Ouch.

Gold Plastic Syndrome (commonly shorthanded toGPS) is fandom terminology used to describe the phenomenon of a toy'splastic decomposing and becoming brittle to the point of shattering or crumbling under minimal-stress conditions. In the most extreme cases, toys have been reported to spontaneously crumble to small bits without any applied force at all, even if they're fresh out of theirunopened package.

This breakage is different from the relatively more common stress-fracture type of plastic breakage that can occur in someTransformers toys; while normal stress fractures are universally heralded by stress marks on the toy, GPS breakage doesn't have that sign; it simply crumbles to pieces. The condition takes its name from the gold plastics of late Generation 1 through toBeast Wars that have proved the most prone to this sort of breakage. Despite the name, Gold Plastic Syndrome has been known to affect other types of plastic—most of them noted for a pretty metallic swirl in the plastic; the reason it has the "GPS" moniker is because gold plastic was the first and most common color observed to have this horrific phenomenon.

Thankfully, Gold Plastic Syndrome is generally unheard of in modern Hasbro/TakaraTransformers figures, with the last reported case being in2015 withUnite WarriorsMotormaster.

Etymology

The term was coined in analt.toys.transformers post made by user Sky Shadow in September 2002.^[1] A post byDave "Zobovor" Edwards, meanwhile, made in June of the previous year,^[2] is the earliest identifiable acknowledgment of the widespread nature of the phenomenon within the Transformers fan community.

Completing the journey from fan term to official term, "Gold Plastic Syndrome" was used by Hasbro designerJohn Warden at theTransformers Generations panel at Comic-Con International 2015 to describe exactly what would not happen toCombiner Wars G2-styleQuickslinger.

Notability

GPS is widespread among toys made in the tail-end ofGeneration 1, typically the second year ofPretenders and even some European-market exclusives,Generation 2 and theBeast Wars series, but examples have surfaced from lines as recent asUniverse (2003), theStar Wars Transformers and the2007 movie. Transformers toys are not the only ones to suffer from this; there have been reports ofG.I. Joe andVisionaries toys' gold plastics also crumbling seemingly of their own accord; even someSuper Sentai andPower Rangers toys have been known to suffer, and for a few yearsLEGO was somewhat infamous for "brittle brown/burgundy" parts that snapped easily (as well as metallic gold ones and even lime green ones, but those were not as common). Probably the strangest is accounts of retro game collectors findingMajora's Mask cartridges shatter under minimal stress. Other retro robot toy collectors have referred to it as "Popy disease", after the metallic blue plastic favored by the company Popy that led to the demise of many a Dairugger / Vehicle Team Voltron.

The toys most likely to suffer from Gold Plastic Syndrome are those with gold or bronze plastic with a metallic swirl to it. There are other known cases with different colors of plastic—though usually there is a tell-tale swirl in the plastic.

Cause

Gleargh

Because this is not exactly an area of scientific notability, there aren't any full studies into Gold Plastic Syndrome that we know about. Basically, it is thought that certain plastics weren't mixed as well as others, possibly because of the metallic pigment or colouring, so they break down more quickly.

It's not much of a theory, really; think more of a hypothesis. Here's a more detailed attempt:

In short, the poorly-bonded plastic is so honeycombed with air gaps that the pressure required for movement will crumble it.

Hasbro have attributed it to "the amount of gold fleck included in the plastic", and have apparently reduced the amount in similar plastics of more recent vintage to prevent further occurrences.^[3] Later Hasbro said that they believe they've "alleviated the issues associated with the 'gold' plastic issue" through "trial and error."^[4]

All in all, the actual causes of Gold Plastic Syndrome aren't a very big deal to Transformers fans—it's really pretty academic. Of more concern is theRESULTS (i.e., poor Electro crumbling to bits like an Oreo left in milk too long), and what to look out for. There's no certain cure here, no fix. If a toy has GPS, itwill die if handled and transformed normally.

