Hot Toys Maintenance Advice Thread

Given that we spend a small fortune on our collections, I'm just curious what your techniques are for keeping your figures in pristine shape. After handling my latest Iron Man with my bare hands, I started wondering if I was inadvertently/gradually damaging the diecast/plastic parts with the natural oil on my finger tips (keep in mind I do wash my hands before handling).

For instance, how many of y'all wear gloves when handling/posing your figures? Any tips/advice on maintaining and/or prolonging the longevity of your figures?

We all know the standard: leaving out of direct sunlight, smoke, etc., but are there any other tips or suggestions beyond those basics?

I feel like this could be a very useful thread. Veterans and newbies, share your advice please!

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

I purchase to enjoy my collectibles. My last worry is the oil on my figures damaging them. They aren’t museum relics so no need to wear gloves. Just enjoy your figures and don’t worry about damaging them.

To me the basics are: have a display case for them, pose them so they don’t fall, don’t leave rubber suit/arm figures posed with joints bent too long....and that’s really it.

If can afford it, buy a second of your favorite ones to keep in the box.

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Replace silica gel if you gonna put them back in box. Put moisture absorber near display case. Do not smoke at all near them.

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Other than no direct sunlight and clean hands, not much else.

Pristine? Leave em in the box.

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I use a makeup brush and canned air to dust them as well as nitrile gloves when I handle them.

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Certain figures, I'll definitely wear gloves. When the fabric is really sensitive (HT 1966 Batman & Robin), or it's an armored figure where fingerprints show. I also use compressed gas (from a DISTANCE - the cold air can ruin some materials), and unused paint brushes for dust. Also, I try not to leave figures in the boxes for extended periods of time....

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

Whenever handling them, I wash my hands beforehand so that way I'm handling them with clean hands. I also try and limit handling them as much as possible (i.e. - reposing them literally every day). I try and keep any type of sunlight off of them (even if it's redirected) and clean out the display cabinets roughly once every couple of months by actually cleaning out and shining the glass on the cases, as well as taking each figure out and blowing it off with canned air. Whenever there's going to be smoke around (such as from a fire pit outside), I close the doors to the rooms that have the figures inside them so as to make sure that no smoke scent permeates that room at all.

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

Sardo Numspa said:

Certain figures, I'll definitely wear gloves. When the fabric is really sensitive (HT 1966 Batman & Robin), or it's an armored figure where fingerprints show. I also use compressed gas (from a DISTANCE - the cold air can ruin some materials), and unused paint brushes for dust. Also, I try not to leave figures in the boxes for extended periods of time....

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Yes, I second this! Try not to leave them in the box packaging. Btw, I couldn’t help but chuckle at your handle! “Numpsie!!” LOL! Loved that dynamic between Eddie Murphy and Charles Dance

SilverStar17 said:

Whenever handling them, I wash my hands beforehand so that way I'm handling them with clean hands. I also try and limit handling them as much as possible (i.e. - reposing them literally every day). I try and keep any type of sunlight off of them (even if it's redirected) and clean out the display cases roughly once every couple of months by actually cleaning out and shining the glass on the cases, as well as taking each figure out and blowing it off with canned air. Whenever there's going to be smoke around (such as from a fire pit outside), I close the doors to the rooms that have the figures inside them so as to make sure that no smoke scent permeates that room at all.

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And everything in this aside from the compressed air. Just get a bad feeling what with how cold and harsh it seems. I personally use a few makeup brushes for the dust. Completely new and unused though. I’ve tried cleaning off my wife’s spare makeup brushes, but because some of the makeup is oil based, it’s a ***** getting it off and I just wouldn’t risk it with my figures.

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Don't leave figures in boxes. Some of them deteriorate when stuffed up in there + depending on the ambient you got.

Also remove all batteries.

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

dominishin said:

Also remove all batteries.

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I do this also. A lot of the light up features on figures are cool and add to the display, but I don't like leaving batteries in figures lest potential leakage. If someone ever asks, I simply show and tell them what has the capability of lighting up.

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Yes! And the battery acid coupled with the vinegar needed for cleanup WILL ruin your figure.

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Bruce Wayne said:

Yes, I second this! Try not to leave them in the box packaging.

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Wait, but if you leave them in there with the silica gel, is that still an issue?

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gmoney5000 said:

Wait, but if you leave them in there with the silica gel, is that still an issue?

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I wouldn’t risk it to be honest. There are a handful of other members here who’ve had issues after keeping their figures packaged for extended periods of time. Basically just follow what has already been stated here with regards to displaying your figures away from sunlight and dusting them off on a regular basis etc.

I’ve mentioned this countless times before in other threads but at one point my wife had an expensive Chanel handbag in which the leather started to dry because she had left it in the box for a while. We were lucky enough to get an exchange but we were advised to simply toss the box and keep the hand bag inside the dust bag. So for your figures, much like expensive handbags made of leather and or various rubber, plastic etc. you need to let the materials breathe. Otherwise, while packaged in an air tight container, the material is bound to crack or dry. Mind you, we don’t really have any issues with dryness or humidity in our home and to top it off, she kept it in a fairly cool area yet the leather still dried because it wasn’t getting any air.

Here’s my advice, Just forget about keeping them stored in the original packaging. Not only is the figure in the box, it’s also sealed airtight within the plastic clamshell.

