And again a worthwhile 8 minutes spent on my favorite chemistry channel: "Spector Creative, Scientoyst"

What's the deal with plastic - when you want it to last forever, it decomposes in a few years; when you want it to decompose, it lasts forever! Plastic can't make up it's mind what it wants to be! Soft or hard, flexible or brittle, smooth or sticky - come on plastic, settle down and pick something!

The timing on this couldn't be better. I just pulled a tote of TMNT stuff from the garage to clean up for my kid after she got the retro Turtle Van and so many of them had become sticky in storage. Cheers!

I just bought an on card Captain Power Corporal Chase figure and when I opened it, her head and lower legs were sticky. Very helpful video!

Plasticizers in the vinyl in your car are also volatile and after many years, the vinyl can become hard and brittle. Also, the plasticizers slowly coat the inside of your winshield as they leave the vinyl, which is part of the reason cars build up a residue on the inside of windows that has to be cleaned occasionally. Chemistry is fun!

Thanks Scott! Your channel has become an almost daily watch for me while I work remotely. Not only do I enjoy your insight and your willingness to share from your years of experience, but I really appreciate how responsive you are to questions. There are a lot of other folks out there who seem to want to 'protect' their knowledge as if it were some trade secret. I think the only thing left I need to figure out is how best to take care of that pleathery material and keep it from flaking/breaking apart. Thanks again!

What I use for smaller toys (from 12" Marx figures down to 3.75" Star Wars figures is a brush-on varnish from "THE ARMY PAINTER WARPAINTS." They offer both a "gloss" and "anti-shine matt" version (in small 18ml size and a large can size for dipping). I use the "anti-shine" almost all the time. It completely covers the sticky area and dries in minutes. I have salvaged many a vintage figure this way, and as far as I can tell is completely unnoticeable to my eye and touch. I also had to use this on a 20 year old all-white 8" Gandalf figure I pulled mint from a sealed box (bought it for my son). Whole thing was sticky everywhere. I first washed the figure in soapy water, rinsed it, let it dry, then covered the entire toy in this varnish. Felt and looked like it was brand new. So that's my experience with this varnish.

Yes! I knew it... Thanks for adding the technical terms, Scott! It's basically a "dehydration" of the plastic..

JESUS CHRIST. Scott you know EVERYTHING about toys… This was the BIGGEST mystery to me as a child… you must be the BEST Dad!

Thank you for this! I've got a 2010 Wal-Mart Jabba who's got a date with a hot soapy bath and some clear sealant. And, no, there is no way I could've rephrased that so that it didn't sound filthy.

Is the "sticky substance" toxic? Does it penetrate the skin? I know that some plastic materials can affect human hormones etc. and I am somewhat concerned about this

For those sticky hand toys, wash them with dishwashing liquid and let them dry. It will be sticky and good as new. For sticky toys, I found that ammonia-based cleaners (not sure what American brands are available), used in kitchens, works excellent. They are slightly abrasive but not enough to damage the paint or decals. Use a toothbrush and rub in small circles. Of course, test on a small piece of the toy first.

Nice. Nice. I am *sure* this'll happen someday -- Friend (investigating ruckus, finding figure repair abattoir): ".....what *are* you doing?!?!" Me (applying sealant whilst cursing the inevitable creep of entropy, crazed glint in eye): "Science!!!"

Dude…. This was AMAZING. Your slowly winning me over as my “Favorite”. Damn. I ALWAYS learn SO MUCH. Hasbro NEEDS to call you.

Thanks for the vid, I have some old figures from Japan about 15yrs ago, and they started to getting sticky, and they are very limited and hard to buy nowadays, and the few of them selling online are super expensive now. Your vid helps me to get my figures back to fresh

Thank you for making this very helpful and informative video. I’m going to try these spray sealant methods. I’m also going to use a very soft toothbrush with mild dish soap to clean them.

Thank you very much Scott! 🤘

John Cleese was a perfect casting choice as Q in the James Bond films. He was awesome! My DC Direct figures that are loose became sticky over time. I never played with them, they are just on display on my shelf. Ugh.

Should you wash a sticky the figure before applying the sealer? Thanks for this video

Thank you for this, it’s something I’ve wondered about for a while now. Now I know why it happens and some ways to combat it. Thank you!

That's happened to some of my old figures before. I've just washed them with soap and water like your first suggestion.

A wise man once said "Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain".

Nice explanación, at the same time it is sad, but: it is real, Nothing last for ever , they start decaying as soon they are made... like the new car smell,, .... oh yes we remember the smell of new plastic figures at christmas... Thanks!!!! Keep On, On, On....

I like your Shtick in this video. One of your better efforts. And legit educational to boot!

Thanks!

