Earlier this year, when Boomboxery member Samovar hosted the BOOMBOX and the CITY exhibition in Catania, Sicily, myself along with my wife and DOCS and his wife attended. We were able to visit the fantastic, amazing and incredible collection of the wonderfully mysterious Samavar.
And as extensive as his “A†collection is, it was while rummaging through his “B & C†piles that had me most excited. Mr. Samovar is blessed with enough space to hang on to parts boxes, carcasses, bits and pieces that most collectors would have just tossed in the bin. And it was one of those carcasses that lit a fire under me.
As DOCS and Samovar looked through radios on one side of the room, I turned around and saw something in the corner of the room that I recognized instantly. With it facing away from me, sitting on a pallet, among 10 other junkers was a radio I have been looking for, for a very long time.
They aren’t the rarest of rare, but again, they don’t come up all that often either. It is a personal missing link. One of the “Big 4†from Issue 3 of Boombox Magazine. The 2nd largest 1-piece radio ever made, right under the Wheely and just above the J1 and Helix HX-4700 and the last one of the big four I have been missing.
It is the REXCEL JCX-1000 or in this radios case, it’s labeled as the AUDIO SONIC TBS-1150
Through out the rest of this thread, it shall be referred to as the WRECK-CEL due to its condition.
The second I saw it, even from the back I felt the blood rush from my face. A moment of breathlessness (mixed with the 105F / 40C degree heat and 98% humidity). In an instant, before I could even climb my way over too it through the extensive stash of parts boxes, a flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.
“How much could he possibly be asking for this gem?â€
"What ever it is, it's not enough"
“Do I spend all of our travel money trying to buy it?â€
“How pissed off will my wife be when I do spend all of our travel money buying it?â€
“How will that 7.5-hour drive back to Naples be with a pissed off wife after I do buy it?â€
“What if he won’t sell it?â€
“HE HAS TO FREAKING SELL IT!!!!!!!â€
“I don’t care what it costs, it must be mine (precious)â€
I tried so hard to hold my composure. I had to move many, many radios to reach it and once I did, with my back to everyone, I snapped it up and carried it into the other room, like I was stealing it or something. I mean, like, where am I going, right????
I had to set it down, take a step back and breath.
Deep, Long, Breaths….
“SALLLLLL, I have a question?â€
He was still in the other room, deep into the graveyard of lost blaster souls with DOCS.
“SSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL†(gawd he’s killing me over here!!!!)
(So terrified I might get a horrid answer)
“What do you want for the Rexcel?â€
Then Samovar entered the room and says….
“Oh, that’s the left over from a box I already rebuilt, you can have itâ€
GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG
I didn’t know whether to kiss my wife and high five Sal or kiss Sal and high five my wife!
A feeling of elation rushed over me. I never even looked over the box to see its condition and I didn’t care. I had no idea what parts were there, what was missing and I didn’t care. Can it be repaired? NO FREAKING CLUE.
I DIDN’T CARE!
In my mind, I was the little leprechaun from the Lucky Charms commercial, kicking up my heels and dancing around. Of course, in front of everyone I was like James Dean – “cool†(tiny nod).
***FARK YEAH***
***ULTRA SCORE***
Then, after a few orbits of earth, I went to pick up my new prize and the handle partial came off .
Not a problem, all is good!
Once I got it out in the yard and the sun fell upon it, it was much clearer now….no deck doors….OK, cool, we’ve made those before (quick check, thank gawd it has the battery door!)
My oh my, the decks are loose inside and flopping around?!?!? And it appears someone has straight kicked in the face of the radio as there are HUGE cracks spider-webbing out from the center. Not good.
I…..DON’T…….CARE!!!!!!
And….
I’m so glad I didn’t piss off the wife spending all of our money on it as she walks up and says…
“Of all those radios in there, that’s the one you want?â€
“YES, go away!!!!!â€
“She is GLORIOUS!†(or will be)
I was like....
“WOMAN, you ever seen my Wheely?, dis ain’t shiat!â€
Of course, then came fitting it into the trunk of the car along with our luggage, DOCS luggage and the radio’s DOCS scrounged out of the C-D and E piles of the mighty Samovar!
Then weeks later, I get a message from Smaovar that he has found a bag of bits and pieces for the WRECK-CEL including the deck doors (and many, many busted off case posts)
Since then, this radio has sat on the floor, behind my recycling bin, still dusty and dirty, waiting it’s turn.
Well that turn is…..NOW!
