Amazing finds! $1300 Spendor LS3/5A speakers for $10 !

Gentle reader,

It has been a while since I've posted. I've had some headaches with insane buyers on eBay. I sold the Sansui Classique integrated amp and matching tuner to a guy in Illinois. Well, someone with FedEx must have dropped it. The amp was dinged and something inside is broken. While communicating back and forth with the buyer, something inside him snapped and he filed a complaint with eBay which caused PayPal to freeze those dollars in my account.

I could not reason with the guy, he finally announced he was shipping them to eBay's president! So, I called eBay and they read our messages and agreed the buyer was nuts. They threatened him, so he shipped them back to me finally. Here they are before the damage:The other buyer was buying the Pioneer integrated amp and matching tuner. He wanted to pick them up, I said, "Fine, but please pay me through PayPal less the shipping." I sent him a new invoice to that effect and waited for him to pay me. Something in HIM snapped and he somehow assumed that I'm an idiot that doesn't speak or read English and filed a complaint telling eBay that and that he hadn't received the item! So, I filed a complaint that he hadn't paid me yet! eBay ruled in my favor. He continued to message me with insane messages demanding I sell him the units. I told him in no uncertain terms that he would NEVER get my items and asked eBay to ban him.
Here's the Pioneers:WHEW!

On a positive note, I have found some awesome bargains. First, I found another Pioneer SX550 for $14.99, a vintage mint-in-the-box Denon DP45F turntable also for $14.99. The former sold for $30, the latter for more than TEN TIMES that! Fierce bidding over the Denon. Here's the Pioneer receiver. (Actually, this is the 750, a little larger than the 550, but you get the idea):Here is the Denon from the top and on the box:
The next week, I found a Sansui AU-717 integrated amp for $60 and the best yet, a pair of Spendor LS3/5A speakers. I'd never heard of Spendor, and they were not priced, so the guy looked at them and said, "$10?" "Sounds fair to me." Here's the Sansui:I came home and looked them both up. The Sansui sold for $550 in 1977 which is over $2050 today! Even better and a SHOCKER to me, the little Spendors sold for $1295!
Here they are with the speaker covers off and the large A/D/S/ towers in the corner, the Paradigms on top of the BOSE 301s and those two sets hooked to the Sansui:And here just the three of them with the covers back on.
BBC states the grilles actually help the sound out. Research: BBC LS3/5A and Sansui AU-717 to learn more, if you wish.
They were designed by the BBC which had a need for small monitors for remote broadcast trucks and such. They needed to be highly accurate. This was in the 1970's. They licensed the design to three British high-end speaker makers.

Spendor made them from 1985 to 1995. I couldn't get over the price they sold for and especially what I got them for.

How do they sound? Amazing. The articles all caution that they are not meant to be played loud as they only handle 50 watts. I'm going to wire them through the sub-woofer which will cover the bass.

Being the "holiday season" is upon us, I am suspending further eBay activities until January. Hopefully, the insane people will NOT bid on my stuff!

Thanks for looking!

Scott

HO slot cars & small diecast cars

Gentle reader,

I usually don't do a new post so soon after the last, but the cool weather outside is keeping me inside until it's warmed enough to mow the lawn, hopefully for the last time this year.

Yesterday I photographed the cars located in the top of the custom book/display shelf I made having just found space for four new Hot Wheels cars.

