Sideshow 1/6 C-3PO

[TonTon]

Nope, just a regular messed up hand I assume... I had a broken pinky, so they are replacing the hand because of that; not the crap design.



Yep, that's what I just did here... filed down the T peg; you can see it in the bottom right image next to a regular pinky T-peg. Then the bottom left is what it looks like normally (kind of, I didn't take a proper before) and top is after the fix. Unfortunately I can't put the hand back on due to the wrist peg breaking in order to see it on the figure, but it looks much better.

That's a night and day difference. Great work.

 

[galactiboy]

That's great! Thanks for that!

I also think my original plan to cut at the bottom of the thumb and reglue will still work -- even moreso seeing it this way.

But one clarification: can the T-joint of the entire hand be removed from the forearm without damage? Or you need to break off the t-shaped end to get it out? Looks like there's a T-shaped hole in the forearm if you can line it up correctly.

I'd say you'd be better off popping the hand open (just do it carefully) then either shaving down the T-joint, or cutting and gluing it that way in order to not have to mess with being hard to get to if it's still in the hand.

And yes, the joint will pull out of the forearm safely, that side is not T-shaped, the shape in the forearm is probably to allow it to go in and out w/o putting too much stress on the plastic. So you can definitely pull the hand (with the peg still attached) out of the forearm w/o damaging anything. And I assume that is what most of the arm replacement people will need to do.

 

[galactiboy]

Shaving down the "T" on that thumb would be great, but getting that hand open could be dangerous.

Agreed, luckily this one was messed up so I could experiment on it. I found if I took a thin/ridgid knife I could work it into the side of the palm and use that to pop it open. It should be safe enough to do, but again there is a risk

That's a night and day difference. Great work.

Thanks, sucks we have to do these kinds of things, but at least it's fixable

What really stinks is that overall this is a very well designed hand... just a bummer a dumb QC issue all but ruins it

 

[Wor-Gar]

Looks like they never made a thumb -- just five fingers.

Anyway, thanks GB for this excellent instruction. I'm sure its making its way across the net right now.

 

[galactiboy]

Well the thumb does have only two knuckles; so it's a thumb, but the orientation is just wrong. No way that was an intentional decision and if it was that person needs to be fired

 

[SpaceCrawler]

From the internal photos of the hands the thumb is clearly a design error, not just a "normal transition from prototype to final design" as Sideshow tried to imply in their Facebook post.

Sean

 

[Mad Old Lu]

But that's the weird part. Obviously by looking at their prototype, Sideshow designed a proper thumb. At some point in manufacturing, that thumb joint was not made correctly, without the slight twist to make the joint bend in the right direction. So nobody caught that mistake all through the process? Because it's clearly a mistake. Did the factory change the original piece when the mold was made? If it was a computer file, did the factory make the change and never told Sideshow and Sideshow never saw it until it saw a production sample? That's what bothers me most about Sideshow--there are clearly manufacturing problems (beyond just lousy paint apps) and Sideshow decides to go forward anyway. Unlike QMX who did not accept the bad production head for Mal and took their business elsewhere til they found a factory that would do a good job.

 

[xipotec]

Mine arrived today...Love him overall...

I did get a broken piston...looks like the same one everyone is getting , Left arm top piston...

My weathering is VERY mild ....which I am very happy about. I must have been at the end of the day and the guy painting didn't want to get more paint. The is no weathering between his Pecs at all...... his head and chest dimples also have no weathering.....really looks great....

Contacting SS about and arm replacement.

Seems like its a good idea to detach the pistons ,move the arm then reattach them. I think some light oil on the slide part of the piston would be good as well..

Someone suggested mineral oil???

 

[galactiboy]

The mystery that is Sideshow Collectibles... you never know what the QC issue will be, but rest assured it will be there and something bizarre

 

[FlyAndFight]

Thanks for sharing those pics, galactiboy.

 

[Tinman2000]

Thanks for walking us through this GB, it's much appreciated. I haven't heard from SS about my issues yet and will probably hold off doing this until all the parts come together...but it will be done!

 

[Tinman2000]

I just received a notice from SS for my replacement head and right arm, allowing 7 to 10 business days for the parts to ship. Curious, has anyone not provided pics of the smashed/destroyed parts?

