Trouble with DC Direct figures aging poorly?(New Gods series)

[Bizarro Amy]

I bought most of the first(and I think only) wave of the Kirby-style New Gods figures. I picked one up from the shelf the other day and noticed that the surface is sticky. It seems to be worst on the legs, and appears on the red paint more than others. Has anyone else run into this? I don't know if it's the plastic or the paint itself. Are there any reliable fixes?

[enyawd72]

I bought most of the first(and I think only) wave of the Kirby-style New Gods figures. I picked one up from the shelf the other day and noticed that the surface is sticky. It seems to be worst on the legs, and appears on the red paint more than others. Has anyone else run into this? I don't know if it's the plastic or the paint itself. Are there any reliable fixes?

Sadly, it's a chemical reaction and there are no fixes for it. If bare plastic is sticky, it can be temporarily wiped off but will keep coming back. If the paint itself is getting sticky, it's all over. Trying to clean it will only wipe the paint off.

[MIB41]

And how much did each of those cost? That's why I have never been a big fan of that scale. They just don't put enough quality into the product to merit the price. Many of them look cool, but they don't stay looking that way for long.

[boynightwing]

My Harley from the Hush series lost her forearm. I just fell off by itself. Then about a month later my Batgirl from the Unmasked(?) series did the exact same thing. So I superglued them back on. The arms will never bend again.

I don't think I've had any issues with the paint.

I have a Two Face from the Batman Animated Series that is actually sticky. I've been wondering what to do about that. I thought I might do a clear coat of Acrylic or something....

[clemso]

The DC direct female bodies have a lot of problem. their arms are like match sticks and break very easily.

[Afaninfull]

I think a lot of has to do with the factory were they we're made. It got to the point that if a figure came in a box (Justice, Hush, Kingdom Come) they were fine. If it came on a card (Crisis on Infinite Earths, Rogues Gallery) I had problems.

I only have the Superman. It's been on my shelf for years. I'll have to take a closer look and see how it is faring.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I have a Two Face from the Batman Animated Series that is actually sticky. I've been wondering what to do about that. I thought I might do a clear coat of Acrylic or something....

Same here. Two-Face has been sticky almost from the get-go. I bought him in 92 or 93 when the toys hit.

I've had several DCDs just fall apart, including the afore-mentioned unmasked Batgirl. Oracle from the BOP giftset had similar problems. Hush Jim Gordon's glasses just broke. QC was definitely not foremost on DCD's minds.

Chris

[Bizarro Amy]

Well, I don't know if I found a permanent fix or not. Time will tell, I guess. First, I soaked the figures in water, just to see what it did. It removed all the dust at least After wiping and drying the figures, they were still a little sticky. Wiping them off left brownish stuff on the paper towel. If I didn't know Nate and I bought them directly from the LCS, I'd swear someone smoked near them. Then I soaked them overnight in diluted vinegar - that seemed to help, so I used vinegar on a toothbrush to clean out the joints and details. Right now they look great. I know some people have said it can only be fixed temporarily, but I'm going to try a spray of Testor's Dulcote to see if that keeps the stickiness from returning. That's been a great source of toy first aid in the past.
Now that they're clean, I also noticed that Darkseid's gray limbs have faded to lavender in some spots.