Just got a piece of new release vinyl in the mail and one of the legs are super loose and basically just dangles there.. Not too confident displaying the toy standing up because of this.

I can't think of any way there would be, but does anybody have a fix for loose joints? I'm guessing it just happens depending on how the vinyl sockets were cut.

There have been a few dicussions on this in the past. Particualrly with vintage toys, this is a problem you will encounter and is just something you have to accept and deal with. You can check out this thread for example. I wouldn't worry too much about it. As long as one leg is stiff, and even if both sometimes, you can usually get a balance going. It is actually more difficult with standing issues with warping/different length legs than looseness.

If you want to actually do something to fix the issue though if it bothers you, you can try string or dental floss, or possibly a rubber band. Just be careful not to mess with it too much, and keep in mind possible material interactions with whatever you are adding and the paint/surface coating of the vinyl. You can always just try the hairdryer technique to soften it and remold it slightly. This is probably the simplest and quickest way to try and reset the fit of the joint, and won't cause any damage to the figure - but if the sizes are mismatched they will stay that way, there isn't much you can do.

Thanks ultrakaiju - I'll check out that thread when I get home from work. I figured it would be a situation where I couldn't do much about it.. thankfully the toy is blank so I won't be stressing about screwing up paint when I blast this fool with the hairdryer!

One thing I've done several times is putting masking or painters tape around the joint. It thickens it up and doesn't leave any type of residue, should the tape need to be removed.

Thanks Robert I'm gonna try that out tomorrow.. now that I have had a whole day with the toy I don't mind it so much, this kind of thing seems to be actually pretty common and there can be far worse fates for toys like the dreaded mould infection

WINNER, now fix that pinner Glenn!

I have had success heating up the loose piece, jamming something inside to bulge it out just a little bit, then cooling it off before removing the insert.

What's the deal with the cigarette roller? I have no idea what that is or how it would even work.. Never even held a cigarette. Well once I put one in my pocket as a kid to hide it for a buddy but it broke and my pants stank like tobacco but that's another story

I believe that would be for a loose - joint - fix.

Personally, I like to go with dovetails to avoid that problem.

Oooohh like the special cigarettes?? Bunch of hippies on this board