:confused: As we know, there was a problem with the Chariots rubber treads melting the plastic parts during shipping. This was acknowledged by Moebius Models who, to their credit, sent out replacement parts . The other issue seemed to be the rubber wheels when placed on the plastic rims. Moebius had recommended coating the rims with a clear nail polish prior to assembly to avoid this problem. I probably finished this new assembly about two months ago. Today I noticed a sort of seaping of clear droplets where the two parts meet. I really don't know what to do now to arrest this problem. It really seems like these two substances do not agree with each other. Has anyone else encountered this problem on theirs? Just curious before I contact Moebius again (?)....

:confused: As we know, there was a problem with the Chariots rubber treads melting the plastic parts during shipping. This was acknowledged by Moebius Models who, to their credit, sent out replacement parts . The other issue seemed to be the rubber wheels when placed on the plastic rims. Moebius had recommended coating the rims with a clear nail polish prior to assembly to avoid this problem. I probably finished this new assembly about two months ago. Today I noticed a sort of seaping of clear droplets where the two parts meet. I really don't know what to do now to arrest this problem. It really seems like these two substances do not agree with each other. Has anyone else encountered this problem on theirs? Just curious before I contact Moebius again (?)....

I coated my rims with silver enamel then a clear coat and just looked at them after reading your post and they look like they'er melting. I need to take some pictures and send them off to Moebius and see if they can help.:freak:

P.S. I built these about 4 months ago.

I wonder if Future clear acrylic would react with these flexible plastic parts.Or perhaps acrylic paint could be a neutral medium.:confused:

I am at the stage of my build where I need tio address this issue. My solution was, and will be, wraping the inner rims with a layer or two of masking tape followed by several layers of super glue. I hope this will put enough "distance" between the plastic and rubber. I will do the same to the tires so they don't eat through the new plastic treads I made.

I am at the stage of my build where I need tio address this issue. My solution was, and will be, wraping the inner rims with a layer or two of masking tape followed by several layers of super glue. I hope this will put enough "distance" between the plastic and rubber. I will do the same to the tires so they don't eat through the new plastic treads I made.

That sounds like a great idea, let us know if you can get the tire on the rim without the tape getting pulled off. My tires were very hard to get on the rims..... I have a second Chariot to build and need to come up with a fix. I may try Teflon tape and see if that works, wish me luck.......:rolleyes:

Could you conceivably put one tire/rim together and make resin castings?

Jeff

Or do you cast JUST the rim out of resin. Presumably as it wont react to the rubber in the tires? Regardless, this is an issue many modelers are going to be dealing down the road and after MONTH"S of working on this model. I'm not sure what the solution is right now.

Metal plating or foil might help. Maybe the RC guys have suitable metal rims. If you know a jeweler, you could get the rims, or the rims & tires together, duplicated in lost wax brass castings.

I looked at my lower chassie which was finished a few months ago.I had sprayed my rims silver and the two drive wheels steel.I show no signs of what you discribe

Hi Guys,many years ago I purchased the Airfix/Craftmaster James Bond Aston Martin kit,it has chrome plating on the wheels and like the problem with the chariot the tyres reacted with the plastic,I got some of the wifes clear nail varnish and painted the rims etc,and they have not deteriorated any more.I didnt trim the plastic from the wheel as it was to soft and it has now hardened over the years but I am not going to tacle tacking the wheels apart to sort it,the Toyota 2000 had the same problem only this time I had to repair the bonnet/hood and boot lids as the tyres were lying against these in the box,I will be taking precausions for the chariot just in case when I get round to her,
cheers,Gordon

Oh the horror of it all! My Chariot has begun to eat itself as well. And yes my rims were painted as is the undercarriage. They were airbrushed, and apparently that wasn't enough of a barrier. Now WTF?

