here's the thing though; after your furniture, TV's, computers and tablets, clothing and other stuff is replaced, how much is left for Lego? I know some people whose collection is worth more than $100,000. If you only get a check for $100,000, you essentially are out whatever that money won't buy back.

Ronyar

^or you live in an area with really expensive houses.  Then it's less of an issue because your replacement coverage is so much higher..  I do remember people talking about collections actually needing a separate rider though.   I don't own enough Lego to really be worried about it, but (hopefully) that day will arrive eventually and I'll have to actually research it.  

legomatt

xman2yman said:

...Just prolly needs a god cleaning.

Something with divine powers over the dead, most certainly. ;oP

cheshirecat

Seems like insurance is different US to UK, never mind Europe. Over here the Lego would be covered so long as its within your contents limits for which you choose a value when taking out the policy (they're not linked to the house value). Presumably they can't lump a collection together and say its over the individual item value? That said if i owned lots of sets new in sealed boxes, especially multiples, i'd be disclosing that on the policy to avoid hassle later and making sure i had photos of it all too. If they assume you're selling them and you are, then they wont be covered on your home contents. 

CCC

Normally collections are lumped together for insurance value, aren't they? (UK). They often mention stamp collections, and I was told to declare collections of relatively cheap individual similar items as a collection as a whole (vintage cameras, paper ephemera, etc).

Pitfall69

I have yet to contact my insurance company, but I don't think standard homeowners policies (US) will cover the full apprasied value of your collection, without a specific rider or floater. There may also be limits put on how much the insurance company with give you for your collection.

SumoLego

@Pitfall69 - you are correct. Unless a collection is separated in a policy from the normal 'contents' of a house, there is a maximum that the insurance company would have to pay. Plus, they would only pay a pro-rated amount of the value - unless you could verify the condition.

LordofLego

I, personally, would buy the lot of them for as cheap as possible. $50 or less for everything. The SSD you might be stuck with, but the rest you could probably clean and resell to make up for it. I wouldn't take apart the SSD, either. You wouldn't be able to build with the bricks or put it back together. Clean it, put it on a high shelf, and don't look too close. :)

LordofLego

I mean, buy everything he is selling for less than $50, by the way.

SumoLego

Although I enjoy a good zombie topic, did @xman2yman end up purchasing anything?

xman2yman

nah never bought anything, the guy actually git 1500 for his entire collection!!