Any Bubble Optimists out there?

Awl Skulkerkey

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Below I have found some old forum quotes relating to this topic. Which do you believe!?

[1.In a temperature and light controlled environment a carded figure could last a thousand years].

[2.Cards damage, bubbles yellow. They're also more brittle, chemically they're deteriorating and becoming unstable].

I'm proud to say I have faith in the Force and believe our Vintage MOC Figures will be just fine but what does everyone else think?
 

Section 8

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I think they would survive a real long time so long as they are kept out of direct sunlight and away from any serious temperature variations like in an attic or over a radiator.

With the different types of bubble, obviously some will do better than others. It's already clear than some bubble are more prone to yellowing than others.

We'll all be long dead when the last ever fully sealed figure breaths fresh air.
 

yoda

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Awl Skulkerkey said:
Below I have found some old forum quotes relating to this topic. Which do you believe!?

[1.In a temperature and light controlled environment a carded figure could last a thousand years].

Sorry I find this bizarre who quoted this? It's beyond impossible to prove.

In the cold light of day though it could be possible!
 

Wreck-It Ralph

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I think it is fare to say I am about as bubble pessimistic as you can be! After just over a month of collecting and a significant expenditure I read a post on Rebelscum talking about the weight of the figure contributing/causing the bubble to fall off when the MOC is stored vertically sending me into a panic. Thankfully I was calmed down by the logical words of a forum member but since then I store all my MOC flat in boxes.
 

Wreck-It Ralph

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Is Sunlight and Temperature Variations the real Danger to Bubbles or Man?

I think you will find AFA are responsible for far more permanent bubble damage than Sunlight or Temperature Variations!
 

subzero

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If kept in a GW Acrylic case I wonder if fitting in a small block of ( acid free ) foam underneath the bubble would take the pressure of gravity off the bubble and support it?

Would that be worth doing or just a waste of time?
 

SublevelStudios

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Gus Lopez addressed this at Celebration last year. He's had mint, ex shop stock figures tucked away in a dark closet for years. They discoloured over time just as badly as one that had seen the light of day. There are also cases of people opening sealed stock, like Hoth Wampas expecting to find pristine examples to U Grade etc... and they're just as yellow.
 

subzero

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SublevelStudios said:
Gus Lopez addressed this at Celebration last year. He's had mint, ex shop stock figures tucked away in a dark closet for years. They discoloured over time just as badly as one that had seen the light of day. There are also cases of people opening sealed stock, like Hoth Wampas expecting to find pristine examples to U Grade etc... and they're just as yellow.

Iv'e actually seen several MOC figures where the limbs are yellowed, what bothers me though is how my MOC Death Star Droid has a couple of light surface scratches on the legs..... :cry:
 

Dannywhiteley

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Direct sunlight is obviously a killer with regards to UV exposure and print fade on the cards themselves, but those sealed yellow bubbles have been subject to high doses on heat and humidity, the two real enemies of carded figures.

Think about it, heat speeds up all chemical reactions, it's a fact of science. So bubbles are bound to degrade and become brittle far faster in a hot, humid climate than a cool, dryer climate. Plastics later in the series (Jedi/ POTF) yellow quicker, I once read due to poorer quality plastic (as a result of the oil crisis), but I always found European carded figures tended to fair better on average than the majority of US/Australian carded figures where generally it's hotter/more humid. This is especially true if they are sat sealed in an unvented box in a hot attic/storeroom for 30+ years.

Fwiw, how long has plastic been around? About a 100 years. How old are the oldest plastic things that remain in existence? Not that old. Cardboard is less of a concern, there are old paper parchments that are thousands of years old still existing today in pretty good condition.
 

Dannywhiteley

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subzero said:
SublevelStudios said:
Gus Lopez addressed this at Celebration last year. He's had mint, ex shop stock figures tucked away in a dark closet for years. They discoloured over time just as badly as one that had seen the light of day. There are also cases of people opening sealed stock, like Hoth Wampas expecting to find pristine examples to U Grade etc... and they're just as yellow.

Iv'e actually seen several MOC figures where the limbs are yellowed, what bothers me though is how my MOC Death Star Droid has a couple of light surface scratches on the legs..... :cry:

I wouldn't worry. Have you ever seen the factory production films with the huge bins of figures waiting to be put on cards? The production line workers didn't handle these things with white gloves, they were literally just tossed in the bubbles. DSD with his vac metal coating is far more likely to get scratched though than a regular plastic figure.
 

spoons

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Was thinking just the same - these weren't handled carefully in factories

IMG_4556.JPG
 

subzero

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Wow! :shock:

I had a feeling it was just the way the workers handled the figures, but didn't think they'd have had thousands sitting in a pallet, imagine the weight on top of the little guys right at the bottom lol. Iv'e worked in plastic injection moulding factories years ago and the standards are pretty high now, if it's chromed plastic that will be on display to the end consumer where the aesthetics are important then each piece goes into individual compartments in a plastic tray, not chucked into a pallet.

Maybe things are still the same today with toys though?.. iv'e never worked in a toy factory so i'm not sure.
 

Awl Skulkerkey

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yoda said:
Awl Skulkerkey said:
Below I have found some old forum quotes relating to this topic. Which do you believe!?

[1.In a temperature and light controlled environment a carded figure could last a thousand years].

Sorry I find this bizarre who quoted this? It's beyond impossible to prove.

In the cold light of day though it could be possible!

Previous forum post below:-
 

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subzero

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I still have a Trotec dehumidifier unit from when I used to collect & store comics a while back, which could be useful for the paranoid collector lol, it removes excess moisture out of the air and collects the water in a tank.

Moisture is actually your worst enemy on colder days, as the colder the air is the less ability it has to contain the water in it, so it condenses out of the air and into all the materials in the room, your collectables literally soak up the moisture, then when you get a hot dry day it releases back out of the materials, that constant change over time is what adds to the degradation, along with UV and heat changes.

But using a unit to stabilise the moisture level would reduce the huge 'ups & downs' that damage collectibles and give them more life hopefully.
 

Awl Skulkerkey

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Dannywhiteley said:
Think about it, heat speeds up all chemical reactions, it's a fact of science. So bubbles are bound to degrade and become brittle far faster in a hot, humid climate than a cool, dryer climate. This is especially true if they are sat sealed in an unvented box in a hot attic/storeroom for 30+ years.

In response I'm worried. How/where is the best, most common, convenient way of storing MOC if not in Starcases flat in a box with a lid in the attic? I must admit it does get hot up there in the summer :!:
 

subzero

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If you have one with a hose connection on it you can run it so the hose runs outside into a drain, no need for any emptying :wink:

Obviously though the downside to using one 24/7 is the electricity cost... ouch!

I'd love one of those climate controlled archive rooms like in The Davinci Code :lol:
 

Dannywhiteley

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I have an old house that is quite damp at times in the year. I have a dehumidifier running constantly in my small collection room and it pulls about 2 litres a week out of the air. It's ridiculous. I'd not be able to collect without it, I've seen condensation on the inside of my cabinets and believe me it shits you up big time. It's definitely worth paying for the extra electricity.
 
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