I have been hearing people accidently breaking their figma now and then. This does make me a little paranoid, and as a result I did't move my figma very often back home. Nevertheless I've dug up a few quick tips from the Japanese Good Smile Company website on how to reduce such problems to a minimum. Hope this can bring to some help.
Image via figma blog
Hands
One of the most common breakage is at the hand joints. Danny Choo did mention once that newer figma (such as Tsuruya-san) will use ABS for the hands, but it's still something to be careful of.
Hold the hand piece firmly with fingers on the axis of the joint. Pull the hand piece along the direction of the root to avoid stress on the root of the piece.
Attempting to pull the hand piece with the joint free to move can cause the root of the joint to break off.
Ponytails
I did hear that the ponytails are susceptible to break, such as this poor lad's figma Fate. This applies to girls with ponytails (duh) such as Tosaka Rin (as shown below) and Fate T Harlaown.
Move the ponytail slowly and gently with the fingers close to the ball joints.
Moving the ponytail further away from the ball joint increases the stress hence the chance of breaking the hair piece.
Stand
Not a common breakage as I've only heard of one from Optic (but his case is slightly different).
Hold the arm joint firmly so that the tip does not move when one tries to insert or remove the peg. Insert the peg along the direction of the hole to avoid stress and breakage on the tip.
Shoes
This applies mainly to the SOS-dan figma girls with exchangeable shoes
Hold at the ankle joint so that the joint will not move as you put the shoe onto the peg.
There are many similarities among the 4 areas, and that is to hold the piece at the joint so it doesn't move when you push or pull a piece in/out. Also don't push/pull with excessive force or in an angle, and you should be fine while posing your figma.
While I'm not very knowledged about figma or figures in general, I do hope this will come to some help for those having troubles with their figmas, or just to know a few tips. If there are anything needed to be corrected, do tell me.
On a side note, it looks like that the re-release of figma Fate T Harlaown will be delayed to early November according to figma blog.
Images via Good Smile Company website
Thanks for the post Q. This will really benefit me in taking more care of the ball joint process and I'm sure it will benefit others as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising how u hold ur figmas in taking the joints out where it makes the big difference.
Thank you for this wonderful post!
ReplyDeletem(_ _)m
My Tohsaka Rin is on her way (Should be her either on the 31 October or 3 November), so I'd like to take good care of her, especially after waiting 2 months for her ^^;
excellent info...wish i had known about this before i broke fate's hand orz... still better late than never ^^;
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, Q!
ReplyDeleteThough I have not break my figma Haruhi yet, I should still exercise more caution and follow the advices. It makes it easier to swap parts too. It's all in the physics!
One thing I do with my Fate Testarossa figure is I allow the hair to rest on the cape when possible.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have advice on removing the broken ball when it *does* break? I tried removing Lelouch's right hand and it seemed it didn't want to budge at all till it broke... now I can't take the ball out to replace it with a different hand. :(
ReplyDeleteinteresting read. glad no such accidents happened to my figmas yet. ^^;
ReplyDeleteDamn this is going to make me paranoid when playing around with my Figmas...
ReplyDeleteStill, nice advice :)
Thanks so much for the tips
ReplyDelete*bookmarks* I've always been hoping someone would be posting instructions on handling the figmas, since the instructions are usually incomplete with the figmas.
@ Optic:
ReplyDeleteHandling a figma the wrong way and the right way is only two fingers apart, but it can make a lot of difference indeed. I do hope there will be no more breakages for you!
@ suki:
Looking forward to see your figma Rin~ Just be careful of her ponytail joints.
@ meronpan:
I was thinking about the same thing too while I was writing this; your post on figma Fate was the trigger that made me want to buy her.
@ Z:
lol "it's all in the physics"... I am sure that you will handle them well as you have a good experience with gunpla and GFFs!
@ Potatochobit:
That's an interesting point. The joints are usually quite strong, but your suggestion may prolong the strength of them. :o
@ rislim:
I'm sorry to hear that, but it's not all hopeless yet. I did hear some managed to get the broken part out with a needle. If that doesn't work, you can try Optic's method of retrieving it with needle scissors:
http://opticzone.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/a-figma-fanboy-worst-nightmare/
@ gordon:
Same for me, even though I only have two at the moment ^^
@ Snark:
If you follow the tips and handle them carefully, you can have fun playing around with your figma without worry; Danny Choo hasn't broke any of his figma yet so far!
@ blood on the mirror:
Thanks! Hopefully Good Smile Company will post a English version of the tips on its website.
@ Q. Domo~ I'm so excited to get her so, there'll definitely be pics and m(_ _)m
ReplyDeleteA special thanks to you on this post, I'll be able to take better care of my Figma's now
Note to self for future reference:
ReplyDeleteFor pieces jammed in groove,
... Take a metal piece, sort of like a needle without the pointy end, heat it up at high temperature and melt it out of the groove.
http://www.dannychoo.com/detail/mac/eng/image/10284/Figma+Kagami+Hiiragi+issues.html?DCTag=quentinlau
I broke my Kagami figma's arm trying to switch the hands T_T and it was when i first got it out of the box also.I'll try changing the hands like the picture shows when i get Tsukasa.
ReplyDelete@ MeronRamune:
ReplyDeleteApologies for the photos due to recent bandwidth problems.
Sorry to hear about your Kagami. Did you break the actual arm instead of the hand joint? If it is so holding near the end of the arm (i.e. the sleeve) would help to reduce stress on the arm when you pull the hand out.
IMO, despite being action figures, figmas are actually quite delicate. It would require some great attention and care when playing around with them. But of course do enjoy playing around with them!
Thank you! very useful tips!^^
ReplyDeletemmm i hope figma can use tougher materials on their upcoming products...especially Makina :D
@ Didi:
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, figmas from Tsuruya-san (product 018) onwards now use tougher materials for the joints so they don't break as easily as the earlier ones. And the change is in a way visible as I hear fewer people talking about breakages these days.
Glad that you find it useful~ Hope you'll get your first figmas soon~
Really great tips here, thanks. I've only broken one figma hand so far, and I hope that would be the last one ^^;;; Great to know that they will be improving the overall quality.
ReplyDelete@ Twu:
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you have found it useful. Your overview/reviews of figma and Fräulein are really insightful too~
Both competing lines are improving for better quality; it's nice to nice know that they do listen to their customers :o
Thanks for the tips. Now I can pose my Revoltechs with extra care.
ReplyDelete@ BD77:
ReplyDeleteRevoltech joints are a bit more durable than figmas', but you can still apply the same guidelines on them!
m(_ _)m
ReplyDeletethannnnnnnnk you.
@ rachl.:
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
the bit about the hands has been very helpful
ReplyDelete