Seibertron.com has reported that Ace Hardware's "Lub-E" product may prevent GPS breakage, having applied it to an Electro pre-photo-shoot. This claim needs further verification, as it may very well be a coincidence that that specific Electro did not break at that moment. Other discussions of Lub-E or comparable shock oil products have recommendedsubmerging the toy in the lubricant entirely, which many collectors would find unacceptable evenif it worked.

The Symptoms

Nooo!

Gold Plastic Syndrome usually has a few clear signs. Knowing how to tell the difference between Gold Plastic Syndrome and normal plastic breakage is very important for a Transformers fan who is collecting vintage toys. It's the difference between giving up on that toy completely (since if it has GPS, it'slikely most other samples of the toy will as well) and buying a new copy.

• GPS usually takes place in metallic-coloured plastics, most notably gold plastic and bronze plastic; they tend to have distinctive "swirly," "sparkly" appearance.
• GPS breaks are NOT accompanied by stress fractures. There is usually NOT any visible wear before the breakage. This is really important. Plastic breaks. This is a reality of toy collecting, plastic gets old and it breaks. Gold plastic syndrome is breakage without warning.
• GPS breaks often leave a powdery residue and shards of plastic (though not always), the result of the plastic actually physically crumbling. Take a look at the picture of Skyquake's scope—okay, the bits of his scope—to the right. You can actually see some of the left-over shards of plastic. Keep in mind this picture was taken years after the break actually occurred—these are new shards of plastic which came off these pieces of scope during the process of moving the parts around for photography. Plastic shouldnot be that brittle or delicate.
• GPS breakages don't need to involve any excess stress or force on a toy—simply handling a toy or opening its box can cause the breakage. If your toy breaks despite careful handling it's more likely to be GPS.
• GPS breaks often have rough, uneven edges with no stress lines around them. This is important—usually when plastic snaps it snaps cleanly (as is common with clear plastic), or it bends first (leaving a torn-off piece, or clear stresses around the break). If a break is uneven, with different colours and textures in it, yet there are no stress fractures around the wound, and especially if it leaves a powdery residue as well, it's almost certainly a GPS break. Take a look at the photo of Skyquake above for a good example of the ragged break. Okay... not good. What's the other word that's LIKE "good", but not actually good? Oh yeah. Horrifying. A HORRIFYING example.
• GPS plastics will sometimes feel brittle to the touch, sometimes making cracking noises as they're handled.

A really easy test to tell if you have GPS breakage is this—if a piece breaks off, try snapping it again. If it's normal plastic breakage, the broken piece should bend or bow, since it would have had only one fracture point and otherwise remained malleable; in that circumstance, even if it were brittle clear plastic, you would be able to glue it back into place, or at least get a replacement part. On the other hand, if the broken piece continues to repeatedly crack apart like a potato chip when hit with pressure from any angle, then you've almost definitely got Gold Plastic Syndrome.

GPS misconceptions

ALL GOLD PLASTIC WILL DIE!

Not true. It's only a fairly specific composite of darker-gold plastic used during a specific era that is more likely to suffer, most prominently used from 1988 (second-yearPretenders are notorious for it) and through to about the end ofBeast Wars in 2000, although there are still a few very rare cases of post-millennium figures with this issue up until 2015. As far as we know, modern toys do not suffer from GPS due to a reduction in the amount of metallic flakes in the mix.^[3] Toys with flexible nylon-based gold plastics, such asSuperbase Optimus Prime's elbows, are not susceptible to GPS supposedly because of the plastic's composition. Even on toys well known for GPS, some of their gold plastic is less prone to break. Gold plastic which is nice and thick is much less likely to snap than gold plastic which is thin. Gold plastic which is under constant stress—like that at a joint—is also more likely to break. That said, some really nice solid parts can shatter like eggshells if it's real GPS we're talkin' about.

Guiledart may have a "dead mode", but it's not GPS-dead.

OKAY, BUT THEN ALL GOLD PLASTIC FROM 1988 TO THE EARLY 2000s WILL DIE!

