To deflock or not to deflock

[Mami Tomoe]

What makes you want to deflock a pony for me its flock rub that makes me want to

[bright rabbit 1]

If the flock is stained or dirty, I'll de flock it.

[Mlp Sunsparkle]

I'd leave it how it is in almost every case, I'd only consider de flocking if there was a huge area where it's already rubbed off. It can be cleaned gently, and if there was a stain I'd try to sun fade it out or live with it if the flocking is still nice. So there would probably have to be more de flocked area than flocked to make me de flock one 

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I've never deflocked before, but my Best Wishes and Hippity Hop I plan on deflocking eventually, because they're missing large chunks of flocking, so they'd look much better on display without it. I'm just waiting until I get other ones with better flocking so I can then have them flocked and deflocked! With ponies who just have missing flocking on the bottoms of feat, ear tips, etc, I can live with it. But these two are missing too much of it for them to look nice on display, so they'll be deflocked someday.

[LadyMoondancer]

Dirty flocking with major rubs, especially when the flocking has that really matted down look.

I also got a Crumpet with, like, mildew in her fur once.  YEeeeah . . .

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I would only deflock if severe flocking damage or mildew or w/e was present, and I would always plan on re-flocking

[Leave a Whisper]

I'd only do it if her flocking was beyond saving. At this age, little rubs and bald patches are expected.

Post Merge: November 29, 2017, 01:36:18 PM

Dirty flocking with major rubs, especially when the flocking has that really matted down look.

I also got a Crumpet with, like, mildew in her fur once.  YEeeeah . . .

Ewww! 

[Pierlala]

I am not a fan of de-flocking. So softs are already more rare then regular ponies. If people keep doing this they will become more and more rare or even stop exsisting at all. People de-flock way too soon in my opinion. I prefer to leave ponies the wat they are.

[pinkkittywinks]

Glue discolouration and/or bad rubs to the flocking.

Love pkw xxx

[Taffeta]

If the fur is seriously stained, damaged, rubbed in large patches, coming off...those are reasons for me to deflock. But I admit I am a bit hypocritical about this because I don't generally like the idea of deflocking ponies that have regular counterparts which, without fur, might look more or less identical. Especially Truly and Cupcake because they tend to have serious price differences between the regular and the SS version which makes deflocking potentially profitable for scammers :/ Fortunately the movie star set I think are mostly at least a bit different under the fur, although Buttons with the three large buttons and North Star and Gusty are problem candidates for deflocking and then getting muddled up with the regular versions. Magic Star and Wind Whistler are different enough and I think Shady is a different colour pink under her fur.

So I would sell rather than deflock any that had counterparts without flocking, if they were in bad condition. I would choose to deflock and keep any with wrecked flocking that didn't have a regular counterpart.

Deflocking is possibly the only form of customisation/restoration I;m ok with, but I get where Pierlala is coming from. I think maybe my childhood without SS ponies means I don't think too much about them as a set and their future rarity...which is bad, and I probably should. That said, I don't actually go out to deflock any ponies myself as my practical skills suck. So I have to find someone to do it for me, and that means the pony I am going to get deflocked has to be pretty desperate (so that deflocking is essentially saving her).

[Baby Sugarberry]

I ask the question: "Would the average collector be interested in keeping this pony permanently in their collection, or would it be replaced at the soonest opportunity?"

This considers the pony's rarity (Crumpets will be wanted even in poor shape over similar Hearthrobs or Buttons) and general condition.  The flocking has to be pretty far gone for me to consider a pony a deflock candidate.  Preferably they have other issues too that make them unlikely to ever find a place in someone's collection as they are.  Mangy, stained, missing patches all over, etc.

[bright rabbit 1]

Sometimes the flocking smells, so I de flock the pony.

[NightGliderSA]

Every pony I buy is for my personal collection; I do not sell on. And if I do come across a better condition pony, I keep the first pony as well. I would deflock a pony if she was in really really bad condition and there was no other alternative. But then I would write underneath her hoof that she had been deflocked. And keep her. And there are certain ponies where I would actively look for one in such bad condition because I would like a deflocked version - such as Angel and Twilight, as they are so beautiful underneath. But I agree with what Taffeta says about deflocking ponies who already have regular counterparts.

[Shaiyeh]

Honestly, I probably wouldn't. I'd rather try to re-flock patches if possible, or just leave as is.
If she was covered it something gross like mildew, cat wee, poop or whatever I would proabbly get rid of the flocking, if it didn't clean out (or if cleaning destroyed it), but then again, I've only ever held a so soft in my hands once, so the chances of me finding a really bad condition one at say a thrift shop are pretty slim. (and hence, I'd buy a nice condition one at once.)
Personally not a fan of deflocking or altering G1s unless they really are beyond saving.

[Mami Tomoe]

For me i will not defrock a pony with a normal counterpart I won't defrock a pony with a variant that is exactly the same even though its from another country