This one is a bit more tricky. Although you can use superglue I don’t recommend it because you may get joint lock. You can try and stuff a little bit of polymer clay between the joints and heat it up with a heat gun. This isn’t a permanent fix but it will keep from ruining the fig with super glue
No the paint won’t come off if doing this to a store bought figure. Only water based acrylics would be of danger of rinsing off in this process. The only concern is that if using tap water it could slightly dull white plastics if left to boil too long. The contaminates in water will cause slight yellowing if left too long. If you use distilled/de-ionized water it should be very low risk procedure.
Will this work for hiya products? I was planning on disassembling a Godzilla so I can go in and tighten some joints that I can access when he’s fully assembled
It should work on most forms of plastic. The softer the plastic the less heat and soaking time. I’m not familiar with Hiya stuff but I’ve been using this method for years across multiple toy lines.
Yes this method will work with almost all current figures. McFarlane and Neca you will need to be more careful with as the plastic used on those is more brittle but the method still works with caution.
Hi Craft3D. Just discovering your channel. I couldn’t see this Q in the comments but apologies if you’ve already answered it: do the feet pop off in the same manner the arms did? I’m trying to pull apart a black series Luke (Endor gear) and the feet are proving troublesome. It’s also very difficult to see whether they’re on a peg or not. Appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Great question! This should work for the feet as well. I just checked my Endor gear Luke and it appears that they are pegs. They should pop off pretty easily with this method. Let it sit for about 1-2min so you don’t stretch/loosen the peg just to be safe.
@@craft3Dcreations ah ok thank you for your response Im a bit nervous actually. Im planning to do this "method" on Classified DOC which I shall receive hopefully this week so its brand NEW and Im a bit nervous cos this is My first time. So do you suggest 3-5 mins soaking? Apologies for the barrage of questions. Just hope the peg of the fig is made of durable rubber and will not snap when pulled.
Should definitely work for the arms and legs. 3-5min should be good. Shoot me a msg on insta or X to remind me but I can take a look at some of my classified figs and give some advice
@@craft3Dcreations well okay I DID try it soaked it under hot water for 3-5-10 mins and I was able to pop an arm but the other was tight as f that I don't wanna risk breaking it, so I just figured out a way to slip out his tactical vest and one of his arm up and boy it was hard to put the arm back on.
It kinda depends on the joint or type of joint. Arms and legs usually snap back in fairly easily. Torso and hip/upper legs and head parts usually require re-boiling. Although you don’t have to …. If you want to maintain the best structural integrity of the joints it is always recommended to re-boil.
It should! I would be very careful with NECA stuff. If it doesn’t feel like it’s loose just from the boil don’t pry at it. NECA plastics are generally brittle and break easily. The hot water should still work but it may take longer durations of soaking to be most effective on their types of plastics.
Sorry for the late response. It really depends on the figure. Some of them require “cracking” then open on one side with a flathead screwdriver. The plastic is usually heat sealed at a seem. Perfect example would be the ROTJ boba / death watch mando where the torso and crotch area are all one piece.
I loved your tutorial, I wanted to ask you, can the hands of the figure also be removed, right?.I am going to do an experiment with two figures soon and I wanted to know if it can be done.
Does that work with the legs my darth maul is slightly off in the leg joint and I think if I can take it out and refit it I can fix it but can you take it out ??
Pretty much all the leg joints I have come across have been removeable. Sometimes the joints may loosen if you aren’t careful and pull too hard. I recommend heating them up and letting one of the parts cool before you try to reassemble the two pieces. Sometimes the peg in the leg joint is made from a harder plastic. It may require soaking in the water longer than the usual few seconds.
If the parts still seem a little loose a small dab of hot glue around the ball of the joint and twisting it around while it cools will help tighten it up without joint lock
@@craft3Dcreations a tutorial on that would be cool man but thanks for the tips I tried it right now and the hinge works better but the part where the hip and the thigh is a bit loose and the hips are closed but I don’t wanna break the part trying to take it off
@@jesusdoe4412 I’ll take a look at my maul legs tomorrow. I don’t recall but that one I may have had to crack open with a screw driver and reassemble. I used those legs on a throne room boba custom the day the episode dropped. It’s been a while.
This should work for most figures with ball / socket joints. If they use pins to hinge the joints you will need to use this to soften the plastic to remove the pins.
Can the same go for the darth nihilus and revan figures too? I want to remove revans cloth good and switch them to the darth nihilus. But jot sure if you can pop off the torso on the darth nih and revan figures
Nihilus is a bit more difficult. The torso is sonic welded at the seams. You would need to slice the seam open on one side and crack him apart with a flathead screwdriver.
@@craft3Dcreations wait so his torso can't be popped off from the torso? I just want to add revans black skirt piece underneath the plastic robes of darth nihilus? Could you make a tutorial?