Thankfully, no! There are various examples of figures built between the eighties and the early 2000s featuring similar-looking gold or bronze plastic - sometimes even exhibiting some of those much-dreaded swirly patterns - where such an issue has never been reported, likeArchadis,Guiledart,Transquito,Snarler, 2003's version ofSan D-Go, and perhaps most ironically,Goldbug. Gold chrome, like that seen inTransmetal Cheetor and the firstGeneration 2 Bumblebee, is also completely immune from GPS since it's merely painted rather than actually being gold plastic.

MY TOY BROKE, IT MUST BE GOLD PLASTIC SYNDROME!!!

There are plenty of ways for plastic to break that aren't related to Gold Plastic Syndrome. Repeated stress on a plastic, dropping a toy, a toy with metal parts that damage the plastic parts, thin plastic, or simply the use of translucent plastic, which is more brittle. Just because a toy breaks doesn't mean it's Gold Plastic Syndrome. Look for the symptoms (listed above) and ask around before assuming that every single copy of this toy is destined to die a horrible and messy death.

ONLY GOLD PLASTIC GETS GOLD PLASTIC SYNDROME!

Notquite true. Observations suggest that it should probably be called "Metallic Plastic Syndrome". It's those metallic plastics, most commonly the gold and bronze plastics used for almost ten years by Hasbro and Takara, from around 1989 to 1998. However, it's possible that any colour of plastic could be susceptible, given enough time. So keep a close eye on your Fire Convoy, kids; that pretty metallic swirl in his plastic isn't promising... maybe.

MY TOY IS DOOMED!

Okay... notexactly a misconception. Your toy isprobably doomed... but there is a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

You see, the thickness of the plastic seems to affect GPS. Also, the amount of stress on it affects it. While some toys are known for breaking just by having their packages opened—guys like Randy, Roadblock andGeneration 2 Slingshot—others, like Skyquake and Pyro, can remain intact if they are handled with extreme care because the parts that are made of GPS plastics are large and thick and otherwise robust. GPS is an inconsistent process—eventually your toywill crumble, but there's no telling how long it will take. With delicate handling (read: almost none) you can maintain a GPS-afflicted toy in your collection for quite some time.

Also remember that the evidence for Gold Plastic Syndrome iscompletely observational. There seems to be some evidence that different plastic batches were less affected, meaning some releases of the toys were less affected than others. You might luck out and get an Electro that never crumbles to dust, or you might be really unlucky and get multiple Electros, all of which break horribly. This wiki's own pictured examples ofElectro andSkyquake on their pages are still intact to this day despite multiple transformations (though Skyquake willnever have the Megavisor combination gimmick tried, because why poke that exploding bear?).This page is a caution more than anything else. Know what you're getting into when you buy a toy known to be afflicted by GPS.

Toys commonly accredited as GPS sufferers

The Transformers

"Bristleback"? More like,Brittleback, amirite? Hahahahaa... Oh god, why.

• BlackZarak (1988)

The first known sufferer of GPS and easily one of the most depressing cases due to his rarity and hefty aftermarket pricing, BlackZarak's GPS affliction is nothing short of legendary. Forget transforming him - simply standing him up is a risk. His golden feet and shield have to be under stress to function as intended, leading to cases of shattered toys fresh out of the box, or evenwhen still inside it. The Headmaster figure, double cannons, and city antennas are all likewise gold plastic and all need to be inserted or swiveled into position, and his pack-in partnerBlack Roritchi, almost entirely made of gold plastic, transforms by folding in half. This is a toy to be handled as little as possible, if ever.

• Pretender MonstersBristleback andSlog (1989)

The inner robots for both Bristleback and Slog suffer, but at different severities. Bristleback has multiple points of failure, the most obvious being the thin edges of his fist-holes, which can snap if his gun is pushed too far in. When forming Monstructor, sliding the combiner's fist in place can sometimes be enough to create a large crack through his legs, sometimes even splitting them entirely. (If you're feeling crafty, you might try shaving a tiiiny bit off the sides of the fist's connector plug. Better that less-than-mint condition than the "very broken" type.) And while his monster-limbs are fairly thick plastic, which isusually safer, they are also attachedreally tightly, which means applying too much pressure to turn them can cause fractures. Slog is not especially susceptible on his own despite the sheer amount of gold plastic, but forming Monstructor requires another toy (Birdbrain) to be inserted up inside his gold-plastic torso, which can put too much stress on the thinner sides if jostled or pushed in at a bad angle. Their Japanese counterparts,Gairyu andKakuryu, lack gold plastic, and thus can be used as substitutes without any fear of breakage.

