"Games Workshop plastics delivered on a cold day..." Topic

I am in the process of finishing up ordering some core armies for Warhammer. Unfortunately due to the logistics of going back and forth between two houses during the week, the tail end of one order was delivered and was out overnight in the cold.

I'm up in New England and the nights have been really cold.

Anybody know what the tolerance is for the type of model plastic that GW is if it gets cold for a length of time? Is there anything to worry about? These were from Ebay and the miniatures were already assembled. Took them out of the box and they seem just fine.

Having no scientific knowledge myself, I'd think any damage would be to the glue instead of the plastic itself. I know putting heroclix figures in the freezer is a way to help weaken the glue to break them off the bases.

OTOH, if the glue was a plastic glue, that actually melts the plastic, I'd think that wouldn't be affected.

I just found this link for zap ca super glue. Is that temperature range the range that parts will stay assembled under and the glue will hold? That doesn't seem possible that the glue would hold to those extreme ranges. But if it's true then having them out for one night shouldn't be a problem I wouldn't think.

PDF link

My minis are probably fine, I've picked them up a few times and nothing came loose. I'll check the bases and if need be reglue them to the bases.

I haven't found cyanoacrylate glues to fall apart in the freezer, they just get easier to snap loose. So as long as you have them in warmer storage now, you're probably fine.

The plastic will be brittle below a certain temperature but as long as it warms up before you try to bend it, etc, there will be no permanent damage.

Being left out overnight is not far off from being left in the back of a UPS truck overnight with the exception of a truck having a more stable humidity level, and I've had no problems with shipments to very hot or very cold locations (including hobby supplies, electronics, and cigars). The brittleness of plastic is in part due to the fact that plastic shrinks a little when stored in really cold temperatures (like in food freezers) for a really long time, which damages bonds that are formed by glue. Rapid temperature and humidity changes could cause problems, along with contact with humidity as well as storage in areas with high or low relative humidity. Long-term cold storage is actually ideal for plastics in a museum setting, and carefully controlled temperature shifts will prevent damage. For your minis, just be careful with glued joints. If they didn't get wet, then being left out overnight won't cause any irreparable damage.