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[DirektorSplennic]

This is a different kind of post, though I'm not sure where else to put it. Today was dusting day again, so I decided to start with my Bandai vinyls, and I noticed that a lot of my older vinyls were sticking to the shelf. Like, it wasn't difficult to remove them, but there was this noticeable tackiness taking some of them off the shelf. A few of them, particularly my Godzilla 1974 (which freaked me out the most since this thing is so expensive now) left marks on the shelf. There don't seem to be noticeable marks on the figure, just natural old wear at the bottom of the feet. I'm not sure if my shelf (which is wooden with a black coat of paint) is reacting weirdly with the vinyls, or its just how older vinyls get, but I've had both the figure and shelf for years and just noticed this. I'm not sure what to do and if there will continually be more damage over time, especially since I'm moving away to college and will be away from the shelf for a while with everything not being touched for multiple months. Any advice or feedback would be appreciated, hopefully its nothing serious.


Marks where the figures were.

Figure in question

Bottom of the figure, things look ordinary, unless there's something I'm not seeing.

[Legion1979]

Probably the vinyl reacting to the paint on the wood

[DirektorSplennic]

Well that blows. I was thinking of changing out my shelves anyway for ones with glass doors. Any recommendations for some good quality shelves that won't have this issue?

[Platypus Prime]

I've seen this before too, rubber and paint for some reason will react in the oddest ways. It's part of why I put glass plates on my shelves, it was to protect both the shelves and the toys.

[Legion1979]

Well that blows. I was thinking of changing out my shelves anyway for ones with glass doors. Any recommendations for some good quality shelves that won't have this issue?

Anything that's not painted in that way. Plastic, glass, treated wood...just not something with paint that could get tacky.

[DirektorSplennic]

I've seen this before too, rubber and paint for some reason will react in the oddest ways. It's part of why I put glass plates on my shelves, it was to protect both the shelves and the toys.

I have some spare plexiglass. You think that would work as well?

[Platypus Prime]

I don't know...the thing is, if plasticizer coming from the vinyl is what's reacting with the paint, sometimes it also reacts with plastic, too. It's a common problem in older Transformers with plastic and rubber parts that touch each other, but can even be seen in plastic desk drawers where old erasers and rubber bands will melt through.

[canofhumdingers]

If the paint is lacquer, enamel, or anything else solvent based then yeah, it will likely melt the vinyl. Even ever so slightly or slowly.

Another option is to just put a clearcoat over the paint with an acrylic. Even solvent based acrylics should be ok so long as they are properly dry.

Added in 2 minutes 24 seconds:
Oh I didn’t even think about things leeching/off-gassing from the vinyl itself. That’s an issue too. I’ve had some Bandai vinyls get all tacky over time from that. A gentle bath with a small bit of mild dish soap and plenty of water got rid of it.

[DirektorSplennic]

If the paint is lacquer, enamel, or anything else solvent based then yeah, it will likely melt the vinyl. Even ever so slightly or slowly.

Another option is to just put a clearcoat over the paint with an acrylic. Even solvent based acrylics should be ok so long as they are properly dry.

Jesus Christ, I've had these shelves for literally years. It explains why some of the figures (mostly newer vinyls) have tiny bits where the vinyl, most noticeably a portion of the tail, have this strange shine to it that the rest of the figure doesn't have. My stuff has literally been slowly melting. I really appreciate all the feedback. I have the vinyls resting on printer paper now, and will probably get some glass sheets to put the figures on. The problem is the shelves have enclosed walls that are also painted, so I have to make sure no tails are rubbing up against the shelf.

[JAGzilla]

Well, this is all useful to know. Does heat cause figures to become tacky, too? I have a few old Jurassic Park Chaos Effect figures in storage up in my attic, which isn't climate controlled and gets hot as hell in the summer. Last time I touched those figures they were very sticky, and I assume it must have been from the paint or plastic melting.

