G1 Question about pony material

[moonflowernd]

I am wondering if anyone else has had this problem/experience. I have two G1 Starshines, and both have problems. One got pony cancer on her cutie mark areas (poor thing; I have no idea where it came from) and when I treated her both cutie marks came off. The other one I got with a group and her problem is that her head body are slightly different shades of white. I was comparing the two the other day deciding which I want to keep, when I realized that they are made with different plastics. It makes me curious to no end as to how the same type of pony, same year, both Hong Kong, could be different plastics. So I'm wondering if anyone else has this and if they know the background of the ponies' make.

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

Sometime the Ponies come from different factories, leading to the differences in materials used, sometimes they're just from different batches within the same building. Each batch of plastic is mixed individually in large vats, and while they try to be precise in the measuring of chemicals, things are never quite the same each mix. That's why sometimes the colours are slightly off or sometimes a Pony is more prone to discolouration and cancer than others. The make up of each batch is different.

Additionally sometimes factories would reuse plastics already mixed for other items. This results in a lot of the chipping, oiliness or other faults some Ponies show. Their plastic isn't of the same quality as some others'. Any time you have large numbers of an item being manufactured, less time goes into checking the quality of those items. It's one of the sad things about mass production.

 

[Candice88]

I know how frustrating it can be to have factory issues with the plastic. I just try to remind myself also that G1s are like 30 years old and the plastic is bound to show some age. They were meant to be toys after all (although sometimes I forget this lol) and I think quality for future collectable value was not really considered when they were making them.

 

[PurplePowder]

I have two G1 Starshines, and both have problems. One got pony cancer on her cutie mark areas (poor thing; I have no idea where it came from)

Sounds like symbol rust or something similar. Certain Rainbow ponies seem incredibly susceptible to dark discoloration beneath their glitter. I didn't even know this was a thing until I started collecting again recently, as all my childhood RPs (Windy, Parasol, Moonstone, Starshine, Sunlight, two Skydancers) lack the affliction. Not sure if it's luck or environmental conditions or what.

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

I've noticed that Ponies that were kept in dark, dry places always fared better than bright moist places. We know that the sun breaks down (although it doesn't completely destroy plastic or we wouldn't have islands of it floating about in the oceans) and discolours it, and moisture leads to molds and mildew. The problem being we don't know how much exposure to what leads to these problems. While I may have kept a Pony pristine while it has been in my possession, I have no idea what it's been exposed to in the past. In the end, we just have to love them in the condition they're in and do our best to conserve them.

 

[moonflowernd]

thank you all for the responses!! I'm glad that my question could be answered thanks to bunnyfoofoo
so now I need to decide what to do with the two...
lol, anyone want a Stardancer?

 

[evilbunnyfoofoo]

We all want her of course! We're Pony's Hos!