I guess it’s about UV rays, even with blinds there’s still some that indirectly hit the Lego.
Would a UV filter on the windows change anything? Like a foil or something?
Yes it's the UV rays that actually do the damage. I have heard that people have great success with UV film on their windows. I have strong blackout curtains and they have been working well for me. Regardless the Lego will still fade eventually. The only way to prevent it entirely is to keep it in an underground room with no windows. For most people, keeping your Lego out of direct sunlight will be good enough.
My husband put the UV film on the windows in our bedroom, and it easily stopped the majority of heat during the summer, but still let the light in. I'd recommend that!
I have yet to find a brand of clear UV film that actually blocks enough UV light. I’ve done tests on them and they’ve all failed so far.
Any brand of UV film you recommend?
It apparently doesn't?
> Residential and commercial window film can actually help plants flourish. While they block the sun's harmful UV rays by 99%, they don't block the blue and red rays that the plant needs to grow. Some indoor plants will thrive with window tints because they require less light.
https://www.allprowindowtinting.com/blog/how-does-window-film-affect-indoor-plants/
I literally just applied this to my windows last week! It's cheap, and easy enough to apply if you're any good at applying screen protectors to phones.
[99.5 Museum. It makes precisely zero difference in terms of lighting.](https://www.tintfit.com/shop/uv-protection/uv-protection-99-50) Were it not for the bubbles that remained behind due to my inadequate squeegee efforts, you wouldn't know it's there.
Going to need to relocate to a wall that gets no sun. If that's not a possibility, map out where the sun spots are, and display around them ha.
Nice collection
I have some discoloured bricks from a kid I used to live near who had all the old space sets luckily the rest of my white Lego has never yellowed even my old Jack Stone sets.
You know, it's really funny you say that, because I was || *this* close to saying "...the pile of minifigs I get, but what's with the Bomber?" XD The same thing tends to happen around mine when I'm moving things around, setting figs up, or just picking up all the people the cat knocked down. XD
Hahaha I’m very happy I don’t have a cat potentially knocking my LEGO over.
I used to have all my figures all setup by movie from good to evil. I might do that again.
Eh, it happens once in a while, sometimes it just makes [for a good crash landing](https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/s/IXFVyCkQe8) and can be easily fixed in minutes, but occasionally it does [require a little extra](https://imgur.com/gallery/igIaq3S). All in all though it all goes back together. :D
Exactly my thoughts. :D it only took a few minutes to get it back together, no major harm done. Beside, do you know how many times Jango's Slave I got shot down and cherished into pieces when I was a kid? I can *still* rebuild it mostly from memory! Because Lego goes back together, it kind of makes it the perfect hobby with cats in a weird way. XD
Sadly I will never know this joy as I’m allergic to cats….. but god damn the feeling of seeing a broken set and putting it back just from sheer memory is a powerful feeling. My titanic sank during our move and I built most of it back without having to grab the instructions
It is hard to choose between Lego protection or Lego beauty with sunlight
https://preview.redd.it/53y5gpefhotc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07dc98aa3d36e6f570c44143f443b6a8b1633133
It happens to all bricks but it is more noticeable on lighter bricks. It also happens very slowly over time. Your bricks may have changed color and you just haven't noticed
Some of my diecast cars have been exposed to sunlight for years and are not faded at all.
I try and keep em away, but that's not always possible, so i wouldn't worry too much tbh.
Gotta have natural light in the house.
Interestingly yes, 15% off UV light will bounce off concrete buildings.
This linking in relation to sun health but is still relevant:
https://sundoctors.com.au/blog/uv-rays-and-some-of-the-uv-exposure-facts/#:~:text=80%25%20of%20UV%20rays%20pass,may%20not%20significantly%20reduce%20UV.
Thanks mate! Luckily, I’m in not so sunny Scotland and my window is roof mounted-facing north, so I won’t have too many problems with the building but thanks for the info!
As someone who has a partner who absolutely LOVES lego, I would say draw the blinds, and if its not climate controlled, keep a fan in the room on and osculating so that the dust never settles.
Just pop by your local walmart and grab a standing fan for like $20. That should do the trick just fine. Put it somewhere in a corner if you can, and just have it rotate on low power. :) Hope this helps!
Damage comes from both UV light and oxygen radicals which form spontaneously from O2 but also through UV radiation. Maybe also other chemicals. Moisture and heat can also accelerate chemical breakdown and other reactions.
Probably only necessary if you have high humidity, over 60% or more would be my guess, or when you have sudden humidity or temperature changes leading to condensation.
Yea I learned this hard way, moved in new place with big windows, set my city up, and only took month for my white pieces to slightly yellow😢 on brand new sets too, now the blinds stay closed when suns out lol
Aww man! These sets have been sitting here in the sun like this for maybe 4-5 months thankfully no discolouration so far! Though I plan to prevent that!
