Flaws you can't stand

[mylittELLEpony]

Mold is the only thing I've ever had to admit defeat over. Everything else I can handle.

[Leave a Whisper]

Ponies that reek. I found a big lot of G1s at the flea market and they had mouse poop and pee all over them and smelled TERRIBLE. Pulling mouse poop out of their hair was not fun And ponies that smell like cigarette smoke, yuuuuuck! Got a lot of 4 or 5 G1 princesses from ebay a long time ago and they reeked of smoke. Now I always ask sellers if their items are from a smoke free home!

Ewww!

[Mami Tomoe]

G1: Head/body mismatch, plastic breakdown. 
G3: that thing with the glitter ponies where the glitter has disappeared.

It does? How?

when the glue wears off and glitter flakes out

[Leave a Whisper]

G1: Head/body mismatch, plastic breakdown. 
G3: that thing with the glitter ponies where the glitter has disappeared.

It does? How?

when the glue wears off and glitter flakes out

 

[terabithianprince]

I can't stand a lot of things in ponies. Cigarette smoke, highlighter marks, lots and lots of cancer, but the one I hate the most is a head/body mismatch. It drives me crazy.

[partypony566]

When the head and body are different shades and also pen marks.

[Pheasant]

Any sort of serious body damage is probably the biggest deal-breaker for me.

Most flaws - i.e., hair / symbol / eye damage - can easily be repaired. But if the pony is badly faded, stained, or pretty scratched up then I'm only left with two options: sunfading (which I dislike) or repainting the whole darn thing.

Unless the pony is usually hard to come by, I'm not going to spend the extra time and money to restore it, though I *might* try just for the challenge. I'd rather purchase a one in decent condition and save myself the trouble.

[vortex1310]

These threads are always interesting to me because everyone is different.

I find it changes over time for me. I used to really be bothered by head/body mismatches but as I get older I'm more okay with it.

I guess cancer and pindot are the things I can't stand. The idea that the cancer will get worse and I've tried removing pindot but with very little success so I try to avoid them.

Other things like regrind or highlighter spots/saddle sores are fine with me since they aren't fixable and give them character. I LOVE ponies with names written on them. There is something  adorable and endearing. If anyone has any that need a new home let me know! 

Haircuts can be pretty cute sometimes. My childhood Glory had her hair cut down to a fluffy mohawk and her tail was lost but this particular Glory was always a "boy" to me so it's not a big deal.

I guess missing limbs are a no-no. I have been gifted a few ponies with feet chewed off and I just can't find the heart to keep them. I don't want to throw them away in case a smaller kid can still love them so they get donated.

Like others it seems like it's a case-by-case thing as you run into them.

[r4fw]

Head/body mismatch and regrind.

[starstrider]

I'm pretty picky, TBH.  Uneven colour/head and body different shades.  Teeth marks/damage from chewing.  Pen marks (initials on bottom of hooves acceptable).  Tail rust, regrind, cancer, hair cuts. 

[starstrider]

I'm pretty picky with my ponies.  I don't have the time or the faith in my own abilities to do a good job with complicated restorations, such as rehairing or deep cleaning of serious body staining etc.  I'd rather pay a little bit (sometimes a lot more) for a pony already in good condition than to pay for a cheaper pony and then struggle to adequately recondition her. 

[RoseNoire]

I'm never too upset with a flaw. I do my best to restore my ponies. I currently have a problem with trimmed hair. This is so sad to watch them with a mane as a huge mess or just bald, it means I'll have to buy hair for them and I'm not used to rehairing yet so I'm  just affraid I can't do it properly.
So yeah, it's always a question of being used to a situation and getting the experience to make them better looking.

I am always looking for a pony who's in good shape and not smelly, but I don't mind if it's the opposite, especially if I don't have it. Actually, I like to restore them, so a bit more work is no big deal for me.  As long as it's problem is not contagious, it's welcome in my collection.

Ironically, I don't like to mess with their originality regardless of their generation and especially if it is not a double, so I do my best to keep them as original as possible, but I prefer a pretty "not so original" pony than a messy and dirty "original" pony.

tl;dr : I'm not picky at all, I love to restore them.

[Mirnyj]

Flaws caused by failed restoration attempts.