O rings in vintage sealed carded will inevitably break with time?

[Commtech]

Is this true? I just bought a vintage carded snake eyes with timber for big bucks and my friend told me to get rid of it because the rubber band (o ring) will break and my figure will be worthless even sealed on card? Any experiences? How can I avoid this (if that's even possible)?

[slim19722]

The price on this dropped, after the o ring broke,

http://www.brianstoys.com/store/Prod...RAC84FIREFLYC9

[Shogi]

It is true, the rubber will degrade over time. However, there are certain factors that can speed this process up. Temperature change, stretching it, etc... Obviously if it's a MOC figure the o-ring getting stretched out and such isn't a factor. As long as you keep it in a pretty steady climate that doesn't constantly change (Like in an attic) or if you don't have it in a super hot area (again, like in an attic in the summertime)

You'll probably be ok for a while longer with your Snake-Eyes since a lot of loose figures still have their original o rings and have survived worse than a MOC figure would

[BigErn]

O rings can be funny. I've got original figures with O rings as tight as the day they came out of the package. I've also got others that as soon as you pick them up the O ring snaps.

The whole temp thing is the biggest factor. All of my originals were stored in my parents attic for the last 15 years or so, and most of the O rings are brittle. A friend of mine recently brought his old Joes over from being stored in his parents basement for roughly the same amount of time. Most of his O rings are super tight.

If I had a beautiful, carded 20 -25 year old figure and woke up one day to see it in 2 pieces I'd be pissed, but I wouldn't sell my carded stuff in fear of something that may or may not happen.

[Mike T]

I'll let you in on the big secret, these toys will all decay with time. Whether it's the O-ring, the carboard, the glue that holds the bubble to the cardback, the accessories or the figure iteself, given enough time, they will all break down. Granted, much of that will likely happen after our lifetime, but it's going to happen. I have bought several MOC Brazilian figures in recent years and opened them up. When I did so, I found that the softer plastic used in certain helmets and hoses has already started to "melt". The plastic is tacky to the touch and leaves grease stains on the cardback. And, those figures aren't even 15 years old!

While American figures used higher quality plastics than these, the end result will be the same and all of these toys will decay away. The answer is to enjoy them for what they are and decide if you are getting the value you paid in enjoyment from your item. If the O-Ring breaks, so be it. Stocks can decline in value and even real estate investments can go bad. Chalk it up to a bad investment and move on. But, if you can enjoy it while you own it, then the potential loss of value is really mitigated.

[Shin-Gouki]

The biggest thing I have come to see over time is climate and moisture. The drier the air the worse off the o-ring.

[genoneguy]

Yes, all O-rings on all carded and loose Joe figures will snap. As we all know, the original 3 3/4 inch G.I.Joe figures were held together with a simple 2 cent rubber O-ring. These O-rings were not meant to last. It is simply a matter of time before they all snap, turning expensive carded figures into pretty much a worthless pile of body parts sealed in a bubble. Some will last a little longer than others depending on how well they were taken care of, but in the end, they will all snap. This is the one and only reason why I never buy expensive carded Joe figures.

[A.V.A.C.]

sooner or later all of our o rings will snap, mine did last night. never eat a 7-11 chilli dog w/cheese and onions after a pub crawl. not a good idea.

being trapped in a plastic bubble at that time is not cool at all.

[Syn3sthesia]

Is bound to happen. I purchased a MISB Cobra Stilletto and the Star Viper had a broken ORing. I replaced it as soon as I got it out of the box.

[07GT500 COBRA]

Yep, for all the above reasons that's why I'm content to stick with the 25th line. Now, as those O-rings on the vintage stuff start to snap, I may buy some of them.