Hot Toys Iron Man Fade Issue

[Ailanthus]

Here ya go
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN7kxfaBlcw[/ame]

 

[Dollmanron]

Thanks for the video, I don't think any of mine have gotten that bad, really I only notice a color difference when I put them under bright light which I keep them out of at all times. If I ever do have to repaint them I'll know now.

 

[toyrewind]

How do you remove the pink underwear? Isn't it glued to the plastic part with the ball joint?

 

[octo]

I only have a slight fade on my "panties" but I think I'm going to try a repaint.

I came across this blog: https://www.beckycustomizer.com/category/16-scales/hot-toys/

To my eyes it looks like a perfect color match

She doesn't recommend using a clear coat because it will crack when the rubber is flexed.

I've also noticed I have a few scratches on the gold paint of the upper arms. I'm considering touching these areas up. People making full size Iron Man armor seem to agree that Dupli-Color Gold Sunburst Metallic is a close match to the "actual" Mk IV and VI. I don't know how close it will match to the Hot Toys gold color but it looks close enough to me and I'm going to try it.

I'll report back later when I'm done.

 

[Lejuan]

She doesn't recommend using a clear coat because it will crack when the rubber is flexed.

They're undies. How exactly do you expect them to be flexing?

Actually, I'm not sure I wanna know.

 

[octo]

They're undies. How exactly do you expect them to be flexing?

Actually, I'm not sure I wanna know.

If you just keep your figure in a standard standing pose yeah they won't be flexing, however if you move the legs at all it is going to flex the panties/undies.

In fact I've read members here stating they've gotten creases or warpage in the panties from leaving the figure in an action pose for extended periods.

If you look at the link I provided she got a perfect color match with a glossy finish without using a gloss coat.

However the key to that finish is the wet coat's she did, and I'm a little suspect that finish could crack from repeated stress as well. I won't be using the same brand of paint she used, and instead I'll be using Tamiya.

To add to the discussion of why this is happening, it's pretty obvious that Hot Toys did a candy cote. A base of metallic silver with a top coat of clear red. For whatever reason the clear red is fading, and more of the silver base is showing through which gives the color a more pink tint.

 

[toyrewind]

What paint thinner should be used? Enamel or Acrylic?

 

[octo]

I haven't removed any paint from a figure yet, but I would try acrylic thinner first. After all we're talking about Hot Toys here I would imagine they use acrylic paint on these figures, or at most a lacquer based paint.

The beckycustomizer blog seems to be suggesting lacquer thinners, but that might be because that's the type of paint she prefers to use.

I read on a different thread someone used an enamel based thinner and it did some damage to the rubber. However the damage just seemed to be a matte finish of the rubber, and may not have even been damage at all.

Either way I'd start with the most mild thinner first, (Acrylic) and if that doesn't work try a lacquer thinner. Are you going to be repainting, or clear coating the rubber with no paint?

 

[toyrewind]

I want to try the method from the link you posted.

Do you know an acrylic paint that matches what she used?
Also, do you know any cheap but reliable airbrush for a beginner?

Got zero experience on painting but would like to try this.

 

[octo]

Well personally I'm gonna try spray paint first, the mist and wet coat method can be achieved with spray paint the same as an airbrush. In fact people who do this method on auto models prefer spray paint over an airbrush for this technique.

For that I would suggest Tamiya spray paint, it goes on very smooth, and dries very quickly.

For the silver base Tamiya - Mica Silver TS-76 looks like it would be a match.

For the red use Tamiya - TS-74 Clear Red.

You can even take it one step further and get Tamiya polishing compounds to really get the paint to look wet and glossy.

After that you can use a Tamiya fine tipped flat black paint marker to fill in the panel lines.

However if you're still interested in going the airbrush route I can suggest some entry level stuff.

 

[Lejuan]

Mine hasn't faded yet and fingers crossed it remains that way - but it almost seems inevitable given the material and how they painted it in the first place.

Mine's also been in a neutral pose since new, so no undies flexing there. If/when I see they've faded I'll definitely use the spray paint as a first option.

 

[Lejuan]

...if not repainting, any thoughts on using a wax on the bare red rubber instead of a clear coat?

 

[octo]

I would be really careful with that. A lot of those compounds that claim to be safe for use on plastic/rubber/vinyl end up causing damage over time. With no paint layer acting as a buffer if the compound you use ends up being too hot, you're screwed.

 

[Invictus Sol]

I'm a little astonished that even some of the most recent Mks have this fading issue with the cod piece or neck. I've been holding off on buying an Iron Man until they get that fixed but looks to be a perennial issue, in which case I'll stick with my SV War Machine and Monger for X number of years until it's definitively resolved. No excuse for this kind of issue considering the expense.

 

[Lejuan]

I would be really careful with that. A lot of those compounds that claim to be safe for use on plastic/rubber/vinyl end up causing damage over time. With no paint layer acting as a buffer if the compound you use ends up being too hot, you're screwed.

Thanks for the hot tip

 

[octo]

I'm a little astonished that even some of the most recent Mks have this fading issue with the cod piece or neck. I've been holding off on buying an Iron Man until they get that fixed but looks to be a perennial issue, in which case I'll stick with my SV War Machine and Monger for X number of years until it's definitively resolved. No excuse for this kind of issue considering the expense.

While I know this has been discussed ad nauseum on these boards, I can't help myself. I used to feel the same way about Hot Toys, and in an ideal world I would expect nothing less than perfection from these figures.

However they're made by human beings, in what is most likely less than ideal situations. I've learned over time that if anything, you should always expect some sort of QC issue from your Hot Toys figure.

Yet I feel the fading undies on Iron Man figures is not that big of a deal. Mine at least are barely faded, and would only bother a perfectionist such as myself. It's really a simple fix, and yes I know I have to spend more money on a figure that, ideally shouldn't have this problem. But at least I can fix it, and if the need ever arises I can fix it again or even completely repaint the entire figure. The same can't be said for some of the QC issues on other figures. I'm not going to get into that, but it's safe to say that other Hot Toys releases have issues that take more than a little paint to fix. What I'm saying here is that if anything the Hot Toys Iron Man line is the safest bet of getting an issue free figure.

In the end I think that people fall into 1 of 3 camps when it comes to Hot Toys. Those that are aware of the QC issues, and learn to live with them, those that are willing to attempt fixes to the QC issues, and those that demand perfection and are unwilling to fix or live with QC issues. Of course there's people somewhere in between, and people new to the scene who are unaware too.

As I've seen many say these figures are mass produced, and it's unrealistic to think we would ever live to see the day where a new Hot Toys release has no QC issues whatsoever. As expensive as they may be, the cost would be 10x higher if they were spending the kind of attention to detail that would result in issue free figures.

 

[toyrewind]

Thanks for the tip octo!

Are going to use the same paints (tamiya) with your repaint? Can't wait for you to post your results.

 

[mrclean08]

I noticed that on my older Mark Suit figures where I left the silica packs inside the box, the figures had fading issues. And the ones where I somehow removed the silica packs, there were no fading issues. Upon receiving my Mark IV, V, and VI, I immediately threw away the silica packs as soon as I received those.

I just re-inspected my IV, V, and VI this evening and none have faded at all.

 

[mrclean08]

I just looked at my Mark III BD in storage. I find it strange that the the "panties" section did not fade like the abs/torso section. They seem to be made of the same similar flexible material.

 

[Hound]

My MK IV neck is fading, the panties only show some when exposed to a flash from a camera.