• Ultra PretendersRoadblock andSkyhammer (1989)

These two are particularly notorious. Roadblock's innermost robot has three peg holes, two in the fists and one on his back, that are particularly susceptible to cracking and shattering, leaving many a Roadblock hand-less... or arm-less, as sometimes the posts attaching his arms to his torso will crumble around the pin keeping them in place. Meanwhile, the entire bottom of Skyhammer's large vehicle shell is made of gold plastic and it isvery prone to breakage. Not to mention how much gold plastic is on his inner shell and hisrobot mode.

• Killbison (1989)

One of the comparatively few Takara-market-only toys of the era to have this problem. His arms and back (including the head) are metallic-gold plastic. Most of this plastic is fairly thick, giving it a fair amount of resilience, but his fists and the joint forLiokaiser's fold-out foot are thinner and run a higher risk of breakage.

Well,crap.

• Predator missile launchers (1992)

The missile launchers shared by all six Predator toys are likely to self-destruct in two ways. Loading a missile when the toy is holding the launcher can cause the peg itself to give before the rather strong internal spring does. Additionally, launching a missile is a gamble. Either the plastic is able to bend enough to release the internal catch, or it isn't and snaps off.

• Skyquake (1992)

Skyquake is another toy notable for having a gimmick which makes the whole thing worse. He actually has two colours of metallic plastic on him: One is a dark bronze, the other a light bronze. It is the light bronze plastic that is most likely to break. Unfortunately, the light bronze plastic also forms Skyquake's scope. You're supposed to put a Predator jet's scope slide into that part of him. But the union is not pleasant for the one on the receiving end, as the spring-loaded viewscreen that swings down puts alot of pressure on the socket. Take a look at the picture to the right. These are the parts left of Skyquake's scope after another Predator tried to unite with him. Actually... that's not even all the parts, that's just all that could be found. This is a gimmick which shouldnever be attempted by modern collectors. Never, ever, ever, ever.

Transforming him also carries a risk of breakage, as the heavy scope assembly is attached by a comparatively small/thin swivel joint that might not withstand being swung around and latched into position, and having his stabilizer fins leveraged is also risky since the plastic around the swivel-pins is particularly thin. The moving plate over thelight piping on the back of his head is that brittle light bronze too, but it is at least loose and thick enough to be much less risky.

• Thunder Clash (1992)

Skyquake's Autobot counterpart has fewer parts jeopardized by metal-swirly plastics, but the toy's ankles are definite risks, as is the handgun peg if not handled with care. Removing the ratchet "catch" from Thunder Clash's feet and sanding the handgun's peg a bit will also help by reducing the force put on those parts without noticeably altering the toy. TheMachine Wars Optimus Prime redeco swapped out the metal-swirly plastics for more durable plastics.

• Pyro (1993)

Pyro has a gold plastic waist which puts him at high risk of cracking in half during transformation, and clipping his gold feet into position in robot mode is a bad idea too. The elbow ratchets are also risky due to the constant spring stress. And of course, his rifle handle is prone to shearing off.

• e-HobbyThe Transformers: Collector's EditionMegatron Black Version (2001/2009)

Tragically, this rare one-off reissue has metallic brown plastic that can crumble if one attaches the sword or rifle in the hand in robot mode or a stock in Walther P-38 mode.

Generation 2

Oh, God, my knee! MY KNEEEEEEE!!

• Electro (1994)

There's areason that Electro sits up at the top of this page. Poor guy just can't catch a break, it seems. Wait... actually, no. That's theentire problem. The poor guy totallycan catch a break. All the time. Because he isdesigned to die. Basicallyanything on Electro's body is susceptible to shattering thanks to having many many thin joints made out of metallic gold plastic.