Thank you!

I had a good portion of a pvc figure collection get ruined by this. The soap and water thing just did not work. Good to know that my current stuff can just be varnished to extend the life.

I found that using denatured alcohol works better than soap and water. It did not damage or discolor any of the pieces I cleaned. The water/soap method still left some stickiness on some parts. After using the alcohol there was no stickiness . I used a small brush for rough or textured areas then wiped the alcohol off with a soft cloth. NOTE:YOU MIGHT WANT TO TEST A SMALL Inconspicuous SPOT ON EACH PIECE JUST MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT CAUSE DISCOLORATIONOR DAMAGE.

I have noticed that it happens mostly to clear/translucent figures, especially if the plastic is more rubbery plastic

Excellent video, thank you for all the info and advice! Just wondering if the shower will change flat finishes to gloss?

Plasticizer has been part of my vernacular for a long time now. It starts leaking from new toys almost immediately (long before they get sticky) and is what gives that distinct smell to new figures with soft parts like capes. It's also part of the combination of odors that cause the "new car smell". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_car_smell

Awesome info

Watch out for old rubber "feet" on the bottoms of stereo equipment, music keyboards, etc. I once set an old keyboard down on my carpet, unaware that the rubber feet had decomposed and turned into a thick black goo that was very difficult to remove (and will never be removed entirely until the carpet is removed.)

Good advice. My LOTR Eowyn figures have had this problem lately. Going to see if a good washing and sealer fixes them.

thank you

Excellent video info.😀👍❤💥👞🌴🌴

Thank you, very nice info. I found some of my DCUC and some of MOTUC getting sticky after storing it moc this last few years. Do you have any links for those coatings spray? I know some but it usually comes with gloss or matte finish, so i'm afraid it will change the color of the figures. And does it affect the articulation if i put it in the swivel/joint?

Ive used the windex method a d have had great successes cleaning the toys so far.

Great Video. I think a lot of it has to do with the quality of plastics used. Got a few Adventure People and they are still clean. Got a few current Neca that needed to be cleaned as soon as they were opened. Do the sealed figures still have good paint? I’d wonder if the gasses or plasticizer is trapped on the same side as the paint. And don’t use enamel model paint on your figures. It doesn’t dry on vinyl.

thanks for this video, but what about how to prevent/avoid this? im thinking of installing pc fans at the side of my display cabinet to extract air/fumes/circulate air. that's likely to help the plasticiser from settling on the surface right?

I had a Saitek flight stick I put up in closet and it sat their for 20 years, I pulled it out to play in a new flight sim as the x52 hasn't changed much and my hands were completely covered in gue. I tried to wipe it off and the top layer just came off as I wiped like it was melting. Similar to an old steering wheel in a car.

Airing the figures on occasions also helps. Keeping them in sealed containers long term seems to cause them to get tacky.

I had this issue with the DCUC Blue Manta. It was so sticky. I cleaned it with sanitizing wipes and it work perfectly.

I wonder why this never seems to happen to old plastic dishes, like Tupperware. They get routinely washed, so maybe that explains it, but I guess there might be different standards in what chemicals are safe to use in food grade plastics.

For some of these, rubbing alcohol works. I've had a few figures that had that rubbery kind of plastic used, and alcohol worked for those. For others, soaking in a solution of water and dish soap, then scrubbing with a cloth worked.

I need to try this! I've got two rare sets of Gashapon figures from Japan, and I just got them a couple of years ago. They were still in their original packaging, and they were 20 years old at that time. So they'd been sealed for 20 years. Tonight I just opened a Bratz sushi lounge that had also been sealed for 20 years (or very close to it), and all these things have that horrible sticky texture. It's so bad I can hardly stand to touch the stuff. I've used Dawn dish soap on the gashapons twice, but the stickiness returns. So I'm going to try the sealing method next. I have Mod Podge that I use for sealing my acrylic paints. Do you think that would work okay? Or I may look into the non-shiny matte sealer someone else talked about, because I don't want my sushi to be shiny lol!

Thank you!! I have a Superman Alienware mousepad from '05 that's doing this and it's driving me nuts, lol

I recently ran into this. I stored a bunch of Star Wars and GI Joe figures in plastic baggies for over 20 years. I'm pretty sure it was the bags that caused it, since ones not in bags weren't sticky. I used some Windex and they've been fine so far.

Regarding on spraying it with paint. Can we use like top coat like matte or gloss?

I just clean them with rubbing alcohol...seems to fix the problem long term.

I have one figure that turned tacky to the touch. It’s a Batman Beyond figure from around 1999/2000 and it in a handful of years turned sticky.

I have a ton of Disney Store figures and I was wondering if the leak protector can really work on them? I don't want to damage them because some of them are part of my childhood.

