Skull-1

Hurin = Apparently, we have to. Because your conclusions don't match your findings. They most certainly do. _________ Hurin =Of course, when you originally stated your "findings," we weren't capable of drawing our own conclusions because you hadn't supplied any of your "data." We were supposed to just take your word for it and stop concering ourselves with where we stored our valks as long as it was dark. Oh, so I am a liar now? I get it. _________ Weren't we also discussing heat?. . . but I digress. . . Indeed we were which is why I placed the control subjects in HUMIDITY, SHADOW, *AND* HEAT (an attic) to see if yellowing would occur. It did not. During the "accidental study" THREE *DIFFERENT* VALKYRIES were exposed to heat and humidty over varying levels of time. (All of this was purely by accident, but I have expanded upon the details in response to your "Doubting Thomas" attitude. This study was in fact posted about on the OLD MWorld forums with photos. It is not an invented study.) Despite varying plastics (three different Valkyries - Bandai Jetfire, Matsushiro Jetfire, and Bandai Strike) and exposure to heat and humidity in storage... Yellowing *ONLY* occurred (on all three I may add) when exposed to indirect sunlight. _________ Is it not also possible that some valks (within the same line) were made with a higher quality of plastic less prone to yellowing? is it not also possible that some valks might have higher quality paint less prone to yellowing? There are more factors possibly at play here than you're acknowledging. Before you could even being to approach such definitive conclusions, a lot more "testing" would have to be done. Addressed above over a period of 21 years, 19 years, and 18 years respectively (Bandai, Matsu, Bandai Strike). _________ Incidentally, I've had two valks, stored identically, yellow at entirely different rates (while some of my Joke Machines yellowed and some didn't at all). Some have noticed yellowing with valks that have always been in cool, dry, dark places. Then it may very well be the dryness that is causing them to yellow and not, as you suggest, high humidity. _________ "Rapidly increasing number of studies"?? WTF is that supposed to mean? It means that you seem to keep pulling longer and longer duration tests out of your butt. First one year. Then five years. Now twenty-one years. . . This study was mentioned numerous times over the years on the old MW forums when I was "Sand Pebble One". There are numerous people here who will vouch for my credibility on this point. I still have the original pictures I took of this study somewhere. _________ There was one "accidental" study and this one. I think you mean "anecdotal." No, I mean ACCIDENTAL. I did not intend for it to be a 21-year study it just happened to work out that way. At the time the Valks were removed from storage and placed on the shelf I was completely unaware of yellowing. It was only after a few years of them sitting on the shelf that I noticed they were turning colors and thought, "What the hell is going on here?". It was an accidental but highly enlightening study, albeit at the expense of two highly valued toys (my Bandai Strike and my Matsushiro Jetfire). Live and learn.

I don't have any spare 1/48 parts with which I am willing to test but I am certain the plastics *are* different. I can tell by the way they handle when sanded and shaved with razors that the composition is different. This is very likely (and hopefully for our benefit) going to change the way Yamatos yellow in relation to Bandais.

Also it should be noted...... Even areas that are covered with decals *WILL* yellow THROUGH the clear sections of the decal. Example: Vernier Thruster Circles. The bisecting thruster line will show yellow underneat it because the sticker material does not block UV. However the colored sections of the decal "shade" the plastic. Meanwhile, gear bays and areas not exposed to sunlight (this toy was in fighter and Gerwalk modes for its entire existence) are bone white. Opening the Battroid Head Hatch reveals that the arms and innner segments of the dorsal plate are bone white. *BONE* *WHITE*. Humidity can still penetrate these areas yet they are *BONE* white after more than TWENTY YEARS. BONE WHITE.

"Rapidly increasing number of studies"?? WTF is that supposed to mean? This was all based on the original details I cited two years ago. There was one "accidental" study and this one. I have demonstrated that humidity is not what causes a Valk to turn yellow. PERIOD. If humidity caused yellowing then the parts of the Valkyrie that are *NOT* exposed to sunlight but *ARE* exposed to humidity would turn yellow. From 1986-to now the Valkyrie that got all of this rolling in the first place is just as white on the inside as it ever was. This is while residing in the highly humid and hot air of Texas for the entire time. Yes, 1986-2007 is TWENTY-ONE *YEARS*. The parts in shadow and under decals are just as white as they ever were. Draw your own conclusions. If humidity is going to cause a toy to yellow I dare say that after 20 years it would have done so.

