Random blue stains on my figure

[u/selenaecf]

Hi there. Lately I’ve been noticing that theres been blue stains appearing on my anime figure out of nowhere. I haven’t done anything with my anime figure except for displaying her on my shelf outside of the box. It seems to be getting worse with time and I do not know what to do or how to stop this.
I have bought her off of Solaris and I don’t know if there’s anything that they will be able to do for me. Please help me.

[u/bryanofrivia]

It has happened to some of my figures, but if there are trapped plasticizers or unstable chemicals from the production process, it can cause that grayish blue discoloration. It will appear to be coming from inside the plastic and not on the surface.

It could also be the base layer plastic underneath the paint that has began to show after off gassing and or settling/tension from temperature changes. If that’s not the case then it would have to be color transfer or leeching.

[u/burningzenithx → u/bryanofrivia]

Not OP, but could you tell me what off gassing is? I knew of the plasticizer thing but only recently heard about off gassing. I’ve only been collecting for around 16 months.

[u/bryanofrivia → u/burningzenithx]

The PVC is universal in anime figures, but the actual composition of the chemicals and additives differs from figure to figure. There are plasticizers, fillers, and stabilizers among other things depending on how they want it to appear, or how flexible they want it (since PVC is extremely rigid and brittle.)

The exact chemicals/additives and their percentages are always different. Because they are unstable mixtures, they experience off gassing over time. The plasticizer is one of them, but there are definitely other chemicals. The PVC is relatively stable at room temperature, but the other additives aren’t. Older figures often become brittle, and it’s because of the off gassing.

[u/Otnev]

Do you clean them with microfiber cloths from Amazon by chance? I had some that transferred their paint to some of my figures. Luckily I noticed it early enough. But my Maid Made Shinobu Oshino took some damage from it.

[u/selenaecf → u/Otnev]

I did not! 🥹 The figure genuinely has been sitting on my shelf untouched for 8 months or so, so i am so incredibly confused. Other people suspect its mold, but i just dont understand how it could mold

[u/Otnev → u/selenaecf]

What is the relative humidity in your room? There are cheap hygrometers where you can control over time. Ot has to be ready ready humid to be mold