• Slingshot (1994)

Yet another iconic sufferer of GPS, Slingshot isinfamous for coming apart straight out of the package.^[5] Worse, he's another toy whose gimmick will destroy him, like Skyquake. Slingshot's head is a post which is designed to plug intoSilverbolt (or any other "Scramble City" style torso-bot) so that Slingshot can form an arm or a leg. If you're unlucky, you're going to end up with his head trapped inside a connector joint.

Beast Wars

A mighty Dinobot warrior... bested by his own crumbling joints.

The one part of Megatron's Movie Jazz cosplay hedidn't want to recreate.

• Grimlock (1997)

Beast Wars Grimlock uses metallic gold plastic ball joints for his hips, which is not really a good thing. Common breakages include the insides of his legs (where his chest pegs into them inbeast mode) and his mutant mask (which is very thin).

• Silverbolt (1997)

TheMagnaboss component Silverbot (nottheother more well-known Beast Wars Silverbolt) despite having adangerously large amount of metallic bronze plastic, is... actually fairly stable. The main breakage point is where his tail connects to his body. As well,Skywarp, his Japanese counterpart, is just as likely to suffer from this. That said, just... be careful, okay? Be careful.

• Transmetal Megatron (1998)(Hasbro version only)

Hasbro's Transmetal Megatron has a tendency to snap at the waist, the shoulders, the... well, anything that's made of that dark semi-metallic brown plastic. This is technically Brown Plastic Syndrome, but regardless of what you call it this toy may end in sadness. This breakage may be due to GPS, adesign flaw, or a combination of both; the Takara version's immunity to this issue (because its brown parts are black plastic instead) seems to suggest that GPS may have a role.

• Optimal Optimus (1998)

Optimal Optimus uses sparkly dark brown plastic for his wheels and turrets, which can suffer from GPS. The block that holds the batteries is the most likely to break, as the "soft" ratchet joint requires the affected plastic to bend. The pieces that connect his wings to his arms are also made from the same sparkly brown plastic.

• FuzorTorca (1998)

Torca's legs, hip armor panels, tail hinge and sides are all prone to Gold Plastic Syndrome.

• MutantSoundwave (2000)

Poor Soundwave has hisentire fraggin' body composed of gold plastic, so it's a crapshoot. The softer plastics are far less likely to crumble, but the places on his body where the sides hinge open as part of his transformation have a high risk of snapping.

• Beast Wars 10th AnniversaryDinobot (2006)

Sadly, this version of Dinobot is less special for being a commemorative toy from the 10th anniversary of a beloved cartoon and more for being a horrifying timebomb, as he hastwo kinds of metallic swirled plastic, both of which seem to have hit their expiration dates around 2013. In other words, basically any part on him is highly fragile, although he's most likely to break at the neck, hips, and helmet. At this point, keeping the toy MISB is the best way to display him.

Beast Wars II

More of a minor fracture, really.

• Bigmos (1998)

His GPS problems are bizarrelynot his many many many metallic gold plastic parts; histurquoise-colored plastic parts are the brittle ones, to the point of snapping right out of the package. Notable breakage points include the mosquito leg connectors snapping right off, tight hip/thigh swivels resulting in crumbling, and occasionally the robot feet can break due to being really thin pieces. Basically, be very gentle with anything molded in turquoise, be very gentle and take extra caution when twisting tight joints.

Beast Wars Neo

'Tis but a scratch!

• Randy (1999)

Randy is one of thelegendary Gold Plastic Syndrome toys. Imagine, if you will, a toy with an entirely spring-loaded transformation... and an outer shellmade entirely out of metallic gold plastic. Ouch, right? The stress of staying in beast mode in package, the mode with the very compressed springs, is often enough to break the joints holding his beast-mode sides on before you even open the package. If you're lucky enough to have one still intact, keeping him in robot mode is the best way tokeep him intact. For a while longer, at least.

