hey guys, so i just cleaned out my grandmother's old storage shed in preparation to move and i found a LOT of old toys. vintage star wars, transformers and real ghostbusters. however, a lot of the ghosts from the ghostbusters figures are sticky. i am assuming it's because my mom smoked in our house, although i am not for certain. the same thing happened with a bunch of old he-man guys i sold. they were all sticky. anyhow, i plan on selling these to help fund my move to los angeles (with the price of gas the way it is, i may be selling some kidneys, too!), so, here's the question: how do i get rid of it? furthermore, should i even bother? is it something collectors of old figures just assume they're going to have to deal with? the guy that bought all my motu figures didnt say a word about it.

A good friend has tried this product and was greatly impressed by the results. YMMV

http://www.twinpines.com/Catalog.html?V ... ryID=00003

awesome. thanks, vader. hopefully i can get a bottle of that pretty quick. what does ymmv mean?

Your Mileage May Vary

In other words, it worked for him, your results may be different.

ah, gotcha.

Have you tried using a sock?

you mean just wiping them off with something? i soaked a few of them in peroxide, and then wiped them off with a napkin. that helped a little, but not much.

Thanks for the heads up on this, Pete. I think I'll get some. A fair amount of the vintage figures I get come a bit sticky. Sometimes just soap and water works, but now always.
Love this:

You're welcome, guys. Would be nice to see some before-and-after pics



Toys that might have been used as murder weapons still need to be cleaned

sticky toys are usually the result of a breakdown in the chemical bonds of the plastic itself.

it is an irreversible process, and the toy is destined to destabilize until it is a toxic goop.

this is the destiny of all of our plastic toys, unfortunately.

nothing can stop it, but storage in a cool, dry place will prolong the life of your toys.

I always use a very simple method that's never let me down. if the figures are merely plastic with no springs or metal parts or anything, I simply let them soak in hot water briefly. The water makes the plastic less rigid and more susceptible to cleaning. And then I proceed in gently scrubbing them with an old, worn toothbrush (with very soft bristles to make it easy on the paint) and then going over them with a wet washcloth. if the figures contain metal or whatnot, skip the soaking and just focus on the scrubbing and wiping for a bit longer, I've made very filthy Thundercats, He-Man and Star Wars figures (among others) shine like new pennies with this simple, and cheap method. Also, a dab of toothpaste can also come in handy.