# LIS Chairiot



## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Is the Moebius Chairiot still avalable or has it been discontinued??? I'm asking because about 3 weeks ago I went to a local hobby shop and picked one up but had to return it the next day because the rubber tracks which were in the same plastic bag as the interior floor had left their mark on the floor piece and they ordered me a new kit but it has not shown up yet, and I was wondering......


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## Peter (May 25, 2010)

There are still plenty of kits out there and most all have damage from rubber tires or tracks burning into one part or another. Customer service is great from mfg they will try and do waht they can for you...


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## zike (Jan 3, 2009)

Yeah...don't return the kit*. Chances are good that you'll get a kit with the same problem.

Email Moebius and they'll send you a replacement package with all of the plastic parts that were in the same bag as the rubber tracks.

I'm in Canada and it took about 10 days to get replacement parts.


*Of course, I know you DID return the kit but for future reference and the benefit of others reading this thread, returning the kit is no guarantee that you'll get a fixed version.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Thanks for the info guys!!!
Zike, I was not aware of that which you mentioned and when my replacment kit gets here and it has the same problems then I will contact Moebuis customer service!!


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

irishtrek said:


> Is the Moebius Chairiot still avalable or has it been discontinued??? I'm asking because about 3 weeks ago I went to a local hobby shop and picked one up but had to return it the next day because the rubber tracks which were in the same plastic bag as the interior floor had left their mark on the floor piece and they ordered me a new kit but it has not shown up yet, and I was wondering......


The kit you bought must have been old. After Moebius heard of the problem they separated the vinyl from the styrene. Here are seven kits and all have no marks anywhere, only two of the first kits I bought had the problem. You should have no problem finding one online......:wave:


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## zike (Jan 3, 2009)

teslabe said:


> The kit you bought must have been old...You should have no problem finding one online......:wave:


Bought mine online in August from a major seller.

Tires were melted halfway through it.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

zike said:


> Bought mine online in August from a major seller.
> 
> Tires were melted halfway through it.


Wow, that's too bad.......:drunk: But if the tires and track didn't come in it own bag then it's old stock......


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The problem is that older issues of kits can linger on distributors shelves for ages. For example when the first batch of kits came out with the melt problem, I am pretty sure no distributor yanked the stock of bad kits and returned them. Subsequent orders of new kits went on the warehouse shelves. No one takes an old Chariot kit off the shelf, puts the new stock in the back, and puts the old kits up front so they move first. Kits on the shelf get pushed to the back. At some point when newer kits get sold, the old ones resurface and get sold too.

This happened with Alclad paint... they had a bad run on the stuff some 5-6 years ago... its STILL turning up.

I think I was the first person to notice the melt problem and was never able to get a set of replacement parts so I never finished my kit. Still kinda po's at that. It wasn't a cheap kit.


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## Solium (Apr 24, 2005)

This was so long ago Frank was still personally answering emails!


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## Radiodugger (Sep 27, 2011)

Yeah, that's exactly why I'm waiting for the 1/35 scale Pod & Chariot. Hopefully that problem can be solved. Another reason MADE IN AMERICA should return #1!

Doug


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## apls (Dec 5, 2005)

I just opened mine after I read this. Not the treads but the tires have burned through the undercarriage.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

The hobby shop where I bought the chariot that had the tires in the same bag as the floor piece called me late this afternoon to tell me that the replacment kit had arrived!!!!! And this time the parts tree was 
seperate from the rubber pieces, YEEHAWWWW!!!!!!!!!


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## armymedic80 (Aug 11, 2010)

I'm glad I bought 2 Chariots in 2010 as this batch of Chariots had the tires in a separate bag. I opened 1 when I first got them and didn't notice a problem with any of the parts. But after reading this thread, I just had to make sure mine had the parts separated. Thank God, yes. It's better to wait and not get 1st issues, because sometimes things aren't right in that first batch. I recall so vividly when the 1st issue PL J2's had the exit door upside down.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Funny. My "first run" Chariot had just minor damage on the rear fender area. I left it and racked it up to Will's first teen driver accident! 

I bought some cheap wooden shelves from Target to display my models, and the Chariot treads are eating through the cheap varnish! Every time I go to move it for dusting, I need to "rip" it loose! HA!