WARNING Anyone with a COMPLETED CHARIOT, you need to check it now! After a very intense inspection, it is very apparent that even after painting the wheels and drive sprockets, over time the chemical reaction does NOT STOP! I completed my Chariot months ago, and after reading this thread checked my vehicle and found the wheels almost as soft as butter!
PAINT DOES NOT SERVE AS A BARRIER! Frank or Dave if you are reading this your attention and a different solution is needed. My Chariot is ruined!

Further Test: The problem is the rubber parts, you should see what happens when the parts are placed on bare styrene sheet, such as Evergreen. IT is NOT a REACTION WITH THE METALIC COLORED PLASTIC...IT'S ANY PLASTIC.

...The problem is the rubber parts, you should see what happens when the parts are placed on bare styrene sheet, such as Evergreen. IT is NOT a REACTION WITH THE METALIC COLORED PLASTIC...IT'S ANY PLASTIC.
Moebius indicated before that the problem is the plasticizer(the chemical that is added to the plastic that makes it pliable) which is the culprit. So, as you say, the problem parts are the tires and tracks.

I'm assembling my Chariot as we speak, so tonight I will disassemble the drivetrain (which I just assembled last night!). I'm going to shoot my rims with House of Kolors kosmic klear. This automotive grade paint is hard as nails, and I hope it will provide enough of a barrier to prevent this! I wonder if it would help to wash or soak the treads in soapy water or something? Or is it just leaching out of the rubber over time? Also,is it the treads or the tires?!

For the record of my production on this,
I started by lightly sanding the tire rims to give them a slight "Tooth", washed the rims AND the tires in warm soapy (dawn) dish detergent. Rinsed everything off with clean water. Coated the rims with two coats of clear hard shell nail polish. Then air brushed a coating of silver paint onto them. That was all done a little over two months ago. And as stated, they are now melting.

I'm assembling my Chariot as we speak, so tonight I will disassemble the drivetrain (which I just assembled last night!). I'm going to shoot my rims with House of Kolors kosmic klear. This automotive grade paint is hard as nails, and I hope it will provide enough of a barrier to prevent this! I wonder if it would help to wash or soak the treads in soapy water or something? Or is it just leaching out of the rubber over time? Also,is it the treads or the tires?!
Tim,
It's both the treads and tires. And yes, the plasticizer is slowly leeching from both.

Have you used that House of Kolors kosmic klear on model plastic before?

I'll have to do some checking. I have 3 built in the office, one was built approximately a year ago, and there is no damage. The other 2 are 6 months old, and show nothing as far as damage. We'll try to find out what is happening and let everyone know ASAP....

I checked mine today -- it has been built for at least 4 months if not longer -- I didn't see any melting on the portion of the tires that touches tread, but I did notice that there were some marks/residue left behind on the BASE of the display case I have it in -- I am not sure what the base of the case if made out of -- it appears to be resin, but I don't know (got it from Hobby Town or Michaels -- it was made to hold a football) -- the residue it left on base was "tread" imprints, so it may be the rubber melting or simply having a chemical interaction with the paint and/or material the base is made from.

I will be watching this thread with interest -- I LOVE this model and invested a lot of time building it -- and while I don't expect it to last forever, I certainly want it to last at least 10 years.

Is the final answer to be that Moebius finally offers two Chariot tracks made of styrene in 4 seperate parts each to be glued together in order to fit on the wheels.Of course if after market individual track links were to be offered,it would be be ideal,but that would cost a lot,I guess.:confused:

Yeh, I've been using automotive grade enamels on styrene for years. It has to be primered good first. I'll strip the model paint off first in the purple pond, then a few coats of primer, then some HOK silver basecoat, and then a few coats of HOK klear. Hopefully it will seal it well enough.

I wonder if coating the treads in spray silicone protectorant might help?

The painting of the canopy has daunted me enough to delay my build, and I'm knida glad now, as I'd much rather wait a bit, and not have the entire thing ruined in less then a year.

I've had two things with rubber decay on me.. one was a Disney Hercules toy with muscle "flex".. his skin was rubber, and it melted within a years time! He ended up being a gooey zombie Hercules after a pretty short time span.

