Yellowed BBI models

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aferguson
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Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:33 am

Hello everyone, looooong time since I've posted.

A couple of my BBI 1/18 aircraft have yellowed, either with time or from sunlight or both. My F-18 is essentially a pale green colour overall (yellowed plastic + blue grey original colour= green), and my Apache canopy and the clear tips of the Hellfire missiles are quite yellowed.

I've read online tips for restoring the plastic which include, bleach, vinegar and baking soda methods. I'm reluctant to just blunder in without any experience with cleaning yellowed plastic.

Can anyone offer a proven method that will work and be rather simple to do?
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normandy
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by normandy » Sun Aug 22, 2021 7:02 am

Great to hear from you Andrew. I don't have any BBI aircraft
so I can't offer you any advice on this yellowing.
I imagine its got to do with the plastic they used.

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aferguson
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Sun Aug 22, 2021 10:30 am

Heya Normandy.....good to see some of the original members are still here. Almost 17 years now.....more if we go back to Groundpounder's board which predated me. I joined it in late 2000, several months after GP started it.

As to BBI yellowing.....no doubt it's the plastic. BBI had a tendency to use a lot of unpainted plastic in their 1/18 models and that usually means yellowing over time. Sunlight is the usual culprit but my F-18 had very little sunlight on it and none on the underside yet the underside is essentially lime green now from yellowing. Very annoying, considering how expensive they are to replace now.
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normandy
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by normandy » Sun Aug 22, 2021 11:39 am

I know it would be more work but what about a repaint? Do it once and no more yellowing. :D
I have a few Our War German figures and the arms (short sleeve forearm) have turned white due
to the plastic used, that is a quick fix repaint.

I remember Groundpounders board fondly. Back in 2000 I saw my first 21st Panther at toysrus
and soon after found GP site...been collecting 1:18 since then.

Keep us updated on your progress on the BBI F-18.

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by cnq » Sun Aug 22, 2021 12:23 pm

I have BBI F18, F16, F4, Zero and none have turned yellow so far. Of course I have them all hanging up in my basement with no sun light. I have no clue how to restore original color without repainting.
My two merit F14s are display upstairs with a bit of morning sun but so far no yellowing at all. Keep finger cross.

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Sun Aug 22, 2021 4:10 pm

I've considered repainting but it's a lot of work and the decals would be a problem, as there is nothing available commercially. For now I have it in a room with moderate lighting and it looks almost normal in colour as a result. There are a few painted areas on it, the canopy framing, horizontal tailplanes, airbrake and a few other areas and they didn't turn green at all so they stand out. But it still looks pretty good from a few feet away.

There are apparently several ways to restore yellowed plastic but they are mostly for white plastic that has turned yellow. As this is grey plastic that has yellowed those solutions may not work. I can sand it off with wet and dry paper but it would take a couple hundred hours to do such a large plane and of course the markings would be wrecked in the process, so not much of a solution.
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by tmanthegreat » Mon Aug 23, 2021 2:08 pm

Aferg, great to see you back!

As for the yellowing, I’ve heard about using some kind of hydrogen peroxide solution, but that pertained more to white plastic that had yellowed on vintage toys, not grey plastic. I’ve never tried it.

My BBI first-series F-18 has mostly hung out in my garage since I moved into my house a decade ago. It doesn’t get direct sunlight, but I’ve not noticed the greenish yellowing you describe either. May need to dust it off and look more closely, but I’ve definitely not seen any line green coloring appear… I’ve also not had too many problems with my 1/18 models long term other than some common issues (e.g. soft plastic bending on BBI models; 21st Avenger wing hinges snapping, etc.)
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by Eddy10440 » Mon Aug 23, 2021 3:15 pm

aferguson wrote:
Sun Aug 22, 2021 10:30 am
Heya Normandy.....good to see some of the original members are still here. Almost 17 years now.....more if we go back to Groundpounder's board which predated me. I joined it in late 2000, several months after GP started it.

I remember you from that old forum. Groundpounder was a great guy, I'm sure he still is.

You have brought good memories :D

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Mon Aug 23, 2021 4:23 pm

Hey Tman......you're still here too! Terrific.

I'm a bit surprised others haven't experienced the problem with the F-18 yellowing that I have. Mind you, I had it tucked in a corner for a long time and only brought it out recently to spruce it up and put it on a new shelf. That is when I noticed the yellowing. For years it had sat in a remote corner and I only glanced at it from a distance....and it looked ok to me. It's when I dusted it and saw it up close in a good light that I saw it had turned green. It's not a bright green...it's a greyish green. The underside is a bit brighter green (a greyish lime green) but I can only tell if I turn it upside down. Otherwise it looks like a lighter greyish green.

