Well , lets just start this on the right foot here :
There is a thread , naw two , talking about this thing of old weak plastic model kits .Here's a story that should warm your heart . At the last I.P.M.S. show I went to in the san Antonio area there was this vendor .Well he had kits stacked almost to the ceiling .As you know , I;ve said before , I take many I have duplicates of in the marine category and convert them to motoryachts or workboats . I spotted two model boxes sticking up out of a five gallon bucket on the floor at the end of his tables . Sign said $5.00 each . There was two of the Old , Old versions of the AIRFIX -GERMAN-" E"-BOAT in there . Or for those of you who preffer the early" Schnell-Boot ". I bought them both and he said , " All you will be able to do with these is use them for parts ".
I of course said " Really "? He went on to say " They were Attic finds in Taos , New Mexico ! They aren't even the right color ." Again I replied " Really "? Well , he let me open them , Before I paid for them ." Do you remember the beautiful frost grey they were molded in " ? Well , I was shocked .They weren't grey at all , One had turned almost a Khaki color over all and the other was a Puke green ! Were they brittle ? One had broken into eight parts in the box ! Now we're are talking about one half of the hull ( remember this was a three , no , four piece hull ,Two sides , bottom and transom ( stern ). Sure enough the Puke green one was just as bad ! Only all the hull parts would've been toast ( to put in to todays lingo ) Toast they are not !
They are both on my bench right now returning to what they were meant to be .Two differently equipped boats of the same type .The brittleness aside , they built up okay , took to the TAMIYA glue well and were as strong , when I sanded them as they would've been brand new , and I didn't even have to use any filler , Anywhere ! .That means I now have nine ! So if you run across a " Weak " looking kit of assembled model , or one in the box, Don't give up hope , Be gentle and methodical and they can be like new .Try it ,I did and have No Regrets ! Tanker - Builder