Re: ThreeA self repair thread

[bianco]

is there a matte clear paint that can be used instead of nail polish to tighten the joints?

[gundamben831]

I am pretty pez is referring to the thigh rotate below the hip, which is probably paint locked. It would be safer to pop off the entire leg and pull out the knee before putting it into hot water

Ah ok I tend to forget that they rotate at the upper thigh, then yeah I would do as Wutasi advised and remove the leg and take what you can of the knee joint and then attempt the boiling water trick. Usually more than half the time that works but when it gets serious then that's were issues can rise =\. Had a zomb with a locked shoulder with it crooked all the way up and stuck in that position (kinda looked like he was practicing the Thriller dance lol) I literally had to tear the chest apart to get to the arms and then oh man it was so paint locked it nearly almost snapped when I tried to pry the pieces apart. (mind you this was a zomb body from the Dead Easy Corp.)

is there a matte clear paint that can be used instead of nail polish to tighten the joints?

not sure if a matte finish would be as thick or as strong as a polish.  I picked up some "anti-chip" clear coat and that stuff works miracles, and the area's where you apply the polish is very rarely seen by the eye unless you go overboard on the application and paint the whole ball joint on the ankles.  Either way use your best decision on what method works best for you.

[bianco]

is there a matte clear paint that can be used instead of nail polish to tighten the joints?

not sure if a matte finish would be as thick or as strong as a polish.  I picked up some "anti-chip" clear coat and that stuff works miracles, and the area's where you apply the polish is very rarely seen by the eye unless you go overboard on the application and paint the whole ball joint on the ankles.  Either way use your best decision on what method works best for you.

thank you sir!

[Oneluckyboy]

This may be somewhere else..I am getting some Sun feet to replace my Snowblind feet..any way to remove the mount in one boot and place it in another? I dont want the wrong color boots for Snowblind.

[pezbanana]

Thanks guys for the tips. So would boiling water loosen up a paint-locked joint? I'm really scared of hot water (well not me per se, scared of ruining a figure).

I have another figure that needs fixing... my 3AGO Charkin is sticky all over, except torso. The brown wash is too gooey and his clothes even stuck to his limbs, and when i took them off there are tiny fibers of clothing stuck to his arms and thighs.

I've wiped his thighs with rubbing alcohol several times and they are still sticky.

The torso is perfect, though. I think it's made of a different kind of plastic and this may have something to do with it.

[gundamben831]

Thanks guys for the tips. So would boiling water loosen up a paint-locked joint? I'm really scared of hot water (well not me per se, scared of ruining a figure).

I have another figure that needs fixing... my 3AGO Charkin is sticky all over, except torso. The brown wash is too gooey and his clothes even stuck to his limbs, and when i took them off there are tiny fibers of clothing stuck to his arms and thighs.

I've wiped his thighs with rubbing alcohol several times and they are still sticky.

The torso is perfect, though. I think it's made of a different kind of plastic and this may have something to do with it.

I can only assume its a soft material like the hands and most of the heads are made out of and if they are using oil based paints that may be a result of the paint not being able to dry on the material =(

[wutasi]

^Same here as Ben, I have only experienced this issue when certain oil based paint is applied on soft parts with plasticizer, like Kyuuketsuki's hair and gloves, he is the only fig in my collection that would never dry even after years of display. 3AGO are supposedly entirely ABS or PVC and shouldn't experience this.

[pezbanana]

Thanks Ben and Wutasi... the limbs on Charkin do seem like a different material, not hollow ABS like the torso... Legs/arms are solid and not brittle, so i guess they're PVC?

anyway i'll keep wiping them with alcohol, they may slowly shed the stickiness though i fear this may eventually strip off the paint.

[Chivo]

Just wanted to give an update on the GID Zomb Nurse dye stains on breasts issue.  I was able to remove the stains on mine with acne cream and a heat lamp.  If wutasi allows me to use his photo from the Zomb MD thread, I'll do a tutorial.  I forgot to take a picture of my Nurse stained breasts.   Oh, and the GID function will not be affected from what I can see.

[Chivo]

I haven't tried this on 3AGO bodies, but have you tried using talcum powder to abstorb the stickyness? Proceed at your own risk.

[wutasi]

Just wanted to give an update on the GID Zomb Nurse dye stains on breasts issue.  I was able to remove the stains on mine with acne cream and a heat lamp.  If wutasi allows me to use his photo from the Zomb MD thread, I'll do a tutorial.  I forgot to take a picture of my Nurse stained breasts.    Oh, and the GID function will not be affected from what I can see.

Glad to know the acne cream works on GID vinyl without any side effect
The stained zomb nurse photo actually belongs to a member on the FB 3A4TW group, he isn't active on the outpost so I don't think he would mind.

Also I shold quote Dar Wolfram's advice on fabric color setting for staining prevention here, it could come handy one day should I have some pieces to experiment with.

If the fabric is synthetic you can set the colour by soaking it in a solution of white vinegar and water (1 part vinegar/3 parts water) for several hours then rinsing until water runs clear. Allow clothing to dry completely before pacing back on figure.
If the fabric is cotton, linen, or rayon there is a product called Retayne that will set the colour. It is available in most craft/fabric stores or on Amazon.

[Chivo]

So I was trying to take some pictures of some of my figures and the pistols kept falling off of the hands on some of my figures while I posed them so I used a glue dot to keep it in place.  Works pretty good.  So long as you have good surface contact pistol to palm, everything should stay together.

[Solodice]

Back here again...

Got a 1/12 Bertie Mk3 head that will not budge. Tried a hair drier that didn't do it. Tried cooling his head and then going over it with the hair drier to no avail. Anything else I can try or did I do something wrong the first time around?

