Preventing or Slowing Sun Damage

[OldOfflineMan]

I finally managed to get two Detolfs and loaded them up with my figures. They are standing proud in the back corner of my office/study on the main floor of my house. Every time I get up or take a break from work, I take a glance at the shelves and feel an immense sense of joy.

The figures are protected from direct sunlight. However, the figures remain illuminated well during the day. I walk around the shelves and cast no shadow on them, implying that the source of the light is from reflection from my tiled floor, ceilings, walls and whatever is diffusing through the blinds.

I tried rearranging the figures such that the ones with the most white are in the back closest to the corners (e.g. Superion, Computron, Defensor). Again, the reduction in illumination was minimal. I'm thinking about rearranging the combiner limbs such that only the coloured limb (e.g. Blades, Firefly/Fireflight and Afterburner) is exposed.

How quickly will figures yellow under this condition? Aside from burying them in the basement/dark room (which I feel defeats the point of getting them), what other things can I do to slow the yellowing? If it helps, I can post a picture of my setup so far.

Many thanks in advance.

[JohnathanKong]

Would a UV protection coating spray work? Fortunately I have mine stuff tucked away in a dark basement where my office is.

[OldOfflineMan]

Originally Posted by JohnathanKong

Would a UV protection coating spray work? Fortunately I have mine stuff tucked away in a dark basement where my office is.

Hmm... So it's the UV that's breaking the fire retardant in the plastic. Getting UV protection is a great idea. I'll try to find some UV protection spray or coating and coat the the figures/case.

So I found the Krylon spray in matte below:
https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/UV-Resi...RD3JI37FTMORWG

Maybe that might have that bonus of reducing the reflection from the case.

[Dark Rage]

There's also UV glass tint film roll, although it might make the figures inside the detolf look a little darker.

https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/...-36-x-25-Light

[OldOfflineMan]

Originally Posted by Dark Rage

There's also UV glass tint film roll, although it might make the figures inside the detolf look a little darker.

https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/...-36-x-25-Light

The price might be a bit too high to cover the whole Detolf, but I think I'll see if I can get a smaller roll for the uncovered corners at the door where the UV can leak in.

[NightshadeX]

Home Depot sells UV protector film in a roll for a much better price. I used it on the windows where my transformers are to protect it. Seems to be working well for the last few years.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/cat...UV%2BBlocking#

I got whichever one blocked the most UV. Probably the Titanium one.

[OldOfflineMan]

Originally Posted by NightshadeX

Home Depot sells UV protector film in a roll for a much better price. I used it on the windows where my transformers are to protect it. Seems to be working well for the last few years.

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/cat...UV%2BBlocking#

I got whichever one blocked the most UV. Probably the Titanium one.

Good tip. Thanks! I'd definitely consider this.

[OldOfflineMan]

So I finally had a chance to investigate this further. My plan was to line the Detolf itself with UV protection. From what I understand, the Gila films are excellent products, but all of the ones that provide UV protection are one-way films and tinted, unfortunately.

I think I'll have to use the Krylon spray.

[JohnathanKong]

There are these on amazon, https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=clear+uv+p...nb_sb_ss_i_4_9, but they are really pricey.

[OldOfflineMan]

Originally Posted by JohnathanKong

There are these on amazon, https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=clear+uv+p...nb_sb_ss_i_4_9, but they are really pricey.

Thanks for the tip.

It's actually not that bad. I need about 50 sq. ft. of film to cover 2 Detolfs completely, so if I'm okay with 90% UV reduction (which should be fine, as the figures are only exposed to reflected light) the prices aren't actually that bad.

I can buy:
1. One roll of this film (from China) for about $67 taxes in, or,
2. Three cans of the Krylon spray for $44 taxes in (each can covers 15-20 sq. ft.).