Damaged rubber hot toys figures

[rjb79]

The Comedian was the first Hot Toys figure I bought. I recently opened him because I decided I'm never going to sell him. I have over 100 Hot Toys figures and some other random brands in 1/6 scale. My figure is ruined. There is oil down his arms, neck, chest, back. Any piece of the vest touching the plastic harness is melting and oily. His vest melted into his back. I tried cleaning the oil up but it doesn't stop. It can't be cleaned or fixed. This figure was stored in the box, directly from Sideshow since it was released. I have the Keaton Batman and there are no issues. If you look under the suit, there is a layer between the suit and the body. The belt can cause problems if its left on and may start to warp the suit. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it isn't real. Some people think they know everything.

 

[popcorn]

My one and only experience was with the Rambo 3. The rubber started ripping at the elbows(they were posed holding a M60). Then for no reason one wrist joint and 1 thigh joint just snapped. It wasn't reposed, moved or anything. I noticed the one hand was dangling and while checking it discovered the thigh was loose. Haven't had any issues since as for now I refuse to buy from them.
I have an old soft vinyl face hugger with wire from the 80's that has been posed several times with no wear or deterioration.

 

[Sassafras]

but rubber dries out and cracks over time.Sometimes sooner,sometimes later

Hot Toys needs to Sculpt their Arms on figures and move away from using rubber because it doesn't last.Even if you don't pose it,over time the rubber still dries out and breaks when you pose it.The rubber arms are even more useless if you can't pose your figure in a dynamic pose.You're better off just buying a statue if you don't want to pose your figures

A lot of folks don't like long posts so there's an article link below for those interested. Am a newbie but by the time I sourced my first WS figure had sad pics of an Indiana Jones PF's pleather jacket spontaneously cracking and peeling in my head. So am always looking at my WSs suspiciously. Re "rubber" arms/joints the thing for me is there are Barbies, toy cars, etc. years old w. "rubber" components that work/feel as good as new.

So never would have given "rubber" a thought re "toys" until I was collecting 1:6 and reading more. Lots of discussion here and there including what a good "life span" of an HT is anyway and how long will all those Funko POPs last etc. Complaints from Lego collectors of Lego seemingly shifting to a cheaper plastic than what was used years ago.

There's just no way to know the quality of rubber/plastic/vinyl these companies use AND everyone has different display conditions re humidity etc. For me, at this point, I'd be very uncomfortable w. a "rubber" 1:6 body and it's a reason to avoid Thor - for me - unless I can get a spare jointed body$$$ and switch out. Doesn't help that HT apparently doesn't help customers w. oiling/fading/cracking problems?


Posted the link to this article before, but:

Natural and synthetic rubber, and plastic deteriorate continuously. It is, therefore, important for custodians of collections to be aware that by properly controlling the agents of deterioration, the lifetime of these materials can be extended.

Like all organic materials, rubber and plastic deteriorate in different ways at rates that vary widely and that are unpredictable. Deterioration may be chemical, caused by oxidation or hydrolysis, or may be physical, or biological. These processes may cause changes in the chemical composition, physical properties, and appearance of these materials. Vapours harmful to other objects may be released, and exudations or accretions may appear on the surfaces of plastic and rubber objects.

For example, the strength and flexibility of rubber may change. It may become brittle, hard, or cracked, or it may soften and become spongy, or sticky. Plastics may lose strength, and, at the same time, become brittle, crack and shrink with age. Rubber and plastic surfaces may be altered by cracking, developing chalky or dusty surfaces, or becoming sticky.

https://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1439925170961