Getting a few corner points in on Drovers Brook. The one to sort now is the bridge. As always this is travelling hopefully and I was to find this out quickly. There were a couple of pillars in the box; these may have been built by Mr. Hill. Anyway, as this is driven in many ways by an effort to use up as much existing in-stock bits as possible I started working around these and a couple of Wills parts. These are from the retaining arches left over from Hopwood. Here's the thing: is this stuff degrading? And if so, what is the shelf life. These were direct from Peco, so we can assume fairly hot from the moulds and the layout build was five years ago. Now, they are literally shattering. Answers on a postcard.
A few days ago I wrapped up a post with this: 'THB this is my happy place. Send more wagon kits for Christmas.'
Today this turned up unannounced in the post. There are some lovely people on here.
Brick coloured plastic seems to be very prone to shattering; I've had it happen with Wills, Peco and Ratio (even the supposedly "flexible" thin brick sheet intended for tunnel and bridge linings) but also DPM (USA) and some of Continental origin. It doesn't seem to be a particular function of age, as I've had it happen with items that have only been recently released. I think it's more down to whatever it is that makes the plastic brick red, and then not always.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't realised the French steel mineral was old enough to have been pre-Parkside Dundas. I think I've got a few earlier kits somewhere...
We had some Wills sheets at the club, from Paul's clear out I think, so some years old. That also shattered when cut, but another newer pack was fine. So age is probably a factor.
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