The four materials
| Material | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| PVC (polyvinyl chloride) | Slightly flexible, takes fine detail and paint well, light. Softens in sustained heat, which is why thin swords and hair spikes bend. The body material of almost every mass-produced figure. |
| ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) | Rigid and strong, poorer at very fine detail. Used for bases, pegs, joints and weapons — the parts that must not flex. |
| Resin (polyurethane / polyester cast) | Cast rather than injection-moulded, so it holds the sharpest detail. Heavy and brittle: it chips and snaps rather than bending. Garage kits and high-end statues. |
| Polystone | Resin loaded with mineral filler. Very heavy, very detailed, and the most fragile of the four — a drop that would bend PVC will shatter polystone. |
Why it matters in practice
- Heat. PVC is the material that bends in a hot courier van or on a sunny shelf. Resin and polystone do not bend — they are unaffected until they break.
- Weight. A large polystone statue can be surprisingly heavy, which is a real consideration for glass cabinet shelves.
- Repair. PVC can sometimes be relaxed back into shape with warmth. A snapped resin part is a glue job, and a shattered polystone one often is not repairable at all.
- Shipping. Brittle materials need more void fill, not less — and this is why large statues should never ship in their own figure box alone.
- Cleaning. All four are damaged by solvents. The material does not change the rule: no alcohol, no acetone, no glass cleaner.
How to tell what you have
Weight is the quickest test. Pick the figure up: PVC feels light for its size, resin and polystone feel dense and cold. Flex a non-critical part very gently — PVC gives slightly, resin does not give at all.
Listings and boxes usually state it. Retail scale figures from the Japanese manufacturers are almost always described as PVC and ABS; anything described as a "statue" from a Western high-end maker is likely resin or polystone.