OK, now that I have MP's, how do I best care for them?

[imfallenangel]

I'll take my fancier ones out ever so often just to play and fiddle a bit with them, to make sure they're fine and not getting stiff in the joint. Technically, they are toys after all, otherwise I'd just get a bust/statue or such. I buy because I want to "handle" them, and not place on a pedestal to worship.

To clean them, I went and got the softest long hair paintbrush I could find and use that to clean them... long bristles allows you to get into the tiny parts and going very gently, using a bit of a rotation to it, there's no risk for the small fragile parts (and some I have are so scary fragile that I wouldn't dare use compressed air on them).

I do the same with small ceramic and other such fragile items around the house. Note that I built a portable vacuum chamber to do this.. no point in simply putting that dust back in the air, now it there.

[Omegatron]

O.K. I've opined on this kind of stuff before. Just so you are aware my day job is as a Curator at a museum. I am professionally trained in collections management (handing and preserving items in a museum), so I can answer your question from that point of view. So a couple of things to keep in mind:

1) Any toy made of plastic and metal (especially multiple kinds of plastic) will degrade slightly over time no matter what you do. These toys have what is called "inherent vice", that means that they will change chemically over time. The classic example is vinyl tires which will (and the speed of this depends on their chemical composition), dry out and crack over time even if you never touch the toy. Likewise paint will fade and plastic will fade or discolour. GPS would be another example of this

2) The number one way anything gets broken is by human handling. Any long time transformer fan knows this as we have all at one point or another broken something.

3) Despite this plastic toys are fairly durable things and should last quite a while.

In a museum or in a personal collection there is always a balance between presentation (having things on display) and preservation (keeping things intact and undamaged as long as possible). Unfortunately these things are in direct conflict with each other so you have to decide where your balance is. so...

The ideal way to preserve something is to wrap it in unbleached and uncoloured polyethylene foam and then store it in a climate controlled closet between 40% and 60% relative humidity and as cold as you can stand while still being above freezing. I'm betting you don't want to do that as it defeats the purpose of display. Most museums don't either except with things that are fantastically rare or precious.

So basic rules of thumb you can follow:

1) keep your figures out of direct sunlight. This is second most damaging thing after human handling.

2) Keep the room you have them in dry, don't store them in an attic and if you do have them in a basement invest in a dehumidifier.

3) If you can do it buy LED lights as they give off negligible UV. When you are not in the room turn off the lights and close the curtains/ blinds. If you can't do this because you use the room for other things, rotate your toys between being on display and in storage. This gives you the ability to display other things as well.

3) Handle your toys with care and as infrequently as you can while still enjoying your collection. If you are not enjoying them because you are not playing with them, then play with them, because otherwise, what's the point? Just know that you will eventually damage something.

4) If you can invest in display cabinets with glass doors. This will keep the dust off for longer. Dust is not very damaging but it is unsightly, keep dust off things as long as you can and go as long as you can without dusting something. When you do dust use either a can of air (hold it as far away from the toy as you can while still being effective or you could remove loose chrome/ paint if there is any on the toy) or use a damp cloth (damp with water, DO NOT use a cleaning product. Make sure your toys are completely dry again before putting them back in storage or on display.

5) Pose the toys so that there is no undue stress on any part/ joint/ spring, etc. If a part slides (old school leg sliders, or folding fists are an example), this is the exception to every rule (including the handling rule), move them a couple of times a year or they will seize up.

That's about it, enjoy them, don't worry too much about them and remember if the worst happens Hasbro or Takara will be happy to sell you either a new one or the latest thing out at the time as a replacement.

[Darkmatter]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and ideas!

Omegatron, that was very informative. Thanks!