# Bizzare things happening to my T jet Collection



## adiaz (Nov 26, 2012)

I have 26 Car cases made to hold 48 cars each. These were for Hotwheels. Thes cases each had 4 meshed trays.

I recently started re kindling my interest in slot cars after about 18 years. These cases were carfelly packed in boxes and stored in a closet in the House.
Upon pulling these ougt and sorting through my loose unboxed tjets that I stored this way. I noticed that quite a few bodies I removed from the trays just disintergrated in my hands.n Literally the bodies crumbled to pieces just picking them up.
What caused this? 
Out the 26 cases *1244 tjets I lost 39 to this disaster.

What could be the cause?
Wach car prioe to being place in the case was cleaned with mild dishsoap dried and chassis cleaned and lubbed with Aurora racing oil.

I noticed the majority were yellow then followed by turqoise then tan followesd by singles of green red and other colors.

It wasn't just one case affecrted it was random throughout the cases.

Also a few cars under went some kind of color change. Some of the turqouise but not all turned a shade of green and the yellow turned brown with raised area of the body turning darker brown. Again only some yellows were affected.


Then I started pulling out the old store stock of tjets and sure enough same issues. 


It almost looks like UV damage but these cars haven't seen the light of day for 20 years and the boxed stuff has never been out of the box.

Has anyone else experienced this? I wonder why collection is decintigrating. The were kept boxed at constant indoor temperatures.

I sure as hell hope that I figure this out and this doesn't become the fate of the rest of the collection over time.

I am thinking the plastic used by aroura had no UV protection and this is the affect of some long ago sun exposure and not all cars will end up this way.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Well, Tan plastic bodies ARE PRONE to shattering. But my guess would normally be Excess HEAT, but you said they were at room temps ? Then maybe some sort of gassing out of the HotWheels carry cases affecting T-Jet plastics ?


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

Blue is terrible also Notorious for just falling apart.


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

My friend has a large collection put away, and he pulls theom out once & a while. they do not seem to suffer any ill affects.

so it seem you may have had an external cause to the problem.
could have been the case as suggested or something in the area ie other gas or chemical


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## cwbam (Feb 8, 2010)

In garage? I see you live in Dallas area, 2 years ago how many 100*+ days?
then in winter a few days 10*? 
the temp swings and with various humidity can cause lots of issues with plastic
I remember some albums , sorry another story
then another issue maybe like the MATTEL tire plastic/rubber some plastics don't like each other and can be gassy/ reactive


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Wait, are you the guy that got the Aurora pit box on craigslist???
That was a great score. I called on it the next day.
Looks like those bodies have cured out, might look at Bill's Model Murdering thread 
for tips on what to do now. Great stuff for preserving and restoring tjets.
There's a gang that meets at Mike's hobbies in Carrolton on Friday nights,
them guys are all into tjets. North Texas series (THOR) starts February 9th
in Watauga if you are interested in series racing. Two tjet classes this year.

PM me for my Phone #
Rich


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

I really feel for you. If that happened to my old cars I might just sit down and cry.

Since all Aurora cars have to be about the same age, obviously it must be something unique you did. My cars, along with many others who have Aurora cars, have never experianced this as far as I know. Mine have been stored in the basement since the late 60s and early 70s. My basement temp swings are fairly mild; I would guess from the high 50s to the high 70s. After rereading your initial post, only two things I can think may be the cause if we rule out wild temperature swings.

One would be some type of interaction with the Hot Wheels cases. The other possibility - and the one I might put my money on - could it be there was dishwash soap residue left on the cars and that has a damaging effect if left alone for years? I have cars I have used since the 60s and others that are still in their little plasic boxes. The only thing which has ever disintegrated on me were the little yellow foam pads - and then only one or two.

Now, if it was the dishwasher soap, that makes me a little leery about the Simple Green I used to clean my Aurora bodies and the long term effects. Those however are being used so they aren't stored away.

Joe


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

I am wondering what the detergent you washed them with before putting them away?
and if it turns out to be the cases that gassed these in to the next world, I know folks that are gonna be desperate to dump them.


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

I have dozens of the HW and Matchbox 48 car cases that have held cars for the last 30+ years. Thankfully nothing like this has happened to the cars. They have been through floods, environmentally unfriendly housing (during divorce) and damp basements. I'm working on getting the collection into display cases, a little at a time. But I have to admit, after reading the posts here, I went to the slot cave and checked things out to be sure! No casualties :thumbsup:

-Paul


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## TUFFONE (Dec 21, 2004)

I have seen this happen to vintage Hot Wheels stored in this type of case with trays. There ia a reaction with the chemicals in the plastic that is enhanced by the cases being closed for a long time. I have seen metal Hot Wheels bodies corrode and almost rot from this. Sometimes just the paint is affected to where you can see the pattern of the tray in the paint on the car even though the surfaces have never touched. Quite the bummer!


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

It's the slot gods reining down terror, thats what you get for not looking at them for so long.


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## old blue (May 4, 2007)

Not to be morbid, but do you have pics? I am just curious if they are breaking along mold lines or around screw posts or exactly where.

Old Blue


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## blue55conv (May 23, 2007)

I have some cars in Hot Wheels and Matchbox cases. I have seen no problems. One time I used brake fluid to remove paint on a tan hot rod. It fell apart in my hands. Maybe the damage was done long ago with the detergent you used. For the record, I use Ronsonol to remove grease and gooey stuff from bodies. I use bar soap to remove dirt.

Here are some plastic and rubber interactions that I have observed.

