Stickers on Toys

[shiyao]

Just wondering:

What happens to stickers on toys after some time has passed? Do the results vary depending on how well a sticker is applied? For instance, if I've stickered up my valk carelessly - one corner keeps need to be pushed down, for instance, due to my need to sticker something 5 or 6 times before being completely satisfied with it - are there chances of more ill side effects?

if i remove a sticker from a toy after, say, 6 years, is it true that there will be a discoloured spot directly beneath where the sticker was? is there any way to get around this?

[shiyao]

i've realized that my question can be put more succinctly: can there be anything done about discoloration on toys? and how does discoloration differ from yellowing?

[BoBe-Patt]

yes, stickers suck like that. Well first of all it depends on what you expose the toy to, like sunlight, water, and heat. Depending on the adhesive they used for the sticker, it might leave the sticky residue over time. And if you leave it exposed to sunlight, it will discolor around the sticker. Best way to avoid this, would to not put stickers one!

[shiyao]

yeah, i know ..

but them Toynami Alpha MPCs look *so* much better with stickers on.

if i keep a toy away from sunlight, will there be color unevenness around the area where the sticker finally peels off? in other words, there should be no color change in a toy if it is kept away from sunlight, correct?

[Evanta]

yeah, i know ..

but them Toynami Alpha MPCs look *so* much better with stickers on.

if i keep a toy away from sunlight, will there be color unevenness around the area where the sticker finally peels off? in other words, there should be no color change in a toy if it is kept away from sunlight, correct?

I think it still would, though it'll not be as bad. Think the best solution would be to get a replacement set of stickers ready in case the first set peels off, should last you till old age I think.

[shiyao]

ah yes, that's another good question ... how long, in general, do stickers last for?

i have 1 set of the toynami alpha MPC stickers (for rook and scott), but i was thinking maybe i'd better get a second set ...

[Ivan]

I agree with you guys. Stickers suck big time. They become discolored and peel off after a few years, especially in damp climate. I still haven't applied the stickers to my Bandai VF-19S for the above reasons, but the toy looks plain and incomplete without the yellow stripes.

How did other MWers handle this? Did anyone try to paint the stripes themselves?

[Evanta]

ah yes, that's another good question ... how long, in general, do stickers last for?

i have 1 set of the toynami alpha MPC stickers (for rook and scott), but i was thinking maybe i'd better get a second set ...

If you don't touch the stickers too much, 10 years should not be a problem. Some of my old Super Ginrai's stickers were still ok after 10years, the ones that I wouldn't have touched. Though they are starting to fade, losing a their lustre compared to the re-issue.

Not sure abt Toynami's though

Edited April 19, 2005 by Evanta

[Valk009]

Nah...just ask Devin to whip up a set of waterslide decals. Way slicker than those thick and sticky stickers

[shiyao]

ah, but he's a busy man ...

if there were decals for all the toys i had, i wouldn't have this problem ...

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Naw. If they are YAMATO STICKERS, they suck balls and will start peeling in weeks or months. Makes my 1/48 look l;ess godly than it is. Yamato and toynamis stickers all suck. I think bandais are the best of the 3 but really the best stickers I have used are on the old school hasbro gijoe toys.

[JoLe727]

ah, but he's a busy man ...

if there were decals for all the toys i had, i wouldn't have this problem ...

If you plan to get Anasazi37 (Devin) decal, tmpanime.com has some in the stock. Check it out:

Anasazi37 Decal

If you are curious how it looks on the valk, Click Here and prepare to be amazed

Also, there is alternative sticker/decal you can get like Takatoys that also available in tmpanime.com. Also there is Takatoys sticker/decal available for Toynami MPC Alpha.

MPC Sticker/Decal

[Hurin]

I don't think that stickers discolor the plastic. More likely (as some have suggested) is that the uncovered/un-stickererd part is discolored, and the plastic underneath the sticker is preserved.

I put some Takatoys stickers on some of my valks about two years ago. No sign of peeling, discoloration, or any other problems. There is one sticker that keeps popping up, but that's on the FAST Packs, and their uneven texture is mainly to blame for the stickers not adhering well.

Good Luck!

H

[Dangaioh]

I find this a lot more useful.

http://www.testors.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=14

apply a light coat over the stickers.

[do not disturb]

don't put stickers on them and you won't have this problem.

seriously, as many times as this has come up, theres no good explaination why toys yellow/discolor. people say its sunlight/UV rays, some say smoke, some say moisture, some say the molecular structure of the plastic and the different chemicals used to make the plastic....the list goes on and on but no one that i know off has proven or disproved any of them with any scientific certainy therefore, you're screwed one way or another.

[shiyao]

thank you gene. that was most helpful.

thank YOU dangaioh, that was MOST helpful. so i can use that on stickers, even though it says it's for decals?

[kanata67]

I know when I was making chess sets I'd use citadel clear matte sealer over everything [including stickers/decals] and never had a problem. I even made a snow globe that had what I painted submerged with no problems. Like paint, make sure the spot you put the sticker is clean and free of debris before you apply it. I have a number of old loose transformers and many stickers are still in good shape, some are not. Any where they get rubbed they are more prone to coming off. Excessive handling... they come off. Immersion in water... they come off. Cat urine... they come off and smell. You get the idea.

I have never had a decal/sticker cause discoloration, but I have noticed that the covered area doesn't discolor at the same rate/degree as uncovered areas. PRevent yellowing by covering the toy completely with stickers???

[shiyao]

when you're spraying sealer on ... do you spray it over the entire toy, or just the parts with stickers on?

i kinda can guess at the answer .. but i just want to be sure.

[kanata67]

when you're spraying sealer on ... do you spray it over the entire toy, or just the parts with stickers on?

i kinda can guess at the answer .. but i just want to be sure.

me personally... I did the entire piece. I do kinda go overboard with the citadel spray matte though... I use it on my car. When I painted the figs for the snow dome I used citadel water based acrylic so I had to go kinda heavy to make sure it would hold up underwater. You can do everything, or just certain areas. As it gives a slight "gloss" look I like doing everything so it looks uniform.

theoretticaly you could use clear nail polish over just the stickers... but I have never experimented so can't say how well it would work.

[Dangaioh]

thank you gene. that was most helpful.

thank YOU dangaioh, that was MOST helpful. so i can use that on stickers, even though it says it's for decals?

I placed some over my yf21 before I sold it.

The stickers never shown signs of peeling when I first had it.

I also used them on some of my TF gen 1 figs... too bad the stickers lasted longer than the toy itself.

[shiyao]

i suppose if you used a matte coat the toy wouldn't look too garish?