Toy and model car manufacturers spend a lot of money to target collectors. They spend millions of dollars designing their items around the latest trends and consumer preferences. For collectors this is both good and bad news.

Being a prime demographic is good news in that there are dozens of manufacturers created products specifically to support your interests. For example, NASCAR fans are inundated with merchandise from the Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Express Train Collection to NASCAR remote control cars. With thousands of new and classic collectible merchandise to choose between, you are never at a loss for things to buy for gifts and to enhance your own collection.

On the negative side of this coin is victimization of collectors. There are a lot of manufacturers who produce shoddy products that are related to a popular theme. They then escalate the price and market the product to collectors. This is why reputable organizations, like NASCAR have their own official line of merchandise. This gives them control over the quality of the merchandise that carriers their logo.

Another scam that is pulled on collectors is knock offs being sold as authentic collectibles. In this scenario a valuable collectible is replicated and sold as a real collectable. The knockoff can be the entire product or just an autograph.

Do you have a scam to report for RC collectibles? Post your warnings below.

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Collecting RC cars and NASCAR models is both a lot of fun and potentially profitable. However, your investment can quickly become worthless if your collectible items like the 1:64 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Motorsport Editions collectables are stored improperly.

Storage issues can depreciate the value of your collectibles in a couple of ways. First of all if the item is not stored properly it can be damaged by wear, tear and abrasions. Crushed boxes, chipped paint and scratches can all lead to a lower value on your collectible. To avoid these problems you will want to keep your collectable in its original packaging. You will then pack this box into a larger box that has reinforced corners. The packing box needs to be large enough to accommodate the original packaging as well as a little padding from foam pieces or air bags.

Another storage problem that can develop is damage caused by exposure to contaminants and other hazards. For example, sun light can fade your decals and paint job and moisture can cause mold damage, decal damage and cosmetic damage. To avoid these problems you will want to store your collectibles out of direct sunlight, you will want to keep it in a moisture neutral environment and you will also want to keep your items stored in a room that has a constant mild temperature. If you live in an area that has high humidity then you can protect your investment by keeping your items stored in an air tight container with desiccant packets.

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If you are an outdoor lover then this is one of the most exciting and frustrating times of the year, pre-spring. The pre-spring season seems to tease you with shorts stretches of nice weather where you can break out your outdoor RC cars, and then before you know it the snow is flying again and you are stuck inside. If you are feeling the effects of cabin fever you can benefit from a little, pre-season, pre-spring tune up of your RC collection.

The first thing that you can do is get out your stored RC cars and prep them for the spring season. The prep will involve cleaning, lubing and minor repairs. This pre-spring prep will allow you to hit the ground running as soon the weather clears.

Another thing you can do during the pre-spring season is to modify your RC units. There are a lot of modifications that you can make to your remote control cars and trucks. For example, you can upgrade the suspension, the wheels and even the engine. If you are interested in smaller modifications then you can update, repair or change the look of your vehicles by changing their paint job or adding new decals.

If you are really bored and want a great weekend project, then consider building a new remote control vehicle. You can work with remote control vehicle kits or you can buy all the parts separately. This option obviously is going to take more time then the above projects, so start now to be ready for the spring thaw.

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There are a lot of collectibles that you can buy that are from the NASCAR collectable line. NASCAR collectables are a good investment, especially if you are a NASCAR fan. However, in order to get the most value from your collectible you need to display it properly.

One type of NASCAR collectable is the NASCAR collectible plate. Collector plates, like the Intimidator Collector Plate, will feature a specific NASCAR car, driver or event. In order to display a collectable plate properly you need to have a plat stand or a plate hangar. These items can be found at hobby shops and stores where collectable plates are sold. After the plate has been set up for display you will need to dust it regularly to keep the dust from etching the plate and damaging the paint.

Another type of NASCAR collectable is a NASCAR model car. These collectables usually have an autograph on them. In order to display these items you will want to put them in a clear, plexiglass display box. This will keep dust and fingerprints off of your investment, and prevent you and others from playing with the car.

The third collectable in the NASCAR line is the NASCAR collectable train. These trains carry NASCAR logos and car designs on them. These items can be displayed on a toy train table or in a plexiglass display case. To keep their value you will generally want to keep them in their original packaging, however, if you want to play with it or keep it as a working display model then you will want to keep it set up in an area where it won’t get knocked over or damaged.

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Happy New Year to RC hobbyist everywhere! If you received a great RC toy gift this year then you may be wondering how to keep your toy in top condition. Fortunately, there are several simple steps that you can take to keep your RC toys and collectables in top condition.

The first thing that you will want to do is read through the informational brochure that came with your gift, such as your Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Express Train Collection. This brochure will tell you what the capabilities of the item are and what it can and cannot tolerate. These are the boundaries that you will want to maintain when playing with your toy or collectable.

Step two is to segregate your collectables from your play toys. Play toys are remote control toys and models that you can race, run and operate. Collectables will be the remote control cars, trucks and trains that you don’t want to play with so that you can protect their value. To keep your collectable in top condition you will want to store them or display them in something that will keep the dust and other debris from tarnishing their surface and gumming up their gears. You will also want to keep them out of direct sunlight and away from extreme temperatures.

In order to protect your RC toys from unnecessary damage you will want to clean them periodically, replace worn parts as needed and you will want to maintain them with lubricant and minor repairs as needed. Next you will want to avoid getting your RC unit wet, even the models that claim to be water resistant are still generally susceptible to water damage. Finally you will want to avoid collisions whenever possible. Collisions will damage your RC car’s body and could total it.

