Gold Plastic Syndrome

A term coined by the fandom, Gold Plastic Syndrome (commonly shorthanded to GPS) is used to describe the phenomenon of a toy's plastic --in most instances gold-colored, hence the name-- becoming brittle to the point of snapping or even crumbling, even under minimal-stress conditions. GPS is notably widespread among toys made in the tail-end of Generation 1, typically the second year of Pretenders and even some European-market exclusives, but examples have surfaced from lines as recent as Generation 2 (the Aerialbot Slingshot and even Beast Wars (Grimlock) as well.

GPS Misconceptions
The most common misconception about GPS is that all gold-colored plastic can suffer from this rot. Only certain plastic grades have been noted to be susceptible to GPS; in the past few years, more durable, pliable plastics have become the norm for toy construction, so the gold plastic on more recent toys like Cannonball are highly unlikely to have the flaw.