Star Wars figure shrinkage

[Nostalgiabuff]

I still have almost all of my original figures from childhood and took very good care of them. i recently took them out of the carrying cases to put them on display and noticed that many of them no longer stand straight. one leg is now shorter than the other. anyone else ever see this?

[toys2cool]

yea I've seen a bunch of Vaders,Chewies and storm troopers that that has happened to..not sure why

[Mego Magyar]

Maybe they've been swinmming in cold water, that always causes shrinkage.

[livnxxxl]

Perhaps a marketing ploy by Lucas to get you to buy more figures in the future. Or for those that compare the older vintage figures to the new figures size one will not be able to tell much of a difference in the future.

Personally, I have never noticed it as my original figures that I grown up with have been tucked away safely and unseen for years. I would hate the thought of knowing that I kept them all this time only to open the case up after all of these years and see Star Wars bean figures now.

[Nostalgiabuff]

I would hate the thought of knowing that I kept them all this time only to open the case up after all of these years and see Star Wars bean figures now.

more like deformed bits of plastic. LOL

oh well, with kaiser stands at least I don't have to worry about them falling over

[livnxxxl]

oh well, with kaiser stands at least I don't have to worry about them falling over

I like your positive way of thinking.

[Audiorij]

They always say that plastic lasts forever in our landfills... so you gotta recycle. Seem strange when I keep toys from my childhood protected and out of the weather and elements and the plastic starts breaking down already. I had a few Star Wars figures I had to pull out of my collection before I sold it because it was almost as if they were melting. The plastic became gooey and slightly runny on the surface.

[Bionic Joe]

A mad Darth Vader figure yells out
I was in the pool

[MegoMark71]

I had an endoe Leia melt on me a few years ago. The bubble was yellowed and cracked and somehow the darn thing ended up getting stepped on so i went ahead and opened it. It was nasty. I think i even posted on it if i remember.

[Nostalgiabuff]

yeah they all get that sticky residue on them....you can wash it off but it comes back. i tink that is the plastic breaking down....

and to think, they market these for kids to play with.....every kid I ever knew, including myself and my own kids, puts these things in their mouth until a certain age. scary stuff

[MegoMark71]

I think i even tried selling the fig at a massive discount and had no takers. That is gross to think some kid could have put that in their mouth.

[livnxxxl]

This kind of sounds like Lord Lucas issued "order 66" on our figures.

[Bruce Banner]

Haven't encountered the leg problem, but the sticky residue on my figures has been vexing me for years... but it only affects some.

Additionally, I'm still trying to arrive at a solution for the ideal storage medium which doesn't involve the release of harmful chemicals or accelerate the process of molecular decomposition.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

The limbs are softer plastic, and will yellow and break down. The stickyness is the plasticizer leaching out: it'll react with certain other plastics, like the bubbles I think. Or the rigid plastic the bodies were made of. (Same as the Mego Melt some female figures suffer.) Lots of environmental stuff affects this.

Don C.