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Today is December 26th, the day that retailers brace themselves for every year. This is the day when millions of shoppers descend on stores to return gifts and to use their gift cards. If you will be returning gifts this year, then these tips will help you.

If you received a mail order gift, such as a Dale Earnhardt Intimidator Express Train Collection, and it was either broken or it didn’t work, then you will need to return the train. Returning items to a mail order company is different than returning gifts to physical stores. Each company has a different return policy, so you will need to follow the instructions that are associated with the seller of the item you received.

In most cases you will need to contact the company that sold your gift and tell them what problem or problems you have with the item you received. They will most likely need the order number or receipt number of your gift. They will then issue you a return code and give you information about how to return your item.

In some cases you will not deal with the seller of the item but instead you will talk directly with the manufacturer. This is particularly true if your item doesn’t work. When you deal with the manufacturer you will generally call a toll free number and file a claim. The operator helping you will either send you a return label or tell you where to send your damaged item. When they receive your item they will process your return and send you a replacement item. This can take anywhere from two weeks to eight weeks, so be prepared for a long wait.

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There is less than a week left in the holiday shopping season. By now you most likely have all the gifts that you have ordered, like scale car models like the 1:64 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Motorsport Editions, as well as the items that you bought at local stores. If you haven’t finished your shopping yet there is still time to rush order items and to go shopping a few more times before the big day.

If you have all, or most of your holiday gifts already in hand, then your next challenge will be to wrap your gifts. Most RC cars and associated products are going to be fairly easy to wrap as they come in boxes. These gifts can be wrapped using NASCAR themed gift wrap or car themed gift wrap. You can trim out these gifts with bows and ribbons. If you are interested in a unique gift tag then consider using a car themed ornament.

If you want to be a little trickier with your gift wrap, or if you want to keep your kids or loved ones from guessing what their gift is, then there are things you can do to mask what’s in the box. The first option is to place the items in a larger box and to weigh it down with things like rocks, bricks or things that rattle. The second option is to tape odd shaped objects to the original box before wrapping it. For example, you can tape toilet paper rolls to the box to create a unique shape before wrapping it. This will keep the gift’s recipient guessing for a long time.

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RC cars make a great holiday gift, and if you are still on the hunt for that perfect gift then this blogs for you. In this week’s blog I will be going over last minute gift ideas for NASCAR lovers, remote control fans and remote control car fans.

The first gift ideas are for those people on your list who are new to the hobby of collecting or playing with remote control vehicles. For novice RC-ers you will want to stick with the basics. Look for remote control cars that don’t go faster than 10 to 20 mph. If you are shopping for young kids then look for RC units that are designed for kids. These RC units will have special features like easy to control remotes, slower speeds and more durable cases.

For RC lovers that are moving up in their RC experience, try more advanced RC units. Faster moving RC units are great as they will challenge your experienced RC’er’s handling skills. They will also give your RC-er the chance to play around with a vehicle that has more speed and power. Some of the top performing RC cars can reach speeds over 100 mph. However, 65 mph is a good place to start when moving up from beginner models.

For advanced RC controllers you will want to look at customizable vehicles. You can buy build your own RC kits, body kits, motor upgrades, shock upgrades, wheel upgrades and even decal upgrades. If you don’t know much about RC vehicles then get them a gift certificate so that they can buy the parts that they want.

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Last month we talked about a few gift ideas for NASCAR lovers, and this week I have one more NASCAR collectible recommendation. This week’s recommendation is the Dale Earnhardt Legacy Watch. This watch is a man’s watch and it makes a great gift for husbands, boyfriends, grandfathers, sons and guy friends.

The Dale Earnhardt Legacy Watch is primarily stainless steel, however, it does have 24 Karat gold accents. The face of the watch is black enamel with gold numbering and a replica of Dale Earnhardt’s signature.

While this watch is a great gift idea, it can also be a great part of a gift package. This gift package can include the watch, a book on the history of NASCAR, NASCAR mugs and other NASCAR items. If you are having a hard time finding items to complete you gift package, a lot of department stores offer NASCAR gif packages in various sizes and with various types of products, such as food products, collectibles and general merchandise.

If you have already given your NASCAR lover a watch then consider other NASCAR gifts. For example, you can give NASCAR tickets, NASCAR prints, NASCAR clothing or NASCAR entertainment packages from your cable or satellite company. You can also use NASCAR wrapping paper, holiday cards and ornaments to decorate your NASCAR themed gifts.

Over the next three weeks we will talk about several other gift ideas for last minute shoppers. If you are stumped for gift ideas post your dilemmas here and I’ll do the legwork for you.

Happy Holiday!

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Dale Earnhardt Jr AutoGraphed Collectibles

Over the last couple of weeks we have discussed possible gift ideas for the people on your shopping list. Since we only have a few more weeks until Christmas I want to continue this discussion. Today’s blog is going to focus on generating ideas for the NASCAR lovers on your shopping list.

The first gift idea for NASCAR fans is to get them official NASCAR diecast model cars. These are collectable and most NASCAR fans really love these items as gifts. If your NASCAR lover is looking for a project, then you can also pick up NASCAR body
kits that your NASCAR lover can use to build their own NASCAR remote control vehicle.

Another option that you have for NASCAR themed gifts is to look at non-model car gifts. The first option that you have is NASCAR collectible plates, like the Intimidator Collector Plat created by artist Sam Bass. Your second option is to look for NASCAR collector ornaments. These can be found in the decoration section of nearly any department store. Your final option is to look for NASCAR clothing. You can find t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and even jackets.

If your NASCAR fan is also a collector of toy trains, then there are several great NASCAR collectible trains.

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