The Durability Topic

[Yuyuyami]

Sometimes I have concerns about figures and crucial parts that seem oddly weak. This thread is for posting concerns and confirmed breaks and the circumstances surrounding the breaks. It's also a place to explain certain durability questions. Here's an example of what I mean:

 

 

Concern:

 

"Hey, I bought a Takatoku Valkyrie and it came in the mail. For the most part it's durable as hell, but the chest slider seems kind of weak. Has anyone broken theirs or is there anyone here who can confirm its durability?"

 

Reponses:

 

"I broke the chest slider on mine when I was a kid, but I was bashing it on a table and bending it, trying to get it off. It's not going to break unless you try to rip it off, it's just pretty flexible."

 

"I've had mine for years with no issues. It seems scary at first, but there's no easy way to unintentionally get enough leverage on it the break it. It's durable."

 

 

 

My concerns:

 

HftD Starscream: I don't know if this is just unfortunate QC on my part, but the plastic on Starscream might be fairly brittle. One of the connectors for the rear landing gear is cracked. The reason I think it might be because the plastic is brittle is because I've seen flawless, even partially misaligned rivets in much, much thinner plastic without any cracks. The rivet joint is roughly 5mm thick and the rivet went in pretty straight.

 

Also, the waist connection feels like it will get extremely loose over time. I would appreciate it if someone who's had the figure for a long time, like Peaugh, could reply to this thread and talk about how much wear the brown piece that clips into the torso has taken from repeated transformations. Unlike Leader Prime's waist connection, Screamer's connection seems to have a LOT of leverage against it.

 

 

 

WfC Prime: His left hip joint, the top of the cup that grabs the balljoint is cracked. I noticed it when I took him out of the packaging, I'm going to return him soon. Soft plastic was the bane of Animated, potentially brittle plastic is the bane of this year's figures (WfC Prime is the other reason I think Starscream might have brittle plastic). Hopefully not, but just something to watch out for. Any more reported breaks like this will help the usefulness of this thread.

 

 

 

HA Jazz: His windshield. When transforming this guy his windshield is the only thing connecting his two halves. It wouldn't take too much force to break the windshield, but I think it'd be hard to do by accident unless you stepped on him, which would probably break any of the HA figures. Just a heads up, watch out for his windshield when the two halves aren't snapped together. And please, if anyone's broken the windshield on their Jazz, report it, the circumstances, and if you feel like it, post some pictures.

[Reluttr]

Im really concerned with HA skidz, you put a considerable amount of pressure on his windsheild when transforming him and its only held in place by two friction pegs and a screw... so I am concerned with cracking and breakage once the plastic gets some age to it.

[TheTfboy]

This might be a little old, but I concerned about Animated Bummblebee's plastic covering the ball joint on his shoulder. When moving the ball joint in and out for the transformation, the plastic that help move that ball joint around it gets weaker. I gave up after my third one, I don't even have the parts for 1. Why you ask? Because everytime this happens, it always on the left shoulder. And strangely enough, I've had none of these problems with the Elite Guard Bumblebee.

[Liege Evilmus]

Any time they use alot of rubber on a figure like Oilsslicks fingers and elbows. Those are just destined to dry and crack.

 

Same goes for Universe Dinobot it's inevitable that those beast mode arms are gonna come right off.

 

Seeing alot of rubber on a figure is a turn off for me, I just know that figure wont last.

 

Even soft plastic like the Animated guys. I had so many just crumble right out of the box. When you look at them next to the Beast Era figures who're pushing 10-15 and are still holding up like new, you can't help but be disapointed.

 

Even the awesome new scouts. That plastic is frail and just feels like it'll splinter the legs on my Scalpel are already beyond repair(pretty much right out of the package like that.

 

I guess when it comes to longevity what comes to mind most are the materials they've been using. They need to stay in that happy medium and avoid the soft materials, and the very thin.

 

Then there are points of construction. ie HA Jazz's windows. I thought I broke mine right out of the box and still can't figure out why they used a clip on the door instead of a full loop to secure those?

 

There's unlimited examples of that from the lowest end to the highest. As a collector, I'm relatively careful with my figures, but I can't help but think in a childs hand these might last a week.

[Nguyen_Dragon]

Animated Arcee thumbs...

[Astronopolis]

i snapped the head clean off of my city commander when i went to remove it for the FP faceplate/shoulder missile/gun upgrade. the ball joint that the head sits on got jammed up in the socket (in the head) and was irreparable. it seems i tilted the head back to force it up, instead of pulling it straight off so it was more due to my carelessness that it broke.