to clean or not to clean?

saw a box of magic eraser at the store, and figured why not?
I didn't go too hard on them, but they cleaned up nicely. especially the lion maru and tiger 7, both of which were filthy when I got them.

Good to see the gold spray, which is notorious for fading, on the Tiger 7 shined up nicely.

Wow, big improvements. This has really enticed me to run out and get one. They look great!

Looks like it works, can you put a photo of the product?
Best regards!

thanks guys, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. alebrije here's what it looks like:

it's basically just a sponge, but it works wonders! haha and they are pretty cheap from amazon if you can't find them in stores

thanks guys, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. alebrije here's what it looks like:

it's basically just a sponge, but it works wonders! haha and they are pretty cheap from amazon if you can't find them in stores

chimmychazzthanks for the info!
Best regards!

Be careful with magic erasers. I dunno about toys but they can take paint of walls. Basically theyre made up of tiny tiny spikes that are so minute theyre soft to the touch and they scrape the blemish off a surface

I recently bought an unopened Mach Baron set for a really good price, but... when I received it I was dissapointed...



I have bought plenty of dirty MIP/MIB toys before, with a bit of a clean and they shine up nicely in most cases but this had a mold inside the blister. There were no openings .. sealed. So I had to open it up ... Bahh!




I cleaned these guys with alcohol free nail polish remover (only briefly wiping over the painted parts as it will take the paint if you wipe too hard depending on the brand of toy) and then with hot soapy water and a toothbrush inside and out and they came up a treat .. the mold looks like its eaten away at some of the silver paint on Walter UO but not the vinyl thank the gods.

I recently bought an unopened Mach Baron set for a really good price, but... when I received it I was disappointed...

Isn't this just the worst feeling though, Scott? I mean, even worse than missing out on an excellent toy, is getting something that isn't what you expected. Because of shoddy photos, poor or nonexistent descriptions, I, too, have had this happen on a few occasions, and I always find it heartbreaking. On the one hand, yes, you get what you were so hoping for, but the disappointment in receiving something damaged or not as described sucks all the excitement and happiness out of the purchase. This is especially dangerous when buying vintage toys, as there are going to be more conditional issues creep in (paint damage, loose joints, marker, non-original parts, cigarette smell, etc.). And when you have shelled out a lot of hard-earned money for one of these toys, it is doubly sad. Anyways, this just touches a soft spot for me, and there are a lot of toys that have become sort of 'tainted' by bad experiences in this way. I actually buy a lot of old and 'junk' toys, but knowing it makes all the difference [not to mention the price]. And I sure have spend a lot of elbow grease in my time on my 'new' vintage toys.

But, moving that aside, superb figures Scott! They did indeed clean up very well, you can't even tell there was damage from my perspective (again, something that will always be in your mind though). The MB looks spiffy and brand new. So lovely. And I didn't know he has a sword accessory; he can't hold it though right, in that sculpt version? Anyhow, congratulations are in order on both of those fellows, even if they required a bit of work.

Ha Thanks Steve! - I actually got these guys after we had talked about the same set on madarake for 20k more.. It was a crime not to buy it right ? they did scrub up perfectly but I had a sinking feeling looking at them at first, and really wanted to keep it MIP.

There were quite a few old robos like mazingers and getters and I think I even have a zarborger set somewhere with a sword - you can often see robos at auction that have a hole punched into a hand for the sword by the previous owner.

That Mach Baron cleaned up extremely well!

ive tried the nail polish remover and it's good on scuffs but I usually over work it and ruin the sheen on the figure. Same with magic erasers. Used it lightly and it took off the sheen and left some gnarly marks. went back to just spot cleaning the outside with a damp rag. I've avoided bathing the figure because I worry that water would get trapped inside and wouldn't be able to let it dry properly without taking it apart.

What I'm wondering is, is it fine to soak the figure without taking it apart? Also, if I were to take it apart, is there a proper method? I used to take apart softer figures until I snapped an arm off a Barom figure

I usually do soak figures freely, especially vintage ones. If there is any/a lot of water that gets inside, I will pop off one of the limbs usually - not a bad idea anyways, to clean out the innards as well, particularly if the joints are loose. A lot of my toys have seen their fair amount of play though, I get how this is not for everybody. To really ease up the process, just use a hairdryer. You can't really overwork it, but always be careful nonetheless. But even vintage vinyl will soften right up typically and you can 'pop' out joints with relative ease. If you are worried, or the figure is delicate, sure, avoid the bath. In most cases I think you can garner it from examining the toy on a case-by-case basis to judge how much you can work it. And, if worst come to worst and you get some water inside but can't get it out easily, I would still use a hairdryer to heat it up as much as possible (I have done this with hard to dry areas like inside tails) and make sure that you can give it time to dry out with plenty of air. Shouldn't be any problems then.