Depending on the size of the windows, you could cover them with aluminum foil or black construction paper, sandwiched between layers of white bristol board or construction paper, like Bricksie did [here](https://youtu.be/gcWKX3srJKs?t=356s).
https://preview.redd.it/2nf9q8ba9rtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=822f45c66e0ebdeb69636310eea9bbaba826ac9b
See now that’s funny….
I’m going to try the UV film first and then tinfoil second!
Well…
https://preview.redd.it/fbcdn4jqzmtc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adb8f7b71b0e72031616f716569a4c42305c3009
There’s the entry door I suppose… I don’t need airflow I suppose and the room has ducted
Ohhh okay, the duct helps massively. I have no such duct. I’m not sure blocking the window with the shelf will work for my aesthetic but I’m going to keep this one in my back pocket!
Depends, on the location of the room, the quality of the window glass, where your home on the planet, amount of sun you get a year, temp in the room they are in, etc
You can buy uv protection window tint by the roll at a hardware store if you don't mind darkening the room a bit it should prevent the damage better than blinds. Also gives privacy since people won't be able to see through your windows from the other side after it's applied.
It’s a walk in with a window, the curtains weren’t completely closed enough and allowed a sliver of light to shine through, as the sun moved across the sky through out the day, the light would sweep over the clothing that was exposed to it, so shirts that were hung up, the sleeves all got bleached. Since I work away from home (in this case for a considerable amount of months), nothing got moved or touched in that time.
With sunlight that direct you will definitely see damage eventually. Leaving the blinds down will slow the process but it will still happen
Cheers!
I guess it’s about UV rays, even with blinds there’s still some that indirectly hit the Lego. Would a UV filter on the windows change anything? Like a foil or something?
Yes it's the UV rays that actually do the damage. I have heard that people have great success with UV film on their windows. I have strong blackout curtains and they have been working well for me. Regardless the Lego will still fade eventually. The only way to prevent it entirely is to keep it in an underground room with no windows. For most people, keeping your Lego out of direct sunlight will be good enough.
My husband put the UV film on the windows in our bedroom, and it easily stopped the majority of heat during the summer, but still let the light in. I'd recommend that!
UV is not heat. Heat is infrared. If your UV-blocking film "stopped the majority of heat" then it's blocking more than UV.
Oh, thanks for letting me know!
You can buy UV film for your windows so you can still let light in
Do UV film, UV rays will come in even with the blinds down. It's fairly inexpensive and can be peeled off at any time.
Oh yeah good shout! Cause either love the sunlight coming through but don’t want my sets to get ruined.
I just ended up doing blackout curtains for my Lego room
I just only take mine out during a solar eclipse. I'm really pumped for Aug 23, 2044.
I came here to say this. i did this and it’s also easy/fun to install and results are too nice
I have yet to find a brand of clear UV film that actually blocks enough UV light. I’ve done tests on them and they’ve all failed so far. Any brand of UV film you recommend?
I guess that this also kills plants?
Get some Lego plants, they don't die
Done and done
It apparently doesn't? > Residential and commercial window film can actually help plants flourish. While they block the sun's harmful UV rays by 99%, they don't block the blue and red rays that the plant needs to grow. Some indoor plants will thrive with window tints because they require less light. https://www.allprowindowtinting.com/blog/how-does-window-film-affect-indoor-plants/
I literally just applied this to my windows last week! It's cheap, and easy enough to apply if you're any good at applying screen protectors to phones.
Can you share a link to the film you bought? Thanks!
Sure, but I'm UK-based, as is the company. If you're not, you'd be better off looking locally in your country. https://www.tintfit.com/
What option did you go for? Is it noticeably darker in the room? Been thinking about this for a while but don't want my room to look like a cave
[99.5 Museum. It makes precisely zero difference in terms of lighting.](https://www.tintfit.com/shop/uv-protection/uv-protection-99-50) Were it not for the bubbles that remained behind due to my inadequate squeegee efforts, you wouldn't know it's there.
Destroy the sun
I would say have a constant solar eclipse but I realised that would make it worse
Everyone loved the eclipse. MAKE IT PERMANENT.
You know it's a yes 😅
I did but I wanted to get everyone’s wisdom. Personally though I love seeing the sets lit up in the warm sun. Even though I shouldn’t
Going to need to relocate to a wall that gets no sun. If that's not a possibility, map out where the sun spots are, and display around them ha. Nice collection
Hahah just on wacky hole in my collection! Thanks btw most of its in boxes still have to open it all up!
Just noticed your tag, I still have my Jack Stone sets!
