The Energon Pub

Fellow Seibertronians,

I recently purchased some preowned TF Animated figures and a few of them obviously came from homes where the previous owner smoked. The figures just have an old 'smokey' smell kind of like an ash tray. I purchased a G2 Slag last summer and he was from a smoker's home as well. I've let him sit out in my apartment and he has gotten a little better, but I don't know if there is a better way.

So, with my new TFA figures that are 'smokey' I wanted to ask if anybody knows a good way to help get rid of or at least reduce the ash tray smell?

I don't want to wash them with soap and water. I'm worried about not being able to dry all the water in the joints or having the water stay inside the figures. I've done that before and had pins rust (granted these were old G1 figures...I was young and stupid then).

Needless to say, I've learned my lesson to not purchase preowned TF's unless it is clearly stated that they are coming from a smoke free home. However, I still need a way to deal with the ones I have now.

Any thoughts, comments, tips or advice are welcomed and would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys.

Perhaps some Fabreeze or Rubbing Alcohol in one of those squirt bottles and giving them a light misting?

Alcohol will ruin it bro.

fenrir72 wrote:Alcohol will ruin it bro.

Yep, it's a great way of stripping the paint and can even melt certain plastics. The smell will fade over time, as I know from experience. That's the only method I'd trust to be honest.

Mr O wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Alcohol will ruin it bro.

Yep, it's a great way of stripping the paint and can even melt certain plastics. The smell will fade over time, as I know from experience. That's the only method I'd trust to be honest.

Thanks for the advice. I'll probably just keep them out to get rid of the smell then. I was very leery of using chemicals and am glad I asked before trying something. Appreciate it.

Mrs O just came up with a good idea. Put the figure in a sealed container with a small unsealed container of baking powder. The smell should be absorbed in a couple of days. It's a fridge/smelly shoes trick. Haven't tried it myself (on a Transformer) but it sounds like it'll work. I can attest to it's effectiveness when it comes to fridges and shoes at least.

Air it out and let it fade is the one big thing. I know the smell sucks, trust me, I do, but it's one of the best. Another one, this one requires work... A mixture of pet eliminator ($5.00 a bottle at Wal*Mart) dish soap and water as a dip/dunk will work wonders. You will need to leave the items soak in the mixture. Use a soft, brand new toothbrush to gently scrub without scratching or removing stickers and/or apps.

If you're worried about rusting, take the pins out with a soldering iron, screws (you get the idea) and let it soak.

Febreeze works but only for awhile. It more or less masks, rather than eliminates. However, a mixture of the pet eliminator and Febreeze might work.

Mr O wrote:Mrs O just came up with a good idea. Put the figure in a sealed container with a small unsealed container of baking powder. The smell should be absorbed in a couple of days. It's a fridge/smelly shoes trick. Haven't tried it myself (on a Transformer) but it sounds like it'll work. I can attest to it's effectiveness when it comes to fridges and shoes at least.

That's a great idea! Tell Mrs. O thank you! I will definitely be trying this. I've got some spare tupperware containers that I can store them in with the baking soda. I'll let them "marinate" in there for a few days and then report back with the results!

I just wanted to post an update with what I've learned about getting rid of the smokey smell of a preowned TF. So, following Mrs. O's suggestion, I sealed one of my stinky TF's in a large plastic leftover container with a box of baking soda. I left him in there for a few days and when I took him out, voila, no more smokey smell! The paint apps were fine and he was in exactly the same condition as when I put him in! So, I proceeded to try this on 2 other figures and had the same results! Needless to say, this is a great way to remove unwanted smells from any figure in a safe and relatively fast way. Obviously just leaving them out to air out will work too, but this is much faster and requires little to no work on your part.

Thanks again Mr. O to Mrs. O!

Spleenzorio wrote:

Do you realize that this will lure 100's of women who will constantly try to hump your toys?! Madman!

RhA wrote:

Spleenzorio wrote:

Do you realize that this will lure 100's of women who will constantly try to hump your toys?! Madman!

I constantly use it on myself (hell, my wife used it as an air freshener! ), but haven't noticed any ill effects

Rhinox23 wrote:I just wanted to post an update with what I've learned about getting rid of the smokey smell of a preowned TF. So, following Mrs. O's suggestion, I sealed one of my stinky TF's in a large plastic leftover container with a box of baking soda. I left him in there for a few days and when I took him out, voila, no more smokey smell! The paint apps were fine and he was in exactly the same condition as when I put him in! So, I proceeded to try this on 2 other figures and had the same results! Needless to say, this is a great way to remove unwanted smells from any figure in a safe and relatively fast way. Obviously just leaving them out to air out will work too, but this is much faster and requires little to no work on your part.

Thanks again Mr. O to Mrs. O!

Now that's good to hear! May have to try it when the time comes.