The Energon Pub

So I recently got a RID Cryotek for a really good price and was super pumped until I noticed that the chromed armor pieces on the rubber neck of the dragon were oddly sticky. Upon closer inspection, I realized that these parts were sticky because the paint (not the chrome just the purple paint over it) was melting off at the hinges where the rubber neck met the armor bits.

I am assuming (based on issues with rubber treads melting hard plastic in ROTF Bludgeon) that this has something to do with the plasticizers in the rubber neck leaching out over time and melting the paint.

I looked around on some other forums and haven't seen anyone else with a similar issue, whether it be Cryotek or TM2 Megs, so I was wondering if anyone else has been experiencing similar issues and how I might be able to prevent any further paint melting.

Here are some pics (you can see where some of the paint has been rubbed off/discolored due to melting.

The paint is chemically reacting with the rubber, attempting to transfer.

I haven't personally seen this. I haven't actually held that toy in a number of years. I would bet that it all depends on where and how it was stored

There's probably next to nothing you can do except clean off what you can and let it sit in an open, dry place for a while.

Got to agree with CP.

Rubber in materials have a tendency to degrade over time turning into gooey mush and it may be reacting adversely with the paint.

No way to stop the reaction outside of cleaning it off and hope it does not continue.

It may eat through more of the paint though.

Are there any paints that are resistant to rubber, even if they are not chrome detailed? I also wonder if Transmetal 2 Megatron is affected.

The sad thing is these toys aren't made with the intent of them lasting forever.

I've handled my TM2 Megatron a few times lately, mostly to inspect the chrome, and didn't notice any issues with the plastic.

Emerje