BUILDING YOUR OWN COLLECTION OF IMAGINARY SUBMARINES – 2

I have already suggested a list of trading sites, English-speaking ones for the most part, to find models of science-fiction movie submarines: as far as I know, there is no other way than the Internet, except for lucky finds in classified ads, for instance (1). You can also visit specialized shops from time to time, like “Album,” (2) a small chain of stores, or “Lulu Berlu” (3), both in Paris, and a few shops elsewhere. As for the rest... nothing! No point in rushing to the local model shop (when there’s one left) or toy specialist: all of these work from lists of bulk imports or buying centers, and to even ask, if only for Fujimi’s Atragon (still a well-known and well-distributed brand in France) turns into a true Mission: Impossible episode! Moreover they don’t know anything and at best see you as a disturbing weirdo (4): Don’t you want to buy the 800th reissue of the Messerschmidt BF 109? You geek!

Getting comics-derived subs, on the other hand, is not a problem, as they are all (or nearly all) made in France. It’s a simple matter of price... especially for brands like Pixie or Michel Aroutcheff’s creations. Skim classified ads, and as soon as a Tintin sub or some other appears, buy it without any hesitation, it’s a safer investment than the Stock Exchange. However, be careful of new Tintin products. Surfing on the new “China is better and cheaper” trend, Hergé copyright holders relocated part of their production, still of good quality, but in industrial numbers (5).

There remains the core: toys. No problems there, the French market is well-supplied, but remains linked to the antiques and sales circles... so be careful of prices and fraud! That being said, prices can ALWAYS be discussed. So here are the logical steps to take.

1) Specialized sales rooms: Bourges and Chartre. Despite misconceptions, you can make good deals... or witness price gouging (like the aforementioned 7000-euro Marklin!)

2) Ads in “Chineurs et Collectionneurs,” under “Toys;” dealing with private individuals is better and cheaper (6). Look out for “rude” dealers whose line is always engaged, who never answer messages or let auctions rise (7);

3) Specialized shows: Toymania (the best, Palais des Congrès in Paris), Festitoys (POPB Bercy) are safe and regular sources.

4) Specialized shops in Paris (about eight: A.C.C, Etat d’origine, etc.) or elsewhere in France (about fifteen); if you cultivate good relations with the manager of one of these galleries, he can get you a few good deals...

Start with known and “abundant” models according to the following criteria:

- General state of the item;

- With or without its box and key (if a mechanical model). It is better to buy a more expensive (even much more expensive) model that is like new and with its box – it is a true investment – than a wreck, unless the sub is so truly rare as to warrant such a purchase. If without a box or non-functioning, an “as is” but complete sub (propeller, rudder, accessories, etc.) can be discussed down to correct prices: this is the case for JEP’s Nautilus, small Bing submarines, Sutcliffe’s Unda Wunda, or even Heller et Coudray’s rubber-band subs.
You can resell them later to finance the purchase of better versions... Finally, if your means are limited and you decide to start a collection “from the bottom up,” gathering a bunch of those small Asian so-called “submarines” is a funny and cheap activity, which can please the kids (think “treasure hunt). Moreover they are nice and work very well... on the surface, until they fill with water and sink!

Here’s how it goes: You are on holidays in 2007 on the Atlantic coast and the weather is rainy (as it would). To distract the kids, roam through the seaside shops, you know, the kind where they sell postcards, buoys, beach toys... You’ll be surprised at what you have gleaned by the end of the afternoon! And all this for a few coins. Finally, those small toys are attractive. The funny thing is that they serve as the focus of experiments in some secondary schools to demonstrate Archimedes’ Principle... (8)

To conclude, let’s talk money. To gather a collection of “basic” submarine toys, including at least a few Bings, two or three Sutcliffes (9), a Nautilus and a JEP Corsair, a Marklin, a Wolverine, four of five Japanese Marusan or Linemar, all told about twenty items in good condition, if not new, reckon about 3 years and 5000 euros (6500 dollars). If you’re married, you’ll have to discuss the budget with Her Ladyship... not to mention the room for the glass shelves! Chances are she’s already moaning about the home cinema and hi-fi speakers... (conversely: you’re a collecting lady and your husband isn’t, you like home cinema and music and he doesn’t, etc.)

(1) I bought the big Nautilus from a private dealer in Cadix, Spain, who built 2 of them, one radio-guided, from Disney plans. He created his own “homepage” with I chanced upon.

(2) For instance, James Bond’s underwater Lotus Esprit...

(3) The “Action Joe” bathtub diver, the X-Plus Nautilus and the SEGA Nautilus all come from that shop.

(4) Trust me. I should know, having visited several model shops in Paris – some of them are gone, I’m not going to tell on the others. Or else you wait for 3 hours for the seller to finish chatting with the “specialist customer;” barely a “hello” or “goodbye.” Not ONE of those shopkeepers even took the pains of checking their catalog. “Move on, nothing to see here...” I do hope a few out there try to uphold their profession’s honor.

(5) Plastoys. Also, some shops do not hesitate to stock some products for the long term, to put them on the market again when prices have gone up, since numbered and no longer-produced issues are now rarer. The Pixie shark submarine shown here is now worth 5 times its original price! Eat you heart out, yuppie!

(6) For instance those recurring ads from a dealer (private or professional?) in back issues of “La Vie du Jouet”... or the announcer that, 3 years ago, was selling a radio-guided Disney Nautilus in “De Particulier à Particulier,” to whom I left at least 15 messages... and who ended up telling me he had just sold it, and at a ridiculous price, because “it was bothering the wife.” All part of a collector’s life!

(7) The very rare Fleishmann with exterior engines, the Italian electrical Ranetta, and at least 3 Bings and a Corsaire (blue edition) were obtained through ads from private dealers, and haggled down to less expensive prices than at a show or in a shop...

(8) 4 or 5 years ago I even chanced upon a website where high school students held buoyancy competitions with those subs, strapped for the occasion with foam floats, varied ballast, or even pingpong balls or gas-filled balloons... Archimedes-mania!

(9) Including at least one Disney-stamped Nautilus.

Two contradictory trends influence the market of collections: - globalization, which is not good to older toys, because they are assimilated to works of art; so foreign buyers (especially Americans) roam through antique shops and shows and drive the prices up. Next, the growing number of collections distributed at newsagents draws some themes down, with repercussions even on some “top of the range” items. In the case of Tintin, for instance, we went from excessive rarity and prices to a wide range of products (good quality nonetheless), like “Tintin cars” collections or “made in China” series largely sold in comics shops. Although relatively rare, toy submarines (not to mention SF models!) are not protected from those contradictory factors; some models have emerged (!) again recently in droves, in particular the JEP Nautilus.

Now is the time to drastically discuss prices!