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Whilst rummaging in the loft I came across this sad looking EFE artic. The metal floor of the trailer has expanded due to the dreaded mazak pest (heat maybe?). The force has even prised the cab off its rivet. I think I may be able to salvage it as a rigid, or failing that, a grounded body maybe. Proof I think that lofts aren't the best place for model storage.
Strange though that no other EFE models or plastic model kits haven't been damaged up there but I store everything in the garage now to be on the safe side.

I think it is more likely that the plastic has shrunk, but thanks for posting this, you might just stop others making the same mistake and ruining their toys.
In the late 90's I did come across a box full of diecasts, I don't know exactly how long they were in the loft but there were no superfasts so they were probably up there 25 years, There were Dinkys, Corgis, Matchbox and Budgie. none of them appeared to have suffered damage like this to the mazac or plastic but I guess not all lofts are the same, some are ventilated and the temp never gets too high but in others the summer heat can really build up.

As part of our ventilation system installed in the roofspace of our 100-year old wooden house (NZ villa style), we have a temperature gauge showing the roofspace temperature. Right now it shows 15C up there, bearing in mind it is the middle of winter here. In mid summer it can easily reach temperatures in the mid 40s Celsius and that with it being drafty and ventilated - and apparently not the warmest climate in the World here . Can't be good for toys...

Cheers,
Gavin

Storing any type of collectible in the loft is a bad idea....period!
Due to the vapors & heat rising up into lofts the cardboard discolors,plastics warp,rubbers melt or distort,metals corrode and so does aluminium esp at the coast.Thats not the only injury,what about crawlies,bugs,etc infesting-in and chewing up the cardboard boxes.
numi

And yet many collectors have had their display rooms in attic and basement conversions for many years not to mention many of us who have the stuff not on display tucked away in the attic or garage for years with no apparent damage. A lot depends on how the are stored and the location of the storage area.

motorman wrote:And yet many collectors have had their display rooms in attic and basement conversions for many years not to mention many of us who have the stuff not on display tucked away in the attic or garage for years with no apparent damage. A lot depends on how the are stored and the location of the storage area.

Ha,ha u got me there and thanks for spelling it out
Should i have included that it should only be stored in properly ventilated or temperature-controlled lofts and non-clammy tidy lofts.
numi

We had some toys that our kids had grown out of in plastic bags in our loft in London. When we came to getting them out of the loft when we were moving we found they were covered in a gritty black soot like substance that I can only assume came from the diesel buses and lorries that used to pass on the busy road about 100 metres away.

nickjones wrote:We had some toys that our kids had grown out of in plastic bags in our loft in London. When we came to getting them out of the loft when we were moving we found they were covered in a gritty black soot like substance that I can only assume came from the diesel buses and lorries that used to pass on the busy road about 100 metres away.

and that you and the kids were breathing in every day you lived there

Ian

When I was a kid our roof was tiled but unlined and as a result everything left in the loft for any length of time ended up black and gritty. Because it wasn't lined it did allow for better ventilation so the heat didn't build up so much (not much of a consolation ).

Looking for some 1:76 scale wheels for another project, I sifted the above model from my parts box. I don't think it is anything to do with loft storage now, as the plastic parts that would be be more susceptible to the heat are undamaged. It is definitely mazak fatigue.
Studying closer, the mazak trailer bed had grown lengthways by almost an inch. It hadn't grown widthways at all. All the mazak parts could also be snapped with less force that snapping a biscuit. Even the thicker chassis parts could be crushed by hand into granules. Other similar EFE models stored in the same place were unaffected so I assume a bad batch. Strangely, the paint applied had stretched with the mazak without cracking.
Interesting that some Hornby and Heljan 00 scale locomotives are also affected by expanding mazak chassis. Hornby, Heljan and EFE all being made in China so no co-incidence there.
A shame that I now have one less in my Pickford's fleet but I have gained some wheelsets and a few other spare plastic parts.
The photo below shows the metal cab which I previously thought was unaffected. Just slight pressure between finger and thumb did this.