nik stil

[Tinman]

He's jumped the gun on that Green eight wheel crane. That was NOT a preproduction model, it was a special coloring for the gift set.

[matchboxmarcel]

As a person who has created and sold many "copies," "recreations," or "customs" of rare models and pre-production models - what I'm about to say my seem somewhat ironic: For Nic Stil to create models which are designed to deceive in every detail is just plain wrong. He's not helping collectors with low cost fillers, he's only helping himself by generating high priced fakes, which his buyers can pass off to their friends as the real deal. It's no wonder that less then honest people are easily passing these off as authentic.

I see this very talented person as a clear cut blight on the hobby and really would like to see collectors pressure put on him to engrave the base of his models, leave the rivets plainly drilled and/or other tell-tale signs of restoration. To create fakes which are impossible for all but the best to detect is just as bad as selling them without disclosure and puts Nic on my blacklist. This kind of work is truly a blight on the hobby, an outright attack on model values and embodies everything honest collectors stand for.

He's obviously a talented modeler/craftsman but I denounce his work and encourage others to do the same. I'd like to drum him out of the fake prepro business and out of the hobby unless he begins to mark his models by engraving or some other method that cannot be removed and clearly shows that the model is a fake or which clearly shows it has been tampered with. Nic Stil is a faker and a fraudster and needs to stop producing such models. Makes no difference if he claims to be upset that someone is passing them off as real ... he's designed them to be passed off as real. He's 100% as guilty as Matchboxtom or anyone else who tries to pass his models off as genuine.

If Nic is the talented person you say he is he SHOULD create something completly NEW from scratch and not copy an original Matchbox product he saw pictured in a book and not even own by him self.

Disquisting those so called talented persons, even if they mention it is a copy in their sales !
Should be banned by Ebay and collectors.

marcel

[Tinman]

I can't help but notice that once you pay his high prices, he is refusing refunds if you failed to notice the item is a repaint or otherwise faked. If you bought it, you are stuck with it.

[numi]

Could this be one of Niks creations/fakes or this this seller a competitor cum confidence trickster?
Check out his inventory and recent past sales. This casting seems to have gone thru a shot-blaster.
numi

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matchbox-No-13- ... 43dbe4b703

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Matchbox-Brasil ... 43dcd2a016

[Tinman]

Did Lesney ever produce models with paint as poorly done as that silver truck???

Regardless, it's inappropriate to speculate on these models without some sort of factual connection to Mr. Stil. Without that connection, they really belong in a completly different discussion.

[jimgallegos]

I really question the authenticity of these. I have hundreds of Brazilian models and these have never come up in my trading. The texture is odd as well.

[Tinman]

The texture is odd as well.

There is the understatement of the day!

[vetrad]

That is not a genuine Brazil piece.