I always thought it was the paint melting from the heat in my mom's attic.

I got only 1 figure of over 300 and that is my old He-man (Made in Malysia) , he is now with Skeletor and Stinkor in the box of my 12" Greedo figure . I can see them , but I don't need to touch them .

In your experience does the sealing compound come off at the areas of friction like joints?

Thanks for another interesting video about the science behind toys we all love. I got a question about HotWheels Police cars: Back in the 90's almost all of their Police cars had their flashing lights on the roof. But today there are hardly extra blue or red plastic parts on their regular 1/64 scale vehicles. Is there any reason behind it? Is there a choking hazard if they break off or have they just become too expensive? I couldn't imagine it's a licensing issue, but a Police car without flashing lights is a bummer to me. Other companies like SIKU always put them on their Police vehicles. Thank you & best regards from Germany.

A related issue. Have you observed 2 different toys from different companies stored in close proximity (one on top of the other) degrading at the same with the chemical by-products reacted resulting in fusing of parts or melting/deformation? I'm guessing proactive preparation rather than clean up and restoration is the simple answer to avoid, like keeping brands/lines separate during storage.

I haven't had this issue with my old Star Wars action figures, but I do with a 1990s era Don Post Boba Fett helmet. The inside is white and unpainted, but sticky. The outside (which was painted) is fine.

Do you take figures apart before spraying the pieces with clear coat? I would imagine if you spray them intact, they would become locked in whatever position/pose you clear-coat them in.

Could you make a video showing us how you go about spraying the sealant onto a figure or two? Plus, does the sealant make them glossy? 🐸

My MOTUC He-Man is the stickiest man in my cabinet. And almost all human boots and Hordak’s arm bands. I was told car dashboard cleaners do the trick too. Haven’t tried it yet though.

10 Year Old Kid: "I'll put these toys away in the attic." [5 years time passes.] 15 Year Old Teenager: [Yelling from the attic storage] "Mom, my old toys are sticky!" Mother: "I don't want to know! Tell your father!"

baby wipes FTW I gave all my 1980's He-Man toys (vehicles, beasts everything) to my Son. I've also bought him all the new ones in Origins. nevermind all the new articulation and brighter colors, when asked about the differences between the old and new ones he likes to tease me recalling their condition when they were brought out of storage, and he saw them for the first time. "Poppa's toys are sticky." he says. gets my goat every time, cuz I definitely washed them before I gave them to him (one at a time over the course of months). so I tickle him 😁and chase him around until we're both exhausted from laughing and exertion 🤣😂 then we probably play with Legos or slime or something while we catch our breath. LMAO "Poppa's toys are sticky" SMH you're the one who has dragons that come packaged in eggs full of slime 🤪 😂😁

Clean them with a citrus based cleaner such as Goo-Gone. It works great and seems to stop or greatly slow down them becoming sticky again.

While I was moving some figures around I noticed my two Marvel Select Sabretooth figures were super sticky. Just weird this would happen to these two figures and not the other figures stored with them in my display.

I’ve actually had some ben 10 action figures leak plasticizer, but they’re only 10-13 years old at best and were kept under my bed (not an attic or basement so it’s not ungodly hot). What’s up with that?

What do you suggest for Japanese vinyls like medicom or m- ichigo Godzilla toys? They are sofubi soft vinyl hollow rotocast cast vinyl. Usually painted with acrylic paint I believe.

Maybe using a Dremel high speed polishing bit?

Thank you for the advice. John Cleese was Q...😱😱😱... best decision ever, lol. I remember reading years ago that the arms of legs of 3¾" 70s and 80s 5POA figures had more plasticizer than the bodies, and this is why the discoloration happens at different rates. In addition, the molecular separation of the plasticizer can make the parts more brittle. Do MOTU chest and back pieces get as sticky as heads, arms, and legs?? On my second car, I needed the front bumper repainted. They never added the plasticizer to the paint, so the slightest flex in the plastic bumper caused the paint to start chipping. Plasticizer seem to be used everywhere. Again, great video.

I'm trying mod podge on a few classics. What I really want to try it out on is temple of darkness sorcereress.

Scott, to what extent is the paint chemically bound to the figures? I guess the oils go through the paint? The paint must really be stuck on there, and also porous, because I've seen a video where a guy dyes a bunch of figures right through the paint using black dye. What sorts of paint questions did you have to navigate when producing the toys in your lines?

Scott, I was wondering what sort of ill-effects you've had? You mentioned you messed up a few figures? Any "do nots" to mention with your method?

Do you know the solution when clear plastic grows cloudy? It doesn't happen over time, but usually after some contact with water - and I can't figure out how to un-cloud it, which is pretty unfortunate.

