Phantom Phan1200

I was talking models with our operations guy & he said his Herpa LH 747-400 turned yellow after sometime on display.
He said any even the slightest exposure to sunlight will do this to white models, he now keeps the rest of them in boxes.

This had me worried because I just bought a LH A330 a little while back, while it doesn't see any direct sunlight in the display case case the the room does get a little natural light.
If these resin/plastic models turn yellow I wont buy any more & stick with diecast.

Canamwing

Does a bear sh*T in the woods?

Yes they do! or they did at least.

B-16707

yea anything white should turn yellow within a handful of years. i have a white plastic clock on my shelf and even that has yellowed after about 10 years and i usually keep the blinds closed! heck even my white computer case has yellowed in boxed storage.

im pretty sure your model will yellow given many years. may slow the process if you keep it in the box though, though id even question that because the chemicals used in forming the plastic packaging could slowly react with the plastic of the model too.

meh either way we are all screwed, enjoy it now while you can

__________________
The Completed Customs The Airport

1:200 B773ER details decals have ARRIVED!!!!!!
http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/...tml#post601882

1:200Freak

That is when they all go to their final resting place....Kai's graveyard for planes!!

D-AIHC

Why worry? You can always get another "new toy" if it turns yellow.

__________________

Lufthansa - Star Alliance member since 1997

LOT 737-300

As a collector who collects herpa, I will state this, direct exposure to UV rays will yellow the plastic, specifically if it is unpainted. If it is painted, it should be better, the paint will slow the down the process very quickly, to add you won't have the horrible translucency of the tail. The metal for the most part should be ok and last may years to come if it is not exposed to the rays. Its mostly models that have plastic parts that are highest at risk for yellowing.

__________________
My airport: Nowa Warszawa Int'l NWL
http://www.freewebs.com/nwlairport
PM me if you want Fantasy Flights.
If you are interested in Joining BSA, please drop by our forum and make a post. http://s14.invisionfree.com/Bluesphe...ex.php?act=idx

Phantom Phan1200

Darn I guess she's doomed to become a yellow bird in a few years no matter how well I take care of it.
As for buying a NEW TOY everytime one of the turns a different shade you can opt me out.
In 1/200 this hobby is way too expensive for that, I will try to stick with the metal stuff from here on out.

1:200Freak

I have an RS EK A330 1:200 for over three years now, and there hasn't been any real colour change, and it's been out of the box since it was first opened. Maybe it's still too early for any "aging" signs to show.

B773ER

Just remember that paint doesn't remain the same colour throughout its life, either. It ages as well, just not as quickly as bare plastic.

1:200Freak

Maybe these jets need some "anti-aging" cream to be applied on them.. Oh well, might as well enjoy them while we can. I guess this is why diecast metal aircraft have a stronger following and are also more expensive than some of the the 1:200 counterparts. (I did actually hear of some diecast that also fall apart. But there could be nothing worse than something yellowing out..scary).

B773ER

Porcelana? lol.

Phantom Phan1200

Yeah but I have been collecting diecast military a/c years before I got into civils & never had a problem with any of them turing different colors.
I even have a CDC Blue Angles F-4J I bought sometime back in the early 90's & it still looks as good as new.
Im sure my diecast civils will hold up in the same manner.

B-16707

perhaps theres some info in this thread awhile ago that may help
http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/...ry-urgent.html

__________________
The Completed Customs The Airport

1:200 B773ER details decals have ARRIVED!!!!!!
http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/...tml#post601882

B-huj

exactly, paint is a close relative of plastic, since both are sub-products of petroleum...in any case, people even grow old and die, so I guess the question here is if they go yellow in a matter of 3-4 years like some of those herpa premiums did...and I did see a yellow tail on more than one CX 340-300 in different places. Mine's back in the box so I am not sure if it turned yellow or not. That model is around 5 years old.

metal painted in white may be susceptible to yellowing as well, and the reason they're more expensive is not because they last longer in your display case, but because they're harder to manufacture (a mould for plastic is way cheaper than a mould for metal, and workmanship is also lighter on a plastic model), add this the increasing price of metal these years thanks to neverending wars...A metal model with rubber tyres can also be a headache, because those rubber parts will age much quicker than anything else on the model and pretty soon we'll be having cracked wheels all over the place, and it would be nice if we could replace them, but some are stuck or very tight, and nobody is offering rubber tires for the wild range of models out there.

models made of plastic can be much more detailed, and being heavy doesn' make them more attractive to me (imagine a diecast model compared to those one-off models made by experts starting from a simple plastic kit!). Just give me detail/price/reasonable shelf life and i am happy!

Phantom Phan1200

Thanks for all the feedback guys.
I just want to insure the models I invest my hard earned $$$ in I will last for years to come.

D-AIHC

One word: tarnish!

__________________

Lufthansa - Star Alliance member since 1997

Phantom Phan1200

Kinda hard to hard tarnish on those camo & military paint schemes in my warbird collection.
As for my civils I don't think my IF200 Delta 747 & others will have that problem, as they have no polished bits.
You may have me on my IF200 polished Eastern 727-200, buts thats it.
The other 99% of the of my diecast collection will never suffer that fate, nice try none the less.

In all seriousness, I love my Herpa A330, I was just questioning the durability of these plastic/resin models vs their diecast counterparts after what my colleague told me about his 747.

Bangkok Lady La

I guess in 10 years time if you end up having a yellow prem 744 etc, you can strip the paint back, repaint it and customise it with some new decals ?

__________________

We need a Garuda Dc10 as above .
We need a Qantas 747SP
and
a South African 747SP in delivery colours.

Everything else is trivial !

D-AIHC

I don't know if you have ever read some of the threads in the 1:400 forum where members discuss about the zinc alloy "decay" and "bubbling" in the paint job. It's also something to think about for your diecast models, although I don't recall seeing something of the same magnitude in 1:200 diecast models.

All in all, I'm not saying one is better than other. It's really a matter of preference. Both diecast and plastic have their pros and cons.

__________________

Lufthansa - Star Alliance member since 1997

D-AIHC

Oh yes, definitely! I didn't get a premium model just to see it yellow and then dump it away!

__________________

Lufthansa - Star Alliance member since 1997

727pilot

Buy them - leave them in the box - and die without ever having displayed the damn things... Then you'll get the maximum out of your $$$.

__________________
View my Lufthansa-collection at http://www.squirl.info/collection/show/2144v=1 .

1:200Freak

727pilot you couldn't have said it better!!!!!!!

D-AIHC

Yes, no worries...leave them in the box and never take them out. This way, you will never know if your model has yellowed or tarnished!!! Great idea!

__________________

Lufthansa - Star Alliance member since 1997

jaffa-200

Who cares dosen't everything age!!
I bet the real thing yellows!!
just chill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

__________________
IM JET LAGGED!!

AIRNZ- STARALLIANCE at its best

New Zealand- A country like no other

WHERE GREEN!!

D-AIHC