Hot Toys Abe Sapien BROKE! HELP PLEASE!

[Darthgothikus]

Ah C***

Picked Abe up off the shelf last night to re-pose him, and noticed his right leg was a bit floppy.

On closer inspection it had snapped at the knee joint.

Also found the rubber coating on his left arm has started to split in several places

I've emailed my supplier (goodshipped) but he is in Hong Kong - I'm in the UK can't imagine his going to ship me a new figure...

Figure was brand new, has been opened by me, posed, photographed then put on the shelf and left alone. Not been dropped, or played with roughly at all.

So a couple of questions for all you knowledgable freaks...

1) Can I remove the whole leg and replace with a spare? Looks like there is a covered screw hole near the hip, would that release the whole leg?

2) The arms pop off, but I guess this isn't a standard True Type shoulder joint, again can shoulders be swapped easily from one body to another?

Attached are some pics, any help/advice will be gratefully received

<a href="https://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/?action=view&current=Abeleg1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/Abeleg1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="https://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/?action=view&current=abebroke.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/abebroke.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="https://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/?action=view&current=Abearm1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/Abearm1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="https://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/?action=view&current=Abearm4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/Abearm4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="https://s593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/?action=view&current=Abearm3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt20/Darthgothikus/Abe%20broke/Abearm3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[nash]

just say no to rubber bodies.

 

[wookster]

The knee is an easy fix; you'll need another TT to cannibalise though.
Get some needle nose pliers and grip the bits disappearing into the limbs, they are on pegs and will just pull straight out. You can then replace with new knee joint.

The arm is tougher, firstly was the arm left in an extreme bend? I try to never leave rubber suited or rubber bodied figures in poses with any extreme bends or where rubber is butting up against rubber. To repair you'll either need to get a new arm or gently use a scalpel to trim off the tiny bits that stand proud on the damaged areas, then touch it up with some acrylic paints, may need a couple of layers, but it should work.

 

[Darthgothikus]

The knee is an easy fix; you'll need another TT to cannibalise though.
Get some needle nose pliers and grip the bits disappearing into the limbs, they are on pegs and will just pull straight out. You can then replace with new knee joint.

The arm is tougher, firstly was the arm left in an extreme bend? I try to never leave rubber suited or rubber bodied figures in poses with any extreme bends or where rubber is butting up against rubber. To repair you'll either need to get a new arm or gently use a scalpel to trim off the tiny bits that stand proud on the damaged areas, then touch it up with some acrylic paints, may need a couple of layers, but it should work.

Cheers Wookster! That's good news on the knee front!

I'm hoping the supplier might just send out a new arm???

But no, not left in an extreme pose, guess I've been unlucky with this one!

 

[galactiboy]

So is it the rubber that split... or the paint on the arm? Kind of looks like the paintwork is being affected... not the actual arm.

 

[Darthgothikus]

So is it the rubber that split... or the paint on the arm? Kind of looks like the paintwork is being affected... not the actual arm.

Hmm good point. Either way it makes the arm look c***.

 

[galactiboy]

Hmm good point. Either way it makes the arm look c***.

Yeah, no doubt. Almost looks like the paint is a almost a thick layer over top of the rubber arm. I have a feeling this may not turn out to be an isolated incident.

 

[Crimsonbob]

I got my Hellboy from Goodshipped and he had the same break on the leg, so i just glued it. The thing is the box had never been opened so why do they let them go out like this in the 1st place these figs are damn expensive.

 

[minivader]

oh man, that really sucks. And happened so soon too. Rubber body really are very unpredictable. Hopefully you'll find a way to repair him.

 

[profbobo]

I just had the leg issue happen to my Golgo figure Anyone know a good place to get TT's cheap?

 

[Eli26]

just say no to rubber bodies.

What he said.

Or just don't pose the damn suckers. Which reminds me, maybe I should stick to statues and PFs!

 

[creecher]

I can see that as a possibility Gordon, but Goodshipped is a reputable etailer. I can't see why the distributors of Hot Toys items would want to practice the deception you mentioned, especially with etailers like Goodshipped, who have the recourse to replace the item locally with Hot Toys. As you mentioned in your example, the ebayer wasn't as local, so I can see why that type of seller might choose to decieve.

Goodshipped will replace the figure, I would expect. Unfortunately the customer bears the cost of shipping the item back, not sure of the cost of return shipping. When I had a broken leg I only had to pay to return it. ABC Express, whom I dealt with, paid to ship it back.

In any case, it's about time Hot Toys did something about having some quality customer service in place. They outgrew their newcomer status years ago. They're making the money, they ought to ensure their product meets expectations. More and more complaints are in relation to items arriving broken, not just after having been posed. Even so, these items are made to be posed, regardless of their collectible 'not for children' or 'rough play' status. Their fragility needs to be addressed.

 

[Crimsonbob]

I must admit the plastic they use does look kinda crap and even a little brittle it did on the break on my Hellboy anyway.

 

[Mesa]

unacceptable for something that costs $150.

 

[Crimsonbob]

Medicom are just as bad tbh from my experience anyway.

 

[Master Wayne]

Same exact thing happened to my Abe. His right knee snapped in my hand as soon as I removed him from his box.
I had ordered him through Cornerstorecomics, and since I live nearby, I drove down to their shop/warehouse. They exchanged him on site, next to no questions asked. The best part was they had one Abe left in stock, and were holding him for my exchange.

Sure they've had some issues as of late, but service like that will keep me going back to CSC for some time. They've always been square with me.

I'm happy to report that Abe #2 is still okay, at the moment. A little weary of even touching him, however . :/

 

[Darthgothikus]

Hmm... this is all getting quite interesting, seems like lately everyone and his mother have been singing Hot Toys praises (me included) we seem to have uncovered the "Things no-one tells you" thread.

BTW Crimsonbob, I'm going to pick up a spare True Type body off of Evil Bay to swap out the broken knee joint, do you want the other knee to replace your glued one in Hell Boy?

If you want it PM me your address and I'll post it when it arrives (haven't ordered yet so can't promise when I'll get it!)

 

[Crimsonbob]

Cheers for the offer very kind of ya m8. Its a pretty solid fix i done, i can pull it quite hard and its not going anywhere, besides he's posed standing straight anyway and i can still bend the leg nps.

Thanks again

 

[Hydeous]

Contact hot toys via their FB account. They should be able to help you out.

 

[supekudx]

Gooshipped is a good seller but I guess he wil do nothing to you. He will ask you to contact Hot Toys Custom Service. In the past, my Batman Original had the pegs broken and I asked Goodshipped to contact Hot Toys by phone and explain what happened to my Batman. Well, he didn't.
Send an e-mail to Hot Toys and the photos to illustrate your problem.