Hi all,

got my wampa today ( now i can go and scream Wampa like the kid in the kenner commercial )

i looked at it and it is off white but i am intrigued by the legs...they seem to be cream colored instead of being yellow from age.
where the wampa supposed to be like super snow white or off white?

thanks

Snow white, just like stormtroopers etc which also can turn 'cream' as well as yellow over time.

must be damn hard to get in pure clean white...i was kinda deceived because i had looked up several wampa but this one seemed to be the whitest and cleanest at the joint seams on the arms.

The photography bleached the color of the Wampa and i am sure i am not the first one to be fooled that way. the legs are cream colored and the rest is a very low shade of yellow almost matching the cream color of the legs. I guess the reason why the wampa as so many shades is that they must have used one type of plastic on the legs and another type on the rest of the body...i have seen many wampa with white legs and yellow rest of body....

don't get me wrong the Wampa is awesome looking and the cream coloring give him a kind of real life dirty look...you wont find many creatures with white fur that are 100% clean and snow white looking in real life.

the paint job is also great on it, nothing bad to say on the paint...it could have been much worse! what struck me is how small it was when i opened the box it was in...my impression is that this toy would have been fairly big because i had looked so many pictures of it and the boxed pictures, to me it felt he was close to being almost a foot high.....but what they hey! as they say...that the way it is, that the way i have to roll with it...

MTFBWY, always!

Yeah Bud, those wampas are real hard to find all minty white. I searched for a long time for a minty one at a decent price. I finally found a good one that I'm happy with, but not completely snow white.

i wonder if one would find one in a MISB if it would still be white? was the toy in a plastic bag in the box when it was sold? IF not then i would tend to say that the acid of the box itself may cause the figure to yellow even if the figure is in the dark in a sealed box...i am sure those box were not acid free...

budspencer wrote:

i wonder if one would find one in a MISB if it would still be white? was the toy in a plastic bag in the box when it was sold? IF not then i would tend to say that the acid of the box itself may cause the figure to yellow even if the figure is in the dark in a sealed box...i am sure those box were not acid free...

Not a certainty it'll be white...far from it in fact. It's also a damn expensive way to search!

I recently purchased a Wampa and the plastic had severe yellowing from age. Fear not, the yellowing can be reversed relatively easy. All you need is 10% hydrogen peroxide and a 1/4 teaspoon of Oxi Clean powder mixed in a large clear container. Place the Wampa inside and set it out in the sun on a clear day. After a full day of sunlight you should see significant results. It might take several full days of sunlight to completely whiten it again but be patient. It works! Once you have restored the Wampa back to his original Hoth white sheen be sure to rinse him thoroughly with dish soap and water to completely remove the hydrogen peroxide and let dry. When it is completely dry I suggest sealing him with a clear acrylic sealer, even Pledge Floor Care (aka Pledge with Future). The sealant acts as a protectant to prevent the plastic from yellowing again which was caused by heat and/or UV exposure causing the bromine molecules in the plastic to bond with the plastic causing the discoloration. Be warned that keeping the figure the same conditions that caused it to yellow in the first place can cause it to yellow again but you can (thankfully) always reverse it with this method. A protectant seal and keeping it out of direct sunlight in a climate controlled environment should help keep your Wampa looking good as new for many years and perhaps decades to come.

You will find a lot of guys who are against this method. Any type of chemical alteration can have unknown effects on the toy. No one has shown what this will do in prolonged time. Does the plastic weaken? Does the band holding the arms weaken? What happens to the factory paint over time? What long term effects are being put in place with this? Most guys think that these should just be cleaned with a hot soapy bath and a soft bristle toothbrush. Plus items that have been chemically altered being frowned upon, now you will have the need to do disclosure if you ever sell it on. You may think that it would be undetected, but if you sell it without disclosure you could set yourself up for being a bad dealer and having PayPal side with the buyer as it would be an item not as described claim.

This just opens up a whole can of worms that the headache isn't worth the hassle in my opinion.

Well I've had very positive results. I've been doing this to my Stormtrooper figures for years and they still look just as white and are holding up almost as good as new.

And these are my figures from my own personal collection so I'm not too worried. I also know other collectors who have done this to their figures as well and haven't reported any adverse effects. As for the rubber washers in the arms, those can easily be replaced similar to the G.I. Joe O-rings and the rubber bands for the Six Million Dollar Man Bigfoot.

Here is a thread about this from a while back.

http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/t1186-peroxide-is-not-a-cure-for-yellowed-figures?highlight=Hydrogen+peroxide

Well like with any modifications and customizing you of course do so at your own risk. The way I see it, the figures are yellowing over time anyway. These will not last forever, however, they will and should last longer than any of us living now. I'd prefer to restore my figures to make them look like they did 30 years ago so that I can enjoy them that way until I die. It's not a crime, it's just a personal preference.

To each his own.

Don't take what I am saying as harsh or anything towards you, or anyone, who decides to use this method. I am just saying a lot of guys frown on it. Truth be told we are all in a new world of collecting. Prior to Star Wars toys people did collect toys, but not to the degree that is done now. None of us no how these things will age further or when the untimely end to them will be. It is inevitable that these toys will eventually all break down. No one who was cranking these out in the factory thirty plus years ago was thinking how long will this bubble hold or this card stand up or this plastic remain this color. These were made to be toys not collectables. Long term effects are unknown no matter what you do. Truthfully that is why I collect loose figures. My fear of paying for a moc (especially with today's prices) and that bubble falling off or cracking or yellowing and becoming brittle or any of a multitude of things that could happen are a scary thought. I am not saying one day all these guys who collect moc will walk into their collection room and every figure will now be loose, but eventually one by one I think the bubble may fail. That is scary when you consider that some guys are paying 6 digits for some of these. Like you said to each his own, but I still think that full disclosure should be made if they ever leave your collection.

I have a different definition of restoration, peroxide/chemical alteration is an addition of foreign material. This does not return something to it's former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.

It's those that consider it harmless, not modification or sell without disclosure that I have issues with.

Yes to each their own.