[Chivo]

Try dunking it in some hot water and while it's under water try moving it? I don't know if it'll work, it's just a suggestion. Heat from water seems to work better in my experience.

[pezbanana]

Back here again...

Got a 1/12 Bertie Mk3 head that will not budge. Tried a hair drier that didn't do it. Tried cooling his head and then going over it with the hair drier to no avail. Anything else I can try or did I do something wrong the first time around?

The same happened to all my 1/12 Caesars.... they finally got unstuck with a combination of hair dryer and gentle force... and A LOT of patience... even with the dryer it was hard to move... and most of them got stuck again after a long while in the same pose, so i guess you have to move the heads every once in a while.

Maybe this will work for your Bertie as well.

[wutasi]

So I was trying to take some pictures of some of my figures and the pistols kept falling off of the hands on some of my figures while I posed them so I used a glue dot to keep it in place.  Works pretty good.  So long as you have good surface contact pistol to palm, everything should stay together.

Tac works fine too if you want it on the cheap, of course glue dot is a lot stronger and less conspicuous

Got a 1/12 Bertie Mk3 head that will not budge. Tried a hair drier that didn't do it. Tried cooling his head and then going over it with the hair drier to no avail. Anything else I can try or did I do something wrong the first time around?

You didn't do anything wrong, it's most likely a severe case of paint lock, I encountered it once with a 1/12 DW Caesars back canister.
After softening it with hairdryer, I literally stretched the socket inside out like a rubber band before the paint lock finally gave.
I would agree with Chivo dunking it in hot water for 30+ seconds will soften the piece more consistent and evenly.

[Solodice]

I'll try the hot water and see how that goes. Thanks guys!

[dugioo]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this hobby and i was reading all the repair tips in this tread and i was wondering on the best solution to fix my Bramble.
Bramble has a heavy torso and a loose feet joint will basically means ZERO balance to the bramble (unequipped).

The following are my concerns:
1. Do I need to pop out the ball joint?
2. Does it require heating? Will heating affect the weathering?
3. Will application of nail polish affects the paint works?

Apologies for the Noobs questions, as I'm really new into this and sadly i got a loosely made figure.

[gundamben831]

Dugloo any chance of a pic of the area affected?

[wutasi]

Hi guys,

I'm new to this hobby and i was reading all the repair tips in this tread and i was wondering on the best solution to fix my Bramble.
Bramble has a heavy torso and a loose feet joint will basically means ZERO balance to the bramble (unequipped).

The following are my concerns:
1. Do I need to pop out the ball joint?
2. Does it require heating? Will heating affect the weathering?
3. Will application of nail polish affects the paint works?

Apologies for the Noobs questions, as I'm really new into this and sadly i got a loosely made figure.

Yep a photo would help.
For now I will assume this is a 1/6 Heavy Bramble with a large rocket launcher, do let me know if incorrect.

1. Yes, you will need to pop it out for any type of fix, and this is the feet joint not the hip joint just to be clear.
2. Yes, you will find it much easier to pop out after heating, plus it lessen the chances of damages by accident.
Also heat will not affect the weathering, but keep in mind the joint balls are typically partially painted.
3. Yes, nail polish will dissolve paint job, you should only apply it in the sock and unpainted areas of the joint balls.

BTW if you don't already know, use hair dryer or boiling water, never a heat gun

[dugioo]

Thanks Guys!

It is the feet joint (ankle), I'll try tightening over this weekend!

[Vaxillus]

For those removing the plugs over screws to tighten up bodies and whatnot I found a trick that works on the ones that are too stuck for poster tac without breaking out the drill.  Just get a thin rod/stick, such as a bamboo skewer (or cut up plastic sprue if you're a model nerd like me), and cut the end flat.  Use a small amount of cyanoacrylate (super) glue and glue the stick to the peg.  I've found it helps to roughen the stick or rod a little before gluing.  Then pull and in most cases the peg will come out.  The rod should be easy to snap off, and the surface can be smoothed out with a hobby knife with very minimal damage and no ugly holes to cover.

The only peg this failed on was my Bronze Edo which had the pegs basically glued in (I ended up destroying the peg completely to get at the screw in that case).

[christopherswalls]

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this dudes hands? I broke both of e wrist pegs like an idiot....

[wutasi]

For those removing the plugs over screws to tighten up bodies and whatnot I found a trick that works on the ones that are too stuck for poster tac without breaking out the drill.  Just get a thin rod/stick, such as a bamboo skewer (or cut up plastic sprue if you're a model nerd like me), and cut the end flat.  Use a small amount of cyanoacrylate (super) glue and glue the stick to the peg.  I've found it helps to roughen the stick or rod a little before gluing.  Then pull and in most cases the peg will come out.  The rod should be easy to snap off, and the surface can be smoothed out with a hobby knife with very minimal damage and no ugly holes to cover.

The only peg this failed on was my Bronze Edo which had the pegs basically glued in (I ended up destroying the peg completely to get at the screw in that case).

Bronze EDO had me go about the problem a different way and it has worked pretty well so far:
A few drops of Pledge Floor Finish down the neck in the area pointed by the arrow, twist the torso around, clean up the excess at the waist area and let dry. Repeat everything until it is tight enough.

The floor finish builds extra layers in the torso peg chamber so it has more grip.
The down side is you will be working in the dark and longer dry time, I usually see the best result next day.

[wutasi]

Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this dudes hands? I broke both of e wrist pegs like an idiot....

wow both hands? lol

Most people just drill the peg out.
If you wish to salvage the rest of that peg, I would suggest drilling a smaller hole first with a pin vise, then use similar width screw, screw in and pull out.

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