Palantirion

*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!