Beast Machines

Sadly, changing up his exercise routinewon't help his shin splints.

• Snarl (2000)

Not the most fragile GPS victim but nonetheless one of the most risk-prone, Snarl is one of those figures that uses an extensive amount of swirly gold plastic throughout his entire body, and as a result, there isa lot that can go wrong when handling him. All manner of extremities are known to occasionally snap off of Snarl's body, most easily among these being the ankles and leg covers. To make matters worse, it seems that the longer Snarl figures are left in sealed packages, the more brittle they are upon opening said packages.

• Striker (2000)

As with Snarl, Striker is yet another figure that isn't as fragile as some of the toys mentioned on this page but is still at a very high risk of breakage just by virtue of the sheer amount of gold plastic used on him: he features anentirely golden dinosaur shell which relies on ball joints to move and shift, and as a result, said joint pegs are particularly prone to snapping over time. He also has a lot of gold plastic pegs that tab into gold plastic slots, which is, of course, a recipe for disaster. Transforming Striker could prove to be a suicide mission... for him.

Choro-Q

• Rodimus Convoy Metallic Version (2001)

Sadly, the pinned metallic flake plastic hinges on this version ofChoro-Q Rodimus have become prone to breaking after two decades.

Robots in Disguise (2001)

Really, what could go wrong with gold plastic pins tabbing into small tight gold plastic pegs?

• Air Attack Optimus Primal (2002)

The biggest toy in theRobots in Disguise toyline, Air Attack Optimus Primal is actually based onBeast Machines Optimus Primal, thus making him a particularly desirable toy by virtue of being the most accurate version of said design... Which only makes it all the more tragic that he features large expanses made of sparkly brown plastic, which, like with Optimal Optimus (see above), can be prone to shattering. Owch. This condition most often results in the feet breaking. Thankfully, there is an alternative, as the 2018Encore reissue does not suffer from GPS.

• Megabolt (2003)

Megabolt doesn't use as much gold plastic as some of the toys mentioned on this page, but the portions where he does use gold plastic just to happen to be very significant: his limbs, shoulders / alternate mold face place, and above-head cannon are all cast primarily in gold plastic, which isnot a good thing. The most common fracture points include his forearms, the holes that lock his arms in place in crawling head mode, lower legs near the knees, and his head. On top of this he has a number of other design flaws that can lead to non-gold-plastic parts snapping off, so, good luck!

Universe (2003)

You know my hips don't lie... Or last very long.

• MicromasterSuperion (2003)

While his individual robots are unscathed from the GPS plague, many of Superion's essential combinerkibble parts are aggressively afflicted: namely, his rifle, hands (which are just white-painted gold plastic), and worst of all, his hip piece. The latter chunk is especially prone to breakage, which isn't helped by the fact that the leg components need to very firmly clip onto it... Meaning that, in a good portion of loose copies, those poor fragile little pegs will be shattered.^[6] On an unrelated annoyance, the peg that connectsRo-Tor to Superion's torso piece also tends to break despite no gold plastic being involved, so; if you've always wanted a toy with both shattering gold plasticand poor quality control then here you go! Best thing to do with this one is to probably just use other Micromaster combiner kibble to assemble his robot mode.

Unicron Trilogy

"A minor case of GPS"? Yeah, imagine how 'minor' it'd feel if it wasyour jaw falling off, prick.

• CybertronRepugnus (2006/2010)

Surprisingly the only "Unicron Trilogy" toy that's known to be afflicted by GPS (and indicative of a broader trend as GPS instances start diminishing during this time) and a fairly minor case of it to boot, Repugnus' robot mode "hands"/Spinosaurus head are made of black-painted gold plastic. Surprisingly, he is pretty resilient besides this — a quick search on the secondary market reveals that the overwhelming majority of copies are perfectly intact — but it's still not unheard for his thin jaw parts to break into pieces when inserting his flail weapon into his hands, even if uncommon. His thigh covers are made of the same plastic but, due to their static position and lack of moving parts, are very unlikely to break — so, overall; your Repugnusshould be fine if you're careful.

