Princess Brush 'n Grow Advice?

[Icicle]

I feel like I am always asking questions, I am so sorry 

Hey thereeeee. So, by now I think a lot of people can gather from my posts I've been finding G1s at a local vintage toy/game shop. I got the last G1 they have on shelves on Friday, a Brilliant Bloom who has been taunting me since my husband and I first discovered the shop. I had been shying away from buying her because of her being a Brush 'n' Grow because I thought her mechanism was broken (which it kinda works. Can't crank much of her tail in but it will and I can pull the tail back out), but also her overall condition from what I could see. Because she looks like she has a nice black eye. Which is under this spoiler coming up!

Spoiler

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

I scrubbed her down with some Dawn and warm water and went at it with a Magic Eraser and I think it helped a little, but not a whole lot. I really can't think of what it could be other than maybe it's a huge 'age spot' or leached marker of some kind. (I can take a picture with flash if needed, to get a better look at it)

I just want some guidance/advice of if this is something pretty bad or what. And if it is.. how do I go about treating it because I know it can be a bit delicate to open one of these up (between potentially breaking all the mechanisms and having to cut into the body  to get them out), especially to get at her head, where this mark is.

[Baby Sugarberry]

That's a peculiar one... coupled with the plastic looking pushed in (?) I"d almost say something got wedged against her head for a long period of time and caused the discolouration.  It doesn't really look like an age spot, wrong shape/colour.  Looks sunk into the plastic, so sunfading is probably going to be the best bet.  You're correct in assuming that opening up the heads on these gals tends to be dicey and often results in irreversible damage, not something you want to do if it's at all avoidable.

[Icicle]

Hmm, I didn't even consider that to be an option. I can take a picture with flash of each side for any second opinions, but now thinking of it that side does look "off" in shape in comparison maybe.. she's not right next to me at the moment to confirm. If she's safe to sunfade then I am certainly in the right place to do it, haha. But also know that I can not worry about it at the same time, especially because it's the NDS.

-Edit-

Looking at her straight on, I do believe the affected side seems a bit sunken in! I put together an album (so I didn't flood the thread with images) of a few other shots of the bad side and then the other side of the head. I think it might have been packed against something... because, if I am remember correctly, the way the head connects there shouldn't have been a way for water to get into the head, right? (I know it could get into the body via the tail hole, but that's neither here nor there for this situation lol)

Link to the comparison album: http://imgur.com/a/sZ6XI

[Chrissytree]

I had about 5 bait brush n grow ponies and only 1 had the mechanism intact after I took her head off. And once the little pin at the top is broken, there's no fixing it. So it's best not to remove the head unless you don't mind her not working... and her head not staying on
There's nothing much inside that could go rusty so I think baby Sugarberry is right.

[Icicle]

Well I'm not so much concerned about rust, more concerned about it being moldy inside her or something like that (which I would think would be everywhere if that were the case, but I also don't know her history).But yeah, I would much rather not butcher her if I can avoid it. I mean, I would agree after taking those other shots it was something she was stored against.. but can never be too careful!

[Baby Sugarberry]

Unless you see any other signs of mildew, it's not too likely your gal has it.  Mildew bad enough to make it all the way through the plastic would show up around the hair plug bases and you'd likely smell it too.  You can hold up a pony to bright light and look for dark spots inside that way.  Note that there'll always be a darker ring around the neck seal where the plastic is thicker. 

[Epona]

Looks to me like something pressed against her denting her and staining her. I vote to try sunfading but if it doesn't work just display her so it doesn't show.

[Icicle]

Unless you see any other signs of mildew, it's not too likely your gal has it.  Mildew bad enough to make it all the way through the plastic would show up around the hair plug bases and you'd likely smell it too.  You can hold up a pony to bright light and look for dark spots inside that way.  Note that there'll always be a darker ring around the neck seal where the plastic is thicker. 

Yeah she has none of that, and I took a light to her and that spot seems to be the only dark thing (other than where it's casting shadows because of the light's placement, of course). So I think her being stored against something wins out.

Thank you everyone for helping quell my worry! I will debate sunfading her, as while I have PLENTY of sun (ahhh, Florida...) I don't actually have a good spot to actually sunfade her. She displays just fine and it certainly gives her character

[Baby Sugarberry]

*thumbs up* Good on you for asking before taking drastic measures.