Hot Toys rubber deterioration

[DiFabio]

People who do keep their figures boxed say that they have to take them out every now and again for an 'airing', as keeping figures boxed 100% of the time can create moisture build-up problems. I don't know why this is a problem if the moisture-absorbing sachets are kept in the box as well.

I think a reliable solution to avoid dust build-up would be to place the figure in a vacuum-sealed bag and store it inside a lead-lined box in the cellar.

10 DiFabio points if you get the reference.

 

[LycosV]

That's what I did. Then I filled the room full of concrete.

I think this sounds like the only way to be sure.

Seriously though, you could probably keep them sealed in a container filled with nitrogen like really old documents but I don't think that's practical.

 

[xkage824]

is it better that the rubber has moisture then?
or is it better for it to be dry?
because if hot toys is putting those packets in that absorb the moisture... would this not make the rubber dry up and crack?

 

[Geil]

I think the packets are there to absorb moisture that is trapped when putting everythign together because it is rather humid in Asia many months. The excess moisture need to be removed to avoid mold buildup.
However the air cannot be dry which does not happen in South east Asia much as usually that only happens when you live in a country that requires you to turn up the heat. I personally don't think jhumidity is of any harm as long as the air is somewhat moving. So yeah I put a glass of water in my detolfs and fill them up maybe ones a month. They do the same in a lot of displays.
Best is to research how museums and libraries keep things well and preserved.

 

[Lejuan]

I think this sounds like the only way to be sure.

Seriously though, you could probably keep them sealed in a container filled with nitrogen like really old documents but I don't think that's practical.

Concrete and nitrogen sound fine in theory, but the reality is you don't get to see the figure. There is another way. Rather than actually buying the figure, simply download and print a promo or proto pic of it, then print this out and stick it on your wall, shelf, detolf etc.

 

[iampoch]

I don't know why this is a problem if the moisture-absorbing sachets are kept in the box as well.

Because those silica gel pellets won't be able to hold in moisture indefinitely. There's a limit to their absorption. Best thing to do is to buy silica gel pellets, make sure that you buy the indicating ones. There are two types. One contains cobalt chloride and is blue by default. The other one doesn't have that chemical. I'd recommend the latter as cobalt chloride is a hazardous chemical. In either case, the gels will turn to pink once they've become too saturated. in that case, you'll need to replace them. Some microwave their gels and they turn back to their original colors. I wouldn't recommend this, though, as you use the microwave for your food stuff as well.

Also, your aim is NOT to eliminate moisture, but to regulate it. Putting too much silica gel will create a very dry atmosphere in your cab/case, and it will cause your rubber to crack. This is also the reason why farrrs puts in a glass of water. He's more or less trying to create a more balanced environment for the rubber. Given that, you'll need to put in just the right amount of silica gels.

If you want to learn more, google those DIY dry box tutorials. We use these to preserve our photo equipment and these DIY dry boxes are more affordable than those electronic ones.

As for the UV light, it's already a given that preventing your figures from contact with sunlight. Therefore, the best solution is to either treat the glass/acrylic with anti-UV coating or buy those spray-ons. Both are very expensive, though, so is quite impractical for most of us. A more practical solution is to use display cabinets that are not all-glass. It won't be as elegant, but this would at least shield your toys from fluorescent light. You can then use LED lights to light up the cab. Or, use those LED bulbs as the light source for your room. That'll work as well.

 

[Lejuan]

If you want to learn more, google those DIY dry box tutorials. We use these to preserve our photo equipment and these DIY dry boxes are more affordable than those electronic ones.

Jokes aside, this is an awesome tip. I was googling all sorts of things relating to museum displays etc but this is what I wanted to find!

Still too much work for me, but it's good to know in case I evolve into a dust obsessive.

 

[xkage824]

i think i may try to do this glass of water thing with the gel packets
there is one gel pack per box and two boxes fit in each shelf of a detolf so two packs per shelf should be about right as for the water i live in vancouver and i usually have the windows open to regulate heat so i can't imagine i would need more than 1/2 a cup
per detolf.
as for a longer term solution you could replace the rubber parts with silicone or Vulcanized rubber.
any thoughts?

 

[iampoch]

i think i may try to do this glass of water thing with the gel packets
there is one gel pack per box and two boxes fit in each shelf of a detolf so two packs per shelf should be about right as for the water i live in vancouver and i usually have the windows open to regulate heat so i can't imagine i would need more than 1/2 a cup
per detolf.
as for a longer term solution you could replace the rubber parts with silicone or Vulcanized rubber.
any thoughts?

Yup, just remember that you need to change the silica gels once they're saturated, or else they would no longer absorb moisture and that extra bit of water will do more harm than good.

As for that long term solution, you should be really good at customizing to recreate the sculpts and painting them to be as close to the production as possible. That means for most of us, that's not a good solution for our Leonidas and Batman figures. I'd probably have a better chance at becoming a personal gigolo of Angelina Jolie than being that good in sculpting and customizing (and the chances of that happening is already below zero). Your mileage may vary, however. Recreating the appropriate environment would be a more practical and viable solution.

 

[tcollector]

As iampoch stated, "As for the UV light, it's already a given that preventing your figures from contact with sunlight. Therefore, the best solution is to either treat the glass/acrylic with anti-UV coating or buy those spray-ons. Both are very expensive, though, so is quite impractical for most of us. A more practical solution is to use display cabinets that are not all-glass. It won't be as elegant, but this would at least shield your toys from fluorescent light. You can then use LED lights to light up the cab. Or, use those LED bulbs as the light source for your room. That'll work as well."

I believe the UV light is a bigger concern than the exact humidity levels. If the room is comfortable to you (not to dry / moist) then the HT figures should be fine. Ex. If your skins dried & cracked from your enviroment then so will the rubber on the figures.

