Paranoid...much?

Red Hope · Post by **Red Hope** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:55 pm

After all the Gold Plastic Syndrome horror stories I've heard about Slingshot. I've put him into a "vault". He's in a freezer ziploc bag with three desiccants, and then in a food storage container.

Phew!

I hope that saves him from GPS....

Countdown · Post by **Countdown** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:22 pm

That's the best use of a Rubbermaid container that I have ever seen! :

Roadbuster · Post by **Roadbuster** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:50 pm

You've sealed him to a fate worse than any Decepticon ever could have..

Now he ends up as leftovers....

Good precautionary measurements, however.

Optimus Maximus · Post by **Optimus Maximus** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:26 am

Will this really help? BTW this really sucks we have to do this to our toys.

Post by **Minerva** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:14 am

I guess it might help to put a figure in a safe container, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a guarantee that it'll escape the effects of GPS.

For more on GPS, have a look here:
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/GPS

Red Hope · Post by **Red Hope** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 9:16 am

It is one way to use food storage!

@ Minvera: I'm really hoping the ziploc bag & desiccants will help it. It doesn't sound like anybody knows what causes it (as the article you pointed out says). The storage container is just to keep weight off it from the other TFs.

Post by **Time Traveller** » Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:13 pm

They DO know what causes it, actually. Plastic is a polymer: long chain molecules that tangle into each other. Each chain is made out of molecular links. These can crosslink with other chains to make a shape, when heated. Gold plastic has small metallic flecks mixed into the polymer. These metallic flecks don't bond with the polymer well because they're different stuff, and eventually the polymer chains around the flecks start breaking in a local scale. when one fleck is close to others, all those little areas of small polymer breakage become one big fault line of broken polymers.

I'm afraid the desiccant won't help this one, since water doesn't play into this reaction. If you could chemically purge the plastic of free radicals (chemicals that "cut in" on the chains), that would help, but you'd have to melt the plastic to get at the inner molecules.

Just don't touch him. Or breathe on him.

SEALED SAMPLES have been observed broken, in their original packages.

Jazz · Post by **Jazz** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:16 pm

Thanks Prof. TT! Now I know!

But really, If I ever get ahold of a G1 I wanna keep, I might do that.

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 5:02 pm

Freeze him in carbonite!!!!!

Red Hope · Post by **Red Hope** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:58 pm

lol Don't give me anymore ideas, Blaster!

@ TT: Thanks for the info. I don't believe the TFwiki had any real cause info on it. I'll just tell myself it'll be fine. I'll have to purchase a G1 slingshot and spray him down gold. haha

Post by **Time Traveller** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:21 pm

I have a spare for just that purpose once summer rolls around. I'll have to find a junker to steal stickers from!

Red Hope · Post by **Red Hope** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:02 pm

Time Traveller wrote:I have a spare for just that purpose once summer rolls around. I'll have to find a junker to steal stickers from!

I guess Repro Labels doesn't do G2 stickers? I'd love to clean up some stickers in my G2 collection.

Roadbuster · Post by **Roadbuster** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:24 pm

I'm pretty sure they don't. I've ordered from them a few times and while the shipping takes a bit it's usually worth it to see your figs look new again.

Blackjack · Post by **Blackjack** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:29 am

Time Traveller wrote:They DO know what causes it, actually. Plastic is a polymer: long chain molecules that tangle into each other. Each chain is made out of molecular links. These can crosslink with other chains to make a shape, when heated. Gold plastic has small metallic flecks mixed into the polymer. These metallic flecks don't bond with the polymer well because they're different stuff, and eventually the polymer chains around the flecks start breaking in a local scale. when one fleck is close to others, all those little areas of small polymer breakage become one big fault line of broken polymers.

I'm afraid the desiccant won't help this one, since water doesn't play into this reaction. If you could chemically purge the plastic of free radicals (chemicals that "cut in" on the chains), that would help, but you'd have to melt the plastic to get at the inner molecules.

Look at you, all grown up and explaining chemistry. All that time working in that lab must be paying off.

Blaster · Post by **Blaster** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 7:10 pm

Sorry sounded like a good one to me. Han survived it!!!