Hot Toys rubber deterioration

[chemicals]

I’m a pretty new collector and have mostly Star Wars figures. Such as leather jackets, belts, suits etc. So is there something we should be using on these faux leather parts to protect them? And if so what exact product should we use, I’ve just been trying to find a definitive answer.
Is using something like 303 aerospace wipes good for faux leather pieces like the jackets?

 

[potato]

I’m a pretty new collector and have mostly Star Wars figures. Such as leather jackets, belts, suits etc. So is there something we should be using on these faux leather parts to protect them? And if so what exact product should we use, I’ve just been trying to find a definitive answer.
Is using something like 303 aerospace wipes good for faux leather pieces like the jackets?

you can try 303 or mink oil (which waterproofs but darkens the color slightly) as long they don't contain moisture absorbing/abrasive components like alcohol that will dry up the pleather. and you have to reapply once a while.

however unless you can find a way to apply on both sides (including underside), you may only prolong the shelf live as moisture can go in from the underside causing the pleather to crack & flake.

i would say the environment condition is as important as whatever protecting layer you are applying.

some even tried spraying light coats of clear to act as a sealant but it must be light coat or else the coat itself will crack from flexing.

 

[Auel]

Living in a country where it's constantly 30 degrees celsius does not help. The day I found out that my A1 Fury jacket flaked is the day I stopped getting any figures with leather or rubber parts.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

For Christ's sake.

How many years is this discussion going on?

HT (or any brand's) rubber, leather, pleather, etc. will degrade over time in a non-climate controlled environment. All the stuff we buy are never meant to last.

WAIT A MINUTE.

Never mind.

I completely forgot the audience here. Move along. Continue to complain as usual. I'm not even going to mention that we're all going to die because clearly there are those who will insist or are entitled to believe otherwise.

 

[bunnyfreakz]

This guy Wonder Woman deteriorate under three months. Just go to 03:10 to see crack on armpit.

He does explained his HT under direct sunlight because his room layout.

But I don't know if that solely reason.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

This guy Wonder Woman deteriorate under three months. Just go to 03:10 to see crack on armpit.

He does explained his HT under direct sunlight because his room layout.

But I don't know if that solely reason.

--

Yeah.

Direct sunlight deteriorates ALL our 1:6 stuff including excessive / over handling.

Who would have thought?

 

[potato]

Living in a country where it's constantly 30 degrees celsius does not help. The day I found out that my A1 Fury jacket flaked is the day I stopped getting any figures with leather or rubber parts.

most 1/6 figures, comes with pleather or soft rubber parts more or less. stuffs like belts, holster, harness, i can hardly think of any recent release that doesn't come with any. and when you think there's one that doesn't have all that, you realize there's tiny pleather strap or lining on the fabric backpacks...

 

[potato]

For Christ's sake.

How many years is this discussion going on?

HT (or any brand's) rubber, leather, pleather, etc. will degrade over time in a non-climate controlled environment. All the stuff we buy are never meant to last.

WAIT A MINUTE.

Never mind.

I completely forgot the audience here. Move along. Continue to complain as usual. I'm not even going to mention that we're all going to die because clearly there are those who will insist or are entitled to believe otherwise.

every now and then we have new folks joining the fun and they may not find it easy to browse every single page on this thread to figure it out. or they may have collected for few years and this is the 1st time they found the problem i'm sure it was shocking when you realize after posing it for years and taking it out for maintenance or finally gave a close look and found they have broken down. so what's the first thing you do? take it out and look closer to confirm your eyes aren't lying. 2nd thing is to google, which brings them here and 3rd thing is post their question.

i can hardly believe the 2nd thing a person would do is ask another guy in person about this issue, or call up their hobby shop.

 

[Zurdo95D]

Hmmm, basically HT needs to up their durability then they'd be golden?

 

[Coin4roomfloor]

sucks, now gotta worry about buying hot toys. Guess need to just be careful with them and pose them in a safe environment

 

[potato]

sucks, now gotta worry about buying hot toys. Guess need to just be careful with them and pose them in a safe environment

though the title states Hot Toys it actually applies to 90% of the companies in the market. i bet less than 1% of 1/6 figures with leather like materials uses Genuine Leather, or high quality durable composite leather (which contains % genuine leather).

 

[xipotec]

Lucky me, still have not seen this issue....

Mine are in a basement, climate controlled, away from UV lights (LED 50/50 4000K)

Then again, the only figures that have pleather are Eric Draven and T-800 battle damage. So any addition deterioration should enhance the look....


Sent from the inside of a giant slug in outer space.....

 

[chemicals]

you can try 303 or mink oil (which waterproofs but darkens the color slightly) as long they don't contain moisture absorbing/abrasive components like alcohol that will dry up the pleather. and you have to reapply once a while.

however unless you can find a way to apply on both sides (including underside), you may only prolong the shelf live as moisture can go in from the underside causing the pleather to crack & flake.

i would say the environment condition is as important as whatever protecting layer you are applying.

some even tried spraying light coats of clear to act as a sealant but it must be light coat or else the coat itself will crack from flexing.