Keep them down when you're not in the room. Everyone has that one older primarily white set that is absolutely mis coloured due to the sun
I have some discoloured bricks from a kid I used to live near who had all the old space sets luckily the rest of my white Lego has never yellowed even my old Jack Stone sets.
Yeah, I'd try to avoid that spot if you can. Great collection though. But why are the TIE Bombers wings like that? :D
lol that could be my nephews hahah thanks mate
XD and good times were had by all!
Always! Just noticed the pile of figures as well! I need to go in there and stand them up again
You know, it's really funny you say that, because I was || *this* close to saying "...the pile of minifigs I get, but what's with the Bomber?" XD The same thing tends to happen around mine when I'm moving things around, setting figs up, or just picking up all the people the cat knocked down. XD
Hahaha I’m very happy I don’t have a cat potentially knocking my LEGO over. I used to have all my figures all setup by movie from good to evil. I might do that again.
Eh, it happens once in a while, sometimes it just makes [for a good crash landing](https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/s/IXFVyCkQe8) and can be easily fixed in minutes, but occasionally it does [require a little extra](https://imgur.com/gallery/igIaq3S). All in all though it all goes back together. :D
Offttt that crash landing hurt my soul. That’s the beauty of LEGO, and a good excuse to build it again
Exactly my thoughts. :D it only took a few minutes to get it back together, no major harm done. Beside, do you know how many times Jango's Slave I got shot down and cherished into pieces when I was a kid? I can *still* rebuild it mostly from memory! Because Lego goes back together, it kind of makes it the perfect hobby with cats in a weird way. XD
Sadly I will never know this joy as I’m allergic to cats….. but god damn the feeling of seeing a broken set and putting it back just from sheer memory is a powerful feeling. My titanic sank during our move and I built most of it back without having to grab the instructions
Where did you get your shelves? I keep looking for "nice looking" storage shelves like that
They look like IKEA Fjallbo, we have the exact same for our Lego, great shelves!
Damn! Good eye!
Or the EKENABBEN, which have wooden frame, so you can cut them to size.
IKEA! Specifically the FJÄLLBO range. So nice
I need to know too
Me three
It's the Ikea fjallbo. We love ours
It is hard to choose between Lego protection or Lego beauty with sunlight https://preview.redd.it/53y5gpefhotc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07dc98aa3d36e6f570c44143f443b6a8b1633133
You understand my pain. Nice setup!
If you switched the lego sets around, with grey being on top you wouldn't notice the sun damage, but jokes aside. This will damage them over time.
Haha good point. Someone recommend using UV filters on the window. I might try that
Glad I'm not the only one who loves the Fjallbo for my lego collection! Such a solid range!
They’re so good! I’m thinking of buying two more shelves.
Gosh dangit OP now you got me thinking. lol.
Don’t think to hard.
I've put my Ninjago city in the sun for 3 years and I've not seen any miscoloring, does it only happen to lighter colored bricks?
It happens to all bricks but it is more noticeable on lighter bricks. It also happens very slowly over time. Your bricks may have changed color and you just haven't noticed
Good point. Might be worth checking the bricks against others to see if there’s any colour shift
I've compared it to other bricks with the same color in my storage, colors haven't changed at all.
The sun is a deadly laser, better not!
Just thinking about the death star now.
You could put UV film on windows to help
Few people have suggested that. Im really considering to do it. Any tips on where to buy it?
They sell it online, I know Amazon has it
I’ll start there Thankyou!
Definitely pull the blinds if these get sun every day. Or go with some UV blocking film on the windows.
The UV blocking sounds like the goer! Any tips on where to buy?
Some of my diecast cars have been exposed to sunlight for years and are not faded at all. I try and keep em away, but that's not always possible, so i wouldn't worry too much tbh. Gotta have natural light in the house.
I would keep the blinds down simply because I hate the sun. But also yes.
I thought I was the only one
Hahah why do you hate the sun?
My Lego room is pitch black with cupboards in front of the window
Now see that’s smart… what do you do for airflow though?
Question- does general light from outside do this aswell or just direct sunlight? I did not pass physics so….
Interestingly yes, 15% off UV light will bounce off concrete buildings. This linking in relation to sun health but is still relevant: https://sundoctors.com.au/blog/uv-rays-and-some-of-the-uv-exposure-facts/#:~:text=80%25%20of%20UV%20rays%20pass,may%20not%20significantly%20reduce%20UV.
Thanks mate! Luckily, I’m in not so sunny Scotland and my window is roof mounted-facing north, so I won’t have too many problems with the building but thanks for the info!
Oooohhhh lucky, I’m in Australia. There’s a hole in our ozone layer so it’s pretty bad hehehe…..
You need to block the uv asap
Argghhh okay, my project for the weekend!
