Old kit and dry wood ?

[bparrish]

T C....

You are right about some old plastics.   Don't even consider old Varney plastic era box car kits.  There is a lot of shrinkage that causes warps and cupping.

Beware of old Westerfield resin kits as they too get brittle and warp.  Many are good but close inspection is necessary.  Beware of Evil-bay for this.

Further, some early engineering ascetyle (?) plastics get brittle and when pressed on an axle will crack.  Atherarn and Roundhouse had multiple generations of product improvements due to this.  Many Orion and other Japanese trolleys need service for this reason.   NWSL can fill the order on many of these but the new company owner is impossible to communicate with. You order it and take your chances.  He won't survive if he doesn't put up a phone number and take pre-order questions.


I have never found a Jordan kit plastic to be in poor shape.

The sticky stuff you observe in your car is the dinosaurs (petroleum) cooking out of the plastic.  Often for the first few years of a new car, when put out in the sun will get a blue cloudy film build up on the inside of your windshield.  Dinosaurs.

John Siekirk was also in the car manufacturing world and perhaps explain this better.  My experience is with my time with Mercedes Benz and Volvo in the 70's and 80's.  Not a good time for either of them.

Most manufacturers have solved the bulk of this but in particularly hot climates, parking into the sun with show this up.

see ya
Bob