Thank you for the help, I have looked into that after reading almost this entire thread from paranoias. I am going to be hanging up UV protection film on my bedroom windows soon as well. Perhaps it is overkill of me. I have looked into 303 and other faux leather protectors on amazon. I probably will wear by figures down just by thinking about them.

 

[chemicals]

For Christ's sake.

How many years is this discussion going on?

HT (or any brand's) rubber, leather, pleather, etc. will degrade over time in a non-climate controlled environment. All the stuff we buy are never meant to last.

WAIT A MINUTE.

Never mind.

I completely forgot the audience here. Move along. Continue to complain as usual. I'm not even going to mention that we're all going to die because clearly there are those who will insist or are entitled to believe otherwise.

If I spend 300 dollars on something, I expect it to last, don’t you? No need to be rude like this. I read almost the entire thread on this. Sorry for being a new collector who isn’t an expert like you.

 

[potato]

Thank you for the help, I have looked into that after reading almost this entire thread from paranoias. I am going to be hanging up UV protection film on my bedroom windows soon as well. Perhaps it is overkill of me. I have looked into 303 and other faux leather protectors on amazon. I probably will wear by figures down just by thinking about them.

like i mentioned, if you only coat 1 side the other side is still exposed. and based on what i can think of, the other side deals more damage than the pleather side.

why you may ask, my guessing is the pleather side is usually more moist resistant compared to the fabric side (most of the time fabric used as base), and fabric absorbs moisture easier, usually pleather starts flaking because the adhesive used to bind the pleather with each other & onto the fabric base deteriorates, thus you see them cracking with each other and fall off the fabric.

 

[chemicals]

like i mentioned, if you only coat 1 side the other side is still exposed. and based on what i can think of, the other side deals more damage than the pleather side.

why you may ask, my guessing is the pleather side is usually more moist resistant compared to the fabric side (most of the time fabric used as base), and fabric absorbs moisture easier, usually pleather starts flaking because the adhesive used to bind the pleather with each other & onto the fabric base deteriorates, thus you see them cracking with each other and fall off the fabric.

I will have to purchase some and try it. How often should you do this and how long does it last before it starts to flake?

I know Iron Man Hot Toys are prone to paint fading. Is that true with any other Hot Toys such as Star Wars Stormtroopers?

 

[Steventhomas98]

Im concerned about the hot toys wonder woman I have on preorder. Ive never had a figure with this much rubber skin. My Daenerys figure from Threezero has the rubber on the upper half of her body but its very thick and Ive had it for a year and haven't noticed any signs of wear. I guess the trick is keeping them in neutral poses and out of direct sunlight. But that wonder woman looks beautiful yet scary due to her skin, I hope its a very thick coating and not thin like I've seen some horror stories about.

 

[Chainedstream]

I will have to purchase some and try it. How often should you do this and how long does it last before it starts to flake?

I know Iron Man Hot Toys are prone to paint fading. Is that true with any other Hot Toys such as Star Wars Stormtroopers?

Yup, stormtroopers most definitely grow yellow over time. One of my troopers is starting to show some yellowing, but only on certain parts. Might be having something to do with the plastic mix. Pleather holster is also starting to show some wear. My collection is placed in a cool room with tinted windows, no direct sunlight and most of the time the room is dark. I live in Sweden so the air is pretty dry most of the year, which could be one of the reasons behind the deterioration.

Anyway, that's my experience with troopers. Others might have different stories with more favourable development, so take mine with a grain of salt

 

[potato]

I will have to purchase some and try it. How often should you do this and how long does it last before it starts to flake?

I know Iron Man Hot Toys are prone to paint fading. Is that true with any other Hot Toys such as Star Wars Stormtroopers?

i don't know, like i said, it won't stop them from deteorating. you may try both sides to see if it works. how often, i'm guessing once a year? i never redo it because some parts needs to be removed and removing them causes more damage due to stress. and when it reaches certain point, it's best not to touch it because they will crack & flake the moment you touch them.

for Ironman i'm guessing the softer plastic parts tend to fade not sure new ones still have this problem. i'm guessing factory paint already have a layer of gloss clear but you may try to coat another gloss clear to see if it stops the fading.

i don't know about Stormtroppers since they are probably molded in white plastic thus not much paint on them.

 

[potato]

Im concerned about the hot toys wonder woman I have on preorder. Ive never had a figure with this much rubber skin. My Daenerys figure from Threezero has the rubber on the upper half of her body but its very thick and Ive had it for a year and haven't noticed any signs of wear. I guess the trick is keeping them in neutral poses and out of direct sunlight. But that wonder woman looks beautiful yet scary due to her skin, I hope its a very thick coating and not thin like I've seen some horror stories about.

doesn't really matter thick or thin, wonderwoman has been reported to crack even when it was pretty new. guessing for rubber they hate heat/dryness/dust/water/dark fabrics and any other plastic/rubber materials.

and best is wipe with damp microfiber cloth lightly. cleaning agent will absorb the moisture out of the rubber surface causing premature cracks.

IMO rubber if well maintained can last quite some time. pleather, even if you put it in wine cabinets they will still fail over the years. unless you can store it in a vacuum camber.