PAINT PROBLEMS

Robert Walker's letter about the paint finish issues on his Oxford Diecast Austin Princess, I’ve not had any issues with Oxfords myself, but, as I’ve mentioned previously (a few years ago now), some modern diecasts have had pretty awful paint issues. Minichamps models are particularly bad - I’ve got a number of models that have slight micro-blistering, which isn’t too bad, but a couple of them have ended up with paint that has an almost orange peel texture. I have an Audi V8 that looks like a maroon Jaffa! Norev can also be quite bad, Corgi Vanguards is another case in point although it’s only certain models (vermillion Austin Princess, Green Hillman Avenger GLS to name two). I’ve got a Tosa Toyota Century that has had the paint blow up like the Minichamps Audi and a few Ebbros which have micro-blistering. Funnily enough, Ixo is really good, no issues to speak of - the Altaya/DeAgostini partwork models are all fine bearing in mind they‘re at the cheaper end, and Greenlights are usually fine as well. Resin models are completely unaffected, so it’s only the metal diecast mazak models it seems to happen to. My models are in glass fronted cabinets, out of the sun. Our house is centrally-heated and has triple glazing, so we don’t have damp issues, yet it still seems to make no difference, certain models will just have paint problems. As I’ve said previously, the new paints are much less toxic than the old ones, but this seems to be at the expense of being far less durable.

Alex Marsden, email

ED Ah yes, I remember those conversations and letters. Amazingly, I haven’t had any problems whatsoever with my thousands of models, new or old – most of which are stored in plastic containers in an unheated environment in an outbuilding, but even the ones in the house and office are fine. Odd.