(Not so) Ideal Frankencycle

[NekroDave]

I knew this toy had issues. But the idea was just so awesome that I had to take a chance on it anyway. So I bought one that had never been opened before.

Let me stress that. Never opened before. I was the first.

Crossing my fingers in hopes that mine would somehow escape the curse of the warped front wheel, I open the box and remove the contents. Is the wheel warped? Yes, it is. Dang.

But, there's also no rubber tire on the wheel! I'd always read that the reason it warped was because the rubber reacted with the plastic but apparently not. There's no rubber, but there's still warping. Crap.

Oh well, I knew the risks going in. I'll just put the figure on the bike and display it.

WTF? Crap! The holes in the figure's hands are too small to fit the handlebars! You gotta be kidding me? Now I've got a bike with no tire, a warped rim and a figure that can't even attach properly.

Well, at least the castle will look cool once I attach the.. um. Where's my sticker sheet? What the hell? There's supposed to be stickers here....

No stickers either.

This should have been the coolest toy ever, but instead it's a massive disappointment. Now I'm much less interested in the Dragucycle and Boneshaker (although the part of me that's a glutton for punishment says "take your chances.. at least you'll likely get a sticker sheet to repro.").

All that said, even despite the warped rim and missing tire, it actually does speed across the floor pretty good still, although I haven't managed to make it do a wheelie yet.

Anyone else got a similar horror story with this toy?

[ChattyLMS]

Can you post a picture?

[NekroDave]

Sure. Here it is..



I didn't bother taking too many close-ups or anything like that yet. Probably later..

[mike c]

At least the box displays well enough. That's a real drag though... so sorry!

Mike C.

[Mike Scott]

Have you checked to see if it glows in the dark, yet?

[NekroDave]

Have you checked to see if it glows in the dark, yet?

Haha.. Yeah, I did. With all those other problems, I'm merely disappointed. If it didn't glow, I'd be furious!

[Richard]

I'm posting from my iPhone (*at*) work so can't be of help right now-but will check/post pics of condition of Franky & boneshaker when I get home,best
Richard

[ChattyLMS]

Yes, I've seen that before.  Now I know what you are talking about.  It's now off my Christmas list!!   

[raycastile]

I've got a boxed, unopened one that will remain unopened, especially after reading this post.  I've seen loose ones that did not have these problems.  We had one in the UMA Display a couple years ago.  I've noticed that sometimes a toy that has spent the last 30 years buried in a toy box survives in better condition than one that has remained unopened all those years.  There is something about being in the package that seems to work against some toys.  There are chemical reactions between different materials, a kind of "curing" effect that makes plastic or rubber brittle, paint that gets worn off by constant rubbing against a box or plastic bubble, pieces that break because the toy rattles around in the box, ink from the package discoloring the toy, and on and on.

[Richard]

My wife got me a Frankencycle for a present when these scarecycles came out (one of the few "monster" presents she's given me    ) so I've had this a long time (almost 30 years?). I've seen the "melting tire" issue mentioned before and have seen an eBay seller listing "mint-in-box" scarecycles with tire/wheel problems (which, according to the seller, are inevitable in these particular toys).

I also have a Boneshaker scarecycle (just the cycle, no castle winder) that I found in a flea market about 10 years ago. Both cycles have front wheels (glow in the dark) and black rubber tires that are in fine shape. The wheels turn freely and the rubber tires are not gummy, brittle, ~no deterioration at all. I can't see any degredation occuring to the tires in the future.

As far as the hands fitting on the handlebars~this is a snug fit but I think gentle coaxing will get the hands (a pliable vinyl rubber) to slip onto the handles with no damage.

I don't understand this tire/wheel melting issue. Perhaps there was an inferior material used in the production of some of the scarecycles? Could storage in the box be an issue? A reaction between two kinds on rubber (and what/where/when would this occur)? Was there ever a warehouse find of these~that perhaps, the cycles were overheated in storage somehow? I'm just throwing out ideas~I really don't know.

Does anyone else on the UMA have examples of these scarecycles with this tire/wheel problem? Why did the eBay seller (with multiple examples for sale) say this was an expected problem in his mint-in-box scarecycles? What about Ideal's Evel Knievel stunt cycle?

Here are some pics showing the cycles.
Best,
Richard

[The Phantom Creep]

Ah another mystery...

[darkmonkeygod]

Just goes to show ya, Dave, never open a sealed vintage toy. Thirty plus years, it remained at peace, but you had to enact the curse and open it.

Ah, just going on. Kinda. Sorry it's f'ed up. At least you did know going into it it was a probability. Now you can look around for a loose one. I see them from time to time w no Frankie go for cheap. With they tend to $40, oddly, sometimes higher. Perhaps people just don't know what they are when bidding.

As to the plastic warpage issue, these were made right around the time of the '70s oil "crisis", so it's likely there are lesser grade plastics at use in some. There is a packaging variation for each, and I think they were made for three years or so?

[poseablemonster]

I have a loose one and the tires are fine.  It may have something to do with being in the box or it might well be what Shannon suggested.  Some of them may have been made of inferior rubber.  They were trying to cut out the petroleum content on the rubber at that time, and the end result was some toys with rubber parts that fell apart.  Super Joe figures are another example of this phenomenon.  All the joints were made from this material, and today you can't find one that is in one piece.

[monsterphile]

It's like the monster version of Schrödinger's cat.  Until you opened the box, the toy was mint and perfect.

Rob

[NekroDave]

Richard, it's not so much the hands that I'm worried about as the handlebars. I'm afraid that if I try to force the hands over them, I'll end up snapping the bars. I'm really kind of just rolling with the punches on this one, but I think if the handlebars broke, I'd really feel like the whole thing had gone to waste. So, I think I'll just let him rest in the seat. He actually stays seated pretty well when scooting across the floor. ( I did send him on  some longer runs last night, wheelies included. )

As for the warping, I've got no idea. Most of these I've seen in the limited time I've been collecting have had the damage and I never really questioned the rubber/plastic interaction theory until I got mine.

Regardless, I think it's a testament to how cool this toy is that even with all it's problems, I'm glad to have it.