Zocchi plastics - wow!

CyrDraconis · Post by **CyrDraconis** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 11:22 pm

I've built up a few boxes of FedCom minis - the Fed, Klink, and Romulan basic fleets; plus the 'other ships' from KB - and was pleased with the results, if not overwhelmed. On the other hand, my FLGS finally got in a handful of singles, including a bunch of the plastic Federation ships; I picked up a couple tugs to spot for freighters in FC convoy scenarios.

Egads, these things are nice! I had one press-fit together and on the stand in five minutes, with nary a wobble - and if not for painting (and my lack of magnets) I'd have kept the pods modular. Going to be a joy to paint - one quick question though, is there any difference in how paint holds between the off-white/gray/glow-in-the-dark plastic? I doubt it, but I've seen plastics do some funky things before.

....I suppose there really isn't much to this beyond pointless praise, but these are really solid minis, especially for a 20+ year-old design. I know I'll be buying at least another tug, and a CA or two (gotta have two for the PK scenario, plus maybe a cloaked Enterprise....)

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 11:47 pm

The only special advice I'd give regarding the plastic Fed Ships is to be extra sure you wash them well before priming. They are quite a few years old and have been sitting in warehouses waiting to find a good home. All plastics degrade over time and off-gas as well as often exuding oils, etc. that could mess up primer and paint adhesion.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:16 am

Ditto to what he said. The only problems I've ever had with paint sticking to miniatures was with some of the old Zocchi plastics. If you follow Will's advice and wash them well before priming, there should be no problems.

Mxslade · Post by **Mxslade** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:50 pm

I have Zocchi plastics that are about 30 yrs old and the one thing that I have noted is the ones that were clear coated after they were painted have held up better than their non-clear coated counterparts.

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:40 pm

I had some that I didn't basecoat ("molded in correct color...") that yellowed pretty badly, but a soak in Simple Green to strip the old detail paint off took a lot of the yellowing with it. That's all hidden under a nice new enamel basecoat.

Mazza · Post by **Mazza** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:38 pm

Do you wash Zocchi ships in soapy water or just give them a quick rinse under the tap? I ask because I've never had to wash plastic miniatures before painting them before but this thread has made me think that at least for my Zocchi plastics, I should.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:51 pm

Just for preventive maintenance - I was all my minis in warm, soapy water prior to priming. This is usually done immediately after filing / sanding off any flash and reworking the mold lines, so it serves to remove the filings, any mold release agent, and any oils that accumulated during handling of the minis.

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 6:58 pm

Like Scoutdad, I use simple dish-soap (the kind without any lotions or any stuff like that), after all prep-work (cutting, filing, sanding, etc.) on the minis. I have a large-ish size "Gladware" container dedicated for this and paint stripping. I let them soak in warm soapy water for about 5 minutes a batch, then lightly scrub them with an old toothbrush, rinse them thoroughly under the tap, and finally blot them dry with paper towels. NOTE: Do not let older (lead) minis soak for more than a few minutes or they will pick up a lead-oxide patina coating.

All the Zocchi plastic ships were molded at least 10 years ago (and probably much earlier) as a big production run of thousands. They've been slowly getting sold off since. That's a long time to sit and off-gas and exude.

Washing would apply to *any* mini though, plastic or metal.

All plastics off-gas and seep as they cool after molding (and as they age). Some plastics are also covered in mold-release lubricants. Almost all metal minis are covered in the same kind of mold-release oils.

The manufacturers usually wash the parts to get that stuff off, but they aren't perfect. Handling minis during prep gets them covered in skin oils (a lot in my greasy-faced case). Most households also have a fair amount of airborne cooking oils too that can settle on bare surfaces.

All of that slimy stuff is really bad for primer and paint adhesion. It's better to be safe and wash them yourself, than sorry and have paint bubble or flake off.

CyrDraconis · Post by **CyrDraconis** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:27 pm

A belated thanks for all the replies - got my two tugs and a second CA basecoated without incident. Now if I could just finish up...

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:39 pm

We were playing last Friday and one of the guys was using a Zocchi plastic mini for a Fed CA. It came off the plastic stand and when he tried to put it back on, well, you know what happened...SNAP!

Now its in 3 distinct pieces and the stand is missing the little nub on the top.