Crazy teenagers! (Hypothetical Season 5):


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

When I told my nephew about the problem he informed me that the rubber tracks were a bit too short according to the discussion boards he's on but I have not seen anything to confirm this.
And what was/is up with the rubber tracks melting into the plastic any way???
The only thing that makes sense to me is Moebius put the tracks into the bags with the plastic too dang soon and they were not allowed to cool off enough before hand.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yes the tracks are a bit short. Probably from material shrinkage. 

The tracks and tires do not melt from heat but from a chemical reaction with the plastic. This is not a new problem... AMT car models suffered from "tire burn" 50 years ago. You would think that they would solve it by 2011 but apparently some companies have not...


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## zike (Jan 3, 2009)

armymedic80 said:


> It's better to wait and not get 1st issues, because sometimes things aren't right in that first batch.


That's why I waited until August of this year to buy a Chariot.

And I STILL got one with plastic parts destroyed by the rubber components.


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

In an effort to balance the discussion, I found my Moebius Chariot to be an awesome kit, and well worth a little plastic damage. I've had several issues with Moebius models (most of which were *my own* mistakes (like losing parts and whatever) and they have been quick to respond and send the new part to my house at minimal cost to me. The fit and detail of Moebius models is just amazing. I would not hesitate to buy another "old" Chariot, and request the needed parts. They'll send them in a few days, no questions asked. 

In the places the treads meet the wheels, I double-coated that plastic with Pledge Future floor wax and after two years, my Chariot is in great shape. I just showed it off at my local IPMS meeting. They loved it. Easy build, awesome fit, extremely accurate to the full size set prop! 








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## armymedic80 (Aug 11, 2010)

zike said:


> That's why I waited until August of this year to buy a Chariot.
> 
> And I STILL got one with plastic parts destroyed by the rubber components.


Yeah that's like a freak of nature since you stated you got it from a major online seller probably with old stock inventory. I got mine from a hobby shop back in 2010 that sells their popular stuff quickly then have to order new stuff from their distributors. Or maybe you just got "BAD LUCK." Either way it sucks and I know how you feel. But like other people stated here, Frank will take care of you without even blinking. He's great and I deal di-rectly with him/Moebius staff when these issues come up.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

I also can tell you that Frank and Moebius customer service is the best I've ever worked with, when my tires melted to the hubs they sent me a new kit,
now that's service........:thumbsup: I now have foil on the hubs...... As for the tracks, I had no problem getting them to fit on my two builds and they work great even with motors I have driving them. I first thought they were too short but that was me being nervous and I thought the torque from the motors would tear them apart but they're holding up very nicely........ I think you're going to love this kit, I sure love mine.......:thumbsup:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Radiodugger said:


> Yeah, that's exactly why I'm waiting for the 1/35 scale Pod & Chariot. Hopefully that problem can be solved. Another reason MADE IN AMERICA should return #1!
> 
> Doug


I kind of wonder if the 1/35 scale will have tracks made from a completely different material all together? It looks like they'll be "*mixed media*".

Product link with description:
http://www.culttvmanshop.com/Lost-I...from-Moebius-PREORDER-RESERVATION_p_1192.html


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

kdaracal said:


> I kind of wonder if the 1/35 scale will have tracks made from a completely different material all together? It looks like they'll be "*mixed media*".


At that size I would think it would be a one piece track/wheel item made ether from resin or styrene and not movable at all. But I could be surprised.


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## flyingfrets (Oct 19, 2001)

teslabe said:


> At that size I would think it would be a one piece track/wheel item made ether from resin or styrene and not movable at all. But I could be surprised.


You won't be. You hit the nail right on the head. Resin. Non-movable.

Frankly, I much prefer that approach. Built the old Lunar version (also purportedly 1/35 scale - still sizable enough to show an impressive level of detail without hogging up your display shelves) years ago. Between what's in the box (knowing Moebius' commitment to quality) and what I'm sure the aftermarket guys will come up with for it, I expect it will rise well above the old Lunar effort. And despite its inaccuracies, I enjoyed the Hell out of that build.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

I'm soooo looking forward to this addition to my J-2 build and I agree with you that Moebius will hit this offering out of the park........