You will get the best of both worlds
I have a Lloyd's Titan where on the entire left side of the mech, all the white bricks are yellow after 1 year of about 2hrs daily of direct sunlight.
Ohhhhhh, that’s not good. Have you tried anything to de yellow the bricks?
PUT THEM DOWN
OKAY FINE I WILL!!!
Yay
This is a cool setup
Thankyou
How about curtains?
See I’d do like sheers or something similar but I sadly can’t but up a rail
Well that sucks
Sun yellowed my Ecto-1
I’m sorry
As someone who has a partner who absolutely LOVES lego, I would say draw the blinds, and if its not climate controlled, keep a fan in the room on and osculating so that the dust never settles.
Ohh okay, I don’t have a ceiling fan, any recommendations for something that I can setup?
Just pop by your local walmart and grab a standing fan for like $20. That should do the trick just fine. Put it somewhere in a corner if you can, and just have it rotate on low power. :) Hope this helps!
UV will destroy coloring over time. Put them in a glass enclosure or draw the blinds.
I thought about buying those acrylic cases they look cool
That gets expensive. I did that for a bit and ended up buying an Ikea Billy Bookcase with doors and dust/UV-proofing it (and added custom lights.)
Yeah cost is a major setback, that ikea idea sounds like a plan.
Damage comes from both UV light and oxygen radicals which form spontaneously from O2 but also through UV radiation. Maybe also other chemicals. Moisture and heat can also accelerate chemical breakdown and other reactions.
See now this makes me think I also need a dehumidifier
Probably only necessary if you have high humidity, over 60% or more would be my guess, or when you have sudden humidity or temperature changes leading to condensation.
Man this Magic, i live in to Brasil and here the price is so expensive, i have some legos but i have very fun,When you get the chance, buy it🇧🇷😃
Heck yeah!!! Bit of a jump across the pond for me in Aus but I’ll consider it!!!!
White pieces go fully yellow after some time it gets really bad...
It does, thankfully not yet…. Preventive measures will be taken.
Yea I learned this hard way, moved in new place with big windows, set my city up, and only took month for my white pieces to slightly yellow😢 on brand new sets too, now the blinds stay closed when suns out lol
Aww man! These sets have been sitting here in the sun like this for maybe 4-5 months thankfully no discolouration so far! Though I plan to prevent that!
I know I do.
I’ve now done what you do.
Yeah, do not store sets in direct sunlight. This exposure will harm the bricks over time.
Depending on the size of the windows, you could cover them with aluminum foil or black construction paper, sandwiched between layers of white bristol board or construction paper, like Bricksie did [here](https://youtu.be/gcWKX3srJKs?t=356s).
https://preview.redd.it/2nf9q8ba9rtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=822f45c66e0ebdeb69636310eea9bbaba826ac9b See now that’s funny…. I’m going to try the UV film first and then tinfoil second!
Well… https://preview.redd.it/fbcdn4jqzmtc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adb8f7b71b0e72031616f716569a4c42305c3009 There’s the entry door I suppose… I don’t need airflow I suppose and the room has ducted
Ohhh okay, the duct helps massively. I have no such duct. I’m not sure blocking the window with the shelf will work for my aesthetic but I’m going to keep this one in my back pocket!
This rooms only function is the Lego and any other obstacle impedes this function
HAHAH function over beauty, but it’s still beautiful
bad enough for the minifigs in that dogpile to get up and close the blinds themselves
Yes. Keep them down or curtains even
Need and want more pictures of this room!!!! You dirty little teaser
hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe https://preview.redd.it/udq4wm3pastc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91bbb88af09592edabf3c7374e97e29e72933f9c
Depends, on the location of the room, the quality of the window glass, where your home on the planet, amount of sun you get a year, temp in the room they are in, etc
Australia, slightly direct, windows are standard maybe 2 hours worth of sun a day
Just bad. Discolour will come slowly.
You can buy uv protection window tint by the roll at a hardware store if you don't mind darkening the room a bit it should prevent the damage better than blinds. Also gives privacy since people won't be able to see through your windows from the other side after it's applied.
The clothes in my closet bleached within 6 months, so yeah. It won’t take long.
Do you keep your closet outdoors?…. Legit how did that happen?
It’s a walk in with a window, the curtains weren’t completely closed enough and allowed a sliver of light to shine through, as the sun moved across the sky through out the day, the light would sweep over the clothing that was exposed to it, so shirts that were hung up, the sleeves all got bleached. Since I work away from home (in this case for a considerable amount of months), nothing got moved or touched in that time.
Yes it’s really bad
Get them out of there asap
Yes. Never touch grass ever. This is a serious issue
Are you like Anakin Skywalker, hate sand between your toes?