The Diecast Zone · Model Car Club Since 1994
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Forum 24
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Topic starter
14/09/2015 2:53 am
Hello 1/24th Forum, I just wanted to comment and check in.
It has been along time since I have commented on this forum.
It is great to see John's diecast daily photos and all of the familiar names and some new ones joining.
With the demise of the Franklin Mint and Danbury Mint, I have lost interest in the 1/24th scale collecting. I miss checking this site everyday to see what new offerings were coming and would I get my 64 Pontiac Grand Prix, or would George get his 57 Old's, or I think it was Phil, get his 61 Pontiac among all of your wants.
On the other hand, I am kind of glad the the mints have stopped at least for me because of the body or paint rash developing on almost all of my models.
I always keep my cars in the box in a climate controlled room with the intent of displaying them at a later date. Recently that date came and when opening the boxes I discovered almost all of them were developing that dreaded paint rash that many of you were experiencing.
Some were a lot worse than others and also some of the trim had fallen off. Again these cars were never displayed and kept in the original package.
With the cost of the mints increasing and many more on my wish list to purchase like the 59 Pontiac and 56 Buick I am glad I never was able to afford them at the time.
Recently George said in a post his wishes a company would start producing "affordable" 1/24 resin models, or as we used to car them "dealer promos". I agree with him, looking back on what model I do have from the 60s' they still look as good as the day I purchased them years ago.
I would gladly pay 30 to 50 bucks for each and as the matter of fact I still collect the new promos that are offered. They are limited to the Corvettes Camaro and maybe a couple of others and cost around 40 dollars but I think they look pretty good sitting on the shelf.
In closing I still collect but like many of you I have gone over to the "Dark Side" to 1/43 Forum. The offerings from Neo and Spark among other companies are I think really great for the money. They are not as nice as the DM/FM but at half the cost and nice display cases they satisfy my addiction.
Thanks for reading
Mark
14/09/2015 5:03 am
Hi Mark. Good to see some of the ol' timers still posting and watching.....
As far as the paint rash and Zamac deterioration, I have a theory about a potential cause. I believe that storing the models in the original boxes accelerates the problems. The models cannot "breathe" off the vapors? of the Zamac metal. I removed every model from their boxes within a day or two after receiving them and they go right to my parking lots(curios). I have experienced ONLY ONE model with the metal deterioration and maybe 2-3 with paint issues and that is with 250+ 1:24 models. I have no scientific/chemical analysis data, it's just my theory..... and experience.
Topic starter
14/09/2015 7:59 am
Thanks so much for your advice. I will get them out of the boxes to prevent more damage.
Mark
14/09/2015 9:13 am
Interesting comment about paint issues, Mark...
Perhaps off-gassing from the chemicals in the styrofoam is a factor in paint deterioration as well. Several months ago, I took out all of my models (about 15) from their original boxes after they had been stored for many years.I noticed only one major issue. The paint on my Danbury Mint Reef Blue '53 Buick Skylark was cracked in many places, though not peeling off. I was surprised to see that. I cleaned & waxed it. The car still displays well, with the paint issue only noticeable up close.
15/09/2015 12:14 am
Good to hear from you Mark. Sorry to hear about your paint rash issues. I often wonder what really causes this to happen to these little cars. You say you've kept them in their respective boxes and in a controlled temperature environment, so we can only wonder.
I'm happy to say for me, that I have not experienced any severe paint rash issues on any of my cars, and what I have seen is minor (on only a couple of cars) compared to what some fellow collectors report of having.
My cars are displayed in a mostly kept dark(er) room, and each in their own protective plastic case. So not sure if that helps prevent possible paint rash, or if I'm just lucky. And wonder too (as some here have suggested), if it could be the boxes themselves that they came in, and you've left them in, could be the culprit. Like Jerry, I always immediately removed all my cars (283 of them) from the boxes they arrived in.
Either way, again sorry to hear that your little beauties are experiencing it.
Also nice to hear that you agree with me on how nice it would be if some company would step forward and once again provide us with some nicely done plastic promo 1.24 replica's. Like you, I'd have no problem paying around $25 to maybe $50 each for them. Based on inflation since the 1960s when they cost (around) $2 each, I'd say $25 to $50 would be fair to assume they'd cost.
But let it be said that, if they were produced, and they were more than $50, I'd pass on them.
Again welcome back Mark. My best to you!
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
15/09/2015 6:56 pm
One comment on Promos. I began collecting them in 1950 with aPontiac sedan. While there was no paint rash problem, there was a WARPAGE problem. My older promos, including early 60's would warp and twist until some were completely worthless. At some point in time, AMT,SMP and JoHan switched to a different type of plastic which solved the problem. Oddly, the car model kits of some of the same cars did not have this problem.
16/09/2015 7:32 am
I've got to believe that with 50+ years of technology, the warping problem should no longer be one.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota