Storage And Heat

[Loading...]

I’ve been thinking recently about whether or not my Bionicle sets are being affected where I’m keeping them.At the moment, I keep them in a small shack/house that we have in our backyard. It has no air-conditioning which means that in the summer the temperature inside can reach past 90 degrees, and in the winter it can easily get below freezing. The windows are blocked with makeshift curtains 99% of the time, so I don’t think I need to worry about sunlight, but do you think the high temperatures, and possibly the humidity, are doing any harm?They’ve been there for more than a year, and I haven’t noticed any change, but the thought has been in the back of my head. Melting seems imposible, but what about warping or bending?What do you think?

[Hexann]

Well I would make sure it is colder plastic melts when it's warm.....(Boy have I bean captain obvious lately)

[GSR]

A little searching around suggests that the plastic used in LEGO should be good up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. More dangerous would seem to be very rapid changes in temperature (especially in humid conditions) and UV damage, but they seem well protected from both of those.

Edited May 28, 2012 by GSR

[a goose]

I’ve been thinking recently about whether or not my Bionicle sets are being affected where I’m keeping them.At the moment, I keep them in a small shack/house that we have in our backyard. It has no air-conditioning which means that in the summer the temperature inside can reach past 90 degrees, and in the winter it can easily get below freezing. The windows are blocked with makeshift curtains 99% of the time, so I don’t think I need to worry about sunlight, but do you think the high temperatures, and possibly the humidity, are doing any harm?They’ve been there for more than a year, and I haven’t noticed any change, but the thought has been in the back of my head. Melting seems imposible, but what about warping or bending?What do you think?

A little searching around suggests that the plastic used in LEGO should be good up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. More dangerous would seem to be very rapid changes in temperature (especially in humid conditions) and UV damage, but they seem well protected from both of those.

Actually, there are some dangers. What you should watch out for is the kind of plastic in Tahu Stars' mask, it melts really easy (my red one has a crater in it from where it did).

[Loading...]

A little searching around suggests that the plastic used in LEGO should be good up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. More dangerous would seem to be very rapid changes in temperature (especially in humid conditions) and UV damage, but they seem well protected from both of those.

That makes me feel better...

Actually, there are some dangers. What you should watch out for is the kind of plastic in Tahu Stars' mask, it melts really easy (my red one has a crater in it from where it did).

But that makes me a little worried again... How exactly did the mask melt?

[a goose]

A little searching around suggests that the plastic used in LEGO should be good up to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. More dangerous would seem to be very rapid changes in temperature (especially in humid conditions) and UV damage, but they seem well protected from both of those.

That makes me feel better...

Actually, there are some dangers. What you should watch out for is the kind of plastic in Tahu Stars' mask, it melts really easy (my red one has a crater in it from where it did).

But that makes me a little worried again... How exactly did the mask melt?

I left it beside a lamp.

[Mare Tranquillitatis]

I wouldn't worry that much. Once I purposedly partially melted a sword from a LEGO Pirate set ( the old series I mean, perhaps the one in the 90s? ), but I had to put it on a candle. I think it's hard to melt pieces using just solar light.

[GSR]

I left it beside a lamp.

Well, incandescent lightbulbs can have a surface temperature well beyond 150 degrees depending on the wattage, so I guess the question is how close to the lamp you left it.

[a goose]

I left it beside a lamp.

Well, incandescent lightbulbs can have a surface temperature well beyond 150 degrees depending on the wattage, so I guess the question is how close to the lamp you left it.

...On top of the bulb. XD

[Loading...]

So as long as I don't fill the room with high voltage lamps, or light it on fire, I should be fine...I think I can handle that.

[Dralcax]

They actually specifically heat test them, so your models can definitely stand the heat for a summer, if they cool down in the winter.

[GSR]

I left it beside a lamp.

Well, incandescent lightbulbs can have a surface temperature well beyond 150 degrees depending on the wattage, so I guess the question is how close to the lamp you left it.

...On top of the bulb. XD

That, uh, that would do the trick, yes.But yeah, I think as long as you keep them out of the sun you should be fine. These bricks are expensive for a reason.

[Loading...]

To add something quickly, is it possible that some sets will make pieces bend and then become stuck in a bent form? Example, could Nidiki's thin legs be bent by his weight and the heat, and then harden in the winter?

[Dralcax]

To add something quickly, is it possible that some sets will make pieces bend and then become stuck in a bent form? Example, could Nidiki's thin legs be bent by his weight and the heat, and then harden in the winter?

I think the weight is distributed well enough and the legs rigid enough to prevent bending. The only set that could bend like that is Krika, who isn't weighty enough to bend by himself.

[Hexann]

Here is quote from a help topic on Lego.com ". 40°C or 104 degrees (F) Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures may affect the quality of the LEGO parts."

[Cederak]

I kept my Bionicle sets in a similar building from 2002 until 2009, facing the temperature fluctuations (some winters down around 0 degrees and humid summers up around 100) and when I finally brought them inside around 2010 and decided to mess with them a bit, they were just fine.-Ced

[Toa Of Virtues]

With warping, i would assume the thin pieces (toa mata masks) would become the most bendable in the heat, so if i were you i would get the thin masks out of there, just in case. From what the other people are saying, the rest should be ok.

[Nuparu1995]

Some of the thinner or more delicate plastic or the rubber bands may warp and some of it may get slightly discolored, but other than that, it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

[Lyichir]

At one point, parts from one of our Nui Rama ended up getting pushed under the heater in our basement, Shapewise they didn't change much, but they no longer come apart. I've never had any issues with parts actually melting (especially not due to typical outdoor temperatures), but if you do leave them in a place where they could get hot, I'd recommend letting them cool before using them again, in case the heat makes them more susceptible to being scratched or warped during normal use.