[Closed] A WCPD 1.24 question...How come all of the WCPD cars have such a strong smell to them?

What kind of smell?? Plasticy??

I only have the WCPD Turquoise 61 Impala convertible and the Burgandy Caddy 16. Never notice any unusual smell to them then again I didnt sniff them! LOL

Not sure, but they do have a different odor about them.

Pete, exactly. I have 21 WCPD models and all have the strong smell. And it was evident from the day each car arrived. While all of my DM and FM models (261 of them) do NOT have the smell of the WCPD cars.

Thus the reason for asking the question.

LOL Phil...take a sniff. And then do the same with your DMs and FMs.

George .. That's the ol Johnson & Johnson .. Scratch an sniff feature - no extra charge

George, you display your models in plastic cases immediately upon your purchase. I'm just ...

... guessing that the models don't get a chance to "breathe" inside the cases and consequently, the manufacturing glues, paints, and other elements are reacting inside that closed environment. Perhaps some outgassing is in effect and since they're confined, the aroma is strong. Mine are not displayed in that fashion, and sit on the shelf exposed and "breathing." I could not detect any unusual or distinctive aroma from my WCPD, DM, or FM cars.

So, while no one is at home today, I performed a very un-scientific smell test of maybe 20 or so diecast. Granted, I have only one WCPD model (the '59 Impala convertible). I gave it a good whiff. Nothing unusual that I could really detect.

I sniffed another dozen or so DM's and FM's - various models/years. Some smelled slightly plasticky. Some had little odor (at least nothing objectionable).

I then sniffed several of my 1/18th models from various companies (AA, GMP, ACME, Kyosho, etc). To the model, almost no odor at all. I have a new ACME '33 Willys gasser that arrived last Monday. No odor at all.

All of my diecasts are housed in various enclosed cabinets (acrylic, wood, glass). One thing that I notice in all of my cabinets when I open them up is a very strong odor (plastic, rubber). I assume that those vapors/fumes build up inside and are released when I open the doors. Makes me think that I should vent my cabinets somehow. Not sure what those fumes are doing to the die casts.

Bottom line, at least in this very un-scientific and one-nosed observation, is that none of my diecasts really exhibit what I'd classify as "different" smells. Most have some kind of odor (some stronger than others). Still, some have no odor at all.

Uh-oh, wife just came home. Glad I got this done before she caught me nosing around my models (literally). L.O.L!

Marlowe, excellent point about the cases (I mention just that issue in my post below). As you note, there is a build up of paint fumes, various glues, various rubber components, etc. In an enclosed environment, I would imagine there could be a negative long term effect on the models. My biggest concern is fogging the plastic windows. Haven't seen it yet, though.

Could any of this be contributing to the rash issue? Hmmmm...

Wait a minute ... Your Willy gasser had no smell ... really?? ... LOL

Marlowe...nice thought, but the WCPD cars smell that way upon delivery in their respective boxes.

And again, the DM and FM cars don't and never did. So I don't think it has anything to do with my cases or how they breath.

Rick, your "un-scientific" test proves nothing. As I mentioned in my initial post and to Marlowe above, the WCPD cars have a strong smell in the boxes they arrived in and it hasn't went away in the several years that I've owned them. AND THIS IS IMPORTANT...NONE of my DM or FM cars have the same or even similar smells to them.

So I ask the question again...what is it that causes the WCPD cars to smell as they do from the factory and remain that way?

As for paint rash being a possibility (as suggested by another poster), I've had NONE on any car that I own. And I check often. My cars are in dust free cases, in the dark with no light or sunlight on them.

Paul, I think the "rash issue" that some face is attributed to other factors.

Interestingly, because we no longer have any 1:24s of note, we are now...

... reduced to smelling our cars. So desperate we have become with our love affair with our models, readers of the D4C are now secretly pulling out our cars and smelling them. Rumor has it, some have gone just a bit further and are licking them. Others still.... well..... um..... I...... er....... um....... well...... it probably isn't appropriate to discuss in an open forum.

This is unique only to collectors in 1:24 scale. There have been no reports of mass smelling in 1:43 or 1:18 scale.