... was so psych'd when I hit Target yesterday. Found a few of the latest release of Authentics.

In particular, the 59 Caddy in red like my grandfather had. Was so excited to get it home and open the doors.

After a number of other errands, I finally arrived back in our office and proceded to unscrew the car from the packaging.

Laid it on my desk and was going to take it for a spin past the stapler and 10-key by some of the new GL and HWs I have.

THUD THUD THUD!!

All four tires had flat spots on them and made the car roll like it had four flat tires.

MAN was I disappointed. Part of the fun for us is playing with them. This thing, while nicely done, at $4.99 a pop did not even roll. It was like the tires were still soft when they threw it in the package.

I contemplated returning it, but with it opened, Target is a bit tight about that. Was glad I did not buy the other three I was eyeing

As a retailer myself, I would be very concerned about the quality checks here. I like the line and have hoped to carry them at some point but this scares me.

Anyway, just wondering how many others are running across this? Be thinking twice about my next selections.

The tires will come back into shape.. My 59 caddy had one tire that also was flatspotted.. temporarly..

But if your frightened to buy more... stay away.. That will be more for the rest of us.;)

The tires will come back into shape.. My 59 caddy had one tire that also was flatspotted.. temporarly..

How do they unflatten??

...damn bias ply tires...

...damn bias ply tires...

LOL.

I don't think the flat tires are too much of a concern. I think its probably just a result of the soft rubber tires being squeezed against the base of the packaging for a long period of time. Hopefully they will straighten out over time.

I understand you like to roll your cars, but the rubber tired models from any manufacturer never really rolled that well. I don't think the rubber tired cars are made to roll well. They are made to look more authentic. I'll take authenticity over rollability any day. Then again, I don't roll my models around that much.

I just bought 3 new M2's not too long ago. The 59 Caddy, and the 2 Merc's. All 3 had the flat spots.

HW tires seem to roll the best, but I agree, none of them are meant to be played with like plastic wheeled cars. I think it would be too expensive for the manufacturers to balance the distribution of rubber on the smaller scale tires. I also agree with the theory that the pressure created by screwing the car to the base created the flat spots. If you roll the car around enough, you could probably redistribute the rubber - sort of messaging the flat spots out of the tires. Just a thought.

Here's your prescription, straight from the Auto-Doc.:

Do two smoking burnouts for 3 nights, at least 20 minutes apart, then rotate your tires (remember that bias-ply rubber can't be switched right-to-left) and repeat. Post pics here.

None of my M2's have had the flat spot tires except the 59 Caddys .. They are much bigger than the other cars & I noticed the tires contact the base of the container . When screwed down it must put some pressure on them causing the flat spots . I assume releasing the pressure from being screwed down will let the tires regain their original shape .. The only other problem Ive had is one of the 49 Mercs had some dirt in the paint & Ive seen some with the labels coming off the bases too ...
In the past Ive seen the rough handling from shippers causing parts to break on some too ..

Check this out.....not flat tires but wrong sticker

My Cadillacs also have flat tires,,,,also Gray '50 Olds,,,,,, maybe they're screw to tight to their base???? Otherwise great quailty and super paint

Hey Fellas, I am still trying to catch up from being at the Las Vegas convention. Right before we left for the convention we talked to the factory about this tire issue. They are going to start using longer screws so that the car's tires will not get flat spots. So in the future keep an eye out the longer screws and round tires.

Thanks,
Sean

Sean , Not only longer screws are needed for this problem , the part the car rests on needs to be higher up too ... So the car is higher from the base ... These 50's cars are awesome !! Id love to see a M2 '59 or '60 Edsel some day ...

Sean , Not only longer screws are needed for this problem , the part the car rests on needs to be higher up too ... So the car is higher from the base ... These 50's cars are awesome !! Id love to see a M2 '59 or '60 Edsel some day ...

I second that! We have RC and HWs 1958 models - but none of the later years!

There's much more than just tire problems with the brand, like hoods and doors that don't fit right and won't close. I just don't see the appeal of these cars, especially when the quality is just not there. It would be nice if the functions worked properly, it would set the cars apart from all others on the market but as it stands now I'll just pick up a few and leave the rest.

Had same problem on a few Kyosho's, where they were cranked down too tight on the base. The rubber should rebound some if you park it off the flat spots. Some not all the way depending on how much it was crushed, but it will improve it.

One reason I always detach the subjects from the base and inspect for flat tires. Just don't tighten the screws so far when putting back on the base.

There are some fit issues on the opening features, unfortunatly not uncommon in this scale. I know this can be done correctly because I have some that are, but that seems to be the exception rather than the norm. The gaps aren't so glaring on dark paint compared to lighter shades.

If you like the M2 subjects I recommend trying to look past fitment as they do have other redeeming characteristics......and I don't think anybody else will render these models as (otherwise) nicely as M2 has.

Hopefully M2 is working on tightening up the door and hood seams.

Opening panels on any scale car can cause trouble . In my opinion a 1/64 car doesnt need opening doors ... Hood is enough .. Ive had JL's , Greenlights & M2's with hood closing issues & doors on M2 also .
Its not an M2 only problem .. Even some of my 'big money' Franklin Mint & Danbury Mint cars in 1/25 scale have door closing issues ...
Many can be fixed by fiddling with them ... Except for a few cars with proportion / size issues ( 57 DeSoto for one - looks too short ) , M2 does a great job on their stuff . Details look great & who else would do some of these wonderful '50's gems ...

seen this on e bay
http://i.ebayimg.com/19/!BODWWlgBGk~$(KGrHgoOKkIEjlLmUkORBJs1Eqw(9!~~_1.JP G

I just received four of the M2 Mustangs in the mail today. The green Mach 1 is missing the driver's seat, the sticker is loose from the base and floating around the blister, the plastic piece that holds the hood open is also floating around the package, and two of the tires are coming off. All of that can be fixed except for the missing seat that isn't anywhere to be found, so I consider that $5 plus shipping wasted. The rest of the cars appear to be intact.

I hope M2 is making some phone calls to China to get these QC issues straightened out.