Starting with the HO slot cars which occupy the rear most section of the shelf, from left to right:
These are vintage 1960's Aurora Thunderjet HO slot cars. Tan car is a Shelby Daytona Coupe. To my knowledge, there never was one in this color, all were American racing blue with white stripes. Next is a Porsche 904 coupe. Next is a Ferrari Dino coupe.
Coming next is a red Chaparral, again, they never came in red, pure white only. Then a Lola coupe which was the basis for Ford's GT-40. The white and orange one on the right.
Number 5 is a Ford GT-40 in the Gulf oil racing colors then the ill-fated Ford J-Car. It killed an expert race driver during testing. The J-Car preceded the US-built Mark 4 Ford GT that dominated Le Mans in 1967.
These three are all Lionel slot cars. A 1963 Corvette in turquoise then a Mercedes SLR followed by another Corvette, 64-67 in yellow.
Next the car that set the sports car world on fire when it came out the Jaguar E-Type. Next, bought for Nancy a Ford Falcon, her first real car. Then a Ford Galaxy.
A pretty Pontiac GTO, then an Oldsmobile Toronado, then a 1969 Chevy Camaro.
A Sunoco Camaro race car like driven by Mark Donohue in the Trans Am series. Next a rare tow truck. Then, again for Nancy, who's Dad restored some Ford Model A's the first AFX in the row: a black Ford Model A coupe.
Next we have from Autoworld, founded by: Oscar Koveleski is a track cleaner which has an abrasive stone under the front that polishes the metal strips that transfer the power to the cars.
In the middle, an AFX early Ford Escort Rally car. Then a BRE Datsun 240Z Trans Am race car.
Another Datsun 240Z or perhaps later model, then a Datsun pickup desert racing truck followed by another BRE Datsun race car, this one a 510. In reality it too was white, red and blue, not these colors.
An IMSA Chevy Monza Trans Am race car, a BMW 2002 Turbo racer and a Porsche 908, I think, Tyco made and powered.
A pair of Porshce 908s a little newer and more detailed, then a Tyco Porsche 917. My favorite race car of all time.
Same 917 with their main rivals: Ferrari 512. First is a Tyco, next is an AFX.
Another Ferrari 512 in blue, then the first of the odd-colored AFX Porsche 917s.
The second odd colored Porsche 917 and one in correct Gulf Racing colors. Note the pattern is different than the Tyco. There were three different designs that raced together. This so they could be told apart at a glance. The third simply had a center orange stripe.
Last of the odd colored 917s, then Oscar Koveleski's Chevy powered McLaren Can Am racer with the first Porsche 917 Can Am racers last.
Next, the later, 1100 horsepower Porsche 917 Can Am car that so ruled the Can Am series that it fell apart. The race series, not the car. Next a Shadow Can Am racer, then a Porsche 911 racer, this one an AFX.
The same 911 followed by another, this I think is a Tyco. Then, the wildest of all a Porsche 991s a 935 racer, a Tyco also.
The same 935 with a Lamborghini Countach and next to that a pretty Ferrari F-40.
Last we have a Dodge Viper ACR. Partially hidden behind the Mattel button is a "Lifelike" brand HO 1970 Mustang. Life like except in it's wheelbase. Last made from an AFX pursuit police Camaro, a representation of the 1996 Camaro Z28 I owned.

NEXT is the MANY diecast cars. All called "HO" which is 1/87th scale, none are save the Kodak van at the very end in the last photo. Diecast cars which have been made in the BILLIONS vary in size/scale as you will see as you look at the images. Starting from the LEFT:
A row of Dodge NASCAR racers. In front a Dodge Daytona painted in modern colors. Then some Le Mans racers of the recent past.
The rest of the NASCAR Dodges with some sports racers. Some more racers below. First row is Ford GTs, the front the 2005, the others 1960's vintage. Plus more vintage racers.
Above is several Camaros, either vintage or the 2010 versions.
Below, the left row is the same as the right above. The middle row, below and right, show the differences in scale I wrote about above. The Bugatti Veyron is much larger than the Morgan that sits to it's rear in real life.
Some more Ford GTs as well as other exotics and racers.
Some cool ones, check out that Dragster! Worth some money if the front axle wasn't bent!
One of my favorite modern wagons is top-left, the Dodge Magnum. Behind it is the Audi Avus show car. Closer is the Audi R8 (street car) with a pair of Pretty Audi RS6 wagons. I'll take one each, please, in 1:1th scale.
Three versions of the Audi TT with five versions of the Dodge Viper Coupe.
Tricked out VW Karman Ghia hides behind an original (non-BMW) Mini. Original Batmobile is behind a V8 Vega. Monopoly Viper and Datsun 510 racer (#102).
A whole buncha' station wagons! I had a real version of the lower left one, a Dodge Aries. To it's right, one I'd LOVE to have a real one: 1965 Chevy 300. I'd prefer a '64 though. Red one in back is a Dodge Rampage. Built on the Omni coupe chassis, a small pickup like the VW Rabbit pickup. Yet another one I'd love in real life. Minus the yellow ATV!
Last row is a low-rider 1964 Chevy Impala. My first car, but it was normal, not silly like I think low-riders are. Behind that is a '61 Chevy factory drag car with a 409 engine. Behind that two Pontiac Fieros. Then a bunch of "Micro Machines". In the very rear corner is the ONLY true HO scale car in the lot: Kodak film English van.
Finally and still in the package, the Panoz LMP-01 EVO. An American Le Mans racer of 2002 vintage as it raced and won the inaugural and sadly ONLY Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. ALMS race. I was there and snapped almost the identical photo as the winner came into the pits after beating Audi and all the rest at the RFK stadium parking lot race circuit. Unusual was the Panoz as the engine, while still mid-mounted, was in front of the driver rather than behind as is usually the case. In FIRST photo above of diecast cars in the middle are two coupe versions of the Panoz Le Mans Prototype racers. One white, the other silver.