 

[iampoch]

I believe the UV light is a bigger concern than the exact humidity levels. If the room is comfortable to you (not to dry / moist) then the HT figures should be fine. Ex. If your skins dried & cracked from your enviroment then so will the rubber on the figures.

I agree.

There are a chock-full of ways to regulate moisture, but few and expensive ones for preventing deterioration due to UV. What's more, most plastics used in toys/figures (ABS and PVC) are just as susceptible to this kind of damage as rubber. However, it'll take years before the deterioration manifests. And plastics that deteriorate this way are much easier to treat than rubber (if there are treatments to rubber at all).

 

[tylerdurden]

so far, i haven't any deterioration problems with my rubber-suited tdk batman, and nostromo officer kane. most of my 1/6 figures are in a cabinet with a closed glass door, in a cool, dim room. i seldom turn on the display lights unless showing my collection off to guests. i change kane's pose every few months, so there's no long-term stress on any one rubber part.

the only issue i have is that batman's suit is a dust magnet! and once the dust digs in there, it's reeeeally hard to get it off. so i dust-off the rubber suits lightly with a make-up brush once a month.

 

[xkage824]

i emailed hot toys about this and there response was as follows:

Thanks for your support to Hot Toys product.
Figure will not be deteriorated with a good maintainance.
Customers are suggested to follow the instruction book for information and points to noted.

what do you suppose they mean?

 

[a-dev]

Concrete and nitrogen sound fine in theory, but the reality is you don't get to see the figure. There is another way. Rather than actually buying the figure, simply download and print a promo or proto pic of it, then print this out and stick it on your wall, shelf, detolf etc.

Nah man the paper would discolour over time and the edges would start turning up, you're not thinking this through.

 

[DiFabio]

i emailed hot toys about this and there response was as follows:

Thanks for your support to Hot Toys product.
Figure will not be deteriorated with a good maintainance.
Customers are suggested to follow the instruction book for information and points to noted.

what do you suppose they mean?

What else are they going to say? The figures will deteriorate over time? Yeah, right. Not that they'd lose too many customers if they just admitted it but that just wouldn't look too good.

These things won't last forever even with tons of care. Best bet is to just buy characters with plastic true type bodies and cloth clothes. So far I've done just that, I had to cave with Batman and all of his costumes though. No choice.

 

[Studio49]

This is going to make some of you upset, and for that I apologize in advance. But you need to know the hard truth now.

If it bothers you that your figures may not last a lifetime, sell them right now.

There is no spray, powder, humidity level, light level or temperature that will stop the breakdown of rubber, plastic, wood, metal or cloth. It doesn't exist. I will repeat that for those of you who didn't hear me. YOU CANNOT STOP THE DETERIORATION OF PLASTIC AND RUBBER WITH ANY KNOWN PROCESS OR ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION. You can possibly slow down the process, but probably not unless you have a museum type budget for a custom display case. All the tape and cups of water in the world won't solve your problem.

I worked for ten years in a museum, curating and cataloging a collection of rare documents and artifacts. I have been involved in climate control conferences, talks on molecular stability of chemical compounds and all sorts of other yawn-inducing topics. Paper stored in absolutely ideal temperature and humidity controlled vaults still continues to turn yellow. Time marches on for all things.

Even museums have a hard time keeping stuff from rotting away. Take a look...

https://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/08/24/pvc.toy.danger/

https://www.sciencenews.org/pages/pdfs/data/2000/158-24/15824-19.pdf

For those of you too lazy to click, check out this snippet: "Some of the most vulnerable new materials are plastics. Museums display them as toys, medical equipment, footwear, inflatable furniture, and more, says Yvonne Shashoua of the National Museum of Denmark. “They’re found in every museum in the world,” she says. Yet many plastics exhibited in museums can change so much chemically that within a decade they start to feel tacky. Many such objects must be taken out of a collection after just 20 years, says Shashoua."

So, what choices do we have?

1. Enjoy the figures. Take them out of the box, look at them, pose them and put them on a shelf where you can see them. Show them to your friends. If you are not to hot, or cold, or humid or dry then your figures are not as well. When they really start to melt, leak, crack and peel don't be shocked.

2. Sell them.

 

[Studio49]

I haven't been able to buy any of the rubber suit Hot Toys figures. All of my figures are plastic bodies with cloth clothing.

I will say that I wouldn't mind owning some of the rubber figures, but I wouldn't expect them to hold up long term. I also have it good, because I like to "upgrade" my figures by customizing them. I want to make real leather components for some of my figures that have "pleather" parts. I also like to swap out rubber boots for leather ones when I can. Leather deteriorates too, but if you keep it conditioned it looks nice longer.

So I feel bad for all of you mint-in-box guys. You don't know what kind of sinking ship you are on. Come to the dark side. Crack the seal, pull off the rubber boots, repaint the head and make something cool. Tomorrow it's all going to melt anyway.

 

[EVILFACE]

I think this sounds like the only way to be sure.

Seriously though, you could probably keep them sealed in a container filled with nitrogen like really old documents but I don't think that's practical.

What kind of joy is that? Why own something that is kept sealed away in a plastic container in the basement

 

[Lejuan]

This reminds me of a friend of mine who didn't want to see his dog grow old. So he had the dog put down, stuffed it and now has it in the corner next to the fireplace.

He's had that stuffed dog 18 years now, and that dog hasn't aged a day in all that time.

 

[Kamandi]

A friend of mine has a 12 inch Mego Admiral Kirk from Star Trek the Motionless Picture.

He has kept it packaged since it was released, only taking it out of the box a few times. Despite this, the rubber head has turned green and is tacky to the touch.

So, if you want to keep your collectables nice forever the only solution is to sacrifice a virgin to appease the gods.