revell new plastic = soft garbage?

[youpey]

For christmas i got the Revell GMC snowplow truck kit.  I already had that kit but somewhere along the build it stopped because i messed it up. However, i still had the kit that wasnt finished. 

Today, i opened the one i got for christmas, the same exact kit, and found the plastic is like completely different. its very soft, hard to cut with a razor, it tears away, not smooth cuts. I had a similar situation with the chevy LUV kit, but i assumed it was just that kit that had the issue.  

the one i have at my house it probably 2 years old or so, i dont remember, but i got the kit when it came out.  Is this softer plastic the new material that revell is using? or did i get a bad kit?  The chrome is different as well, it doesnt feel like it as good of quality either, like its seems to flake off maybe. i actually decided to use the bumpers from the old kit because they look much nicer. 

 

 

[Tom Geiger]

Model kit molding is outsourced by the model companies, much of it to Chinese factories.  With no actual representation from the model companies in China, these sources seem to do what they wish with plastic content. The two kits you have no doubt have different blends of styrene, maybe not even run by the same factory.  And I’ll bet there are bad surprises for the model companies when the orders show up!

[BuilderX]

Believe they are using recycled plastic now?

[cobraman]

I just finished that kit. I really did not have those issues with it. Photos in the under glass section if you care to have a look.

[NOBLNG]

I have one of those kits and the styrene is not what I would call soft. It is not as hard as some other kits I have either. I did have an AMT Camaro that had very soft plastic. It reminded me of the plastic (polypropylene?) used for water bottle caps.

Edited January 2, 2021 by NOBLNG

[youpey]

i am assuming that i got a bad kit. essentially the plastic is so soft that when i cut pieces, it sometimes tears more than cuts.

imagine putting plastic in boiling water for 1 minute, that is how soft the plastic is

[Fat Brian]

There were some comments in the truck section about the Luv kit having strange plastic. That kit was molded in the US though so weird Chinese plastic isn't an issue with that one. As for the tearing, I've noticed that with a few kits and it doesn't seem to be brand specific.