Sticky plastic?

[Lior Knight]

I've just noticed that my entire deluxe series 3 figures got really sticky, as if the plastic is soaked in something even though I kept them underclass, not under direct sunlight and kept them clean.

Tried soaking them in soapy water but that didn't change anything. And the weird part is that every other figures in my collection are just fine.

Any idea how to remove this stickiness?

[willbueche]

The stickiness is the plastic softeners (usually the phthalates DINP and DEHP) leeching from the plastic (or vinyl).

I don't know of any way to stop this.

Try not to lick them, as the softeners are poisonous.

[willbueche]

I searched for ways to address the sweating out of the plasticizers (the plastic softeners) and seen comments from others who searched for solutions, and the consensus seems to be there is no way to stop this. Some people suggest wiping the figures with Q-tips, to help get rid of the moisture and minimize dust sticking to the stickiness. The softeners don't evaporate very well unless you're in a really dry environment (like Arizona) so it may take years for them to sweat it all out. And when they do, the plastic that remains will become brittle.

This is also why when you first take figures out of their shell (their box), they stink. That smell is the plastic softeners (and sometimes the paint, but mostly, the plastic softeners) that have evaporated into the air in the shell. The fumes are toxic, which I mention not to scare but because every once and awhile you hear of some action figure fan who likes to sniff up that poisonous air. Don't do that.

And the weird part is that every other figures in my collection are just fine.

Different factories, different ingredients in the plastic. DST jumped around from factory to factory. Also, more pliable figures (like the deluxe line) use more softeners than less pliable figures.

[willbueche]

bit.ly/aUTveL

[Lior Knight]

I see. Well thanks for the info, willbueche.