When I was a kid, I had a Chewbacca that turned green.... but that was because he was left outside in the grass for two years. I found him and just decided he was in disguise. This was many years before Shadows of the Empire, where chewie did get a disguise. Thanks for the video. I always wondered why that happened and only certain parts. Now I know, and knowing is HALF THE BATTLE!
I used salon peroxide cream, wrapped figures/ship parts in cling wrap, and exposed to UV light in a plastic tub. brightened everything up! wasn't sure how it worked - just thought it was just a "bleaching" effect. Thanks for providing the science!!
@@carlo2384 I personally do a comb of both, submerge the figures under a UV light for 24 hrs instead of waiting 3 days. On figures with red parts I really love, I mask off the section and use your method.
The figures will yellow again over time. And three times as fast. Unless you do something more extreme like retrobrite or heavy duty peroxide under blacklite. You also can only basically do this with white figures. It fades other colors especially fleshtones.
@@hercb4388 because this method while immediately effective is not chemically potent enough to reverse years of oxidation. The chemical in the plastic which causes yellowing is still there.
Thanks for this info and demo, Scott! I’ve read about this before and it’s nice to see it demonstrated in a video. It sure would be great if those who downvoted this would leave a comment explaining why.
I've read a few articles about this process over the years. I think I first heard about this technique on Facebook on a Star Wars page about five years ago. Appreciate that you covered it again on here for easy reference, Thanks!
I heard people say it can cause damage, but I've yet to see anyone actually prove it. I'd expect it from soft plastic that you may be sucking the pigments and plasticizers out of, but not hard plastic.
@@gregg9672 Shouldn't since the paint they use requires a pretty strong solvent to remove. The peroxide is just removing the yellow it isn't bleaching the plastic.
Hey there Scott, So I believe this process is popularly called "Retrobright" by many of us toy fans/restorers. I've actually messed around with different versions of this for years... in fact, as I type this, I have some Lego pieces from a vintage set in the Hydrogen Peroxide right now. I've been trying the 13% concentration (most over the counter stuff is more like 3%), and that often works pretty well. But I usually use UV lights due to a more consistent light source (plus, I like in Western NY, so the outdoors thing isn't that great during the winter). Other versions are to use a hair bleaching solution found at places like Sally's Beauty Supply (I have to admit, considering I'm a guy who cuts his hair to 3/8ths of an inch long, I felt very self conscious stepping into a beauty supply store) to put on larger pieces and wrap in cling wrap. But... are you sure sun exposure has nothing to do with it? I've seen multiple times where sun exposure has yellowed toys... I used to display vintage Transformers in a room with nothing to block the sun from them, and my Ultra Magnus got pretty yellowed on his right (the side facing the window). Also, I've have lego space ships with white parts stored in the attic, again, with nothing to protect from the sun. And... I can see it yellowed more where the pricks were exposed, while I see a lighter white where there were bricks mounted on top for years. Anyway, I'll admit I've been apprehensive about trying to Retrobright painted toy parts, and I never really did use the lower concentration of over the counter hydrogen peroxide... I think I may experiment with that as well. I am hoping to start up a channel of my own sooner or later, and one video I'd do is sharing my results with de-yellowing plastic.
Even though I figured the whole yellowing effect was a consequence of "oxidization", I liked this vid because it provided a solution to the issue. This kinda reminds me of the old re-runs of Mr. Wizard I used to watch as a kid. Most informative.
i'm impressed that it worked! And i was going to ask if it would work to restore other coloured figures. My MOTU vintage Skeletor is having the same torso discolouration issue. Now i have to try this.
2 месяца назад
Señor @Spector. Me encanta la manera en que explica los deteriorios de los polímeros. Està usted haciendo una gran labor de difusión, de un modo sencillo es capaz de hacernos comprender la física química de los componentes de nuestras figuras. Gracias.
Wow thanks for giving us the science of why this happens! Now it makes far more sense to me why some parts yellow more than others...the level of bromine in the different parts. Great video!
Yes, I am glad you brought up this subject. And also showed the early Stormtroopers which was one of the first toys where it seemed to really be noticed. It had happened before then, but I think Stormtroopers was when a lot of people really noticed.
This is a very nice instructional video. I did see a Facebook ad with this spray that supposedly reverses the yellowing process on action figures. I wasn't willing to pay to try it out, plus I don't really have any figures that have yellowed. However, if that ever happens I'll be sure to try this little trick.