Star Wars Transformers

Use the Force, Luke... Wait, no, actually, DON'T — AAHHHHH!!!!!

• General Grievous (2006)

Grievous' pelvis, arms and legs are all made out of gold plastic with many thin parts in the jointing, leaving them especially prone to breakage.

• Millennium Falcon/Han Solo &Chewbacca (2006)

Another infamous example, Chewbacca's half of the Millenium Falcon suffers from aggressive GPS, with only a few parts using gold plastic but most of them being aesthetically and structurally essential: his head, hands, upper arms, and upper legs are all vulnerable to shattering apart after being subjected to even the lightest of stress. To make matters worse, his upper legs are on a ratchet jointand need to be pushed in and out of his lower leg portions for the transformation... And they also have a tendency to occasionally lock up. Which means you'llhave to apply extra strength to pull them out, and you might even be able do it... In chunks. Yeah, itwon't survive. His upper arms also frequently fall victim to the GPS plague: it is not uncommon for them to come broken out of the packaging.^[7] Han Solo, the other half of the Falcon, has one a cover that flips down from his crotch when transforming which is also cast in the same doomed metallic-brown plastic, but since it is painted grey, it's hard to tell until it eventually breaks.

Movie toys

Enough body horror to make Cronenberg sick.

• Protoform Starscream (2007)

Part of the preview wave forthe 2007 movie toyline, Starscream might not have left the best impression in the long term as the plastic hinges that connect the two small wings to his body are especially brittle, and because the plastic housing the joints is thin, it eventually gives way over time to a crumbly mess. The thumbs are also prone to breakage.

• Revenge of the FallenStratosphere (2009)

Stratosphere has gold plastic in his shoulders and thighs, and there have been reports of these parts crumbling. Additionally, more commonly-reported breakages are the toy's lower knees and the hinges connecting the wings—but neither of these parts are the ones made of gold plastic! Poor guy can't catch a break—or, well he can.

• Costco exclusiveBattle Ops Bumblebee (2010)

This version of Bumblebee has metallic dark gray plastic in the upper and lower body that display textbook GPS symptoms. The figure will eventually self-destruct during transformation due to said plastic's use in most of the leg and car roof joints. Ironically, the goldpainted portions are mostly a different, more resilient plastic.

Transformers (2010)

A plague so horrifying that not even the Transformers God can survive it.

• Creator Primus (2010)

One of the latest examples but a very severely-afflicted one to boot, Primus features swirly metallic blue parts virtuallyeverywhere across this body, with his head, torso, arms, upper legs, missiles, and a few other bits here and there using the dreaded plagued plastic. Eventually, it seems that they hit their expiry dates 13 years later, and now they're very prone to crumbling, with the most aggressively affected area being his arms.^[8] To make matters worse, his shoulders are on a ratchet joint, so bending his armsrequires one to press down on them with a modicum of force that the figure might not withstand. Considering the relative rarity of this figure, it's probably for the best to be very careful when handling him... Or, really, to just not touch him at all. Really, maybe even avoiding looking at him the wrong way is for the best.

Unite Warriors

Phew, at least that's the last toy to suffer such a fate...For now.

• Motormaster (2015)

The last figure that's currently known to suffer from GPS, multiple copies ofUnite Warriors Motormaster have been reported as heavily prone to breaking apart on the waist right after being taken out of the box—and of course, once one peers closer, they'll find that same familiar swirly plastic, this time in gunmetal grey.^[9] In contrast, others who've purchased the figure at at later point have reported never facing this issue at all even after years of owning him, which might suggest that later runs of the Stunticons 5-pack have fixed this issue. Regardless, for those who do not want to take the risk, a popular solution involves replacing Motormaster's waist with that ofhis cheaper Hasbro version.

Transformers-related GPS sufferers

• The "chrome" version ofDiaclonePowered Convoy, thepre-Transformer version ofUltra Magnus, has this problem with its swirlyblue plastic. Given the age and relative rarity of this toy, this is particularly troublesome for hardcore collectors.