Suit yourself. You seem to be under the mistaken belief that you can prove a negative. You can't. But go on with your bad self. I just hope people don't behave foolishly based on your "research." H 418125[/snapback] I am trying to get people to place UV protective coatings on their display cases. That action is in no way foolish.

I believe that if yellowing is inevitable it is caused by the chemicals that make up the plastic. No doubt they "release" over time and cause some change. But the most dramatic changes are clearly due directly to UV.

Everything is great until the conclusion. You cannot state, based on your evidence, that heat and humidity can't cause yellowing. You can state that you saw no evidence of yellowing within the timeframe of the study. But beyond that, it's speculation. Saying that you observed no heat/humidy-caused yellowing over one (or five) years is not the same as saying that heat/humidity can't cause (or accelerate) yellowing over ten, fifteen (or even six) years. Look, I'm no scientist. But I remember the basic rules of logic that dictate the scientific method. The experiments are valid and provide useful information. . . but then you jump to conclusions that aren't warranted. 418119[/snapback] WRONG again. The original experiment already disproves humidity as a factor. I have a Jetfire that spent the years from 1986 to 1994 in a HIGH HUMIDITY ENVIRONMENT safely in a closet. When I pulled it out and placed it on my shelf along with two others (a Jetfire and an original Strike) it was BONE white. The humidity over the next five years is not what caused it to yellow because it was in the *SAME* place. What caused it to yellow in the years from 1994-2000 but NOT from 1986-1994? ----------> AMBIENT SUNLIGHT. Only areas NOT COVERED BY STICKERS OR IN SHADOW turned yellow. The undersides of the back plate, insides of the gear wells, etc. etc. etc. DID NOT YELLOW despite VERY VERY HIGH HUMIDITY. Conclusion: HUMIDITY DOES NOT AFFECT YELLOWING. I want people to protect their toys from UV. This is *THE* killer of the plastics used in the Valkyries made by Bandai.

It kinda' was. When someone said humidity caused yellowing I decided I would try to prove it one way or the other once I had the opportunity. Having on house in the very hot and humid air of deep South Texas and another in the very hot and dry air of southern Arizona allowed me to try it out. I plan to do one more round of experiments for a longer period of time once I move to San Antonio, Texas. I am convinced that heat will cause plastic to change color--just hold a piece of plastic near a flame and see what it does--but I do not think an attic is hot enough to cause it. Also, I am convinced that humidity has no effect on yellowing. My belief on humidity is that it will affect the "drying" of the plastic. In a drier climate the plastic will become brittle much sooner than in a humid environment. What I was shocked at was how badly the discoloration affects even colored parts. I was hoping that my blue and red M&Ms would be immune to the effects of yellowing. I am now certain they are not. The only thing that will prevent a blue valk from turning colors other than UV protection is to have it painted.

I have done the test. Control A1 - High Humidity, High Temp, No Light - Gray VF-1J ORIGINAL ISSUE Fuselage Half (Upper). Location: McAllen, TX USA Average Humidity - 78% Average Growing Season - 360 Days / Year (i.e. SUNLIGHT all the time) Method: Stored in Box Hidden from Sunlight in an attic. Duration - 1 Year RESULT: No Yellowing or Discoloration of any kind. Control B1 - Low Humidity, High Temp, No Light - Gray VF-1J ORIGINAL ISSUE Fuselage Half (Lower). Location: Maricopa, AZ USA Average Humidity - 18% Average Growing Season - 360 Days / Year (i.e. SUNLIGHT all the time) Method: Stored in Box Hidden from Sunlight in an attic. Duration - 1 Year Result: No Yellowing or Discoloration of any kind. Test Subject A2 - Moderate to High Humidity (less than 50% to 85%), 76-78 Degrees F, Partial Ambient Sunlight - Gray VF-1J ORIGINAL ISSUE Chest Plate (left half). Location: McAllen, TX USA Average Humidity - 78% Average Growing Season - 360 Days / Year (i.e. SUNLIGHT all the time) Method: Placed on Library Shelf in room without direct sunlight but with plenty of indirect sunlight. Duration - 1 Year RESULT: Noticeable Yellowing in all areas not covered with a decal or hidden by shadow. Test Subject B2 - Low Humidity (less than 20%), 76-78 Degrees F, Partial Ambient Sunlight - Gray VF-1J ORIGINAL ISSUE Chest Plate (right half). Location: Maricopa, AZ USA Average Humidity - 18% Average Growing Season - 360 Days / Year (i.e. SUNLIGHT all the time) Method: Placed on Library Shelf in room without direct sunlight but with plenty of indirect sunlight. Duration - 1 Year RESULT: Noticeable Yellowing in all areas not covered with a decal or hidden by shadow. ____________ Conclusions: After one year of exposure to both extreme humidity and heat the only subjects that yellowed were those with exposure to UV light. Toys kept away from ambient light did not yellow regardless of temperature or humidity. These results are identical to a previous five-year study involving white Bandai Jetfire toys exposed to ambient (indirect) sunlight on library shelves. The house used was air conditioned part of the year and left with windows open for the other part in a geographic region of East Texas with both high heat and moderate to high humidity. Areas hidden in shadow or covered with decals were not affected. Humidity does not appear to cause any ill-effects during the time frame specified. Conclusion: Heat and humidity ALONE are not enough to yellow plastic based on commonly encountered temperatures and humidity levels in desert and sub-tropic attics.

