I've read some horror stories about some older Transformers basically cracking like an eggshell if gold plastic is used. Most of these toys are from the 80's and 90's, but there seemingly a few notable recent cases such as a movie line figure from 2007. I collect only MP and not many of them use gold plastic it seems, but I am worried about this guy: And the wings of this guy: Am I right to be worried? Is Gold Plastic Syndrome actually still a thing these days?
No. From my understanding, GPS resulted from a bad batch of gold plastic waaaaaaaay back in the later G1 days and has since been phased out. If you buy toys from that era, they'll probably crumble to bits. Modern figures? Not so much. That being said, plastic quality varies from figure to figure, so breakage may still be an issue. But is it a result of GPS? Absolutely not.
Agreed on the point where plastics vary from figure to figure. I have one of the Rock Lords Shock Rock figures, and after dismantling the figure to clean it, I found that the whole inside mechanism is made of gold plastic held under tension by a spring. OK, I've been VERY careful with the you, but the action feature still works fine. Certainly nothing super-fragile like I've seen from Transformers of the era. Also, twenty-odd years of advancements in plastic making techniques should have hopefully eradicated the problem nowadays. (Oh, but still make sure to leave the Rock Lord in the robot mode, just in case )
It still happens I had a transformers/starwars xover that was from the last 10 years or so. The brown plastic used for the chewbacca half just started coming apart.
^^ Yeah I think it can still be a thing...I just had my Micromaster Superion, who is less than 10 years old break due to GPS. And I am wondering if at some point Toyworld Goldbug will shatter. I'm of the "enjoy them while you can" mentality, outside of keeping them in a stable temp/moisture environment and minimizing exposure to sunlight, there ain't much you can do.
Truth, mine broke apart from normal use. Also, the 2007 Movie protoform Deluxe Starscream has it, not quite as bad as Chewie IIRC.
Aoe drift (i think aoe... the blue skyhammer one) was a regretted impulse buy, even if he wasn't so right out of the box, he began breaking so fast even my 5 yr old at the time was like "no thanks". Cant be 100% sure it was GPS vs poor copy but wont buy another... ever
GPS is only a thing on exceptionally metallic plastics with noticeable swirls. The figures in the OP should be fine, as GOS is caused by the metallic flakes in the plastic clumping and causing weak points within the plastic, like holes in Swiss cheese. They compromise the solidity and don’t bond properly with the plastic. It can effect many colours besides gold, though gold shades are most common due to the amount of metallic flakes needed to replicate the colour. It’s mostly a thing of the past, but the problem is GPS usually only manifests after years due to the natural degradation of plastic. Normally this subtle breakdown isn’t enough to seriously effect most toys, but with the already structurally unsound mix in golds/metallics it’s a snowball effect. It’s why you don’t really know if it’s a problem until it’s too late. But again, neither of the toys in the OP should be of concern, as Cosmos is a very subtle, more yellow metallic gold, and Dirge hardly seems metallic at all. Plenty of companies, Hasbro included, can mix gold coloured plastics just fine without risk.