• While not a Transformer,G.I. Joe'sSerpentor is also known to suffer from this problem, especially through his hips, given the groin-breakage-prone leg construction of the standard 1980sG.I. Joe figure.

• The first Golden Lagoon-basedX Yearly Version 5-pack released byBlokees also experienced this issue, particularly with their swirly gold elbow and knee hinge joints, which are problematic given their release as a high-priced set.

Toys commonly discredited as GPS sufferers

A number of other toys experience breakages while also having gold parts and/or swirly plastic bits, and inevitably, this often leads them to being incorrectly labeled by collectors as GPS sufferers. When it comes to these particular toys, however; the issues are most likely attributable to structural problems with the part designs themselves rather than their plastics.

• TheArmadaSuper Base Optimus Prime figure's elbows/biceps are made of gold plastic, and the lower joint has been known to break very easily. However, the plastic doesn't exhibit the "crumbliness" typical of GPS; instead, it seems likely that the break occurs when the elbow joints are lined up for them to sit behind the combined mode's back. In this configuration, the red and blue joints don't have room to bend around each other. The way to alleviate this issue is to pull the shoulder out,then bend the top joint (the red one) first, before moving the arms in any other direction.

• EnergonScorponok has pale gold plastic on the (largely painted) front panels of the shoulders, and moving the shoulders for transformation (particularly into jet mode) can cause the panels to tear in half. However, the plastic itself isn't the problem; rather, it seems to be the result of the toy's design, where the corners of the front panels aren't quite symmetrical, and the one with more clearance is on the opposite side. Arunning change saw these panels swapped to alleviate this issue.Swapping the panels to the opposite sides, has a higher chance of reducing breakages.

• AlternatorsSwerve has become a common GPS suspect given that his leg joints, elbow joints, poseable fists, thighs, and rocket launcher are all made out of gold plastic — but it's the first of these elements that is generally considered the most problematic, with a few instances of breakages being reported over the years. However, this gold plastic does not exhibit the 'swirliness' of other GPS-afflicted toys, which suggests that, similar toArmada Optimus Prime andEnergon Scorponok, this is also most likely the product of poor quality control arising from a tight construction rather than an issue with the plastic itself.

• AlternatorsMirage, in contrast, features an extensive amount of swirly plastic throughout the figure's entire car mode and this plastic has been frequently reported to suffer from "hairline cracks", leading to the occasional claim that he's a GPS sufferer^[10] — however, these are almost always concentrated on one specific portion of the car mode (they often show up as lines between the windshield and the front wheelwell), so it seems more likely that the cause for these hairlines is some stress applied on that specific portion of the vehicle rather than the plastic itself. No instances of full-on breakage have been reported, and unlike what's expected from a GPS-afflicted toy, the figure seems to consistently show up intact on secondary market listings: thus, like Swerve, the broader consensus seems to be that he is not a GPS sufferer.

• 2007Transformers movieLegends ClassScorponok has a tail stinger made of soft and bendy golden plastic, which tends to harden over time and become prone to breaking. As the "bendy" aspect suggests, the root cause of this problem seems to simply be the use of an inferior plasticizer, rather than traditional Gold Plastic Syndrome.

Fiction

Animated cartoon

At some point during theGreat War, a vaccine for Gold Plastic Syndrome was developed byRed Alert.The AllSpark Almanac IISwindle, Swindle and Swindle claimed to be the only licensee of the cure in theNexus Cluster.Swindle's Spiel, 2015/10/03

Ask Vector Prime

InPrimax 185.0 Beta, theS.T.A.R.S. weaponized Gold Plastic Syndrome and invented thePhoto Degradation Protocol in a failed attempt to fight offGalvatron's mindless hordes ofDecepto-Pack-enhanced human slaves.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/04

Prime Wars Trilogy marketing material

First Aid contracted GPS during the war against theCybertronian Empire. The disease prevented him from properly combining intoDefensor.Customization class Generation 2 Ratchet bio

See also

• Another common problem since 2018.

References

External links

• Demonstration of Gold Plastic Syndrome in effect at YouTube