Quote:
Originally Posted by 79transam
I don't own one transformer that I have transformed that doesn't have a stress mark. Sometimes they're there right out of the box. And most transformers these days are already flaking paint just because you breathed on it. I could see a Spawn statue being mint once opened but a transformer? Not very likely
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The thought of stress marks didn't even come up once in my previous posts in this thread but now that you bring it up, I can see why I may not have considered them as an indication of being mint or not. You're right, some toys can come with stress marks brand new right out of the box due to design deficiencies from the manufacturer or production errors. But that's exactly why I don't think the presence of stress marks (or lack there of) is a metric of "mintyness". On the other hand, overly numerous stress marks could be a sign of heavy use or rough play in itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nocturn
As far as "mint" goes, I wouldn't say dust affects the condition, as it easily blows or wipes off. The figure isn't permanently altered. I've bought dusty figures from boardies before and never gave it a second thought
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Lightly dusted figures you could blow off, sure. Heavily dusted figures that have been on display out in the open for a few years or in an environment that's heavily dusty due to pollen, pets, or an occupation that has you coming home covered in debris would definitely be harder to clean. That heavier caked on dust doesn't easily blow out or even washes out from tiny crevices from joints or smaller moulded details. You need to poke at it with something tiny and small enough to get into those corners, but not sharp enough to scratch the figure. It's really hard to find an appropriate tool get that done right and often forces a person to accept an incomplete cleaning job.
