http://www.twinpines.com/remove-zit this stuff will remove your stains but also paint so don’t get it on the shorts. I’ve used it before and can tell you with certainty it works. Bottom line is if you have a toy that comes with cloth clothing consider removing it to avoid permanent stain damage.
@JoeMan thanks! I got the same rec from @obsessedpanda yesterday and placed an order. Luckily all the staining is on blank vinyl (maybe the painted areas protected it), so it shouldn't be too tricky to apply.
Update for the curious. The remove-zit seems to reduce the stains slightly and would probably be effective with repeated applications. Unfortunately it also discoloured the vinyl in places and messed with the surface finish. I imagine it was designed with matte finish dolls in mind. Thankfully this is all not visible from the front. I will slap the cape back on him, call it a day, and pray another one of these eventually turns up.
I guess this is all part of collecting but it is still a frustration, especially as you weren’t expecting it. As you said, on the upside, the cloak hides the issue and it isn’t an issue from the front. I’ve had a couple of older pieces show up this week and one is in need of a clean. I’m going to give the erasers a try and it will be interesting to see the result.
I have been taking advantage of my shut in time (as much as possible) to do some needed toy cleaning. Am just in the midst of a second soaking for a big fella, who was - very sadly - locked up in a heavy smokers' place evidently for quite some time. One of several unfortunate 'surprises' I had when unpacking this guy. Ah well, one of the risks we take with buying vintage toys from the other side of the world. A couple long washing sessions and good scrubs with a gentle toothbrush all over (and there are a lot of nooks and crannies!). At least I hope he is happier after his bath.
Okay, Will do Rei. I haven't yet found a way for me to easily take some photos to upload, but I promise to post some here when I do. Stay tuned. I probably should have taken a before and after shot, in fact I think this all of the time in hindsight with cleaning up figures, but frankly I just want to get them cleaned soon as I can so I always forget.
As promised, some fun in-progress shots. [actually my hands were really quite sore after this, to the point where it was hard to move 'em or even type afterwards, but anyways on to the good stuff, toys!] Here you go Rei, for your (and maybe some others') enjoyment. View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram
Alas no, sorry. As I said above, my intention should have been that, but these guys are always just too excited to hop into the suds! I will however post some photos of the clean[er] version of him, when I can figure out how to do that nicely.
@ultrakaiju What a nice specimen Steve many congratulations, it looks spectacular in that bathroom for something is the king of the monsters.
Ooh thanks Steve! I can tell there's a real beauty under those suds! One day you'll grace us with snaps of the collection I hope
Got this guy yesterday and cleaned him today and noticed these pock marks under the chin and elsewhere. Is this the dreaded vinyl mold?
No, those are just air bubbles. Super common in vintage pieces due to manufacturing limitations of the time. The whole vinyl mold thing is a myth, it's just embedded dirt.
It’s not some kind of decomposition? Air release? There’s a couple spots on the head that look kind of melty, like the vinyl is becoming textured in a weird way.
No, what youre showing are just air bubbles. Not sure what youre describing. If its a stickiness on the surface, thats the plasticizer used to make it soft leaking out. That can be cleaned off easily.
As others have mentioned, the tiny air bubbles are very common on vintage vinyl toys. I have some with hundreds on the surface, and others with thousands visible just below the surface. They are usually more visible on the interiors of the joints. It seems to be a common occurrence due to lower quality production methods.
Before: It was very dirty from the body and especially from the clothes, as well as wrinkled. So I chose to clean the clothing and helmet with a clorox wipe and the body with warm water and a little dish soap. After: It looks better after cleaning, but I also need to give to the clothes an un-wrinkle.
Hi, I'm new here but thanks to all who have contributed on this thread. Great reading. I recently picked up a Vintage Dark Blue Red Eye Bullmark Goji with really nice paint. It isn't "sticky" per se but is slighty tacky when you press and hold your fingers to the figure. I saw some mentions earlier in this thread that this is kind of normal for these early Bullmark pieces. Is that true? Seems a bit risky to scrub down (gently) this piece of the slightly tacky feeling won't go away. Moving towards collecting more vintage so would be great if that is just something collectors accept. Any thoughts?
You can try giving it a warm bath with some mild dish soap (no scrubbing). I've washed a very valuable vintage piece this way with no noticeable damage to the paint. It didn't completely eliminate the issue but it did help a bit.
@Radin Welcome. The stickiness can be cleaned with straight blue Dawn dishwashing liquid. Ive cleaned several figure this way with no issue.