I would not recommend doing this if you already have painted the parts. It will likely ruin the figure. I always paint once the figure is fully assembled. Especially heads since those can be tough to pop on.
I want to swap out the swivel arms on my ep 3 Anakin with the ball jointed arms of an ep 2 Anakin. Said figures come from the 2005 Evolutions set in the 3.75” scale. Will the boil and pop work for figures so old?
This should definitely work for arms and legs for most figures. I have used it on POTF and SAGA era figs. You may have to be careful with the chest if they use a harder plastic. Those tend to crack. If you use a flathead screwdriver or Xacto you can typically separate chest/torso along the seams after it has been boiled.
@@craft3Dcreations I’ll get back in about a month; too busy with work and other commitments at the moment. Thanks for the tutorial video. It gives me the confidence to try.
It should in most cases. The more dense the plastic the longer you may need to soak the legs. The joints at the hip are usually the most troublesome. Just soak them longer than you would normally and you should have success.
It depends on the type of figure you are disassembling. Gi Joe often are fastened with a screw. Black series are usually sealed along a seam on the edges. You can take screwdriver and pry/crack it open like a clamshell.
@@craft3Dcreations What about the Vintage Collection, like the one here? I have two figs that I'd like to swap an upper and lower torso and am trying to go in as aware as possible.
@@TroyPacelli I am not too familiar with vintage collection. I personally collect just the 6inch stuff now. I used to collect 3.75 and the boil&pop works just the same. My recommendation is to take the legs/arms / head all off first and see if you can peak inside to see if there are screws. If there are no screws a flathead screwdriver should pry it open pretty easily. I recommend going in from the bottom of the torso so if you damage any plastic prying it won’t be seen. Use a small flathead screwdriver and slowly work it back and forth til the seems crack.
It really depends on the individual sculpt. Some figures the legs pop off entirely w a ball joint attachment right in the hip joint socket. Others are pegged directly in to the torso and must be cracked. You can usually tell by the type of joint at the end of the leg.
I don’t recommend leaving any plastic in boiling water too long as it may discolor due to contaminants in the water. That’s why I recommend using distilled/purified. The paint won’t run your white plastics May dull/dinge/yellow.
@@craft3Dcreations Alright. I left it for less than 2 minutes i think? And the figure is inside a plastic ziploc. Do you think it didn't degrade the plastic? Or damaged the paint?
It depends on the figure. A lot of figures now have the pieces heat welded together so you may have to heat them up and use a flathead screwdriver along the seem to crack it open. I would be very careful but you can usually pry them apart without much of a noticeable indentation.
@@craft3Dcreations thank you very much for the tip. Last night I was trying to take apart a phase 1 clone torso had to boil it in magma for a good while, but I eventually got it separated.
You should be ok as long as you don’t tear it if it’s a super thin/flexible part. Most of the figures I have used this on have some rubber or soft plastics. The boiling point of water is lower than oil based plastics so it should be safe from breaking. You may want to be careful that heat could damage a finish/clear coat if there is paint apps involved. You could get cracking on a surface if you flex it too much.
Great video!!! I now know how to take apart my figures, they are very stiff to move there joints, thanks to the video they are fixed. Thank you.
Wonderful video, I'm actually going to make a sarlacc boba tvc custom so this tutorial really helped!
Glad to hear you found this tutorial useful. Id love to see your project when you are done. Shoot me a pic on my socials when you finish!
Dang this exactly what I needed. Much appreciated, brother 💪
Glad to help!
How do you fix loose joints to make stronger/ Stiff ?
This one is a bit more tricky. Although you can use superglue I don’t recommend it because you may get joint lock. You can try and stuff a little bit of polymer clay between the joints and heat it up with a heat gun. This isn’t a permanent fix but it will keep from ruining the fig with super glue
The paint won't come off? Kinda scared to do this but my action force scarab joints are tight as hell
No the paint won’t come off if doing this to a store bought figure. Only water based acrylics would be of danger of rinsing off in this process. The only concern is that if using tap water it could slightly dull white plastics if left to boil too long. The contaminates in water will cause slight yellowing if left too long. If you use distilled/de-ionized water it should be very low risk procedure.
@@craft3Dcreations thanks! I have since tried this. It really doesn't come off and the joints loosen good
Will this work for hiya products? I was planning on disassembling a Godzilla so I can go in and tighten some joints that I can access when he’s fully assembled
It should work on most forms of plastic. The softer the plastic the less heat and soaking time. I’m not familiar with Hiya stuff but I’ve been using this method for years across multiple toy lines.
Hello! Is this also something that can be used with the star wars vintage collection?
Yes this method will work with almost all current figures. McFarlane and Neca you will need to be more careful with as the plastic used on those is more brittle but the method still works with caution.
