Add DotM Shockwave to the list. His rubber hose melted a chunk out of the socket thing in his back.

EDIT: Turns out it's not melting the sockets as much as it is putting too much pressure on them, causing a more conventional break:

 

So I took mine off the shelf and performed the operation, he is fine. No apparent damage. The only issue I had was flipping up the shoulder guard - it was like pulling teeth - extremely tight. Poked at the post and it seemed pretty solid. Don't know if it makes a difference that he has been in robot mode out on the shelf forever. My other is in the box in tank mode, last I had checked he was fine, but if I get ambitious this weekend, maybe I'll dig him out and do the same.

For kicks, I also checked out BotCon Gigatron/overlord, which is the same mold. He seems fine as well, and his shoulder guard was much easier to flip up.

Yikes! I quickly checked all four versions I have of this mold - yes, I have four versions: the original, the Cyber Metal Armour version, the Streetside bot brawl version, and the Movie The Best version - and they are all fine at the moment. I actually have two of the Cyber Metal Armour versino, but the hose on that is translucent purple, so I don't think it is made of the same material as the original hose, and thus is probably unaffected.

I don’t know if I’m just lucky at this point, or perhaps it’s environmental - I live in Las Vegas - very dry year round with little to no moisture.

 

Welp, checked mine - absolutely A-OK. I'm wondering if maybe I should have gotten an ROTF Demolishor, given I somehow don't have ANY of the rubber melting problems everybody else seems to be having.

I'm in southern Ohio which is much, much wetter than Vegas and my figures aren't showing signs of melting rubber. Both my ROTF Bludgeon and DOTM Shockwave have been open and spend most of their time in robot mode on display on the collection shelves.

 

Maybe it's just differences in batches then. Either way I am happy none of mine are showing any issues at this point.

 

FWIW, my Shockwave had been in a giant tupperware for months, years even, with the hose very much leaning into the socket the whole time, which may have accelerated things.

 

Interesting. Mine, all except the Movie the Best one, have also been stored in Tupperware. I usually only have one of each mold on display. I do rotate them, but generally not that often.

 

Sigh... I'll go check mine.

Thanks for looking into it. I'm deffinately surprised, I thought all the toys with confirmed cases were doomed. The only difference being the rate of decay, but that post by far the most susceptible part. If yours is okay the decay would have to be really slow. You might actually have an unaffected copy. I'd still like a few more people to look at theirs to get a better picture about how rare that is, but the idea that it might not be inevitable for everyone is the first little ray of sunshine in this thread.

It's a little maddening that this problem can be so variable over so many runs over so many years. Factories are pretty good at keeping the proportions of chemicals consistent, so I wonder if this problem is more complex than simply using the wrong materials. Then again, maybe the difference between a good batch and bad is just really that small. What I'd give for someone to talk to the Hasbro manufacturing team and report back. Alas, such information will probably always elude us.

 

For what it’s worth, on my copy that has been out in robot mode, the treads have also rested against the thigh guard on the right side and the forearm on the left, and he’s been in that position - aside from me working on him yesterday - for well over a year. Those spots also show no sign of any deterioration.

 

Alright, I checked my shockwave and it shows no signs of damage. I'm playing it safe though, that hose stays off from now on. Maybe if I take pictures of it in the future I'll pop it back in. On display it's just going to have to go without.

While I was at it I checked my voyager DoTM voyager megatron's soft hood/cape. There is some small but noticeable damage on his bumper pieces on his shoulders. On close inspection it appears to only be affecting the black paint and not the plastic itself. I looked all over the robot mode where it touches bare plastic and there don't seem to be any problems. I don't like the way it's reacting to the paint, so that also is going to be left off from now on.

 

And I just checked by DOTM Megsy who has had the cloak plugged in and draped over his shoulder for years.

Different verse, same as the first - absolutely NO damage whatsoever. Looks as good as the day he came out of the box back in 2011.

 

I legit just cut my bludgeon's treads off. They were showing signs in the shoulder armor and around the joints on the treads. Hoping for a replacement kit one day...

 

I have a few questions.

1. What would happen if I had an affected figure and just left it alone? Would the plastic eventually lose structure and crumble, or would it still be solid and just have melted spots?

2. What does the affected area feel like? Does it make the melted plastic soft or is it still hard?

3. I have ROTF Demolishor and HFTD Banzaitron at home, in alt mode, sitting on a wooden surface. They've been there for about 6 months. What's the likelihood of the rubber treads sticking to the surface? And, if they are stuck, am I able to remove them without damaging the treads and the wooden surface? I'm not home from university for another two months so I sadly can't check them yet.  

 

Alright....this one im not quite sure what to think. Ive gone through two copies of this figure and have NEVER seen this. not like my Demolishor and Bludgeon had. are you sure its damage from the hose and not something else?

 

While the damage is very small, both my ROTF Bludgeon and DOTM Voyager Shockwave have this issue.

 

I did the same, imo it's already a damage figure so might as well just take the dangerous stuff off quick.

 

1. The issue will probably get worse if left alone. From the looks of it, the acid would just dig deeper into the plastic as time passes.
2. The parts affected on mine are solid. The spots are soft on the surface, and I can leave a dent with a fingernail. If I shaved just a millimeter or two off the surface, there would be hard plastic. Underneath, it should be fine.
3. Look at the pics of Demolisher and Banzaitron earlier in the thread. It looks like the only thing they can damage is themselves, or the figures they may be stacked on top of. A wood surface should be fine. If you were to take Banzaitron apart(the only mold I have experience with) You can take the treads off by knocking the pins out of the rear hinges above the hip ratchet. Then knock the pins out of all the hard tread parts with wheels. The shoulders can be unscrewed (three screws). Other than the shoulders, the pinned areas are pinned with ribbed pins, so I would suggest just cutting them off there.
More pics:

Yeah, anything to stop the process, right? I hope it stops anyway. After removing the parts, maybe we should clean the areas where they touched with alcohol.

 

The treads on my Bludgeon are so stiff now I have to dunk them in warm water to transform him.

 

You know, there seem to be a surprising number of people to whom this appears to new knowledge. Combined with the fact that this seems to be an ongoing issue, with a new case just discovered, with cases in RotF, DotM, and Combiner Wars...

@Yaujta, I think it's time for this thread to be stickyed.

 

The Only version of the Bludgeon mold I own is Botcon Gigatron, and my copy seems to be fine. Has there been any reports on him having the problem?