| Discussion Forum: Thread 309700 |
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| | | Author: | Taszeuhl  | | Posted: | Sep 21, 2021 16:46 | | Subject: | Why loose legs on brand new minifigures? | | Viewed: | 138 times | | Topic: | LEGO products | |
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| Hi everyone,
When buying new minifigures on Bricklink I find that a non-negligible percentage
of them have unusually soft hip joints. Not to the point that the legs are super
loose and move at the slightest touch, but enough that the minifigures feel like
they've been played with a lot. This is very disappointing.
One would expect a brand new minifigure to have relatively stiff joints. Now,
obviously there's the possibility that some sellers sell used minifigures
as new, even if they don't quite look or feel new. I'm sure it happens
sometimes. But maybe there are reasons why genuinely new minifigures can be a
bit on the loose side?
Is it a matter of when the minifigures were made? Like the molding techniques
or plastic composition have changed over the years? Maybe it's normal for
some older minis to have softer joints? Thing is, I've bought a fair number
of more recent minis that are looser than older ones, so I'm not sure about
that.
Maybe it's a variation in manufacturing quality between different factories
and/or countries?
Or maybe the joints simply tend to get looser with time, even if a minifigure
doesn't get used at all? Like simply being in storage for a few years has
some kind of effect on the joints?
I've been talking about legs, but it goes without saying that arms can also
be on the loose side. It doesn't seem to happen quite as often, though. Not
to me, anyway.
If anyone knows more about the technical details of this, I'd love to hear
from them. Thank you in advance.
Francois
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| | | | | Author: | Elkenwood | | Posted: | Sep 21, 2021 17:43 | | Subject: | Re: Why loose legs on brand new minifigures? | | Viewed: | 77 times | | Topic: | LEGO products | |
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| In LEGO, Taszeuhl writes:
| | Hi everyone,
When buying new minifigures on Bricklink I find that a non-negligible percentage
of them have unusually soft hip joints. Not to the point that the legs are super
loose and move at the slightest touch, but enough that the minifigures feel like
they've been played with a lot. This is very disappointing.
One would expect a brand new minifigure to have relatively stiff joints. Now,
obviously there's the possibility that some sellers sell used minifigures
as new, even if they don't quite look or feel new. I'm sure it happens
sometimes. But maybe there are reasons why genuinely new minifigures can be a
bit on the loose side?
Is it a matter of when the minifigures were made? Like the molding techniques
or plastic composition have changed over the years? Maybe it's normal for
some older minis to have softer joints? Thing is, I've bought a fair number
of more recent minis that are looser than older ones, so I'm not sure about
that.
Maybe it's a variation in manufacturing quality between different factories
and/or countries?
Or maybe the joints simply tend to get looser with time, even if a minifigure
doesn't get used at all? Like simply being in storage for a few years has
some kind of effect on the joints?
I've been talking about legs, but it goes without saying that arms can also
be on the loose side. It doesn't seem to happen quite as often, though. Not
to me, anyway.
If anyone knows more about the technical details of this, I'd love to hear
from them. Thank you in advance.
Francois
|
I've found that tolerances feel quite a bit different when they come from
Chinese production i.e. Collectable Series Minifigures.
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| | | | | | | Author: | Taszeuhl | | Posted: | Sep 22, 2021 17:26 | | Subject: | Re: Why loose legs on brand new minifigures? | | Viewed: | 46 times | | Topic: | LEGO products | |
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| | | I've found that tolerances feel quite a bit different when they come from
Chinese production i.e. Collectable Series Minifigures.
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Ah yes, I've heard about that. It's unfortunate that such a popular line
of products has suffered from lower quality standards, at least at one point
(no idea if it's still the case). But I mostly buy Star Wars minis. Are any
of them made in China?
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Canada, Quebec
