Solodarprince-
Please don't take my post as a stab at you -it's not.
I'm one of the people VBob has recast (sadly, he's not the only one who seems to like my work
). Before it happened to me I had a pretty morally ambiguous attitude towards those that recast.
Since then, for obvious reasons, I've reevaluated my attitude. To be willing to recast someone else's work, a person has to be willing to jump over a fairly obvious ethical line. As an example, if you walked past an empty table at a restaurant that had a tip on it from the prior diners, would you pocket the money if no one was looking? I think a person who recasts falls in the group of people who would; after all, it's not that much money and the victim will never know they took it. It's practically a victimless crime, right? Or, in any case, they shouldn't have left it on the table where it might be taken -see where I'm going with this?
Aside from the ethical considerations, a recaster is lazy. Most pieces are not that difficult to fabricate -they just take time (and practice). If you've watched the Pawn Stars episode where VBob brings his BTTF Delorean to the pawn shop you'll note that the owner comments while driving the car it stinks of gas and exhaust. To me this means VBob made no attempt to clean up the car mechanically, just did the minimum effort required to make it look good. What might be hiding under the paint job of the Ecto he made? Do you think a lazy person treated for rust or other structural defects?
People who have bought VBob's shell complain of a poor gel coating, thin spots and brittleness. I believe at least one purchaser of a VBob Delorean complained that the car had issues both mechanically and with the added props. Bob's response was that you own it now, it's your problem.
Now, if you take that attitude and think about what might happen if VBob got his hands on the Ecto-1A it becomes a frightening prospect. What pieces would he mold/cast/resell while they were in his possession? What original pieces might he keep and replace with "replacements". In an effort to keep costs down while doing his "free" restoration what short cuts would he take?
A number of the board members have taken cars that were in far worse shape that the Ecto-1A and turned them into beautiful replicas. So, while none of us like to see the Ecto-1A in its current state, it's not a ticking time bomb. Personally, I'd rather see the car sit for another few years before seeing that iconic prop fall into VBob's hands.
Just my opinion, your milage may vary