So another big recall, by Mattel, for 9 million toys. This is on top of some earlier recalls, including 2 years worth of wooden Thomas the Tank Engine. Most of the recalls seem to be related to the use of lead in the finishes of the toys.
I wonder if the manufactures of model railway items are keeping tabs on their made in China products and can they assure us that they are safe.
With all the bad news around toys, toothpaste, wheat gluten etc from China, I am now very concerned about anything that is China made as far as safety goes.
Stop reading my mind!!! I was just getting ready to post this. The thing that caught my eye was the recall of die cast collectible cars. I know our cars aren’t a Mattel brand but you have to wonder if the Malibus and Real Rides aren’t made in the same factory or with the same paints.
I wonder how much of our train stuff is made with toxic ingredients but don’t get recalled because our age group doesn’t tend to chew on our locos and cars.(well…most of us don’t)
Pretty hard to avoid things not made in China these days, more and more food items on our Supermarket shelves popping up, if we make a mistake and buy a food product that says Made in China we just give it to the old lady next door, she doesnt care if its Made in Timbucktoo.
Getting quite frightening over her in Australia, one of our favorite foods is seafood, big fish substitution rackets in Fish and Chip shops with what is supposed to be Cod being substituted by Asian Bassa, our Prawns/Shrimps are being farmed in China, we are warned off eating them all the time.
Chinese grown Fruit and Vegs are turning up in our Fruit Shops, most wont buy them because they were grown in Human Waste.
I think I will take my chances with the Chinese toys, thank goodness we dont have to eat them.
Word is gettng around, it appears that China manufactures are cutting corners after production has already startred, and initial models ( and manufacturing processes ) have been approved, without the knowlage of the retailers - unless the retailers happen to catch something in the middle of the production run.
Retailers, are also finding out that manufactures are subcontracting without permission, and the subcontractors are not nessasarly using the same manufacturing process that was approved…
This subcontracting has been going on in china for years with other things especially the printing of album covers for CDs and the packaging thereof. With authentic packaging ‘bootleg’ or otherwise illegal CDs are sold easily due to the good looks.
I had thought the same thing about current safety, at least I’m not a child and prone to putting my trains in my mouth.
The owner of that factory that used lead paint even though he knew it was illegal in the U.S. and many other countries, did indeed commit suicide. The Chinese government was really p***** and he would have landed in jail for a long time or worse.
Now, for those of us who are old enough to remember the 50’s and 60’s, do you remember how many goods were made in Japan and sold here? And what did we call many of the items made in Japan at that time?
Then, Dr. Deming went to Japan and introduced Statistical Process Control, and Zero Defects, etc. etc. and the quality of products manufactured in Japan became second to NONE in the world, and they still are today.
Will China follow in those same footsteps? I am betting they will. China is just like America at the turn of the 20th century, we were changing from Agriculture to Manufacturing, just as China is today. Millions of Chinese are leaving their farms and coming to the cities for the lure of better living and more money, just as American did 100 years ago. The Chinese people are very hard working, and very intelligent people, but, just like any country, they have their cheats and slime balls who will try to get away with anything they can until caught.
As for model railroad products made in China, Atlas, Athearn and all the other companies, are keeping a close watch on the quality that they demand and will take whatever steps are necessary to correct any deviance. Will there be some faulty products that get through? You had better bet they will, but I also know that Atlas, Athearn and the rest of the big boys will make it right for their customers.
In the meantime, don’t lick your locomotives, cars, or vehicles, don’t even kiss them goodnight!! LOL Som
Boy are all you guys fast!![:O] I just heard it on the radio. I heard something about model cars. I was wondering about Malibu, Reel, Fresh Cherries and Norscot which are all made in China. I tried to find a mfg. list on a Google search, but couldn’t.[:(]
I was going to ask the question, “What will you do about it?”[?] I hadn’t considered that some may be out there licking their stuff.[:P] I wan’t looking for an answer from them![banghead]
With an item that has lead based paint on it it’s not necessary for you to lick it or put it in your mouth. Handling it is enough. Lead can be absorbed through the skin and whatever you handle afterward get the lead on it, including food. You may already be contaminated and not realize it. As for me, I’ve already had lead poisoning and it wasn’t pretty.
Great to see you back Walter! The items in question are sold by Mattel. But who knows if the company that makes their stuff makes our train stuff too. Even if our cars got recalled, I wouldn’t turn mine in. They’re just going to sit un touched on a layout anyhow.
Aawww! If’n I caint lick it, it ain’t worth buyin’! [sigh]
Mattel is just the latest organization to ask themselves the question, and then they did the right thing when they learned what they feared most. So, will other groups that rely on Chinese processes for production take a big breath and follow suit? News at eleven.
Happily, all of my models were either made in Japan or purchased in the United States before everybody moved their manufacturing to China.[:)]
Not so happily, I work with lead (60-40 solder) all the time in my modeling. Also, all that Japanese brass was soldered together, and a good many of my locos have lead weights.[:(]
I learned a VERY long time ago that washing up after working with ANYTHING that hadn’t just come out of full decontamination was the only way to fly. The same applies to working on the railroad now.[8D]
Sometimes I wonder if that Lionel box car I teethed on was decorated with lead-based paint.[%-)]
My concern would be in doing modifications to decorated units that involve cutting or sanding ie disturbing the finish in some way that would allow me to inhale or touch something I should not.
If it was made before 1978 it’s a pretty good bet it was. In the mid to late 70’s most all paint containing lead was banned for sale or use in the US. In the early to mid 80’s water fountains with lead lined cooling tanks were pulled from all schools in the US.
You laugh, but I’ve already seen it…Great West Models (at least when I worked at a hobby shop a few years ago) had, in big, bold letters “DO NOT EAT” on all of its detail parts packages. It amused the heck out of me then, and still does now. [:D]