Evolution Revolution: A Beast Era Retrospective

GUIDE: How to save dangerously tight ball joints with silicone shock fluid

written and contributed by mbv07g

How to not make your Figuarts Wild Tiger/Barnaby/Kamen Rider break.
A guide by mbv07g


I have seen a lot of complaints of broken hips on S.H. Figuarts Wild Tigers in the past few months. This isn't something that's new to the Figuarts toyline, and it doesn't seem to be something that's going away soon. It's a shame, because this quality control error is something that's very easy to fix by anyone, and the only tool it requires is a toothpick, and six US Dollars.

This particular problem on the hips of certain Figuarts like Wild Tiger, Barnaby Brooks Jr., Kamen Rider Gills and Kamen Rider Den-O Climax Form, is characterized by squeaking. It's what happens when the hip ball joint socket grips the actual ball joint so tightly that moving the actual hip of the toy takes a significant amount of effort. It's easily explainable as to why this happens. It is a ball joint that's a very, very, very tiny bit too large for its socket. That by itself, is a minor inconvenience.

The issue lies in the strain this tightness exerts on the plastic stem that connects the hip's ball joint to the hip itself. Every time it squeaks, it vibrates, and these vibrations cause stress on that very tiny plastic stem. Eventually, it adds up and they break. In the same spot, every time. Look at the photos of Wild Tiger or Kamen Rider Gills breakages. All in the same spot. Take away that strain, and this will never happen to your precious S.H. Figuarts. (in rare cases the joint may be so tight that ball and socket outright seize against each other and the act of trying to further move the joint will put direct twisting force against the stem and cause it to snap as well. --ed.)

This is where shock oil comes in. For five dollars (or six, or seven), you can buy a bottle of this liquid off Amazon, Ebay, or a local hobby shop that has a specialty in remote controlled cars. That's what they're normally used for, as oil for the shock absorbers of those cars. Fortunately, because they are composed of pure 100% silicone gel (if yours isn't, take it back immediately for an exchange), they won't damage your toys like Vaseline/petroleum jelly or WD-40. (look for a bottle of heavier weight. Lower weights may also be, but 80w is typically 100% silicone. It may also be sold as "silicone shock fluid." --ed.) Incidentally, don't use WD-40 or petroleum jelly for that reason. Their ingredients speed up the breakdown of plastic.

Minor application of shock oil to the ball joint of the figure will have the hips mellow into a smooth, gliding movement that's neither too tight or too loose. The most important phrase in that sentence is "minor application". When you have your shock oil, take off the cap and rub a toothpick at the residue of the oil at the top of the bottle (ExVee's words). That's all you need. If you can see a drop of the oil on your toothpick, that's too much. if you can see a half of a half of a half of a drop, that's too much. Rub it at the residue, gently. Act like you only need to apply a few molecules. (all you really need to see is the the very tip of the toothpick to appear moistened; aside from the darker appearance like it's wet, there should be no sign of the fluid on the toothpick! --ed.) And then, you don't even have to take the leg hip socket off from the body. Tap the toothpick against the actual ball joint, and then slowly begin to move the legs around. This will spread the shock oil around, and give you much smoother articulation on the hips as the imperceptible residue of the fluid is spread over the surfaces of the ball and socket.

Voila, your toy should be set for a life without hip breaking.


APPENDIX:

IF YOU APPLY TOO MUCH SHOCK OIL:
Take it easy. Pop the leg off gently (as gently as you can), dry off the hips with tissue. Put a drop of superglue on the ball joint, and spread it around a little bit, give the ball a tiny coating. And then just dab it dry with Kleenex tissue. The tissue lint glued on should give a nice bit of friction that isn't straining on the hips. It's a lot of work, so don't apply too much. Also, your Kamen Rider or superhero will now have white stuff between his legs.

IF YOU COLLECT ROBOT SPIRITS/DAMASHII:
Read this article anyway and use it on your toy's ball joints if they're too tight. Why? Overly tight ball joints in the Robot Spirits toyline can steadily break down the plastic on the ball socket or the ball itself, eventually turning the ball joints loose as hell. Then you'd have to read the stuff up there. Use tiny dabs of shock oil, preserve the plastic.


IF YOU NEED TO USE THIS ON A HINGE JOINT:
Figuarts knee or elbow joints can be really tight. I don't think there's more of a danger with breakage on them, but if you want them to be less tight, liberally apply shock oil there. Use drops, two drops, three drops on the actual elbow joints. On hinge joints, it's safe to use a much higher amount than on ball joints. They take a lot more to loosen up.

Author credits: Kitaaaa, who educated me about shock oil and told me how dumb I am for using petroleum jelly to lubricate toys.