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

I've went out and bought 6 different kits from Moebius so far this year including the 2001 moon bus and the only 2 things I realy don't like about any of them is the retail price and the tiny instructions like those for the chariot.
But I do intend to get the Jupiter 2 some time in the next 3 months, maybe after Christmas if not before.


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## Ace Airspeed (May 16, 2010)

I had no issues at all with my Chariot. Everything fit, including the tracks, and I had no melted tires. The kit is sweet and really enjoyed building it.


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## DentonLis521 (Apr 6, 2006)

The issue was not heat, but a process in manufacture of the rubber parts. Some sort of chemical reaction that caused the rubber to slowly "melt" the plastic like some glues do. I bought three kits a year after they came out and when I read about this problem (here btw) I opened them up and seperated the rubber from the plastic. All three were damaged. I never thought about customer service. I bought a forth kit directly from Moebius on the founders day sale in hopes it was a newer, repackaged release. It was.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

The tires and tracks of my kit (1st batch) melted parts of its structure, but nothing that can not be quickly solved with a tube of putty and a sandpaper.
Great kit! :wave:


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

So how do I protect the plastic from this chemical reaction to the rubber or is it even possible???? Do I paint the plastic wheels or do I wash the rubber parts and if the latter what do I wash them with???? And will acrilyc paint work to protect the plastic??????


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## zike (Jan 3, 2009)

Fernando Mureb said:


> The tires and tracks of my kit (1st batch) melted parts of its structure, but nothing that can not be quickly solved with a tube of putty and a sandpaper.
> Great kit! :wave:


The problem could be solved if you got to it quick.

If you've had the parts stewing together for a couple of years, putty and sandpaper won't help.

Look at the pictures in this thread at culttvman.

http://www.culttvman.biz/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7303544&st=0&sk=t&sd=a


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Hi Zike

The damage on my kit is similar to the pic #5 in the post by Brent Gair. I do not think this is a serious problem to be solved.

Thanks. :wave:


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

irishtrek said:


> So how do I protect the plastic from this chemical reaction to the rubber or is it even possible???? Do I paint the plastic wheels or do I wash the rubber parts and if the latter what do I wash them with???? And will acrilyc paint work to protect the plastic??????


I see no one has an answer to my questions???


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

irishtrek said:


> I see no one has an answer to my questions???


Do not rely on the paint to protect the melting issue. Some folks used foil tape to cover the plastic wheels. I used Pledge Future Floor Wax, as recommended by some reliable people here on Hobby Talk.

Here's how I did it:
First, I painted the parts like normal, (color enamel of your choice), and coat the plastic styrene parts that contact the vinyl tracks/tires with Pledge Future Floor Wax. I dipped mine in this at least three times, allowing full dry time between each coat. 

I don't think the chemical in the vinyl will wash off. That is to say, it's what the tracks are made out of. So you need to protect the plastic from the tracks *forever*. My Chariot has not had any wheel melting since I built it more than a year ago. 










As an added benefit, you can coat the clear canopy with Future, (after you paint the frame lines) and it gets more crystal clear, and virtually scratch free with every coat. I sprayed mine with a new, clean, Windex-style hand pump. After coating, set it on a paper towel, and take another paper towel and carefully blot the areas that it pools with the corner of another paper towel. This will prevent puddles of dried Future from forming. If you leave the pools of Future to dry, it looks bad. Future is "self-leveling", and dries super clear and hard as nails. Dry between coats, so as not to get fingerprints in it. 

Good luck!
:wave:


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Another hint: the tires are a little tight when you go to install them on the (protected :thumbsup: ) wheels. So dip the tires in hot water just before installation.


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## Ace Airspeed (May 16, 2010)

kdaracal said:


> Do not rely on the paint to protect the melting issue. Some folks used foil tape to cover the plastic wheels. I used Pledge Future Floor Wax, as recommended by some reliable people here on Hobby Talk.
> 
> Here's how I did it:
> First, I painted the parts like normal, (color enamel of your choice), and coat the plastic styrene parts that contact the vinyl tracks with Pledge Future Floor Wax. I dipped mine in this at least three times, allowing full dry time between each coat.
> ...


That is exactly what I did with my Chariot and the wheels haven't melted on mine in over a year.


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Thanks guys!!!!!:wave::wave:


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