***quick rant
There are members who are quick to pass judgment about why some collectors keep their figures packaged. Saying stuff like “just open enjoy and display your figures” blah blah blah. And while I wholeheartedly agree, it’s not always that simple. I can definitely relate with those who don’t have space. I’ve moved over a handful of times since I got into collecting Hot Toys over 10 years ago and I totally get it. You’re not always going to have space. And if you’re living in a one bedroom apartment or even worse a studio, you simply don’t have the space. And so yes, you would have to keep your figures in storage
end of rant***

So with that in mind, if you do need to store them away, loosely wrap them in some bubble wrap or 2.5 gallon ziplocks. However don’t seal or zip them. I learned this the hard way but luckily I didn’t ruin my Hot Toys figures. The pleather soft goods on some of my marvel legends started cracking because they were zipped air tight. From that point, it’s up to you where you keep them, but definitely make sure the figures are getting some air while at the same time keeping in mind the basics of indirect sunlight etc.

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

gmoney5000 said:

Wait, but if you leave them in there with the silica gel, is that still an issue?

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I'm GUESSING that the issue is more off-gassing from gawd knows what chemicals HT uses. E.g. leaving stuff in original boxes means no air circulation and inevitably rubber and plastic will degrade. So I've read posts where stuff ends up sticking to itself - more from whatever chemical reaction than from humidity. The silica gel just absorbs moisture - it won't stop actual chemicals from breaking down/oiling rubber and all that. E.g. I agree with Bruce Wayne's post. Real leather for sure needs to breathe (I use old sheets torn up for dust covers for leather/suede). Also use plastic tubs w. airholes drilled in.

And there are different opinions as to whether keeping stuff boxed increases the "pink panties"/hands in IM and red-painted figs, as red is one of the more unstable paint colors anyway. Personally think if a red paint is unstable there's nothing you can do except repaint.

Don't wanna be a downer 'coz different environments have different results over the long term; HT isn't open about how it manufactures; and I haven't noticed anything w. my figs yet.

But I haven't been collecting all that long. For myself I just use what I think is reasonable care - I buy these to enjoy and I KNOW they are not manufactured to be antiques some day. Some might, but even museums have problems taking care of collections involving plastics. If kept boxed guess it's a good idea to check on the figs every now and then - and I won't buy a fig over ~3 years old, sealed or not, because of aging plastic and rubber. E.g. if a fig is degrading I want it on my watch, not because I don't know where a sealed fig was stored (like a hot warehouse for months/years).

Good thing as far as I know there's nothing older I want tho. except for Loki but he's too expensive.

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Bruce Wayne said:

I’ve mentioned this countless times before in other threads but at one point my wife had an expensive Chanel handbag in which the leather started to dry because she had left it in the box for a while. We were lucky enough to get an exchange but we were advised to simply toss the box and keep the hand bag inside the dust bag. So for your figures, much like expensive handbags made of leather and or various rubber, plastic etc. you need to let the materials breathe. Otherwise, while packaged in an air tight container, the material is bound to crack or dry. Mind you, we don’t really have any issues with dryness or humidity in our home and to top it off, she kept it in a fairly cool area yet the leather still dried because it wasn’t getting any air.

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Air doesn't keep leather from drying out, it lets it dry so it doesn't rot. Leather is skin, and besides not sealing it away leather needs to be conditioned, it will inevitably dry too much and crack if not maintained. Mind you the "leather" on action figures is not leather and keeping that crap from eventually decaying like trying to beat up the ocean, but you really should condition an expensive leather handbag a few times a year.

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Collecting these figures is like owning a Gremlin.

No sunlight,
No water,
No feeding batteries after midnight.

Other than that enjoy!

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

hokietwo said:

Collecting these figures is like owning a Gremlin.

No sunlight,
No water,
No feeding batteries after midnight.

Other than that enjoy!

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Hahaha, great analogy.

Re: Hot Toys Maintenance Advice

rocbolt said:

Air doesn't keep leather from drying out, it lets it dry so it doesn't rot. Leather is skin, and besides not sealing it away leather needs to be conditioned, it will inevitably dry too much and crack if not maintained. Mind you the "leather" on action figures is not leather and keeping that crap from eventually decaying like trying to beat up the ocean, but you really should condition an expensive leather handbag a few times a year.

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Your right dude. Yes, air is not what keeps leather from drying out. But in general it's better than keeping it sealed air tight for lengthy periods of time.

With regards to conditioning expensive handbags, there are some half truths to that. It isn't always recommended. Yes, I do condition my leather shoes and some of my wife's handbags, but I was in a Louis Vuitton and I was told to NOT condition my wife's new purse. The associate said that it varies by brand, but generally the conditioners available are really for leather shoes that take a beating by you simply walking in them. We were told that conditioners could potentially alter the color or make of the piece depending on the type of leather conditioner we used and how much is applied. Up until that point in the LV store, I had been conditioning all of my wife's expensive leather handbags and goods. Now I try to get care recommendations from a professional if its expensive.

As it pertains to the figures, the leather being used on them is already so thin that I'm inclined to just forget about conditioning. Or if you were to go that route, try to test an small area or use a very spare application. I'm talking pin sized applications. With that in mind, other than what has already been stated in this thread about caring for your Hot Toys, I'm not too keen on treating the rubber, conditioning the leather or pleather, etc etc.

And for the most part, there isn't much leather being used on them anyway. I was just using the analogy

I've been collecting Hot Toys for well over 10 years going back to the MMS10 Robocop and Superman Returns, and I've never really had a problem. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the general care and advice that's already been stated here. Long story short, PLEASE do not keep them sealed air tight.

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Never had a problem with a figure that wasn’t related to a QC issue from hot toys. I display my figures in a well ventilated display cabinet with the door having a good 1/8” gap all around it. I also used the privacy vinyl window graphic on the sides of my cabinet which has a UV protection built in it to block out any harmful sun rays which my hot my cabinet for 30min. A day.

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Thanks for the great advice, everyone. I'm in between houses at the moment and need to put my figs in storage for a bit, but this discussion has me rethinking my packing strategy.