90s/00s electronics used to be cover with rubber oil for a premier feel but unopened or unused devices became so sticky

My malakeli was sticky and some of my vintage Star Wars figures are also getting small dark blemishes like mold especially on Jabba’s arm.The one in my profile picture.

None of my MOTU or other figures that I know are doing this except one which is a cheaper knock off figure. Does just touching a figure with your hands make this break down process happen faster? Does indoor light sources like lamps cause degradation? I keep all of mine out of sunlight since I know that is dangerous to plastic.

Would be much more convincing if you have an application video using all the methods that you've mentioned.

Scott can you talk about that one dc super friends toy line that came out back in 2007 because I haven’t seen a detailed video about them

Are toys that become sticky and start to degrade toxic and dangerous?

Transformers fans have been looking into this sort of thing regarding Hasbro's recent blast effects as well as certain older toys like RotF Bludgeon's soft tank treads actually _melting_ the hard plastic bits they come into contact with over prolonged periods of time. Blast effects seem to be just a stripping paint sort of deal last I checked. www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/psa-new-toy-plastic-condition-discovered-melted-soft-rubbery-parts.1107350/

My gundam plastic figures got sticky after 20years. What I do is that I put them into hot water(not boiled water) with dish wash soap. After one hour, rinse them and put them into cold water again with baking soda(the one for cleaning) for another 2hours. If it still sticky, get a product called "de-solv-it", it's from Australia. Pour a bit onto a cloth and wipe it directly onto the figures. It will remove the sticky and oil immediately like brand new toy. Though it will become the same again after 3 months. I just repeat the process. Hope it helps !

How toys get sticky Hentai toy collectors: Hey they were sticky before I got to them! And it's none of your business! ... what's that ? You mean in general? Oh ok ya I'd like to know why.

Many DC figures have some type of oil, DC direct and classics have this.

my old Spikor had the worst combination of sticky and brittle. the legs were the stickiest of all the other He-Mans I gave to my Son. when one of the corners of his spiky covering came unplugged from his neck I tried to plug it back in. his whole torso slowly started to crumble in my hands like an eggshell. ☹️

3:31: Hasbro’s trying to break its own toys! A Real Action Breaker!

It is weird because all my vintage Star wars. He man figures that are 40 year s old are perfect.

Isopronicol alcahol but vac chrome does go brittle and can be like a biscuit crushed ...now brand new toys being brittle like necca or say a green godess that's poor

how about soft squeezable and pliable plastic parts?

I just soak my MOTU figures in Armour-All and give them a good wipe down.

My 2018ish marvel legends human torch is pretty gummy, idk about sticky tho. Probably not old enough

Great information, sir. I have a few questions, though: 1. Can the natural oils from your hands exacerbate this problem? If you always handle your action figures with gloves, would it make any difference? How about climate control? 2. Do you think the formulas for action figure plastics have improved over time in this regard? 2. Since this degradation process is something people are aware of, do you think it might be feasible for toy companies to one day go the extra mile and add some sort of sealant to the plastic right off the assembly line? Thanks!

Why some plastic last so long while some (especially the japanese made) doesn’t. Prequel Star wars figures from early 00s are all sticky but my gi joes and he-man from the 80s are still perfectly fine except the leg rubber band which is a relatively easier fix

Water/acrylic based top coats are best. Avoid enamel as they dont go well with rubber. Lacquer is a 50/50. When the coat is not compatible what you get is a clear coat that never ever fully cures and will feel sticky...

Clean it as you suggested and then put it into freezer overnight.

Dip them in a polymer like rhino lining.

What's that magic too hot for toys temperature?

Washed my sectaurs a few years back and the stickiness hasn’t returned, that’s as far as I’m willing to go.

I was hoping you'd explain what a polymer was, in that it's an extremely long chain of molecules, usually hydrogen bonds, that over time, break down. It's from Greek, "Poly" meaning many, "meros", meaning "part", literally many parts. Also it's pronounced pah-la-mur, not "pa-la-meer" or "pa-la-mare". Great video though!

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And thats why Im not sure buying action figures. I had a very cool Neca Gremlin's Stripe bought in 2000s. No more than 10 years later then I found the figure sticky. But that was not the worst. Transparents conectors in shoulders broke easily and he loses the arms. i had too a Superman action figure. I cant remember who made it. It was all the time in the blister. Someday I decide open then their hands broke so easily as the gremlin arms. Oh, and my DC Direct 1/6 Superman Returns. Open but I conserve it always in the box. Then one day I found the blue color in the suit with all white. So, I have not bought more action figures but Playmobil. 70's and 80's Playmobil use to be in great condition. But now im buying Masters Origins. Im pretty afraid...