The other were small rc tanks sold at walmart a few years back. After about 6 months, we anted to break them out and chase the cats with them, and the tread literally crumbled off of them.

I'll be watching this thread with interest. One of the reasons I've delayed getting this kit myself is the tread issues I've read about on this and other sites.

If anyone has good, clear detailed pictures of this, I am in need to send to the factory. You can e-mail me direct at f.winspur@moebiusmodels.com. Thanks again, Frank.

Could you conceivably put one tire/rim together and make resin castings?

Jeff

I guess it would depend if the resin reacts to the treads like the plastic does. It would be an easy job to cast up a resin set of wheels, but casting the treads would be a little more of a problem...

There were some pictures in the earlier thread, mainly showing the contact damage to the chassis surfaces right out of the box.

Could you conceivably put one tire/rim together and make resin castings?
Another thought, at least for static models, are castings of hydrocal or plaster of paris.

Here is a picture of my tire rot, please help. I don't want to start a second kit until something can be done.....:drunk:

Oh, wow.. that is bad! Makes ya wonder what the old 60's aurora kits would look like if they used this combo of materials?

...Makes ya wonder what the old 60's aurora kits would look like if they used this combo of materials?
A toxic waste superfund site. :devil:

It's worse then it looks, it's very soft and sticky. I don't know what to do, you can't go back and trying to fix it just makes it look worse.....:freak:

A toxic waste superfund site. :devil:

Growing up in the "Love Canal" in Niagara Falls, NY, all I can say is, been there,
done that.......;)

Teslabe. are the wheels in your photos painted?
If they are painted are they completely painted including the surfaces inside the tires? or only the visible surface???
The build-up of a production kit that I did has the wheels entirely painted and to date we've had no problem with it at all!
I painted the wheels on my build-ups with testors model master gloss white enamel sprayed thru my airbrush and all the surfaces that are in contact with the tires were painted!

Thanks for the pics they are helpful but I'm afraid that they raise as many questions as they answer..

Dave

Teslabe. are the wheels in your photos painted?
If they are painted are they completely painted including the surfaces inside the tires? or only the visible surface???
The build-up of a production kit that I did has the wheels entirely painted and to date we've had no problem with it at all!
I painted the wheels on my build-ups with testors model master gloss white enamel sprayed thru my airbrush and all the surfaces that are in contact with the tires were painted!

Thanks for the pics they are helpful but I'm afraid that they raise as many questions as they answer..

Dave

Hi Dave, I painted the whole rim like someone in the group had suggested. I used "Tamiya Color" Acrylic paint, #X-11, Chrome Silver. Is that of any help?

Kent.

P.S., I can only think that when pushing the tires onto the rims, paint got removed, they were very hard to get on the rims, even after soaking them in hot water for about 20 min. The paint on the rims had a week to dry before I did anything to them.

In my experience, the chemical used to keep the plastic/rubber soft and pliable leeches at a much accelerated rate in higher heat conditions.

I don't know of many folks who store their models in climate controlled vaults, but out of curiosity, under what conditions were these models stored?

I'm going to try Teflon tape on the rims for my next build, it should make the mounting easier and keep the two from reacting....:thumbsup:

In my experience, the chemical used to keep the plastic/rubber soft and pliable leeches at a much accelerated rate in higher heat conditions.

I don't know of many folks who store their models in climate controlled vaults, but out of curiosity, under what conditions were these models stored?

My apartment never got hotter then 80 deg F. I have air conditioning......:rolleyes:

Dave, I'd be very happy to send these back for you to take a look at, I'd just need a replacement set.;)

Mine look like Teslabe's, these were painted with Model Master Orange over primer grey. Paint is not a sufficient barrier.

In my experience, the chemical used to keep the plastic/rubber soft and pliable leeches at a much accelerated rate in higher heat conditions.

I don't know of many folks who store their models in climate controlled vaults, but out of curiosity, under what conditions were these models stored?

Actually that Hercules toy that I mentioned was in a trailer I was in when I was in Florida, and it does get quite hot there during the day in summers.

