We report transmission electron microscopic studies of in-situ temperature-induced shape transformation and melting behavior of polymer-capped cubic and tetrahedral nanocrystals. Our results indicate that the surface-capping polymer is removed by annealing the specimen at temperatures between 180 and 250 degrees C. The particle shapes show no change up to similar to 350 degrees C. In the temperature range between 350 and 450 degrees C, a small truncation occurs in the particle shapes but no major shape transformation is observed. The particle shapes experience a dramatic transformation into spherical-like shapes when the temperature is raised above similar to 500 degrees C, where surface diffusion or surface premelting (softening) takes place. Above 600 degrees C, surface melting becomes obvious leading to coalescence of the surfaces of neighboring nanocrystals and a decrease in the volume occupied by the assembled nanocrystals. The surface melting forms a liquid layer a few atomic layers deep around the still solid core of the nanocrystal. This temperature is much lower than the melting point of bulk metallic platinum (1769 degrees C). The reduction in the melting temperature is discussed in terms of the surface tension of the solid-liquid interface (gamma(SL)). For an 8 nm diameter Pt nanocrystal, gamma(SL) is calculated to be 2.0 N m(-1) at 650 degrees C, which is smaller than that of the bulk solid-vapor metal surface tension (gamma(sv)). This reduction is proposed to be due to the compensation of the increase in gamma(sv) of the nanocrystal by the wetting effect at the solid-liquid interface.