Playcraft truck tires put out a gas that discolors bodies. Replace them with Aurora.
Some rubber tires put out a gas that discolors foam rubber. I have several cars sitting on a sheet of foam rubber. There are grey spots surrounding some of the tires.
Some 440X2 tires melt their own wheels. I have seen this mostly on front tires. The tires make the wheels gooey. Then the tires migrate off the wheels.
I have a white AFX car that is turning yellow over time. I have a lime AFX car that is turning brown.
The tires on some old Tyco cars turn hard and crack. I have several that are leeching out a liquid. This may be a reaction to plastic foam that I put under the cars.

I hate it when cars self destruct.


Mike Cook


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## foxkilo (Mar 27, 2008)

What cwbam said about change in temp conditions might be the reason behind the desintegration. Especially high temps makes the softeners leave the material and thus make them bridle. I have a feeling that coloring pigments do speed up or slow this process. Best would be storage in a UV ray free environment with low temperature. Fridge comes to mind as an option.
I don't know if some of you had been into model kits but even when new some basic colors tended to be harder and more bridle then others. In my case I was hooked on Airfix planes and especially the ones made of red plastic I hated due this fact.

But we should keep in mind that this cars have by far exceeded their intended lifespan. They are toys and were build to be mistreated in the hands of kids. So their life expectancy would be 2-5 years. To stand the test of time and to be here after as in some cases over 50 years by now is really a feat. From a commercial point of view really really bad business. But the the industry has learnt their lesson.

Mario


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## philo426 (Mar 4, 2009)

I have a blue Ferrari Dino and Green Shelby Daytona coupe and they are in excellent shape.They were stored in a metal tackle box in the basement so they were never exposed to high temps or sunlight so that could be why they remain in great shape.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*Ashes to ashes and right down the fairway*

Heat accelerates outgassing and thus the aging process. Exposure to UV and other chemicals either known or unknown across the life of the body only compound the issue.

Thus far, a cool dry, shaded place with some air circulation has served me well.

Colors age differently. It has been my observation that the standard colors age better. As general rule the pastels and blends seem to fare worse under identical conditions. The list is in momu somewhere but the above comment pretty well encapsulates it. 

Additionally your 3 to 4 % overall loss is also roughly reflective of what I've observed as a whole.

Unfortunately, they are what they are.

Edit: It should be noted that there has been some conjecture over the years regarding the validity/accuracy of any statements related to these observations. Those who would argue for arguments sake. Yet, interestingly, our independent observations and those of many others are basically identical and have been so for some time. Long enough for certain colors to acquire legendary reputations. 

There are those that seek absolutes and definitives in an arena where many variables are at play over long period of elapsed time. Naturally the effect of the variables skews the numbers and opens the door to conjecture. Rather than attempting to pacify or disprove the "absolut-ists"; I prefer to think that the individual color mixtures AND eras have unique TENDENCIES that are then acted upon by the long list of variables.


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

sethndaddy said:


> It's the slot gods reining down terror, thats what you get for not looking at them for so long.



This has got to be it Ed!!!!!

Roflmfao!!!!!!!:thumbsup:


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I wrap each car in a lint free cloth used to clean professional grade video deck heads (worth big $$$) I have had cars stored in to hot wheels cases for more than a decade and so for nothing bad as happened. Could the cloth be aborbing some of the bad gases?


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

I think HONDA should be consulted as he is the BAD GAS expert!


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## HadaSlot (Oct 22, 2007)

> There are those that seek absolutes and definitives in an arena where many variables are at play over long period of elapsed time. Naturally the effect of the variables skews the numbers and opens the door to conjecture. Rather than attempting to pacify or disprove the "absolut-ists"; I prefer to think that the individual color mixtures AND eras have unique TENDENCIES that are then acted upon by the long list of variables.


I am putting that on my tombstone. I have a slate corvette with perfect black bumpers that every last fleck of chrome fell off while sitting on foam for decades. Bummer about the cars but even 1:1 cars fall apart just from being.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

I'm no expert,but i'd think a deep freezer is your best bet for long term storage.
If you want any CA glue to keep from out gassing you keep it in a deep freezer,bodies wouldn't be much differant in that respect i'd think.:thumbsup:
Just my .02


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

Honey!!!!!!!!!

get that darn frozen turkey off my slot cars!!:freak:


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## smokinHOs (May 30, 2006)

*Self destruction..*

I have had an off white Tyco Corvette test shot blow up in my hand while putting it on a display chassis.. It exploded.. I was first in shock then had to laugh. I was kinda beside myself.. I ended up scooping the pieces, dropped em in a small plastic clam shell and hung on the wall next to my prototypes. I still get a laugh.. 

Unfortunately for you it's not funny.. and neither is the number of yellowed bodies for me over the years. All had white highlights or were all white..

My list of yellow death includes (but not limited to):
Tomy Denso GTP
Tyco Days of Thunder Superflo
Tyco Havoline
Tyco Moroso Pinto (or Vega?)
Tomy Nichi Ra GTP (got it that way in a trade) still sad, cool car though..
Tyco Z28 Camaro from Toys R Us 2 pack 
Tyco Kmart F1
Tyco Canon F1
AFX all white International Lola (turning)

It's a shame.. Even had me thinking, should I even buy white cars anymore? We feel your pain..

-Marc and Marcus


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Hornet said:


> I'm no expert,but i'd think a deep freezer is your best bet for long term storage.
> If you want any CA glue to keep from out gassing you keep it in a deep freezer,bodies wouldn't be much differant in that respect i'd think.:thumbsup:
> Just my .02


Low temperatures slow down just about any chemical change, and high temps speed them up. You could have a meat freezer in the garage and put a lift-out Snowmobile or winter-rally layout on the top level, with all the cars stored underneath. 

- D


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