Just to add my 2 cents,

I had problems with one of my treads disintegrating when I put it on my kit, but Moebius sent me replacements, and to date, they look fine.

As for my rims and tires, I assembled my rims, and painted them with Testors "rattle-can" flat white. Once dry, I assembled the tires and rims, and to date they show no signs of problems, so maybe it does make a diiference in paints used, and if you do total coverage of the rim. The rims are glued in place with normal testors model glue. My Chariot sits in a sealed diorama case, next to my Space Pod, so any paint odors, fumes, etc., are contained in there. ( The assembled kits did set and dry for a week before being put in place in the case. )

The case is like the one McCoy mentioned. It's an oblong plastic case from Michael's Craft Stores. The base is covered with a sand and white glue terrain, so the Chariot doesn't really touch the bottom of the case.

I'll keep an eye on it, and post if I have any future problems, but for now, it looks like when I built it. I hope these notes help the discussion, and add possible fixes to problems others are having.

Sincerely.
Scorp.

"Boldly GO!" :wave:

It could be just a batch of bad plastic or vinyl mix. I got both of my kits when
they first came out.

P.S., In no way am I ragging on Moebius, they make a great line of kits, I just think this could be an early bug.

Mine lokk like Teslabe's, these were painted with Model Master Orange over primer grey. Paint is not a sufficient barrier.

Or it could be just luck.....:rolleyes:

uh oh! i have a chariot kit. have not build it yet.
are all the treads bad?

To date my treads are fine and the kit was stored on my shelf in the study through our summer which pulled up days of 39-41 deg celcius which equated to about 50+ degrees inside when were at work and the house was closed up. I have however noticed a bit of bubbling between a couple of the tyres and the rims though the tyres don't feel soft or spongey. All my rims were painted by airbrush with tamiyas flat white and sat for about a week before I got around to putting on the tyres. Though to be honest I could truly say I didn't knock off some paint as the tyres were a bit of a bugger to mount on the rims.

Well, after reading this I went home and unmounted the tires from the rims last night on mine. I just assembled them four days ago, and the inside area around the rim is sticky. The paint has softened (I painted the entire rim surface) somewhat and is coming loose. I used Model Master flat gull grey on them, and it had sat for several days before mounting. I did knock off some paint in small spots mounting them on the tires, because they don't go on real easy! I had also had the entire built chassis sub-assembly sitting on the base of one of those plastic display cases, and when I picked it up the treads had stuck somewhat to it! Just overnight! I'm going to continue on with assembly and wait to see what you guys come up with. I'll strip the rims this weekend and prep them for paint as previously mentioned. As far as the treads, not sure what to do with them. I am going to soak them in some soapy water this weekend, maybe that will help!

To date we have replaced two sets of treads, and one was because it was mounted on the tires upside down and put a strain on the small rubber strips that the tires ride on. There is no problem with treads that we can find. As far as the tire/wheel problem, give us a few days to examine this. I have no problem with replacing anything, but lets wait until we get something that will solve the problem, not just make it last longer. Thanks.

glad i found this post. i bought the masks at WF and am now holding off on building until this issue gets resolved

some sorta alien fungi no doubt.

some sorta alien fungi no doubt.

My excuse I think they should use?

Bloop poop!

(Or the bloop's been "marking" her territory on the wheels.. LOL!)

I'm afraid to put the vinyl tires or treads on my model now.

I've had to deal with sticky/melting vinyl before and the problem will only get worse (with the one exception--so far--being the tires of my batmobile model kit that I forgot to mask and painted over with Testors' Gloss Cote. They were very sticky for a few months but, believe it or not, have now dried up. It could have been the cat hairs that made the difference :D )

The chemical reaction just doesn't stop until it's mostly goo.

Are there any tires and treads of other model kits with more stable vinyl tires that would match up fairly closely? I don't trust any coating of the rims to make a difference if the vinyl tires are that much of a solvent. Being from China, I hope they're not poisonous to the touch as well :confused: