A Quick Fix for Loose Waist and Legs on the New Body

[lucasd4]

Here's a quick and easy way to tighten the waist and legs on the new "bandless" bodies. I used an O ring kit and double-sided thick clear tape.......both from amazon.....I did this to the waist on all the bodies and they are super tight now. Some of the legs were fine and didn't need to be tightened.

I wrapped the tape around the waist joint a few times

**The clear tape is very thick and will fill the gap nicely**

[Liu Bei]

Here's a quick and easy way to tighten the waist and legs on the new "bandless" bodies. I used an O ring kit and double-sided thick clear tape.......both from amazon.....I did this to the waist on all the bodies and they are super tight now. Some of the legs were fine and didn't need to be tightened.

I wrapped the tape around the waist joint a few times

**The clear tape is very thick and will fill the gap nicely**

Great idea. May have to give that a try later tonight. Would that work on those old Mattel bodies too?

[lucasd4]

Great idea. May have to give that a try later tonight. Would that work on those old Mattel bodies too?

I think it would work with the Mattel body waist. I'm not sure about the legs. If I remember correctly, those Mattel bodies had elastic or something in the legs instead of plastic joints. It would be worth a try though.

[nubee]

Here's a quick and easy way to tighten the waist and legs on the new "bandless" bodies. I used an O ring kit and double-sided thick clear tape.......both from amazon.....I did this to the waist on all the bodies and they are super tight now. Some of the legs were fine and didn't need to be tightened.

I wrapped the tape around the waist joint a few times

**The clear tape is very thick and will fill the gap nicely**

What a wonderful idea to salvage the Sidekick body.

Many thanks

[lucasd4]

What a wonderful idea to salvage the Sidekick body.

Many thanks

You're welcome. It doesn't fix the height issue but it does make the figures feel sturdier, stand up straight, and hold poses better.

[LonnieFisher]

Would the superglue trick work as well?

[lucasd4]

Would the superglue trick work as well?

I'm not familiar with that one....how does that work?

[LonnieFisher]

I'm not familiar with that one....how does that work?

It works be squirting superglue into the joint and moving the parts until the superglue sets and it builds up in the space and tightens the joint. It's been used for loose action figure joints for a long time. It works really well. As long as you move the joint until the glue is fully cured it won't glue it together. It's done with the runny kind, not the gel, because the gel doesn't get into the joint very well. I've done it to a few action figures before.

[thunderbolt]

you put superglue at the joint and continue to work the joint so it doesn't freeze up till the superglue cures and takes up the gap/creates friction at the joint. Might work on the legs but probably not the waist

[LonnieFisher]

you put superglue at the joint and continue to work the joint so it doesn't freeze up till the superglue cures and takes up the gap/creates friction at the joint. Might work on the legs but probably not the waist

I'm thinking it would work on the waist with no problem. Same as any other joint.

[lucasd4]

It works be squirting superglue into the joint and moving the parts until the superglue sets and it builds up in the space and tightens the joint. It's been used for loose action figure joints for a long time. It works really well. As long as you move the joint until the glue is fully cured it won't glue it together. It's done with the runny kind, not the gel, because the gel doesn't get into the joint very well. I've done it to a few action figures before.

That probably would work with the legs, but I'm not sure about the waist. It's a big gap there and the waist joint seems like it could break if moved often while the glue is curing. I like filling that gap with the soft tape since it seems to provide some support for the waist joint and then the O rings provide extra reinforcement to hold everything together. It seems like the O ring/tape method would be safer too and can easily be redone if you don't get it right. Let me know how the superglue method works if you decide to try it.

[nubee]

I used the super glue once on a Marvel Legend figure. It worked ok but in about a year, the joint broke where I used the super glue. I think it made the plastic brittle. I like the O-rings idea much better.

[thunderbolt]

I'm thinking it would work on the waist with no problem. Same as any other joint.

There's a LOT of space in that waist joint. I think the fragility of it is the bigger issue.

[Confessional]

Seems like you could also use a series of O-rings, or even a single large silicone ring and avoid the whole tape/glue component.

Having merged a few NECA x Mego customs in the past, I'm kinda looking forward to sacrificing one of these to full dissection to see how a torso swap could work.

[LonnieFisher]

you put superglue at the joint and continue to work the joint so it doesn't freeze up till the superglue cures and takes up the gap/creates friction at the joint. Might work on the legs but probably not the waist

I tried it today and it does work for the waist joint. So happy it worked. The one Topps figure I opened was super floppy at the waist.