Max TV "J" is the best. Low Vis "A" Gray is second. Oh well.......

Based on my testing heat was not a factor. Hot Valkyries in shade did not yellow. They will become brittle however.

If the lightbulb emits UV (fluorescent lights emit UV...the powdered coating on the inside of the bulb is supposed to block it, but I do not trust it) it will yellow the toy. Take the light bulb you use to your Optometrist. He has a machine that can gauge UV emission and he'll tell you if it is doing harm. Indirect sunlight is not as bad as direct, but it will yellow the toy. Example: Your Valkyrie is on a shelf in your library that has bright indirect sunlight coming through a large window 15 feet away. Your Valkyrie *WILL* turn yellow. Keep your blinds closed, curtains drawn, and fluorescent lighting away from your toys. Also, invest in some clear UV film from a major manufacturer (I believe in Lumar but 3M also makes it) and add it to the glass on your display cases. It will help protect your Valks.

For those who think yellowing is exclusive to the bone white Jetfire colored Valks a word of caution. I have just completed an experiment on UV using some tape and a lot of sunlight in the bone-dry desert. 1) Humidty has no effect on yellowing. 2) Parts not exposed to UV light (hidden by paint, decals, or shade) do not yellow. 3) GRAY Valks like the Hikaru "J" *WILL* CHANGE COLOR in UV light. They go from light gray to light tan. Be advised... Keep them out of the light folks.

Make the seam adjacent to the FRAME. Then it is hidden.

Battroid is my least favorite mode of the Valkyrie so that solves nothing. My shelf would look really stupid with 14 battroids, no Gerwalks, and no fighters.

I think every single 1/48 I have has the centerline canopy seam. VERY annoying.

WOW! I can't wait for mine!!!!!

We need one of our master resin casters to do a recast of the thing! EDIT: Oh I see it up there. SWEET! Put me down for one!

WOW. Those are some heady words. Thanks for the compliment. The "A" stance makes all the difference in the world in how the thing looks. It's dramatic really. The trimmed swing bars are doubly nice. I did everything twice before I figured out how to do it right. All the mistakes I made on the blue were avoided on the green one--or should I say, all the mistakes I made on the green one (i.e. things I did differently from the blue one and though were screwups) turned out to be the way to do it right! So I accidentally stumbled onto better ways of doing it. I think I have the system down now. LOL.

The canopy on the 1/48 SUCKS azz. Period. Worksmanship - poor. Durability - poor. Design - poor. Clarity - poor. I won't tell you my canopy horror story but I give the thing two thumbs down. It is the cheap GI JOE Skystriker / Dragonfly canopy type plastic. WEAK.

Thanks. Still working on it and it hasn't been clear coated. That should smooth out the paint even on a DIGITAL CAMERA. LOL

Just put a custom "A" head on it and it will be correct.

Talking in what way? I hope in a good way!

It's showing things that you can't even see. Things that aren't even there I am convinced. I am staring at it on my shelf right now and the paint looks as SMOOTH AS GLASS. But try to get a photo of it and it looks scratched and pitted. I am utterly and completely confused. * * * I just did an update to it. I put another set of decals over the tail insignia and it brightened them up. They look even better. I will post some more pictures when I get a little more done on it. I may be moving so it could be awhile and I have to put another decal order in with Dev.

Wow, I didn't realize anyone had posted about this thing. I used DUPLICOLOR. It is tough as nails.