Appraisal: Biohazard Leon Desert Eagle

[Wesker]

No idea where else to put this

Basically im interested in some valuations on my Biohazard/Resident Evil Leon standard version Desert Eagle, limited edition of 500 produced in 1998

I recently purchased this myself, normally i would never sell my RE guns but when this arrived in a condition completely contrary to what i expected i am no longer wanting it as part of my collection in the condition it is in. The seller mentioned nothing what so ever about any damage on the gun so i assumed it to be in normal condition. It is a 12 year old gun but the state of this is unacceptable for such a rare piece. Im sure i greatly overpaid for it and it will cost me, i'd never have bought it if i'd known it had damage now i will have to pay for someone else who ruined the gun

Though it looks nice in the pics i posted above, the damage cannot be seen there. Basically it has a large scratch/wear marks on the underside of the receiver:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/12/2/2672882/P1030608a.jpg

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/12/2/2672882/P1030609a.jpg

Scratches/wear along the right side of the slide:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/12/2/2672882/P1030611a.jpg

General discolouring of the surface:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/12/2/2672882/P1030610a.jpg

And to top it off, some horrible yellow mark (which im assuming is varnish as it looks and feels like it) on the bottom of the frame, under the trigger guard which i cant figure out how to get off:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/12/2/2672882/P1030607a.jpg

Obviously i dont want to be losing alot of money on this by what i paid because of what someone else has done to it but i would consider selling it at a reasonable price. Other than what i have shown above, the rest seems to be in fine condition. The mag is in good condition and the grips are fine. It might be possible to remove that yellow mess and possibly do something to reduce the scratch marks but i dont know what to do with it

The box itself is not complete either. The manual is missing as are the 2 pin badges that originally came with the gun

I would like to sell this so i can buy a new one for myself in decent condition and also complete, the money from this sale would help to fund that

Any ideas on its possible value/sale price would be appreciated

 

[Deva]

Personally I'd put it up for offer and say that you're going to wait however many weeks for offers, then you can see what you're likely to get and if you're happy with it or not.

 

[Wesker]

Personally I'd put it up for offer and say that you're going to wait however many weeks for offers, then you can see what you're likely to get and if you're happy with it or not.

Yeah thats a good idea thanks. I have posted this on the Zero In forum too and hearing different figures for value so im not really sure, some say £250 ish would be reasonable. Offers i suppose would be the best way to sell it and accept the highest i get if any with a ballpark figure so i dont get stupid low offers

I do have an original TM chrome frame and slide set im considering throwing into the sale. On Zero they said if i replace this damaged slide and frame with my new set it would increase the value to £300+. I dont know how to myself or have the time to so i'd have to pay to have it fitted which would just cost me more money so i can leave it up to the buyer if they want to do it or not. Personally i dont think the finish on the chrome set is the same as the original finish on this DE as when i put the slide on it looks 2 tone, more mirror finish than this which is more silver. Someone however is convinced they are the same finish but its not, close though

 

[Deva]

As you said I think, say you'll sell it with the set if requested, but that obviously you'll expect higher offers. Just explain that whoever buys will have to fit it themselves. If people buy without then hopefully you'd be able to sell it separately.

 

[Hubert]

If it helps, the yellow-ish stain looks like something I work with frequently - epoxy resin super glue.

Used for bonding metal to (modelling e.g. tanks/planes) resin and plastic (or more metal).

When it cures and dries, it turns yellow like that. It will always have a sort of 'taccy' feeling but also smooth, if you know what I mean (something I glued 4 years ago still has the slightly sticky feeling)

To me anyway, it suggests that the previous owner may have glued something to this, or tried to glue the frame back together.

 

[Wesker]

As you said I think, say you'll sell it with the set if requested, but that obviously you'll expect higher offers. Just explain that whoever buys will have to fit it themselves. If people buy without then hopefully you'd be able to sell it separately.

Yeah i will probably go this route then. If the buyer knows how to rebuild themselves then they will be getting it cheaper. I dont know how much it would cost me to send it away to have the parts swapped over but it cost me £20 just to have a hammer fitted on my M9 so probably alot.. I dont see a point me doing that to just lose more money. It can be up to the buyer if anyone is interested in this

If it helps, the yellow-ish stain looks like something I work with frequently - epoxy resin super glue.
Used for bonding metal to (modelling e.g. tanks/planes) resin and plastic (or more metal).

When it cures and dries, it turns yellow like that. It will always have a sort of 'taccy' feeling but also smooth, if you know what I mean (something I glued 4 years ago still has the slightly sticky feeling)

To me anyway, it suggests that the previous owner may have glued something to this, or tried to glue the frame back together.

Ah yeah it could be something like that. It does feel smooth, similar to varnish when it dries which is why i thought it was that. Why they would leave it in a state like this i dont understand. Dont suppose theres any way of getting it off? I tried some spirits on it but those dont work. I cant use anything too strong or it will melt the plastic

 

[Hubert]

Ah yeah it could be something like that. It does feel smooth, similar to varnish when it dries which is why i thought it was that. Why they would leave it in a state like this i dont understand. Dont suppose theres any way of getting it off? I tried some spirits on it but those dont work. I cant use anything too strong or it will melt the plastic

I can't remember the name of it, but Homebase (and I assume B&Q, and other home supplies/DIY stores) sell something that removes/weakens epoxy glue. Only problem is if it removes the paint (I doubt it will)

Don't use super-glue remover. Most forms of that melt plastic.

 

[Wesker]

I can't remember the name of it, but Homebase (and I assume B&Q, and other home supplies/DIY stores) sell something that removes/weakens epoxy glue. Only problem is if it removes the paint (I doubt it will)
Don't use super-glue remover. Most forms of that melt plastic.

Thank you i will look into that. As long as its safe to use on plastic then theres no harm in trying stuff. If i can clean this up then i can get some more money for it. I can never get its full value thanks to previous owners losing the pin badges and manual but it looking better will at least help

For the scratches im going to try some plastic scratch remover and see if i can either remove, or at least reduce the scratch marks. Might not work but again worth a try anyway. If all else fails i can just do the deal with throwing my chrome TM set in

 

[Hubert]

If you do find any of the stuff, I'd consider testing it on various plastics before trying to use it on this - the last thing you want to do is damage it more. Some forms of plastic are more likely to melt than others.

Like I said, somethings (like superglue remover/de-bonder) will melt plastic.

Ask around for something that'll remove epoxy resin glue, then if you get it, test it.

 

[Wesker]

I will do. Im not going to use anything strong incase of further damage. I just bought a plastic scratch remover kit so see if that can clean up those scratches. I found last night when looking around online that someone recommended a product called 'Goo Gone' for removing epoxy and various other things and it is safe to use on plastic. Im going to buy some of that and try it out. Can use it for other things if it doesnt work on this. Hopefully that might do it or at least reduce the damage

If these work i will post here with new pics of hopefully gone or improved damage. See how it goes