MH Dolls - can loose limbs be tightened up?

[pukunui]

Hi all,
 
I'm new to the MH scene and I am finding it more than a little annoying when a new doll has super loose limbs. It makes it very difficult to pose them.  Is there any way I can tighten them up so they're not so floppy?
 
Thanks in advance!
 
Regards,
Jonathan

[kerry483]

You can get clear nail polish for the loose arm joints. Paint a thin layer on the stick and ball part, then wait for it to dry. It should help tighten it up. Make sure it's a thin layer.

For loose legs, you might need to re-do the elastic. There are tutorials online to do this.

[Icicle]

While I know clear nail polish can work.. I dunno how much I'd recommend it. I've heard of it doing damage to toy joints before (not MH, but for other toy lines). I'd actually recommend getting Pledge Floor Care with Future Shine (Link'll take you to an image of the current bottle design, make sure it's the stuff for tile and not wood!). You pull out the problem area, put a little bit on the peg for the joint you need to tighten, and leave it be for a full day before placing the limb back in and it should tighten up nicely. And it'll wash right off with water if anything were to happen or you put too much. My fiance and I use it all the time on our figma and S.H. Figuarts with no ill effects.

[pukunui]

Thanks for the tips. I know we can get clear nail polish here in New Zealand, but I'm not sure about the Pledge. I have got some Johnson Klear Self-Shining Floor Polish that I bought to put a bit of gloss on my custom miniatures. Would that be OK?
 
Also, how do I take these dolls apart? My School's Out Cleo is floppiest in her knee, elbow and neck joints. The elastic in her hips isn't too bad (either that or her tights help mitigate the floppiness), and her wrists and arm sockets are OK.

[Icicle]

So far as it's acrylic/water soluble it should be fine, but if you're worried about it by all means use the clear nail polish! I certainly don't want anything happening to your doll because of something I haven't personally tried (my fiance and I have used clear nail polish without any ill effects, it just never lasted too long)

As for taking off limbs... I personally have never done it, so I hope someone can offer you some help! (I personally am terrified of ever having to pop off limbs... I'm such a klutz ;o;/)

[pukunui]

Hmm. Well, the bottle doesn't list the ingredients. Maybe I'll just try nail polish first. At the moment, the only one that's really bothersome is my School's Out Cleo. I thought about just swapping her head with the Cleo I got in the Deuce & Cleo combo pack (it was in the clearance aisle at 50% off), but one is the Chinese Cleo and the other is the Indonesian one, so she'd end up with mismatched skin tones ... plus I wouldn't have a clue how to swap their heads anyway.

[crimsondeity]

The only limbs that can be removed are the lower arms and the hands. The other bits could be removed, in theory, but they would be quite damaged. I've heard that it's rather tough to do as well.


You can remove the head by quickly and firmly tugging straight up, while holding onto the torso. The peg inside the head is quite long and has a hook thing on the end. If anything though, the head will probably be looser when you put it back on.

[pukunui]

OK. Thanks for that. I won't mess with their heads. I'll just try nail polish.