Flocking: Yay or Nay?

[Rika_of_Thunder]

i love how flocked ponies look, and other flocked figures, but my god they're a pain to dust and clean lol

[Gator]

I loved So Soft ponies!  Paradise and Magic Star are two I remember having as a child.  I love the feel of them.  I have, however, purposefully sought out damaged flocked ponies to deflock so I have one of each.
I have not found a badly damaged Crumpet yet to deflock.
And I have NOT deflocked a Buttons, Wind Whistler, Shady North Star, Posey, CJ, Lickety Split as I have their other versions.

[Cin77]

I deflocked a Paradise a few weeks ago and still cant get over how white she was compared to how dirt coloured she was before.  Now I just need to re-hair her but I'm thinking that beautiful white and the super orange hair will look amazing together

[Stormness_1]

For me, both, but I'd NEVER remove nice flocking even if I already had a flocked version.

[Kitcatepic]

I own wind whistler and a truly that was deflocked by her previous owner I'm neutral to the flocking texture for the most part but it is kinda fun to run my fingers under her hooves. ponies like twist are way too vibrant to be so softs I want a deflock twist so bad on the flocked version you can barely even see the purple.

[CowboyRaccoons]

I have SS Sundance, and I love her flocking! I might be biased because Sundance is one of my all time favs, but she is so soft and looks beautiful. Hoping to find some more flocked ponies! One of my other favorites is SS Twilight. 

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I love flocking! It can definitely look bad in poor condition though. But a good condition So Soft pony is so nice.

[aquamarinemolly]

I like the SS ponies as originally designed with flocking, but I'm picky about the condition - clean, fluffy, minimal rubs

[cola]

i wouldn't add flocking to a NSS pony though.

Oh, same here. I dunno why, but flocked customs never quite look right to me.

(off-topic but Cola, I love your avatar!)

thank you 

back on topic, now that i think about it- a well maintained flocking and mane would be more value able to me (ie: I'd probably be willing to pay more for a pony in nicer condition.) [Not that this is any sort of hot take, very luke warm. cold infact, of a take]

I do agree with others, in some cases flocking should go if it's too worse for wear :/ for me, that point is when flocking is barely there. Patchy, damaged, dirty- There's again that historic value, however, the pony would be better off stripped of it's flocking I think. Right now, there's still a fair commodity of SS ponies out and about. I suppose, the exceptions are rare SS ponies. I don't think I have it in me to deflock an Angel or Crumpet unless, they REALLY needed (And by "me", I mean a pro who does flocking I would be scared to mess it up)

The flip side...I can live with a dirty or somewhat patchy SS, I actually don't mind At least, right now I don't mind. again, eye of the beholder situation

[rookiebat]

Generally i do not like how flocking feels (hooray for sensory issues!!) but a pony would have to be really bad for me to consider deflocking them. A lot of so soft ponies i think don't look great deflocked since they took into account how the flocking would mute their colors and overcompensated (unpopular opinion is i do not like Twist or Twilight deflocked!) I rejoice for the movie star line because some of their symbols are also very rudimentary since you can't see them very well? So it's great to see those ponies with better detail, too bad they're so hard to find 

[Raindrop]

This is one "gimmick" I am not fond of.  Mint condition ponies look great, but the glue gets so yellow over time, in addition to the wearing on the flocking.  Many of the ponies are such pretty, vibrant colors when deflocked that I am a fan of deflocks--but only if there is significant damage to the flocking.

ETA: If it's a common pony with badly yellowed flocking all over, or major scuffs (more than just rubbed edges of hooves and ears), or if there's goop or factory glue, mane hair, etc., stuck in it, I would consider deflocking.  I always try cleaning with cold water and a mild detergent first.  Another consideration besides the condition of the flocking is whether the pony in deflocked condition is more desirable; if there's a common NSS version, or if the pony plastic underneath the glue is also yellowed (like many SS Sundance ponies, sadly), deflocking may not be worth the trouble or the expense of solvents to remove the glue.

[LadyAmalthea]

I used to hate flocked ponies, probably because 2 of the 3 my sister and I owned as kids were ugly with thin patches and missing spots...I think they must have come that way because I never remember their flocking being thick and lush. Then SS Sundance, the 3rd one, just got manky and dirty right away. But once I started collecting as an adult and seeing pictures of perfect ones, I became a little enamored of them! I don't really go out of my way to buy them, but if I see a really nice one for cheap, or a really disgusting one for even cheaper that I don't feel bad about deflocking (since some of them have really stunning colors under there!), I'll grab them! Ultimately, I'd love one version of each, but I don't see myself ever being passionate about some of them to collect them all.

Post Merge: August 03, 2024, 08:30:46 AM

Another consideration besides the condition of the flocking is whether the pony in deflocked condition is more desirable; if there's a common NSS version, or if the pony plastic underneath the glue is also yellowed (like many SS Sundance ponies, sadly), deflocking may not be worth the trouble or the expense of solvents to remove the glue.

Yeah, what is it about SS Sundance that seems to have that yellowed glue issue? And her flocking just feels different than other SS ponies. My SS Surprise is also white, but doesn't look/feel like her.

[gabumon]

love flocking when its in good condition.
My Magic Star has spots where its thinnish on feet,  hopefully we’re not seeing pony pattern baldness progression here!