1/6 Hot Toys -TMS 068 - The Book of Boba Fett: Fennec Shand

Sassafras · Sep 1, 2023

Denison Witmer said:
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So I just noticed what looks like a small paint chip in one of the braids on my figure. There's also a part on one of her other braids that's almost like melted. It feels sticky to the touch and looks that way as well. I have no idea how either of these things would have happened. I don't recall ever noticing these issues when I first got the figure so I'm not sure if they were always there or I'm just now noticing them.

I've had the helmet on Fennec twice and for no more than a day or so but this was a while ago and I never noticed anything after removing it. l'm still new to collecting but have tried to handle my figures with the utmost care. I do not recall pushing hard on the helmet when previously securing it though I acknowledge that this would seem like a plausible - or perhaps the most plausible - cause of the paint chip. What I don't understand is how this would in any way cause the plastic to melt.

On a somewhat related note, has anyone figured out how to get her hair to sit more closely to her face? This was originally why I put her helmet on in the first place. When I removed her helmet her hair looked a lot better but after a few hours it went right back to sticking out. Again though, after removing her helmet and studying her hair and the larger sculp, I never noticed any issues, which is why it is so odd to me now.

Have you checked whether the sticky stuff is actually glue/adhesive dribble? Like from gluing a part, or gloss used on eyes? If you are going to try to remove with a solvent, always go with a gentle solvent at first (try nail polish remover) and move up to the stronger stuff like Goop off. Lots of solvents will take that off - if it is a drip, you MIGHT be able to peel off with pointed tweezers. You might loose paint tho, so be ready with a small brush and some paint for touch up.

Sigh - for chips etc, retouch with acrylic paint - you probably didn't do anything. Sometimes the odd chip shows up. Glue dries up, and parts fall off, or they were never glued properly in the first place.

That doesn't mean HT is &^%$ it's just I found out pretty fast with this hobby to have a repair kit handy. Needles and threads, fabric glue, epoxy, and super glue depending on the job, basic paints, forceps, small sharp scissors, small screwdrivers, sandpaper, brushes.

Re the hair thing, heat up a lot with a blow dryer, wrap in cloth - basically you are remolding plastic, kind of. Let it cool. You may have to do more than once.

Sorry you are running into a few issues, but IMO these aren't bad to deal with. There's been some really horrible stuff like with an MCU Gamora whose arms would peel and figs you can't pose much because of permanent suit creases. I've got Fennec on order, looking forward to her.
Good luck!

dukefett · Sep 1, 2023

Spanbauer said:
Oh interesting, I didn't notice it was reversed in the instructions. It would have made more sense as a right hand, yeah. I was able to pose her removing it from the stock with the trigger hand, then throwing it with the 'knife hand'.

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Cool glad another hand works; it just seemed so odd. Like I guess that was the prototype they took a picture of for the manual since it's the same hand. It's like someone mirrored the digital file and they made a left hand instead of right hand when it went to the factory.

choombaz · Sep 1, 2023

HT have been doing weirdo things lately with hands. Only one fist instead of two, hands that don’t hold accessories properly. Although that one they have always had that problem. They need a hand consultant.

Denison Witmer · Sep 1, 2023

Sassafras said:
Have you checked whether the sticky stuff is actually glue/adhesive dribble? Like from gluing a part, or gloss used on eyes? If you are going to try to remove with a solvent, always go with a gentle solvent at first (try nail polish remover) and move up to the stronger stuff like Goop off. Lots of solvents will take that off - if it is a drip, you MIGHT be able to peel off with pointed tweezers. You might loose paint tho, so be ready with a small brush and some paint for touch up.

Sigh - for chips etc, retouch with acrylic paint - you probably didn't do anything. Sometimes the odd chip shows up. Glue dries up, and parts fall off, or they were never glued properly in the first place.

That doesn't mean HT is &^%$ it's just I found out pretty fast with this hobby to have a repair kit handy. Needles and threads, fabric glue, epoxy, and super glue depending on the job, basic paints, forceps, small sharp scissors, small screwdrivers, sandpaper, brushes.

Re the hair thing, heat up a lot with a blow dryer, wrap in cloth - basically you are remolding plastic, kind of. Let it cool. You may have to do more than once.

Sorry you are running into a few issues, but IMO these aren't bad to deal with. There's been some really horrible stuff like with an MCU Gamora whose arms would peel and figs you can't pose much because of permanent suit creases. I've got Fennec on order, looking forward to her.
Good luck!

Thanks for the sanity check. I've seriously been racking my brain thinking did I do something, and, if so, how and when?

I don't think the sticky stuff is any kind of adhesive mainly because the same part of the same braid on the other side of her head is also a little sticky though less so. I'm hesistant to try to probe it again since I don't want it to warp. Again, it's very subtle. It's more just the fact that I know it's there is what's bothering me. I found something on Reddit about someone dealing with a similiar issue. Apparently, it's possible for placistizers to leak. Not sure if this applies to Hot Toys or my own issue though. I'm just paranoid about something happening to my other figures.

With respect to the paint chip, I looked inside the helmet to see if I saw anything but didn't. So yeah maybe it was just bad luck. I'll definitely look into retouching with some acrylic paint - if not by myself then maybe via a local hobby shop. A basic repair kit sounds like a wise investment.

I appreciate the genuinely helpful advice. Getting back into collecting has been a lot of fun. Now I just want to make sure I do what I can to protect my figures so that I have them for years to come. Hope you fare better with your own Fennec.