(In this video, you will learn how to do many of my plastic repair tricks including case screw post repair.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6MgiEIrV84&t=19s
And as extensive as his “A†collection is, it was while rummaging through his “B & C†piles that had me most excited. Mr. Samovar is blessed with enough space to hang on to parts boxes, carcasses, bits and pieces that most collectors would have just tossed in the bin. And it was one of those carcasses that lit a fire under me.
As DOCS and Samovar looked through radios on one side of the room, I turned around and saw something in the corner of the room that I recognized instantly. With it facing away from me, sitting on a pallet, among 10 other junkers was a radio I have been looking for, for a very long time.
They aren’t the rarest of rare, but again, they don’t come up all that often either. It is a personal missing link. One of the “Big 4†from Issue 3 of Boombox Magazine. The 2nd largest 1-piece radio ever made, right under the Wheely and just above the J1 and Helix HX-4700 and the last one of the big four I have been missing.
It is the REXCEL JCX-1000 or in this radios case, it’s labeled as the AUDIO SONIC TBS-1150
Through out the rest of this thread, it shall be referred to as the WRECK-CEL due to its condition.
The second I saw it, even from the back I felt the blood rush from my face. A moment of breathlessness (mixed with the 105F / 40C degree heat and 98% humidity). In an instant, before I could even climb my way over too it through the extensive stash of parts boxes, a flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.
“How much could he possibly be asking for this gem?â€
"What ever it is, it's not enough"
“Do I spend all of our travel money trying to buy it?â€
“How pissed off will my wife be when I do spend all of our travel money buying it?â€
“How will that 7.5-hour drive back to Naples be with a pissed off wife after I do buy it?â€
“What if he won’t sell it?â€
“HE HAS TO FREAKING SELL IT!!!!!!!â€
“I don’t care what it costs, it must be mine (precious)â€
I tried so hard to hold my composure. I had to move many, many radios to reach it and once I did, with my back to everyone, I snapped it up and carried it into the other room, like I was stealing it or something. I mean, like, where am I going, right????
I had to set it down, take a step back and breath.
Deep, Long, Breaths….
“SALLLLLL, I have a question?â€
He was still in the other room, deep into the graveyard of lost blaster souls with DOCS.
“SSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL†(gawd he’s killing me over here!!!!)
(So terrified I might get a horrid answer)
“What do you want for the Rexcel?â€
Then Samovar entered the room and says….
“Oh, that’s the left over from a box I already rebuilt, you can have itâ€
GASP!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG
I didn’t know whether to kiss my wife and high five Sal or kiss Sal and high five my wife!
A feeling of elation rushed over me. I never even looked over the box to see its condition and I didn’t care. I had no idea what parts were there, what was missing and I didn’t care. Can it be repaired? NO FREAKING CLUE.
I DIDN’T CARE!
In my mind, I was the little leprechaun from the Lucky Charms commercial, kicking up my heels and dancing around. Of course, in front of everyone I was like James Dean – “cool†(tiny nod).
***FARK YEAH***
***ULTRA SCORE***
Then, after a few orbits of earth, I went to pick up my new prize and the handle partial came off .
Not a problem, all is good!
Once I got it out in the yard and the sun fell upon it, it was much clearer now….no deck doors….OK, cool, we’ve made those before (quick check, thank gawd it has the battery door!)
My oh my, the decks are loose inside and flopping around?!?!? And it appears someone has straight kicked in the face of the radio as there are HUGE cracks spider-webbing out from the center. Not good.
I…..DON’T…….CARE!!!!!!
And….
I’m so glad I didn’t piss off the wife spending all of our money on it as she walks up and says…
“Of all those radios in there, that’s the one you want?â€
“YES, go away!!!!!â€
“She is GLORIOUS!†(or will be)
I was like....
“WOMAN, you ever seen my Wheely?, dis ain’t shiat!â€
Of course, then came fitting it into the trunk of the car along with our luggage, DOCS luggage and the radio’s DOCS scrounged out of the C-D and E piles of the mighty Samovar!
Then weeks later, I get a message from Smaovar that he has found a bag of bits and pieces for the WRECK-CEL including the deck doors (and many, many busted off case posts)
Since then, this radio has sat on the floor, behind my recycling bin, still dusty and dirty, waiting it’s turn.
Well that turn is…..NOW!
(In this video, you will learn how to do many of my plastic repair tricks including case screw post repair.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6MgiEIrV84&t=19s