The Energon Pub

Hey there all!

I recently just received my shipment of GTZip Polypropylene bags and am ready to begin bagging my excess Transformers figures but wanted to seek the guidance of anyone who might be more experienced in these matters than I am before I go through all the trouble.

Is it okay to just simply bag any figure and store them away? I am planning on putting them into air tight tubs from the store once they are bagged (Target, Walmart, etc.) I have heard different things about this online, some say you need to hole punch the bags on your transformers to allow the plastic to "breathe" while others have told me you want to have the collection as air tight as possible. I've also heard that figures that have rubber parts should be more exposed to oxygen so they don't harden and crack over time.

Any help/advice here would be appreciated! Would bagging these figures and then putting them into air tight tubs be too dangerous? Should the bags be hole punched? I'm so new to all of this, haha!

Thanks in advance!

theblueblurr wrote:I've also heard that figures that have rubber parts should be more exposed to oxygen so they don't harden and crack over time.

While others say it's the exposure to air that dries them out because it allows the plasticizer (the stuff that makes plastic soft and flexible and gives it that strong smell) to escape faster and become brittle in certain plastic blends (think "gold plastic syndrome"). I don't know what way is actually correct, but I do know that Mattel puts air vents in the packaging of their collectibles so there may be some truth to the ventilation theory.

Non-reactive and acid free storage is always ideal, especially if your figures are MOC to prevent the cardboard backer cards from fading or yellowing. And of course you want to avoid UV light and cigarette smoke to prevent yellowing as well.

Emerje

theblueblurr wrote:Hey there all!

I recently just received my shipment of GTZip Polypropylene bags and am ready to begin bagging my excess Transformers figures but wanted to seek the guidance of anyone who might be more experienced in these matters than I am before I go through all the trouble.

Is it okay to just simply bag any figure and store them away? I am planning on putting them into air tight tubs from the store once they are bagged (Target, Walmart, etc.) I have heard different things about this online, some say you need to hole punch the bags on your transformers to allow the plastic to "breathe" while others have told me you want to have the collection as air tight as possible. I've also heard that figures that have rubber parts should be more exposed to oxygen so they don't harden and crack over time.

Any help/advice here would be appreciated! Would bagging these figures and then putting them into air tight tubs be too dangerous? Should the bags be hole punched? I'm so new to all of this, haha!

Thanks in advance!

Polypropylene isn't mylar (the only truly inert archival quality type of plastic) so it really doesn't matter if you poke holes or not. Unless you just intend to keep dust from getting on the toys (in which poking holes could let dust in), I personally wouldn't bother bagging anything other than to just keep accessories together.


I'd worry more about storing them in water tight tubs than air tight. Especially if you live in an area prone to flooding and are putting them in a basement or a room where pipes or leaky roofs/ceilings might be overhead. Honestly, I'd worry more about keeping them somewhere semi climate controlled so they don't bake in the heat. No attics or garages. Basements should be okay depending on the water stuff I already mentioned.

But what do I know, I usually just put them in cardboard boxes and then try to find a pile that won't collapse to stack it on.