[canofhumdingers]

I mean, I think you already know the answer. There’s a reason any kind of professional archive is temperature and humidity controlled…. High heat isn’t good for anything you want to last. And yeah, it will make plastic break down faster than it would in cooler storage.

[JAGzilla]

I mean, I think you already know the answer. There’s a reason any kind of professional archive is temperature and humidity controlled…. High heat isn’t good for anything you want to last. And yeah, it will make plastic break down faster than it would in cooler storage.

Yeah, kind of a dumb question. I haven't seen those things in a few years... I wonder what kind of shape they're in now. I mean, they're up there because they're pig ugly and I don't care about them, but still.

[Creature22]

The plastic will naturally break down with age as well. The better they are taken care of, the longer they will last (I have old Marusan figures that feel fine, and those are as old as a vinyl figure can get basically). But depending on the overall condition and material they're made of, the tackiness can be inevitable. Same goes for figures that you keep mint on card; if they're encased in a bubble and aren't able to "breathe" essentially, the material will start to break down and get sticky.

In my experience the Movie Monster Series stuff has always been pretty good quality overall. Last I checked none of my childhood Bandai stuff has gotten tacky, but most of them are stored in a bin in the basement of my parents' house, so they've always stayed in a pretty cold/dark environment. So long as they're kept in a dry and temperate environment they should be fine.

[canofhumdingers]

My experience has been that hard plastics usually withstand the heat of an attic fairly well but softer or more rubbery plastics take more of a beating. I have no scientific reasoning behind this just my own personal observations of things I’ve put in storage.

But then, that tends to be true even for things stored or displayed in proper climate control too.

[LSD Jellyfish]

As far as I'm aware, most Godzilla (marusan, bullmark, the works...) and Bandai* figures are made with PVC (according to the Godzilla store), which we typically reffered to as vinyl. According to some quick internet searches, PVC is fairly resistant to the elements, and that's why it's widely used. PVC is resistant to the sun, and heat and can last up to 50-80 years in direct sunlight without deteoriating. I read online a few months ago as part of some research, that under the right conditions PVC can last a lonnnnng time.

Basic source:
https://homeinspectioninsider.com/how-l ... 0the%20sun.

(for my research paper on vinyl figures I used much more academic resources)

For that reason, I somewhat doubt that the PVC/figure itself is the problem here. the figures most likely aren't melting from heat, sun, or the plastic itself melting**. It might be, as some suggested, a chemical reaction between some of the paint and whatever surface you had them on.

I'm not going to accuse you of being dirty, but is there any chance that the residue isn't a result of the figure. Might it just be dust, or other residue that has outlined the figure itself?

In any case I think it's a good idea to check on figures from time to time and report on any oddities here; this is one of the few places where we, as fellow collectors, can easily discuss various issues and questions.



*It's possible that Bandai's MMS/standard Godzilla figures are not pure PVC like Marusan or the higher end collector figures.

**Prolonged exposure to sun will damage the paint, so I'm not saying sun isn't an issue.

[DirektorSplennic]

^I seriously appreciate your well thought out response LSD, this has been stressing me out, especially with me moving soon. I will say that the surface these figures were on had only collected dust, however it had been around 3 months since I had dusted (way longer than I usually ever go without dusting). I took that picture after I dusted, so whatever the figures left behind are permanent stains on the shelf. There is nothing else that could be on the shelf, I am a very clean person, wash my hands before handling most of my figures (I know its overkill but I'm a germophobe), and overall take care of everything on the shelf. The shelf is also not in direct sunlight.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Keep in mind PVC is regularly used in plumbing for water and sewage pipes. Vinyl siding is also made largely of PVC.

[_JNavs_]

Working on a potential Final Wars shelf, Gigan and Kaiser are both fighting for shelf dominance

[Petezilla]

I like the flying Gigan idea, actually. And we need a real SHMA Kaiser Ghidorah, too.

[canofhumdingers]

2 1/2 years after moving in and it’s still a work in progress (and supposedly temporary, to be relocated to the basement if we EVER get that project finished!). But it’s definitely one of my favorite places to chill.