UV Protection for Figures Cost: What to Look For
A practical breakdown of UV protection for figures cost, aimed at new collectors. No marketing language — just the specification, the construction and the display consequences.
Polystone Care in Three Rules
Support the base, never lift by the head or an arm, and never reach for a solvent when a stain appears. Polystone is brittle under point impact and slightly porous, so handling and cleaning decide how a piece looks in five years far more than the initial paint job does.
Movement Causes the Damage
Most shipping damage comes from movement inside the box, not impact outside it. The two-box method removes the movement: pack the piece into an inner carton with 5 cm of cushioning on every face, then suspend that inner carton 8–10 cm inside an outer carton so the gap, not the piece, absorbs the shock.
Orientation and the Shake Test
Ship upright, base down; on its side the full mass rests on the thinnest casting, exactly where breaks start. Close, lift 5 cm, set down and shake two seconds — any rattle means packing is not finished. Tape with the H-method and label fragile on at least three faces, then photograph the sealed box beside a scale.
Targets That Prevent Damage
Keep displayed pieces at 18–24 °C and 40–55% relative humidity. Above 60% invites bloom and mould; below 35% dries fabric trim on mixed-media builds. No direct sun, ever, and gentle indirect airflow rather than a fan pointed at the shelf, which raises dust deposition sharply.
Storage vs Display Care
Out of rotation, use the original carton and moulded foam, or acid-free tissue with a silica gel sachet replaced every six months. Store upright when space allows, never stacked, and keep the certificate with the piece rather than filed away where it is separated from the number it proves.
Judge a piece by three numbers — material, scale and edition size — then by the finish. Everything else is decoration.