Thanks for looking!

Scott

Airsoft M1911 pistols: 2 varieties

Gentle reader,

Lest you think I've become a gun nut, fear not. Like most men, inside I'm still a boy. I've always liked guns, just not real ones. My wife, who works in security is the gun nut. She has two 9mm automatics. So far. I've shot them both, but I find real guns so......violent! Not to mention the potential for VERY bad things to happen. Plus they are VERY expensive, not to mention difficult to own, then there's the cost of ammunition, range fees, etc.

Thus, my airsoft ones for me. I've had a full-sized replica of the Viet Nam era M16A1. It is mostly plastic but with a steel barrel. It's a "spring" gun. Which means one cocks it before each shot. In this case behind the carrying handle on top is a lever that you pull back which I think is called a "charging handle". There is inside a rod on a spring. When the trigger is squeezed, it springs forward shooting the 6mm plastic "round" down the barrel and out at around 225 feet-per-second. It is the middle one on the rack below:
The one above is it a WWII trainer rifle based on the 1903 Springfield bolt action rifle. It is wooden and steel. Incapable of doing anything with a bullet. Purely for training. It was out-dated by the M1 Garrand rifle during WWII. At the bottom is my Daisy air rifle similar to what Jim and I played with as kids.
Above and at the top of the page, is my newest airsoft version of the Colt M1911 45 automatic pistol. The real one is 100 years old now and still the basis for most automatic pistols.
You can clearly see that it is quite different from the top one. The top one is a virtual copy of the government issue sidearm.
The bottom is designed (in the real one and airsoft) for more accuracy and control. I can't remember if I explained how these guns work in the last blog. They use "green gas" which is just propane with a little silicone oil mixed it. The gas propels the round, cycles the action (slide) back just like the real gun, which cocks the hammer and advances the next round for firing. Just like the real one. Except no shell casing shooting out, no BANG! and no fire or smoke. Rounds are leaving the barrel at around 330 feet-per-second which is over 200 mph.
A close examination of these photos will show better than I can write the physical differences between the two. I bought them both (barely) used via eBay. The top one was $65 and the bottom was $70. Both well below what they cost new.
Here shows the left sides and one loaded magazine. The rounds are staggered and being only 6mm it can hold 30 of them. The rest of the magazine holds the propane in liquid form.
A close-up of the three magazines. Below from the right side the pistols with the slide back and locked:
Again, major differences between the two. Left sides below:
This is the "business" end of the guns:
Original on the left. The squared off bottom with a groove on each side is a "rail" to attach a laser or flashlight to, just like a real one. The new one is easier to aim with that big sight on the front.

It's fun doing target shooting in the back yard. I'd like to get a full-auto AK74 (yes, 74 or 47 would do) or something. They hold hundreds of rounds and can fire up to 600 a minute at 400+ feet-per-second with great accuracy. They are battery powered and sound awesome!

I've added three photos of a target I emptied a couple magazines into at about 30 feet:
Here's two images from the back:


That's it for now. Thanks for looking!

Scott