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A few days ago I wanted to make a new picture of my K-20a Tractor Transporter. I open the box and out fell about twenty something wheels. I ended up spending thirty minutes getting the wheels back on tractors, trailer and truck, and about 2 minutes taking the picture. My question is, has anyone come up with a good fix to hold the wheels in place on these shrinking plastic hubs? And is there anyway to keep hubs from shrinking more over time? Please, don't even mention glue.


Thanks

Given what you have written, I assume that you mean 'loose tyres' rather than 'loose wheels'.
The problem is caused by shrinkage of the hubs over time (probably as a result of evaporation of the plasticiser). There is nothing you can do to prevent this (and anyway, it's already too late in most cases!).
I seem to recall that reduced diameter tyres are available which will fit snugly on the shrunken hubs and are therefore ideal for display purposes.

Replacement tires/tyres are an excellent option. They are made with a slightly smaller inner circumference so they fit snug on shrunken hubs. All of the ones I've used are of excellent quality and are an exact reproduction (right down to the LESNEY molded into the sides). Some gray tires come in the correct gray color (tractor tires come to mind) and some are in a noticeably lighter color (like M4, Hatra and Guy Warrior tires).

Some people glue the tires on (I dislike this method). Glue that should never be used is any kind of Super glue, as even the fumes can damage paint and fog window plastic. I strongly recommend Elmer's School Glue for those who must use glue. A little warm water will remove the glue at any time in the future and it does not ruin the value of the model like permanent glues will.

The most common method of making the tire fit snug is to cut tiny strips of tape and place them around the lip of the hub (thus building up the circumference). Even with this method I am very select in the kind of tape I use. Some types of tape adhesive can harden and bond over time and become difficult to remove. The products that are sold to soften and remove such tape will also damage the plastic hubs. I only use Scotch invisible (or magic) tape for this purpose.

With regard to the K20, Once the tractors are placed into the plastic "rack" their tires will be firmly held in place by pressure. You only need to make adjustments to the tire positioning once the tractors are clipped in.

I know there are people out there who only buy models with snug tires, treads that are still soft and decals that have never yellowed. Since all of these problems are only getting worse with time, they are problems that are impossible to avoid. Most collectors embraced replacement tracks or treads a long time ago. Many are now becoming more comfortable with replacement tires and some are even coming to terms with replacement decals (it's painful to watch a model's decal flake and fall away, yellow to a severe state or the clear background to darken and become gummy).

I had also heard about plastic interiors that crumble and fall apart. A couple of years ago, I experienced this first hand. Here's the interior I shook out of a 53b Mercedes. The model was otherwise mint and now it's a mint model with no interior. This was an unsettling discovery.

Last month, I went to clean a 29c Denver fire pumper, when I began cleaning with a moist Q-tip (cotton bud), the entire top plastic section of hoses crumbled and fell into pieces this size.

All of the rubber and plastic parts on these models are doomed an many are nearing the end of their life (many have already failed). There may be some fraction of survivors that last longer, but it seems all these plastic and rubber compounds will break down soon enough. Most of these models are near or beyond half of a Century old already. It will only get worse as time goes on.

Mercedes interior which self distructed:

Thanks for your informative response Tinman. I have no problem with replacement tires as I know this issue will only get worst in the years to come. As for the interior issue you experienced on the 53b Mercedes, this is one I had not heard of. But I am not surprised, as your are quite correct in your view that these precious little cars are nearing the end of there lives. I have seen first hand what is happening with the "slush" cars of the 1920-40s, and although I deeply regret those losses the slush collectors have faced, I know a time will come for Matchboxes as well.

I use a water soluble paper glue to hold tyres on -its a much better solution than replacement tyres when the originals are in perfect condition,its the hubs that have shrunk!

I've used little strips of masking tape in the past without any problem. I do remember someone telling me that thin dressmakers cotton wound round the hubs does the trick too, but I haven't tried that.

johnboy wrote:I've used little strips of masking tape in the past without any problem. I do remember someone telling me that thin dressmakers cotton wound round the hubs does the trick too, but I haven't tried that.

Masking tape is a severe offender for bonding to the surface over time and becoming nearly impossible to remove. The worst offender is the plain (Kraft) color tape. Some of the newer tapes are designed to have a temporary bond and may fair better (but only time will tell). Even the blue painters masking tape will severely bond if not removed soon enough.

Tinman wrote:

johnboy wrote:I've used little strips of masking tape in the past without any problem. I do remember someone telling me that thin dressmakers cotton wound round the hubs does the trick too, but I haven't tried that.

Masking tape is a severe offender for bonding to the surface over time and becoming nearly impossible to remove. The worst offender is the plain (Kraft) color tape. Some of the newer tapes are designed to have a temporary bond and may fair better (but only time will tell). Even the blue painters masking tape will severely bond if not removed soon enough.

Sorry, my fault for not being clear. I'm not talking about painters or decorators mask tape, but modelling mask (Tamiya style). I've had it on hubs and plastic models for years and removed it without a problem. That said, it might still depend on the environment that the models are stored in.

Tinman sez
I had also heard about plastic interiors that crumble and fall apart. A couple of years ago, I experienced this first hand. Here's the interior I shook out of a 53b Mercedes. The model was otherwise mint and now it's a mint model with no interior. This was an unsettling discovery. 

Holy crap. I never knew about the plastics disintegrating like that. Freaky.

Maybe we have to start keeping our models in display cases with temperature and humidity controls and UV filtering glass, like fine art, lol.

As long as you can get replacement parts for the parts that fail all is not lost but I'm guessing that there are some parts that aren't available anywhere.

kbean63 wrote:

Tinman sez
I had also heard about plastic interiors that crumble and fall apart. A couple of years ago, I experienced this first hand. Here's the interior I shook out of a 53b Mercedes. The model was otherwise mint and now it's a mint model with no interior. This was an unsettling discovery. 

Holy crap. I never knew about the plastics disintegrating like that. Freaky.

Maybe we have to start keeping our models in display cases with temperature and humidity controls and UV filtering glass, like fine art, lol.

As long as you can get replacement parts for the parts that fail all is not lost but I'm guessing that there are some parts that aren't available anywhere.

When some of these things are gone, they will be gone forever.

Display cases have their own problems. Many natural wood cabinets and assorted manufactured wood products give off destructive gasses that can harm various components of the models. Some plastics also outgas harmful gasses. Nothing is forever.