21C 1/18 Figures Become "Sticky"

[paulwong]

Hi All,

I just found out some of my PLATOON figures had become "sticky". The figures were out of the package and displayed for less than a year. Especially the face, arms and some accessories such as helmet and holster. Anyone having the same problem also? Anyway to wash the "sticky" away? Please advice.

[Threetoughtrucks]

Are your figs in direct sunlight? Do all your figs suffer from this "sticky" malady or just your "PLATOON" figs. I've had "PLATOON" figs on display and never had this problem.

Maybe somebody else has?

TTT

[hotrodrock]

Haven't noticed any of my 1/18 figures with this, but I know it happens. I have several of the McFarlane 6 inch sports figures and I have noticed the stickiness on a couple of them.

[paulwong]

[quote="Threetoughtrucks"]Are your figs in direct sunlight? Do all your figs suffer from this "sticky" malady or just your "PLATOON" figs. I've had "PLATOON" figs on display and never had this problem.

Maybe somebody else has?

The figures are not display under direct sunlight. The figures are displaying on a shelf in a bedroom away from the windows but expose to normal daylight through the windows. BTW, I have double check it the new series Vietnam figures not the PLATOON figures. They do look alike.

[paulwong]

Haven't noticed any of my 1/18 figures with this, but I know it happens. I have several of the McFarlane 6 inch sports figures and I have noticed the stickiness on a couple of them.

Yes, I agreed it will happen eventually but less than a year is unacceptable.

[VMF115]

I have no problems with mine...but I always wash them after I take them out with hot water and Dawn dish washing soap to remove any oils that may be present.

[JollyRoger]

I have noticed on some of the 1/18 aircraft I have had that there seemed to be a residue on the inside of the clear plastic window. It looked almost like spots that were sticky. These were pieces that I have bought and sold so the box's were never opened.

[YT]

I wonder if a flat coat of acrylic over them would seal the sticky in.

[Jesse James]

Sometimes a dullcoat will help.

Sometimes this is a paint issue, sometimes it's an issue of the quality of plastics being used. If I had to wager, I would bet 21st didn't use the BEST quality plastics available... It's not just them though, it happens to other figures. A lot of Star Wars figures (especially from the EPisode 1 line for some reason) have become relatively tacky.

I think this sounds like an environmental issue though for some reason, as my Nam guys (all of them including Platoon) are quite fine. If anything the paint chips off of mine and is fairly dry/brittle feeling.

It could be a heat/humidity issue. Sunlight tends to be more a discoloring issue than making figures tacky/sticky. Heat tends to give figures the tacky feeling, and it's the plastic degrading unfortunately.

[p51]

I've had this problem with my original Jurassic Park dinosaurs... mainly the Velociraptors. I went to pick them up and they felt tacky. Note they've been in a shaded room for years.

[Jesse James]

Are the dino's that "real feel" skin stuff? I had some JP stuff when I was younger and the film was new, and that rubbery plastic tends to not hold up well over time. Some Yoda figures that were out (they talked and stuff, like a magic 8-ball or Firby or something), had eyelids made of it, and they went bad in the packaging even, before they were even off store shelves.

[plasticboy]

I wonder if a flat coat of acrylic over them would seal the sticky in.

Flat coat is not gonna help the sticky problem, this is happen for PVC toys usually.
Avoide the sunlight and heat!

[p51]

Are the dino's that "real feel" skin stuff? I had some JP stuff when I was younger and the film was new, and that rubbery plastic tends to not hold up well over time. Some Yoda figures that were out (they talked and stuff, like a magic 8-ball or Firby or something), had eyelids made of it, and they went bad in the packaging even, before they were even off store shelves.

Actually, they are the hard plastic Raptors. The ones that you squeeze the legs together and their mouth 'strikes'. The 'real skin' Rexes I have from JP and TLW all are fine, they don't have the tacky feeling. Neither does the exact same Raptors but from the Lost World line (they just repainted them).

[Jesse James]

Yeah that just sounds like poor quality in the plastic then, and the later run used a better material. Weird how that goes... Like I said, it's the same with SW figures. Some have become tacky rather easily/quickly, while figures a lot older are fine. Heat is the real culprit with breaking plastic down like that over sunlight, but it doesn't take very much for it to happen either it seems.

[skypirate]

Armor All? Just kidding!!!

I did a google search for sticky action figures and there is so much bad or contradictory advice out there. I suspect most cures are temporary and in the long run, accelerate the breakdown of the plastics.

You would think if there were a cure, there would be a market for it. Collectors/Archival grade plastic preservative, non-yellowing.

Alcohol dissolves some acrylic paints. I wonder if Windex might work, but I read some people use it to strip paint.

[cuatroboca]

I HAVE HAD 1 OF MINE FOR 3 YEARS AND I LEFT IT OUT FOR TWO MINUTES IN THE SUN FOR A DIORAMA BUT HIS FACE STARTED TO GET STICKY

[Dauntless]

Might be that red coating they put on the Platoon figures to make them more pink skinned than all the other figures?

[sax5thave]

You think humidity has something to do with this? My friends figures too suffer from such. Asia can be humid. Specially near the equator.

[Jesse James]

Absolutely heat/humidity has a lot to do with the break down of figures... Especially cheaper stuff. The cheaper the quality materials used, the more prone to this they are, generally. Sunlight generally discolors figures I've noticed, but heat and they really can be damaged quite bad.