BTW, because I never removed 3PO's arm I gave it a shot to see how hard it was; I didn't find it to be an easy task and could easily see it resulting in a damaged piston. While I had it off I also checked out the articulation of the shoulder and found it to be better than I though.

 

[galactiboy]

They didn't ask me to destroy anything... usually it's just if a part is large enough to be valuable on it's own or it's a major part of the figure to they ask for things to be destroyed or returned.

 

[galactiboy]

Small update on the wrist pegs... looks like it's actually a T-joint, with two small pegs that run perpendicular to the T; and this fits in a specific way into the palm. because of this you can move it side to side on the ball joint, but not up and down. However, I think it's negated by the forearm... so in the end the hands just rotate.

I have cracked open the right and this time I was able to do it w/o any noticeable damage. You do have to be pretty persistent in wedging the knife into the hand, but as long as you aim below the gold part any minimal stress to the plastic will be on the darker bottom and is not really visible once the hand is reassembled.

 

[DARTH-THRASHER]

Here's a comment from Sideshow's Facebook page about the hand issue I just saw:

COMMENT FROMC-3PO BUYER:
Sideshow Collectibles - I just received my 1/6 c-3PO figure and I am wondering if you will be offering replacement arms? As you know by now all the 3pos have the thumbs misaligned so they look like a fifth finger rather than a thumb. Many customers have contacted you by email about this but no one has received a response. At over $220 per figure we expect better quality control and fixes when problems occur.
You can read some of the public complaints here: [link to this thread]

SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES RESPONDS:
Hey Laurel, thanks for the comment and feedback! C-3PO was originally pictured with different hands in a few prototype images on our blog. As you probably know, early prototypes can differ from the final production piece. We always keep the design as faithful to the character as we can, but in order to do that, sometimes changes are made during the creative process.
Production on this version of C-3PO has been completed, and he’s currently making his way to moisture farms across the galaxy. And you never know, someday there may be another release of the famous protocol droid. Possibly from a different film with the appropriate changes or modifications to his design. Thanks for your comment, and we hope that we shed some light on the situation. Cheers!

So their answer is "you can buy another if we make one". Fk you Sideshow. Returning mine and moving to Hot Toys.

So apparently the hands were designed to look terrible. Good to know.

Sean

Very weak response and poor customer service. As someone said, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

[TaliBane]

What way are people using to contact SSC regarding damage/issues? On the site I only see returns/exchanges under customer support.

 

[galactiboy]

I started a modification thread for C-3PO with the thumb mod and chocolate milk removal... if you guys have any other ideas please add them. I figure that may help people who aren't checking this thread as often.

What way are people using to contact SSC regarding damage/issues? On the site I only see returns/exchanges under customer support.

That's the place... just fill out the form as best you can and have some pictures.

 

[stevenmh]

Got mine the other day. I was fortunate... nothing broken, eyes are centered, and the head/neck just slid right out with no effort. As others have done, I hit the thumbs with a hair dryer and twisted them. Like the others mentioned, this made the thumb and forefinger loose. I applied some Future/Pledge to the joints with a toothpick and am letting it set up overnight. I think that will take care of it.

Here's a shot showing original hand on left, twisted thumb on right:





Both thumbs twisted:

 

[galactiboy]

Did you twist them just with your hands, or use pliers? I'm wondering if the reason the thumb and forefinger are loose is that the hand is more separated due to the twisting?

 

[Mandible]

But that's the weird part. Obviously by looking at their prototype, Sideshow designed a proper thumb. At some point in manufacturing, that thumb joint was not made correctly, without the slight twist to make the joint bend in the right direction. So nobody caught that mistake all through the process? Because it's clearly a mistake. Did the factory change the original piece when the mold was made? If it was a computer file, did the factory make the change and never told Sideshow and Sideshow never saw it until it saw a production sample? That's what bothers me most about Sideshow--there are clearly manufacturing problems (beyond just lousy paint apps) and Sideshow decides to go forward anyway. Unlike QMX who did not accept the bad production head for Mal and took their business elsewhere til they found a factory that would do a good job.

Holy cow that likeness it good!!!!

Didn't even know anyone had attempted licensed Firefly figures - thanks!!!!

Sorry to derail - that likeness was too good - especially for only $180 - not to say anything