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Fix A Flat

Just about every TimMee collector has encountered a broken wheel on an M48 tank. Well, there's an easy fix for this provided the wheel broke off where it's attached to the axle (which happens to be the most common spot). Since these tanks are made of polyethylene plastic, glue cannot be used to make any sort of proper or permanent repair, despite the claims of a few companies trying to push their latest snake oil. 

For this repair you'll need the soldering gun or iron of your choice, a drill, and a few drill bits. I'll be using the large one-piece black plastic wheel/axle combo of the M48 tank as an example.

Step 1: Make a small pilot hole through the wheel, making sure it's dead center. Since you'll be using a 1/8 drill bit (or metric equivalent) to make the final hole, use a smaller bit to drill the pilot hole.

Step 2: Drill the final hole with the 1/8 drill bit. You should probably wear a thick glove for this step.

Figure 1: Drilling the 1/8 hole

Figure 2: Completed hole

Step 3: Push the end of the axle into the hole until it's flush with wheel's surface on the other side. This will be a snug fit.

Step 4: Take your gun or iron and fuse the wheel surface and axle end together. You should start on a low heat setting and gradually increase it until you see that the plastic will melt with ease.The ultimate goal is to mix the plastic from both pieces together like interlocking fingers. This the only way to create a permanent bond.

Figure 3: Outer wheel solder

Step 5: Run the tip of the gun or iron lightly around the axle where it meets the inner wheel.

Figure 4: Inner wheel solder

You're done! Give the plastic several minutes to cool back down to room temperature before snapping it onto the tank. You may notice that the width of the axle is now slightly narrower. This will not interfere with the tank's ability to roll freely and will go unnoticed when displayed.

This repair will also work for the smaller one piece black plastic wheels. For the green one piece wheel/axle combo the procedure is slightly different. In this case you'll use a 5/32 drill bit which, if done correctly, will almost completely dislodge the nub from the outer part of the wheel. Simply cut it free with a hobby knife and continue the soldering procedures outlined above.

Figure 5: The dislodged nub

And there you have it. You can now fix your flats or know how to fix one if you should run into this problem in the future. Other repairs can also be made using a soldering iron or gun. These repairs require a bit of skill, patience, and the proper placement of the fusing for durability and esthetic purposes.

Now here's a "hot" tip: You can smooth out small rough areas and flash on any vehicle or soldier with a Bic lighter. Just be sure you get plenty of practice under your belt on some old beat up surplus before taking the flame to a keeper!

Semper Fi! 

Camouflage TimMees

Camouflage Vietnam Era Soldiers

In 1988, Processed Plastic began producing camouflage variations for a number of their military products with a process called marbling (a.k.a. tortoise shell or swirling effect). This process was accomplished by combining two or more colored plastics at various ratios and pressures into a specific type of injection molding machine. Since these particular machines did not mix the materials properly it produced random streaks in the castings. Therefore, no two patterns or color ratios are ever alike. This makes for a truly unique casting each and every time. Unfortunately, the photo above doesn't do the soldiers justice.

Header cards for the soldier bagged sets were given a MOLDED IN CAMOUFLAGE footer. The soldiers are the rarest of the camouflage military toys that were briefly produced by the company.

Here's the list of the products Processed Plastic created with this technique:

• Vietnam Ear Soldiers (54mm & 6 inch figures)

• M48 Patton tank

• M41 Walker Bulldog tank

• M60A2 Battle tank

• Troop Carrier

• Military Defender Copter

Camouflage footer

TimMees on Patrol

Blog reader Clarence was thoughtful enough to share these great shots of his very impressive TimMee M60A2 battalion out on patrol. 
This tank was modeled after the short-lived M60A2 "Starship" Patton tank and introduced in the 1990 catalog as the PP7425 Battle Tank. Colors included army green, desert tan woodland camo and desert camo. It featured a 360º rotating turret, rear storage compartment, two fixed front wheels and one rear swivel wheel. It measured in at a whopping 21" long. The PP7421 version nicknamed "The Dominator" featured three electronic sounds: machine gun fire, cannon fire and bombs exploding. It required a 9 volt battery (not included, of course). The tank was sold individually in its own display box, loose in a floor display box or as part of the Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Military playsets. 

UPDATE - May 5th at 7:21 PM: the battalion has nearly doubled in size!

Thanks Clarence!