I've read about using baking soda. I may give that a try sometime on a spare fuel tank that yellowed and see what happens. If I find something that works but is time consuming I could just plunk away at it now and again until it's eventually fixed.

It's still an impressive model and one good thing that has come out of this is that it has faded as well, and is lighter in colour. I always felt the first release F-18 that came out at TRU (this is the one I've been referring to) was too dark in colour. That problem, at least, is solved. I have a feeling later F-18's BBI released may not be experiencing this problem, either because a better plastic was used or because they were more fully painted and less bare plastic was exposed.
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Tue Aug 24, 2021 3:57 am

Eddy10440...one of the old originals from GP days. Good memories indeed. I wonder how many of us are still around, collecting 1/18...
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by tmanthegreat » Tue Aug 24, 2021 7:59 pm

Here are some quick pictures I took of my BBI S1 F-18 hanging in my garage. The pictures were taken Tuesday evening around dusk. Garage light was on, though I used my camera flash.

My model is definitely very dusty, but I don’t quite see something resembling the green color that Aferg is referring to on his model, unless I’m not seeing it… Aferg, does my F-18 look anything like yours in terms of the discoloration?

Image

Image

Image
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aferguson
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:30 pm

No, it's not really anything how mine looks. The only thing I noticed on your model is the contrast between the canopy frame and the fuselage colour in the last pic, but that could be caused by camera flash. The side of the fuselage looks a tad greenish to me...mine is like that times 10. The only other thing is the small panel that the number '361' sits on......it looks white in your pic but that's camera flash. On my model it is light grey and all the area around it above and below are variations of greenish grey.

Is that the Chap Mei Hercules in the background? :)
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by YT » Wed Aug 25, 2021 9:22 am

I haven't noticed any color changes but the rubber noses on both my F-16 and F-18 are sticky/tacky to the touch.
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by trex0770 » Sat Oct 16, 2021 1:27 am

How about just do a new paint job. Dark ghost gray on the upper side and Light ghost gray on the underside. Decals are easy to make especially if you do a lo-viz model. I've repainted several and it's not complicated. Good luck!

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by tiger1 » Fri Oct 22, 2021 6:10 am

Hi Guy`s as i have my hobbyroom in the basement,with fairly constant temperatre i haven` noticed any yellowing on my models,but as my models were hanging from the roof ,the gears were retracted.I decieded to sell both my F-16 and my F-18,and when opening the gears the «tyres» where very sticky,in fact the F-16 felt wet,so off course the price went down…….but allin all i was happy to see them go

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by DocTodd » Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:52 pm

I have experienced the same yellowing that aferg is referring to. Mine was in a warm storage area for a while between being displayed. I have not tried anything to help the discoloration, but I have done the peroxide on white plastic on an original Buck Rogers Starfighter and it worked some.
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by turkish1 » Fri Oct 29, 2021 4:23 am

can you post some photos? I am keeping mine in the original packing, inside the dark cabinet, I hope yellowing / sticky tires will not be observed. But if it is a chemical reaction vs time no matter how you keep it there is no way to eliminate this issue, please let me know if you didn't experience any "sticky" tires after 10+ years of displaying

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Fri Oct 29, 2021 9:15 am

I don't know about the tires as I've had the u/c retracted all this time, but I know others have commented on sticky tires. Don't know if it's caused by a reaction to sunlight or just an ageing process...I suspect the latter.

The yellowing on my F-18 is so even that it can't be just sunlight alone because even areas that I know for a fact never saw the sun are equally yellowed to the areas that did get a small amount of sunlight.......the model was never exposed to a lot of sunlight ever. So maybe sunlight triggers a chemical reaction that slowly spreads over the whole model, regardless whether those areas got sunlight exposure.
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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by blkwalt » Sun Dec 26, 2021 6:18 pm

Hey Aferg. I have a solution for you. I had my F/18 in my office while while still in Military. Plastic yellowed… one of my guys who collected old vid games and consoles showed me how to fix it. Yup a UV light from Walmart and line a box with foil. You need a product called Saloncare 40 from Sally’s. Gently clean plane with water and let dry. Cover non essential parts with blue tape. COVER WHEELS. Dp a small spot test. Takes a few hours to overnight. It worked for me. Do not overly apply on decals and avoid them if possible as you may have to do repeat applications of saloncare and back in us box. It worked for me.

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Re: Yellowed BBI models

Post by aferguson » Mon Dec 27, 2021 6:59 am

that's very interesting. Thanks for the tip.

Edit: I've looked on the internet and there are all kinds of videos and forums discussing Salon Care 40 and yellowed plastic. Odd I didn't come across this before when I was looking for tips on getting rid of yellowed plastic. I guess I just didn't use the magic word during searches.
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