I looked and couldn't find the thread I saw a long time ago about this. Today I was cleaning my shelves and pulled out my Ken Kun and noticed all these really weird sweating marks. Has anyone else had this issue. It's very noticeable and bums me out.

are the marks damp?

Interesting.
Are you able to wipe it off?
It might be the oil from the vinyl sweating out.
You should be able to wipe it clean.

My original Kidrobot Gorillaz figures did that. I wiped them off with a soft cloth & water. It never came back.

Check inside the head - I've had figures previously with oil inside the body - could be leaking out and running down body

You live in AZ; turn on the damn AC

Here's my guess. The vinyl is weeping (this really is the technical term)...or in less technical terms, it is releasing gas and that gas condenses. If you take it apart, there is a good chance it is also damp on the inside. It can be dangerous...but only if you have a super high amount of vinyl. Pogue is a prime example...he has tons of vinyl and I'm sure he also has tons of records (I think there was a pic of his records at one point)...yet he is still living and breathing (although it might account for his constant smile and wacky demeanor at times). It is nothing to worry about. Vinyl degrades as time goes by.

You know what doesnt degrade as much ? Gold. Im buying only gold toys from now on.

I remember my pink King Kun had the same thing straight out of the clamshell packaging. I later read that it was some sort of lubricant oil that was put on figure for shipping reasons. I'm not sure if that was true, but it did come off with warm soapy water and a soft cloth.

Then again maybe it is the AZ heat!

I didn't try to wipe it off yet cause I was really scared. I'm going to pull the thing apart and clean it with a damp cloth. If the inside is really wet too I'll dry some non-abrasive, very lightly soapy water and see what happens. I'm scared!

Yeah...you don't really want to touch that without gloves.


I'm just kidding. You can just wipe it off. If you want to use some soapy water, that's fine too.

He's crying because he has a butt for a head

Booty Sweat!
I still need to watch that movie.

the head of my 1000% BxH kubrick has a tacky film over it as well. weird.

There were threads here a few times. I have vinyl that have the same problem. Usually the ones that do are the super smooth vinyl like BxH, Astroboy, etc. Not sure if its the paint etc. I know its because of the heat that is making this happen. I even have one Anraku like that. I remember using soap and warm water can wash it off but it takes patience and care. I have not tried it yet.

I have lots of records and toys. I am still alive...

I've had this with clamshell packaging and if there are 2 figures in the same package. I checked with a manufacturer or distributor and was told it was lubrication to prevent the vinyl from becoming scratched. I wiped it off, it never came back. Soapy water I think.

It's possible that the greasy stuff is mold releasing agent. This is a slick chemical that is sprayed inside the mold before the molten plastic is added. It's like non-stick Pam spray for plastics.

Normally, the pieces are washed and dried after they cool, but sometimes if a factory is in a rush, or if no paint is going to be applied to the pieces, they will skip this step. Paint doesn't stick too well to it.

yup what roger said - i had this sweating problem on a bunch of Kozik toys 3 years ago - its just release agent that is coming out - i wiped mine down twice and it stopped


good luck!

Much to my big ol' dumb chagrin, I've noticed that all of my Butanohana are oily and sticky. I have to wash them every time I dust.

i had this happen a couple times in the past with chinese made vinyl,,,wiped it away from the surface but it always came back,,never took apart the toys & cleaned the inside though (hmmmm,sounds like a good solution)....(hank,,don't be scared of your toys,,surgery & experimentation go well with vinyl)

i have never had this issue with japanese made vinyl....long live japanese vinyl!!!

strange to hear that it happened with anraku though...

I took it apart this morning. The insides and all the joints were very slimy. I wash with a very natural nonabrasive soap. They feel MUCH better now. I'm going to let them air dry over today and tomorrow and inspect again before I put it back together. Thanks for all the info you guys, I really appreciate it!

Can't speak for the Chinese stuff, but most Japanese vinyl isn't "melted" when its poured in the mold. It goes in at room temperature and is then heated up to "cure" it. Any excess is dumped out, and then it's cured again. I don't know for sure if any mold release is used (sometimes that stuff only has to be applied once for every 10 castings or so), or if any is present in the uncured, liquid vinyl, but I haven't seen any used personally.

Chinese vinyl is pretty much poured in the same way. Goes in as liquid, heat cured, and demolded.