Advice: Repairing Truetype Torso

[haytil]

Hello,

I need some advice regarding repairing one of my generic normal-shouldered Truetypes. I figured I'd ask here, since I'm sure plenty of customizers have to deal with this issue from time to time.

My problem is that the chest on my Truetype doesn't allow him to stand upright. One of the joints is too loose, so the weight of the arms, the upper portion of the chest, and the head all make the body droop forward, kind of like a hunchback. If I try to stand him upright, I can sometimes to get it to hold for a moment or two - but then it suddenly droops forward. Usually, when this happens, there's also enough momentum to bring this guy toppling down on his face, so he can't even stand up at all (much less straight).

Anyone have any advice as far as tightening this guy's chest goes? Are there any good resources or websites that might be helpful? Pictures of the repair process would be great!

Thanks.

 

[S.Pettersenart]

If I understand correctly you might try opening the torso up from the back and placing a piece of plastic wrap or pipe thread seal tape around the center ball joint to tighten it up.
You'll need a needle or something small and pointed to get the plugs out to access the screws. Hope this helps.

 

[haytil]

Thanks, that helped immensely.

Interestingly, the center ball joint had some weird residue wrapped on part of it. It was like really old toilet paper, with perhaps some dried glue making it crustier. I don't know if this is standard to Truetypes or if it had been modified and tightened by the previous owner, similar to what I ended up doing.

Here's what I did, in case anyone else wants to try this or is looking for advice:

1) Use a strong needle (sewing needle) to pry out the two little rubber plugs in the back of the torso.

2) Use a small Phillips screwdriver to unscrew the screws that were covered up by the plugs.

The middle torso section should then come apart (you may have to use a bit of force to pull them apart) into a front and back section. The back section will be its own piece, while the front section will still be connected to the figure. This then leaves the bottom half of the figure (hips and legs and front of middle section) and the top half of the figure (upper chest and arms), and your separate back middle section.

The upper half of the figure is enclosed around the top ball of a large ball joint (much like a bigger version of the leg joints). The bottom ball of the ball joint is exposed (and was previously enclosed in a socket formed by the two halves of the middle section you pulled apart).

What you need to do is make the bottom ball "bigger," so it doesn't roll around loosely in the socket of the middle section (resulting in the forward or backward "slumping" that I was trying to fix).

3) Wrap around a bit of plastic wrap (one to three layers should be fine) or other thin plastic (I used parts of some clear, plastic sandwich bags) around the bottom ball of the ball joint.

4) Use a small piece of scotch tape to keep the plastic in place around the ball, if necessary.

(You might also try using toilet paper, a thin layer of glue, or another similar option - if you use something wet, like glue, make sure it dries before continuing!)

5) Slip the bottom ball of the ball joint into the socket that's supposed to enclose it, in the front middle section of the figure (which is still attached to the bottom half of your figure).

6) At the same time, slip the back of your middle section into place, so its half the socket also encloses the bottom ball of the ball joint. This way, your figure is all put together (though you have to hold it all in place, so it doesn't come right apart). Make sure the bottom ball of the ball joint really is in place in the socket and not too far outside (otherwise the top half and the bottom half really aren't joined). You will have to do some finagling with your fingers to get all three pieces lined up and in fit in place the right way.

7) Holding the figure together, slip in the screws and screw it back together.

8) Push the plugs into the screw holes with your fingers.

9) Test, to make sure the figure's torso joint is tight enough for your needs. If not, you may need to apply a thicker wrapping around your ball joint.