Repair or don't repair?

[Labyrinth]

I have a 1982/83 snake eyes figure which is in really good condition but he is very soft in the middle. You know what I mean. His rubberband is starting its progression towards breaking.

This is a dilemna for me. I have no problem opening him up and changing it .... assuming I can get him open. But that is where the problem is. What if I can't get him open?

How do you decide whether or not to repair figures in this state?

[thomasseeber]

he should be easy to open up and fix. why wouldn't he?

just do it

[StkhlmDK]

No problem opening him up and replacing the O-ring, its only Zartan, Zarana and Zandar that you need to worry about if the rubberband gets "mushy"

['86 Digital Fire]

As long as his screw isn't rusted over, and you do the job with due care and the right size of screwdriver (edit: and also the right size of replacement o-ring), it should be fine.

There is something sad about removing the original o-ring from a figure that old. I always treat such operations with the dignity of a real-life surgery.

Look at it as a life-prolonging intervention.

Edit: Anyway, it can definitely be done. I've successfully operated on some heavily rusted screws as well. Extreme cases can call for Dremeling a new notch into the screw.

[StkhlmDK]

As long as his screw isn't rusted over, and you do the job with due care and the right size of screwdriver, it should be fine.

There is something sad about removing the original o-ring from a figure that old. I always treat such operations with the dignity of a real-life surgery.

Look at it as a life-prolonging intervention.

Thats how I see it too, I have replaced more than 800 O-rings on my stuff and now I know that they should be able withstand yet another 25-30 years

[Labyrinth]

Ok will go for it then.

Thanks.

[cyko]

Just a note if you haven't performed the surgery already: those early figures ('82) tend to be more brittle than some of the later ones. I always warm the torso slightly. Also, only take the first turn of the screw about a quarter of a turn. Just enough to start, then pause for just a second before unscrewing it the rest of the way. If it's the first time a figure is unscrewed and you're too quick, you might hear a "crack" and the torso stem will split, preventing a tight closure.

[Janus]

I am an either or kind of guy here. If the o-ring is not too bad, you the torso and waist still meet, then I leave alone. However if it is really loose then I remove and replace. I do not have 800 changes under my belt but I have done at least 200. I am less inclined to do so after hearing horror stories of the chest cracking.

[wilox]

Like stated before I would be careful because the older figures are super brittle and I have had them break on me before.