Hi Craft3D. Just discovering your channel. I couldn’t see this Q in the comments but apologies if you’ve already answered it: do the feet pop off in the same manner the arms did? I’m trying to pull apart a black series Luke (Endor gear) and the feet are proving troublesome. It’s also very difficult to see whether they’re on a peg or not. Appreciate any advice. Thanks.
Great question! This should work for the feet as well. I just checked my Endor gear Luke and it appears that they are pegs. They should pop off pretty easily with this method. Let it sit for about 1-2min so you don’t stretch/loosen the peg just to be safe.
Awesome tutorial! Thanks for sharing it 🤘🏼
Thank you for watching!
Thanks for the tutorial. Will this work for butterfly joints of GI Joe Classified figures? I hope I wont break it after submerging it into hot water
Yes it will! Classified figs are made with a slightly harder plastic so you may need to soak them a bit longer but it will work
@@craft3Dcreations ah ok thank you for your response Im a bit nervous actually. Im planning to do this "method" on Classified DOC which I shall receive hopefully this week so its brand NEW and Im a bit nervous cos this is My first time. So do you suggest 3-5 mins soaking? Apologies for the barrage of questions. Just hope the peg of the fig is made of durable rubber and will not snap when pulled.
@@craft3Dcreations SUBSCRIBED btw! Thank you again for the advice sir.
Should definitely work for the arms and legs. 3-5min should be good. Shoot me a msg on insta or X to remind me but I can take a look at some of my classified figs and give some advice
@@craft3Dcreations well okay I DID try it soaked it under hot water for 3-5-10 mins and I was able to pop an arm but the other was tight as f that I don't wanna risk breaking it, so I just figured out a way to slip out his tactical vest and one of his arm up and boy it was hard to put the arm back on.
This really works, thx for the tutorial 😁
Thank you for the comment :)
@@craft3Dcreations yeah
This is awesome. I have a few ideas to mix and match some motu masterverse figures.
Love to see how they turn out! If you post pics on socials don’t forget to tag me!
@@craft3Dcreations most definitely. What’s your Instagram?
@Craft3DCreations , possibly without the s at the end. If you use #Craft3DCreations you should be able to find me on everything
@@craft3Dcreations I only have UA-cam
Great video! Tried it on my 1:18s works very well
Happy to help! Thanks for the comment.
Do you have to boil the pieces again to put it back together?
It kinda depends on the joint or type of joint. Arms and legs usually snap back in fairly easily. Torso and hip/upper legs and head parts usually require re-boiling. Although you don’t have to …. If you want to maintain the best structural integrity of the joints it is always recommended to re-boil.
Does this help loosen the very stiff joints on a neca figure like King Kong the old one?
It should! I would be very careful with NECA stuff. If it doesn’t feel like it’s loose just from the boil don’t pry at it. NECA plastics are generally brittle and break easily. The hot water should still work but it may take longer durations of soaking to be most effective on their types of plastics.
@@craft3Dcreations ok thanks!
how do you take the modern torse's apart tho??they seem solid,
Sorry for the late response. It really depends on the figure. Some of them require “cracking” then open on one side with a flathead screwdriver. The plastic is usually heat sealed at a seem. Perfect example would be the ROTJ boba / death watch mando where the torso and crotch area are all one piece.
Is it fine to use boiling water if the material is rubber?
I loved your tutorial, I wanted to ask you, can the hands of the figure also be removed, right?.I am going to do an experiment with two figures soon and I wanted to know if it can be done.
Yes the hands are usually pegs that can be popped out as well.
Does that work with the legs my darth maul is slightly off in the leg joint and I think if I can take it out and refit it I can fix it but can you take it out ??
Pretty much all the leg joints I have come across have been removeable. Sometimes the joints may loosen if you aren’t careful and pull too hard. I recommend heating them up and letting one of the parts cool before you try to reassemble the two pieces. Sometimes the peg in the leg joint is made from a harder plastic. It may require soaking in the water longer than the usual few seconds.
If the parts still seem a little loose a small dab of hot glue around the ball of the joint and twisting it around while it cools will help tighten it up without joint lock
@@craft3Dcreations a tutorial on that would be cool man but thanks for the tips I tried it right now and the hinge works better but the part where the hip and the thigh is a bit loose and the hips are closed but I don’t wanna break the part trying to take it off
@@jesusdoe4412 I’ll take a look at my maul legs tomorrow. I don’t recall but that one I may have had to crack open with a screw driver and reassemble. I used those legs on a throne room boba custom the day the episode dropped. It’s been a while.
Does this work with 3.75 figures specifically tvc b1 battle droids and 2003-2010 clone troopers?
This should work for most figures with ball / socket joints. If they use pins to hinge the joints you will need to use this to soften the plastic to remove the pins.
