How to remove a Matell retro head with no damage

[wayne foundation 07]

I want to take a ManHunter head and put it on a Darkseid body. I've yet to have any luck getting a head off a Matell body with out ruining the neck or cracking open the body. HELP, I know somebody knows how to do it.

[megowgsh]

boil and pop

[phil]

I've removed the heads from a few Retro Action figures by the Boil and Pop method.
Some of them were easier than others. On the difficult ones I used hotter water than normal.
I usually heat the water in a microwave safe container for 4-5 minutes. Hope this can be of some help.

[megowgsh]

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil while you have the head and neck submerged. When it starts bubbling pull it out and gently remove the head. If you want to put it on a different Mattel body heat the head and the body in the water and then gently put the head on the body.

[nobody]

Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil while you have the head and neck submerged. When it starts bubbling pull it out and gently remove the head. If you want to put it on a different Mattel body heat the head and the body in the water and then gently put the head on the body.

I agree, but in the future people can use this thing called a microwave and heat a coffee cup of water for 3 minutes.

[dr_cyclops]

I agree, but in the future people can use this thing called a microwave and heat a coffee cup of water for 3 minutes.

Back in my day, we had this thing called a woodstove. It was very common to keep a kettle of water on top. Of course, boil and pop didn't work so good on wooden toys. lol

[CrimsonGhost]

I was able to boil and pop one...sort of. The neck plug is very wide and tough to get out. Also, the head is glued on. I boiled some water (on the stove for the record), poured the water into a cup and warmed the head for a full 5 minutes. Then it was a matter of pulling HOWEVER the head was very soft and very stretchy and I was worried about tearing the neck plug off. I used a sculpting tool that is hook shaped and got ahold of the edge of the plug and pulled part of it out that way. I ended up poking a hole in the plug, but once it cooled, it didn't matter.
It wasn't easy. Good luck.

[megowgsh]

screw the microwave. Use a pot of water. Place the figure in it and bring to a boil. You'll have the head off the body by the time the microwave is done making you some popcorn.

[silveralex]

Maybe I've been lucky so far, but the 3 I've done so far have all come off cleanly.
Microwaved some water in a bowl for 90 seconds.
Dunked the head for 30s or so, then popped it off.

Maybe the heat is melting the glue just enough so it lets go?
On 1 of them , I used a sharp knife to just pry the neck out a little as I pulled. Came off without a fuss.

Now, I don't need the Mattel bodies, so don't mind the little disc being left behind in the body. It's intact, though, so I could get it out if needed.