I've used salon grade peroxide gel and a UV light box to restore several G1 Jetfire Figures to bright white. One figure was discolored beyond yellow to a 'peach-orange'. For that one the full process took 144 hours as an experiment to see 'how bad' discoloration can be, and still be restored. 72 hours usually works for the moderate yellowing.
I was excited when I saw this in my feed. Many have the solution, no one explains the why. Works on yellow Skeletors, blue and gray legos also. Love to see a team up episode with Toy Poloi. Now why do blue lego plates and silver battle armor on vintage He-Man get brittle? Future episode?
What you showed in this excellent video is an example of interventive conservation, which means repairing a damage. The best choice, however, is preventive conservation, that is preventing the damage from happening. Keep your toys in a dry, airtight environment, preferably far from heat and light. Storing them in ziplock mylar bags and keeping them in a fridge is ideal. The trade-off is that you'll seldom see your toys
Great work! One question: must you remove any metal parts -like screws and metal hinges- before submerging the pieces in the liquid? Will the peroxide damage or rust the metal?
As someone who is currently studying chemistry, you made several mistakes on the details. But I also dabble in almost every type of science, so I probably do the same thing all the time. For future reference, the Lewis Structure is actually a system of drawing out the bonds within a molecule. Any chemical can have a Lewis structure.
Excellent video, thank you for sharing. Now we need the science of why some plastics get slightly sticky over time, and an effective way to resolve that. I have a handful of vintage Star Wars figures that are suffering from this phenomenon.
@@spectorcreative1872 Please do a video on this one, Scott. I've read it has something to do with the plasticiser leaching out of the PVC. But paint also gets sticky over time so there's that too. I've been using Goo Gone to get rid of some of the stickiness, with decent to mixed results.
i remember reading somewhere that it was the interactions between two different types of plastics; in this case the plastic used to make the figures and the plastic used in for the action figure cases. i've started keeping my figures in sealed bags within the cases, but they're also plastic so that has me worried too. :)
@@counthazard Yeah, if you're going to store them in bags, get some polypropylene comic bags. Those are meant to be acid-free and ideal for archival. That should stop the figure reacting to the bag, but they do also just get sticky when left on a shelf as well. 🤷♂️ Some of my older MOTU Classics have a bit of tackiness to them. Washing them with dish soap and warm water occasionally seems to get it off and may be the key to preventing the sticky buildup you see on vintage childhood figures. But if you have a lot of figures, it'll keep you busy. I'm fairly certain there's nothing you can do to stop the eventual degradation of the plastic. Like us, it ages and doesn't last forever. The best you can do is treat them well while you have them. 🙂
@@counthazard Actually, there was a video I watched a while ago where a guy was using automotive dashboard restorer to re-plasticise older figures once he'd washed the gunk off. I have no idea of the long-term results, though.
This is awesome!! Now to restore many of my figures!! I thought that applying a clear coat this would be avoided but I make it worse. Many Many thanks for this info!!
Hey Scott! This was most helpful. Much like many others, I thought this was due to UV light exposure. Are you familiar at all with two other phenomena I've encountered? 1) Certain plastics (usually the more 'flexible' or 'rubber-like' items, such as boots) end up with a very sticky, oily substance on them. I have no idea what it is how how to clean it off! 2) Some of my dolls *AHEM ACTION COLLECTIBLES* with 'pleather' sort of plastic end up with the pleather material breaking apart and crumbling away. This particularly worries me with some of my more modern items as they are more expensive- I'm afraid this will happen to them down the line. As always, great stuff on your channel! Oh- I also recently watched "The Power of Grayskull" and when you came on I was like "Hey! Its that guy! Cool!" Great job!
Awesome vid!. Got one question, what about actions figures that got some colored details like for example clone troopers, would it be safe to put those in too or will it make the color fade? thanks
I love your video. So it gets oxidised over time huh. Will adding oxygen absorbers and silicon gel in my display cabinet helps slowing down the process?
Will this process have any affect on the paint? I have a few collectible WWF Hasbro figures from the early 90’s which are yellowing and I’m considering trying this but I’m worried about it affecting the painted graphics and lettering on their outfits coming off.
