This being the SDMB, I would hope that somebody here is as geeky as I. Anyway, does anyone know how I can stiffen the joints of an action figue, keeping it in a certain pose, while still keeping it posable?
anyone? beuller? anyone?
not a perfect solution but what about blu-tack? or a putty of some kind?
I guess it would depend on the type of figure (how accessible the interiors of the joints are, etc.) but I have heard that you can put a thin layer of clear nail polish on the joint to thicken the moving parts and increase the stiffness.
I’ve heard the nail-polish thing works well on ball joints. I used it on a Tranformer (Lio Convoy) and it seemed to work okay.
I’ve also heard that if you tab a tiny bit of super glue on a joint and then immediately start moving the joint back and forth until the glue dries the joint becomes tighter. But there are all kinds of reasons I’m not trying that.
Oooh, that can be trouble. Blu-Tack and similar products can pull off paint or discolor plastic, and they never quite peel off completely. I wouldn’t put that stuff anywhere near toys, especially cool or collectible ones.
I’ve heard the nail polish in joints works, but I’ve had Super Glue dry and turn white against the plastic of toys, which isn’t good either.
What figures are you having problems with specifically, john31584? My first guess was Marvel Legends from Toy Biz, with all their points of articulation. Or perhaps Gundams or G.I. Joes? I usually just hope for the best with my action figures, but I’ll often come home to “domino effect” disasters where someone with loose knees or ankles wiped out and took the entire display down with him.
Pull the arm out of its socket - if there’s a rubber band holding the arm in (it goes around hooks on the arms, legs and head) you can replace it with a smaller rubber band and that will hold the limbs steady.