Faker alert

[GHOSTHUNTER]

The only reason for someone to make One fake, is to have an example in the collection because the original is not possible to get.
The only reason for someone to make fakes (more than One of the same model), is for Money.
The only reason for someone to carry on making fakes, is because he is good at it and certain collectors are happy buying them...!

GHOSTHUNTER.

[Tinman]

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 against.

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.

[Matchboom]

Hi all. Please check auction 151562270658 on german eBay. Buyer is MashedballsTom with 4515 feedback. Black fake with red roof sold among joblot on february 01st. German seller got it from greek "artist" I presume ? Not sure Tom makes any profit from this junk...

[Mogsta]

Being fairly new to this forum, I’m finding the info here really useful.

I came across this topic a few hours after spotting this EBay listing.....looks like matchboxtom is still selling his ’pre-production’ models. Does anyone here want to give an opinion on the chances of this being genuine or just a conveniently swapped label ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Matc ... SwtUpefNCD

[Idris]

I came across this topic a few hours after spotting this EBay listing.....looks like matchboxtom is still selling his ’pre-production’ models. Does anyone here want to give an opinion on the chances of this being genuine or just a conveniently swapped label ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Matc ... SwtUpefNCD

First of all, IIRC, there's a matchboxtom in the UK and one in the US. I think we previously came to the conclusion on this Forum that one can be trusted (salt of the Earth type), the other can't. However, I can't for the life of me remember which is which.
As regards the model, at the moment I would plump for genuine.based on the wear to the paint and the labels appearing to match. However, ultimately, it also depends on which matchboxtom this is.

[yellowfoden]

Our VBD matchbxtom (note spelling) is Tom Larson and is based in USA, Here is a reminder of details.

Bert

[DrJeep]

It’s the same Tom as in the very first post in this thread, when it was suggested that a couple of his prepros were actually reproductions. But like Idris, I think the black labelled Douglas looks genuine, though a bit expensive. However, label variants are easily faked and the risk means it’s not worth paying too much of a premium.

[nearlymint]

Looking at the location of this model it’s not Tom Larson, I would tread very carefully on labels especially at that price.

[SuperFast]

Unfortunately the artist from Greece is abel to make plastic parts even clear plastic parts. I remember the purple metallic # 22 Blaze Buster in his last auctions. - goose bumps -
S.

[Mogsta]

The location of the seller confirms this is definitely the same U.K. based Matchboxtom that has been the subject of many posts on the forum....the vast majority being less than complimentary !!

Looking at the pictures of the labels on his EBay listing, both sides appear to have lots of almost parallel horizontal ‘scratch’ lines that look like they were made with a light rubbing with sandpaper - as there’s no other similar marks anywhere else on the truck I’m taking the view that the labels are modern replicas and have been aged to fit the condition of the model.