Can the same go for the darth nihilus and revan figures too? I want to remove revans cloth good and switch them to the darth nihilus. But jot sure if you can pop off the torso on the darth nih and revan figures
Nihilus is a bit more difficult. The torso is sonic welded at the seams. You would need to slice the seam open on one side and crack him apart with a flathead screwdriver.
@@craft3Dcreations wait so his torso can't be popped off from the torso? I just want to add revans black skirt piece underneath the plastic robes of darth nihilus? Could you make a tutorial?
Sorry I don’t have a spare Nihilus. The one I had was gutter for a custom clone wars maul a long time ago
Can u use this same method to put the figures back together? (i used acrylic paint and a finish)
I would not recommend doing this if you already have painted the parts. It will likely ruin the figure. I always paint once the figure is fully assembled. Especially heads since those can be tough to pop on.
I want to swap out the swivel arms on my ep 3 Anakin with the ball jointed arms of an ep 2 Anakin. Said figures come from the 2005 Evolutions set in the 3.75” scale. Will the boil and pop work for figures so old?
This should definitely work for arms and legs for most figures. I have used it on POTF and SAGA era figs. You may have to be careful with the chest if they use a harder plastic. Those tend to crack. If you use a flathead screwdriver or Xacto you can typically separate chest/torso along the seams after it has been boiled.
@@craft3Dcreations
Well, I hope it works, but if it doesn’t, it won’t be too much trouble to replace the ep 2 Anakin at least!
@@dereklarner6298 best of luck! Love to see how it turns out. HMU on Twitter or Instagram with pics when you finish :)
@@craft3Dcreations I’ll get back in about a month; too busy with work and other commitments at the moment. Thanks for the tutorial video. It gives me the confidence to try.
Does this work too for Legs?
It should in most cases. The more dense the plastic the longer you may need to soak the legs. The joints at the hip are usually the most troublesome. Just soak them longer than you would normally and you should have success.
Does the torso come apart too?
It depends on the type of figure you are disassembling. Gi Joe often are fastened with a screw. Black series are usually sealed along a seam on the edges. You can take screwdriver and pry/crack it open like a clamshell.
@@craft3Dcreations What about the Vintage Collection, like the one here? I have two figs that I'd like to swap an upper and lower torso and am trying to go in as aware as possible.
@@TroyPacelli I am not too familiar with vintage collection. I personally collect just the 6inch stuff now. I used to collect 3.75 and the boil&pop works just the same. My recommendation is to take the legs/arms / head all off first and see if you can peak inside to see if there are screws. If there are no screws a flathead screwdriver should pry it open pretty easily. I recommend going in from the bottom of the torso so if you damage any plastic prying it won’t be seen. Use a small flathead screwdriver and slowly work it back and forth til the seems crack.
Okay so I see people list legs and stuff on eBay do you have to torso crack to get that stuff off? Would you happen to know?
It really depends on the individual sculpt. Some figures the legs pop off entirely w a ball joint attachment right in the hip joint socket. Others are pegged directly in to the torso and must be cracked. You can usually tell by the type of joint at the end of the leg.
What will happened if you leave the figure for 2 mins on the boiling water, does it damage the figure and the paint?
I don’t recommend leaving any plastic in boiling water too long as it may discolor due to contaminants in the water. That’s why I recommend using distilled/purified. The paint won’t run your white plastics May dull/dinge/yellow.
@@craft3Dcreations Alright. I left it for less than 2 minutes i think? And the figure is inside a plastic ziploc. Do you think it didn't degrade the plastic? Or damaged the paint?
@@craft3Dcreations I used ordinary tap water.
@@KenFreedom777 with regular tap water I would highly recommend only 10 second intervals and use a glass container.
@@craft3Dcreations i see..but it's done already. I hope my figure is ok? Specially it's a grail.
FFIX Zidane Play Arts.
Thank you 🙏🏼
Most welcome! Thanks for stopping by the channel :)
How do you take off torso
It depends on the figure. A lot of figures now have the pieces heat welded together so you may have to heat them up and use a flathead screwdriver along the seem to crack it open. I would be very careful but you can usually pry them apart without much of a noticeable indentation.
@@craft3Dcreations thank you very much for the tip. Last night I was trying to take apart a phase 1 clone torso had to boil it in magma for a good while, but I eventually got it separated.
Frick that's awesome
Does this work for Figma?
It should
Nah thanks bro 🙏 i still watching this video in 2025
Is it fine if the material is rubber?
Is it fine to use boiling water if the material is rubber?
You should be ok as long as you don’t tear it if it’s a super thin/flexible part. Most of the figures I have used this on have some rubber or soft plastics. The boiling point of water is lower than oil based plastics so it should be safe from breaking. You may want to be careful that heat could damage a finish/clear coat if there is paint apps involved. You could get cracking on a surface if you flex it too much.