Have their been any studies on the long term affects of this? I have done this because I'm worried it would be just trading one problem for a worse one a few years later.
I've heard this discussed on a Transformers podcast and the verdict is while it does work, the toys will start to yellow again over time. It's not a permanent fix.
@@BrynSmith76 Not sure. It's a flaw with the plastic itself; in that same Transformers podcast, the guys talk about G1 Transformers that were MIB, stored in dark closets for years that still yellowed. But that's in regards to sunlight. Airtight containers? I have no idea.
@@KingBrachion92 yeah, my Star wars collection was stored bagged and boxed and in my closet and the Wampa still yellowed. Shame as it was a perfect example prior to yellowing.
Ive been doing it for years!.I just did 5 figures last Saturday and right now I’m putting my Battlestar Galactica Vintage Vipers in the sun..The only tips I could tell someone is watch any flesh parts on a figure like the hands or head(if u can’t take it off).Once in a while it can fade out the color.Same thing happened with my R2.That took off a bit of the chrome.I usually get great results in about 2 bright sunny days.
@@chrisvellner3922 I've got some Transformers that have yellowed terribly, so I've got to worry about screws and pins if I do this. Still might be worth a try though
I've seen people do this process with Transformers with no ill effects. Even the stickers stay adhered. Of course you can always hit them with a hair drier for a few minutes of you're really worried.
I have used this method in the past but it made the plastic more fragile and in some did crumble and in some toys yes they are white again but in a few weeks they turn yollow again and what do you do you make hydrogen preoxide bath again but the yellowing comes back much faster
Thank you so very much. I started to paint over those yellowed parts but was never entirely happy with the results. Your hint will help me give new live to lots of figures in my collection. Does it only work on hard plastic or on more rubbery material also? Speaking of rubbery material: is there a way of protecting these materials ( for example the soft torsos of recent mcfarlane figures or tunic parts on star wars black series figures) from becoming stiff and brittle or, even better, a way to reverse the effect?
@@spectorcreative1872 that's a bummer. I have an old ninja spawn with a rubber mask wich has become so stiff you can only remove it with boiling water and hope it won't rip. But anyway thanks for your reply and keep up the good work!
On the topic of chemistry and plastics I have two other questions that perhaps you could address: Why do manufacturers seemingly knowingly continue to use plastics that are known to break down and disintegrate over a short period of time, such as the translucent joint pegs in the old DCD figures? Why do the bicep swivel joints on some of my DCUC figures twist apart over time while others do not? Was different plastic used by different factories and can the toy company control this ?
Thanks, Toy Guru! Great video, as always. I definitely want to try this on some of my old Transformers. Am I right in thinking that this would kill the stickers?
I've been wanting to do this with some of my figures that have gone yellow, but would the hydrogen peroxide harm metal or any stickers on the figure? I have a G1 Jetfire that has some pretty bad yellowing, but I don't want to risk ruining the stickers or metal on it
Minor quibbles. UV light does not cause the yellowing. But it can accelerate it, if left in strong sunlight. This is why the Bromine solutions are generally stored in those brown glass bottles or newer chemically resistant opaque plastic ones. Untreated ABS doesn’t explode. (Most plastics stopped doing that in the 19th century) But as it ages it can become more susceptible to fire. And when it does ignite it burns incredibly hot. Untreated ABS generally needs an ignition source around 400 degrees f. So burning wood or a common match. Not all ABS actually requires the bromine retardant. And the requirements varied from country or region, mostly rolling out worldwide from the mid 60’s to mid 70’s. This is why classic import toys from Japan or Germany don’t seem to yellow compared to their American counterparts. The old Shogun Warriors toy line demonstrates this well. The rules for the flame retardant at least originally were it was required for any plastics used for children’s toys, used to house or in contact with electronics, and used in soft goods particularly children’s clothing and bedding. These days pretty much any consumer grade retail item, that isn’t a made in China bootleg, will have the bromine.
I have a old gi-firefly, would it work on the grey? And if so would I need to cover up his black camo splotches? This would be first time doing it so I don't know much about it.
Another great video. Thank You. I’m wondering, it was my understanding that the Stay Puft sold through Matty turned yellow because of of how the paint reacted with the foam material. But why did some yellow more than others? Some seemed to have survived the yellowing almost entirely while others really turned. Was the paint changed at any point during production?
