Palantirion

- I appreciate the help, and the direction. Hopefully a mod can move the thread to the right place. Apologies. That kit does look VERY much like my figure. Although in the instructions pic the sleaves are shown rolled up. But in the pics is looks right. Thank you VERY much for this link!

*Subscribed* Looking forward to see your work...

Very nicely done!

I thought there was a forum section here for Evangelion, but perhaps I was mistaken. But I know many of us on MacrossWorld are also knowledgeable about Evangelion. As this concerns a toy I am placing the thread here. No offense meant. I need help identifying this figure of Misato. The seller on eBay didn't know jack about it, and I didn't pay much. It was listed as "Misato S3 Resin Statue”. It is somewhat heavy, cold to the touch and appx. 1/7 scale. It bugs me to not know where it came from, as I keep good records of my collections. If anyone can help I would appreciate it.

Hello, I searched through threads but did not discern if there was a concensus on a current fair price for the Hi-Metal Regult Missle two-pack. I'm not sure if the missed the buying window. It's hard to find many to comp right now.

Oops, well thanks for the re-direct.

So i didn't already see a thread about it. What can we expect? It's an unusual scale for a toy, unually 1/72 are model kits. I am not familiar with the company's history. https://hlj.com/product/kzc10028 Might go great with my Yamato destroids!

Well, AAA is completely useless. Was bounced around to a few different departments until I got a local office that basically told me to pound sand. Every item would need to be appraised, as opposed to only higher value items. So that's a deal breaker. Was also told that my homeowners personal property coverage is not a blanket amount but subdivided into categories and each has limits - very low limits. And collectibles as a category are more covered at all, despite obivously being personal property. Americancollectors answered their phone, and was easy to deal with. Their quote seems a bit high, but I need to get others. Collectinsure didn't pick up their phone, presuably it was after hours but their message didn't say what time zone they are in or what their hours are. I'll try them tomorrow.

-Thanks, I'll give them a call. Any tips? Things I should ask/avoid? And have you had to file any claims with them? How did they perform?

Hey guys. My collection has increased to the point where I believe it prudent to aquire insurance beyond my homeowner's personal property coverage (AAA). What insurance options are there for collections? My concerns revolve mostly around protecting the replacement value of the items, which means not depreciating them out of step with the market but indexing reasonable appreciation. What companies best understand this?

Awesome!!!

*subscribed* Great work so far!

BAAAAAD ASSSSSS! Congrats on this work of art.

A follow-up question: With regard to older plastic toys (like Takaras from the '80s), would it be better to store them in their original styrofoam or bubble-wrapped inside large plastic baggies? My concern is that the styrofoam may break down faster and it's chemicals could accellerate the aging of the toys' plastics.

-Off the top of my head I can think of several automotive lubricants that would be excellent at moisturizing rubber (and silicone). But that doesn't necessarily mean they would be safe to any applied paints. I'll look up the vid and see if it's useful. Thanks for the suggestion. *Update* I had two registers installed in my attic, and reconfigured my a/c scheduling. I am currently studying the temperature differentials between attic, house and ambient. The effect of the registers has been significant so far, in our moderately warm weather. Hopefully next week will be fairly hot so I will get a new range of data.

-Thanks, that was an interesting read. Although if I am not mistaken it pertains only to non-painted ABS. how much of our toys are made of ABS, vs PVC or other plastic compounds? -Good point about heat cycles vs. dissimilar materials. In the case of my garage: it has cars in it. I know this is a weird concept but our house is an exception in our neighborhood. Here's what I found out about... Plastics -Good article on degredation, highlighting the wide variety of interactions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_degradation From it this section on Stabilizers for polymers: Hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) stabilize against weathering by scavenging free radicals that are produced by photo-oxidation of the polymer matrix. UV-absorbers stabilizes against weathering by absorbing ultraviolet light and converting it into heat. Antioxidants stabilize the polymer by terminating the chain reaction due to the absorption of UV light from sunlight. The chain reaction initiated by photo-oxidation leads to cessation of crosslinking of the polymers and degradation the property of polymers. Which lists nothing to stabilize polymers from ambient post-production heat. I conclude that ambient heat must be far less important (within industrial use anyway) than UV-caused degredation or oxidation. -From this wiste (http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1655): " For example, 40% of museums surveyed contain plastics objects manufactured and collected since 1980, and modem plastics are also showing symptoms of decay." Definitely heat is not a factor in a/c museums, so I would surmise the primary cause there is oxidation. -Model forums seem to dismiss ambient heat as a problem for styrene plastics. -From a Lego forum: A quick wikipedia search gives the operating temperature of ABS plastic as between −25 and 60 °C (-13 and 140 °F). For whatever use it adds to the conversation, here's what a quick search on vinyl told me: "Store in-use LPs at a temperature of 65 to 70 °F (18 to 21 °C). Those in long-term storage should be kept at 45 to 50 °F (7 to 10 °C). Though relative humidity (RH) is considered less an issue for vinyl than other recorded media, it is recommended that LPs be stored at 45 to 50% RH" Silicone rubber -WikiP: "Silicone rubber is generally non-reactive, stable, and resistant to extreme environments and temperatures from -55 °C to +300 °C while still maintaining its useful properties." -From website: http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/is_silicone_a_plastic#.Vw_diVLheIc "They can leach certain synthetic chemicals at low levels, and the leaching is increased with fatty substances, such as oils." Rubber -From this article (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rubber#Reason_for_vulcanizing) it seems that oxidation is the prime factor in rubber degredation. Decals -No scientific details yet. Concensus is to store between 60-80F with stable humidity 40-50%. Essentially the same directions as for vinyl LPs. Stickers -No scientific details yet. Concensus is to store between 60-80F with stable humidity 40-50%. Essentially the same directions as for vinyl LPs. I'll post more if I find out more.

-Sort of, but not really. Attic storage is very different than garager storage - particularly when it comes to cycling of the air and moisture. I'd really like to know from an engineer what temps accelerate the types of plastics and rubbers our toys are made of. And I have no idea when sticker adhesive or decals become heat sensetive. Reposting this bit about plastics, somewhat interesting:

At this point I have quite a bit of Macross and other mecha collectibles. I also have 1/6 and 1/12 scale figures, assorted gashapon and maquettes. I do not have enough display area for all of it, and thus have decided to rotate what is displayed. This means storage is required, and not too far away. I have some spaces for storage within the air conditioned house. I have a lot more space in my attic - which in SoCal is nice and dry but can get warm even with venting. During the summer months it may see 120F but cools off a lot at night. Most of the year it is between 80 and 90F @ <30% humidity. Is the attic storage option threatening to the average Yamato 1/60? Not just the plastic, but to the stickers/decals? I have had some plastic model kits up there for 10 years straight and when inspected they don't seem any different than when I first stored them. What about rubber degredation? I have some 1/6 Alien merch that is rubber-skinned, and some Macross gashapon is pretty rubbery too. I am probably most concerned about them and the skin on my Phicen figures. I assume PCV injection statues, and diecast, will be ok up there.

*subscribed* Awesome work! Count me in if you decide to make this a kit!

AWESOME!!!

*bump* Just got a kit of my own, and wanted to thank this thread for convincing me to take the plunge. This thread will be a detailing reference for me as well. Thanks again!