Get Rid of Black Spots Action Figure Plastic

I have heard (and seen) that the third series of classic ThunderCats figures are notorious for getting discoloration spots.
I was wondering, has anyone had any experience with these? If you have discolored figures, has it gotten worse over time? I have also read online (about various pvc toys) that some collectors speculate that the discoloration (some have said it's a kind of mold), can spread to other figures?

I would love to hear some perspective on this. I found a Captain Cracker that I am hesitant to place with the rest of my collection because of his chicken pox.

Thanks!
Some may have more experience than myself, but I chime in...
I believe that it is possible for them to get worse over time. As far as I know it is not a type of mold, but rather the plastics breaking down over time. Base on this I dont think that it would spread between figures and from my experience have not seen this happen.

I would be interested on other opinions on this though.
Wilycub Staff Writer and Artist TC.org Staff

I once asked my good friend "Originalthundercatroar" about the discoloration and she told me that it is mainly due to the quality/type of plastic that was used to manufacture the toys in Series 3. There are some chemical reactions which take place in the plastic over time (evaporation and release of free radicals) which cause the discoloring spots to appear.
Some people feel that the reaction is caused by exposure to sunlight but many collectors who have never exposed their toys to the sun still show the discoloration. I've seen even MOC figures with spots. Bengali and Pumyra are the most prone to developing spots.

I honestly don't think that it is some sort of mold or fungus so I don't think that it would spread from figure to figure. But then again, I am no expert!
I, partly, agree with Adsse here. It's the type of plastic that was used or rather the balance between the hardeners and softeners. I do believe it could get worse over time; there is no real way to know for sure if it's "done", only time will tell, I guess. The "Filmation" Ghostbuster figures by Schaper, which are really gummi, are notorious for having plastic-pox.
I have close to 700 ThunderCats figures and only 3 have these plastic-pox;
2 Panthro's, both from the UK and 1 Safari Joe. These figures are displayed with the "healthy" figures with no problems
Wilycub Staff Writer and Artist TC.org Staff
I thought I read somewhere that a good cleaning can help in removing these spots. That's not to say that it won't show up again, but some collectors who have noticed some of their figures plastic start breaking down by becoming sticky gave them a good cleaning and that seamed to do the trick. Now, I don't know if the plastic becoming sticky and spot issues are coincide with one another but it's worth a try, no?
Awesome.
Thank you all for the information and posting your experiences.
I think I am going to add him to the mix! ^_^
I've seen a lot of BenGali's & Pumyra's (and Jaga's for that matter) on various auction and collection sites that have plastic-pox, so your not alone buddy..In my experience the "stickiness" is indeed removable with a good cleaning with an enzym-catalysor, also called soap :D I've never been succesful in removing the spots, I think its because the spots are IN the plastic and not ON TOP of it. Great! Be sure to post your collection in the Collectors Thread!:
Wilycub Staff Writer and Artist TC.org Staff
I concede to not being able to clean them off either and also believe it is because it "is" the plastic. I have always been curious to see a cross section of one of these figures to see for sure if these spots occur all the way through the plastic or if it has to do with an interaction with air or perhaps some substance put on the outside during production.
Just want to throw my 2 cents in on this and hopefully explain why this happens to certain toys and not others. Most plastics used in toys are made from PVC or ABS, which typically degrade very easily, especially when exposed to UV light or heat. Companies use mixtures of chemicals to produce these plastics and use catalysts in the mixtures that would slow the degradation process. Sometimes the chemicals are not mixed properly or disproportionately and it leaves spots that are suseptable to UV rays, Heat or other elements that degrade plastic. This is why you'll have "chicken pox" discoloration or a Bengali with a perfect body and a Bengali that has a yellowed chest. It doesn't even take much UV light to affect an exposed plastic. It's kind of like a virus, once it starts it spreads fast. Sorry had to nerd out a little bit.....hope that helps you guys out. : Oh yeah and it can't spread from figure to figure. I just meant it spreads over the affected part. It also won't spread from chest to arm unless both were cast from defective plastic. That being said any plastic will degrade over time if exposed to direct sun or excessive heat for extended periods of time.
Yeah, that sums up what I meant. Interesting stuff though, thanks for the insight.
Agreed!
I can't take the credit for that really. I know someone that works in Hazard waste for a toy company and he explained to me why that happened a while back.
Wilycub Staff Writer and Artist TC.org Staff
Would it be possible to coat your Series 3 figures with some sort of clear-coat finish to protect them from the Thunder Pox? Do they make mat clear-coat (as opposed to the shiny stuff that I doubt you would want to use)?
I am in the process of dispaying my figures in a display case that flood the interior with light from halogen bulbs. The wikipedia page for Halogen lamps states that "a halogen lamp produces a continuous spectrum of light, from near ultraviolet to deep into the infrared." As it is only "near" the ultraviolet range I'm hoping my figures don't disintegrate. I also believe you can buy filter screens to put over the bulbs to remove any UV portion of the spectrum from getting through. I am just going to have to keep my display case away from any windows.
Sob story: I put my absolutely c10 mint Pumyra in storage (in a light-proof container, stored in a dark closet) about 5 years ago. When I brought her out to display recently I discovered that her legs had been infected. I do not believe it could have been exposed to any light while in storage, but I live in Oklahoma and it routinely gets blazing hot in the summer. Watch your storage temperatures, as well as your lighting conditions.
I want to say as a toy collector, an anal OCD moc collector at that! This is one problem that worries me. The break down of the plastic and the figures presentation starts to become compromised. This will probably affect the resale value, if one does decide to sell and honestly, I feel like it can cause disinterest in the figure and hobby altogether.
And what's the deal with those crazy overpriced graded pieces on eBay? I can't understand anyone buying a graded afa 85 figure for $1500, only to watch it decay in the next few years. We should all e-mail them in hopes of lower prices lol!
And Saint Doyle, sorry to hear. I have had a few minty items myself which started to turn.

Last edited: Nov 19, 2013
Interesting thought, the only issue with your idea is that you would have to sand your figures so the clear coat could bond to the figure, otherwise it would chip away pretty quickly. You could possibly use a very high grit sandpaper, but the resale value would be shot. That sucks....I hate hearing stories like this. Especially with a figure that's harder to findI am terrified by this, I've spent so much money on my collection that it would kill me if it just crumbles into dust....... especially my prototype collection
If anything, I think the prototypes would not suffer from the same fate since they are not made of the same material the action figures are. I think they are made of a resin mix as opposed to plastic so I doubt they would degrade.
Sadly resin, while more durable than straight plastic, will still degrade over time. It is already fragile but gets more susceptible to damage over time. resin is also sensitive to UV light and very sensitive to heat. In the end though nothing lasts forever and we will most likely be long gone before our collections turn to complete dust