Are the rubber tires on some of your older models starting to look a bit dry? We had the same problem in our showroom here at CCM. That was until Rob, one of our engineers, suggested that we should try some silicone oil on the rubber tires to help bring them back to life.
So we decided to try it out:
We chose our 1:87 Cat 797 Mining Truck as our test model.
The chalky white substance on the tires is from the rubber naturally drying out while on display.
Using a cotton swab, we applied a thin layer of silicone oil to the tires.
The results were exactly what we hoped for, and left the tires looking factory fresh.
But before recommending it to our customers, we wanted to make certain that it was safe for our models in the long term. So we put the 797 back in the display room and waited…
Here we are four months later, and it still looks great, with no ill effect on the rubber tires.
There you have it. If you have a few models around that could benefit from this trick, head to your local hobby shop and get a bottle of silicone oil. If you end up giving it a shot, let us know on our Facebook page. We look forward to seeing the results!