Goldvarg 1960 Pontiac station wagon

I have worked out that with VAT that their price is around £10 higher than on Goldvarg's site for model cars they have in stock. Buying from rmtoysltd via ebay is free postage but I have no idea what the postage would be purchasing direct from Goldvarg's site as it doesn't say.

On the Goldvarg website you can experiment by selecting a model in stock and clicking "add to cart". You can then "view cart" and it will detect your location and show the shipping cost to the UK as $14.99.

That's pretty good, but I don't know if Goldvarg have the facility to add UK import duty and display the all-in price including VAT and shipping so you know where you stand. If not, then anyone in the UK buying a $100 Goldvarg direct from the US would get a message from Royal Mail asking them to pay the 20% tax on their package before delivery. (By the way, one Goldvarg model would only be charged VAT. Two models would take you over the £135 threshhold where UK Customs start to apply duty as well as VAT.)

I just ordered a model from the legacymotorsdiecast eBay site because although the model was also for sale on the normal Legacy website, they won't ship to the UK, presumably because calculating UK import tax is too much bother. eBay does it as a matter of routine.

The shipping from Legacy eBay was $30, twice the Goldvarg charge.

@graeme-ogg I seem to recall that a fairly long time ago this eagerly anticipated model was close to release when a number of our Forum members found some issues with it.  In keeping with his usual excellent response to customer comments, I believe Sergio may have delayed its release in order to correct these noted issues.  As he has not made mention of the model since that time can we assume that the models being sold on ebay by rmtoysltd are ones that were rejected for quality control issues back in the day?  IF this is true then buyer beware IMHO, but perhaps someone else has more current information on this Pontiac.

Back when I purchased these models, in September 2022, they were evident to have an issue with a warping to the body line. Sergio identified the problem and assured me that he would take care of it. I assumed that at some point these would be reissued, but I've heard nothing more to that end. As far as the ones for sale, the ones I see are listed as used, so they may be from the same original batch that was made. 

Sergio has always kept to his word and resolved all issues and I have no reason to believe otherwise. I am sure the fix is taking some time.

Yes, I don't remember if many people here saw a problem with it but John Merritt reviewed the blue and yellow/green versions and thought they both had a hint of "banana". I may be imagining it but I also seem to remember that Sergio offered him free replacements of the corrected version when it was ready.

But that was a year ago. Sites like Diecast Direct are still showing the model as "delayed by Goldvarg", and it's hard to believe that the online sellers now showing it in stock (quite a few of them, not just rmtoysltd) could all have got hold of factory rejects from the initial production run? Knowing Sergio I imagine they would have been withdrawn from sale and melted down PDQ.

Incidentally - and no criticism of Sergio intended - I am a little surprised that it has taken a year to correct this model. some time ago now he posted prototype photos of his 1961 Pontiac "bubbletop". I pointed out (with illustrations) that the roof was too tall in relation to the lower body and the "V" of the car's nose was a touch exaggerated. I thought it was probably too late to do anything about it but within a matter of days Sergio posted new pics. The CADCAM design had been amended and a new prototype had been knocked out on the 3D printer and painted up! But maybe the problem of the 1960 Safari coming out of the mould with a slight distortion has proved more difficult to fix - or maybe other things have just taken priority.

Posted by: @jack-dodds

I noticed on ebay that rmtoysltd in the United Kingdom is offering the Goldvarg 1960 Pontiac station wagon for sale in both colors, with a stated delivery date by mid November.  As usual their prices are high.  I wonder where they got them?

I've bought a lot of white metal from RM Toys but never on e-bay, I always deal with them directly and have never had any problems. That is no problem with transaction - not a reference to current warping discussion. Contact Mike (Manager) or Jordan at  sales@rmtoys.co.uk  and maybe their prices will be cheaper than on their e-bay page ? However, looking at John K.'s 'my take' I've been surprised by the $95  prices.

I have found that in Europe, carmodel.com have the best prices for production resin 1/43s.

Posted by: @jcarnutz

Back when I purchased these models, in September 2022, they were evident to have an issue with a warping to the body line. Sergio identified the problem and assured me that he would take care of it. I assumed that at some point these would be reissued, but I've heard nothing more to that end. As far as the ones for sale, the ones I see are listed as used, so they may be from the same original batch that was made. 

Sergio has always kept to his word and resolved all issues and I have no reason to believe otherwise. I am sure the fix is taking some time.

I agree with you John; I will wait and buy one from Sergio in the future when he indicates the QC has his approval.

Posted by: @graeme-ogg

Yes, I don't remember if many people here saw a problem with it but John Merritt reviewed the blue and yellow/green versions and thought they both had a hint of "banana". I may be imagining it but I also seem to remember that Sergio offered him free replacements of the corrected version when it was ready.

But that was a year ago. Sites like Diecast Direct are still showing the model as "delayed by Goldvarg", and it's hard to believe that the online sellers now showing it in stock (quite a few of them, not just rmtoysltd) could all have got hold of factory rejects from the initial production run? Knowing Sergio I imagine they would have been withdrawn from sale and melted down PDQ.

Incidentally - and no criticism of Sergio intended - I am a little surprised that it has taken a year to correct this model. some time ago now he posted prototype photos of his 1961 Pontiac "bubbletop". I pointed out (with illustrations) that the roof was too tall in relation to the lower body and the "V" of the car's nose was a touch exaggerated. I thought it was probably too late to do anything about it but within a matter of days Sergio posted new pics. The CADCAM design had been amended and a new prototype had been knocked out on the 3D printer and painted up! But maybe the problem of the 1960 Safari coming out of the mould with a slight distortion has proved more difficult to fix - or maybe other things have just taken priority.

 

Knowing I do weird things with models,  Sergio was kind enough to send me a "defective" station wagon if I promised not to display it as it was.  So i promptly chopped it up creating a four door sedan to go with my very old Western Models flat top four door hardtop.   I hope my conversion is different enough not to be confused with a corrected Goldvarg. 

Proof I chopped it up.

As completed;