this figure is great, one of the hair pieces wasn't glues properly and i had to reglue it because it fell out the ball joint. the only other thing that annoyed me was how difficult the hands are to get fitted.
Some general figure-care tips here: instead of drilling the hands you can just use heat, like a hair dryer or warm water, it's much more efficient. Afterwards if you really feel the need to, you can apply any form of shock oil, lubricant, or molybdenum grease on a rag or piece of paper towel and apply a light amount on the joint for easier attachment/removal, works well on other tight joints too, just don't apply too much or they'll become too lose, and also make sure that the type of lubricant doesn't eat plastic.
I usually resort to drilling/filing only if heating/oil doesn't work -- which it did not for this figure. But yes, heating/oiling is and usually is all that is needed for most figures experiencing tightness.
@@stygianhoplite damn that sucks, i'm getting mine in tomorrow, i'll see if mine's got the same issues, hopefully just a quality control issue, every other figure i've got from Snail Shell the hands are easy to put on and take off.
@@stygianhoplite Just got mine, i don't have it nearly as bad as you did with the hands, they seem to be a little hard to get on, but i can heat treat them just fine, i had different issues, like the shoulder ball joints and leg ball joints were super tight, so i had to use heat to remove them, then tamiya grease to loosen those up, also the pigtails on mine were super loose and constantly popped out, so i had to heat the head up to make the plastic shrink a little, then they stayed in place. Everything else is good though, but i'm scared about the plastic quality on the pumpkin mech feeling so fragile, i am considering buying some extra stands for those arms since they're so heavy and might get loose over time. Overall good value though even with the QC issues aside, since as you said, a figma alone with a few accessories is a 100+ dollars nowadays, i remember when those were 25-30 dollars brand new... lol
Mine has an issue with the head, it pops off super easy. Like every time I move it, it pops off. I don't know what I can do to keep it on better. I also had the same issue as you with the hands. The top pigtails also don't stay in very well, they fall out if you try to move them. Otherwise I'm enjoying it.
@@taoistflyer For the head try wedging a paper shim inside for the least invasive fix. That should help tighten up the space. Adding a fine layer of super glue over the ball joint would be a permanent fix but i strongly advise against this unless you've tried on some cheaper figures for practice. This would fix the pigtails too. I have a video uploaded that shows how to use superglue. Again dont try it on pumpkin princess if youre new to this, please. Use hot water to loosen up the hands. Never jerk or tug on dry plastic if it feels too tight. Also try adding sewing oil if the hands are still tight. My drill fix is permanent but again, takes more effort.
@@stygianhoplite thank you for the suggestions, I'll check out the rest of your videos and try some of the fixes. Your review on the pumpkin princess is what convinced me to buy it. I'm always on the lookout for the most posable articulated figures I can get. Articulated fingers and a good posing experience are my main goals. I like to play with and express emotions with my figures poses. I'm not sure if you've ever heard of a figure called sticky bones, it's the apex of posable figures, nothing in my experience has ever come close, every collector should have one. I'm always searching for the ultimate posable figures.
@@taoistflyer Very interesting. I might have to pick one up. They seem very well made and their barebones aesthetic is definitely appealing. And no problem, glad you found it helpful ;)
I normally dont keep or care about the boxes unless it's a higher end figure. I've fallen in love with snail shell figures. It started with Bunny Girl Aileen then yesterday I received Hotaru Phantom Devil Machine and OMG I love them. I have Pumpkin Princess ordered but idk when I'll get her in hand
@@jsIsup Im pretty heavily biased towards Halloween so for me it would be the pumpkin princess no contest. But, I do believe she is a way better value overall: You get an amazing figure and a massive mecha
Are the eyes removable on snail shell figures? It would make repainting her easier as I plan to add her to my sasori puppet project when she arrives and it requires skin repainting. So if the eye's are removable would be ideal for her and the other snail shells I got coming.
I just wish you didn’t have to heat up the extra hands just to Switch them out. Perhaps Some silicone grease might help The friction in the legs, and maybe when it comes to sliding in the hands on that wrist peg. Can’t wait to get mine! Snail shell is on the come up.:)
I agree. I'm staunchly against heating figures just to swap out hands. That's just poor engineering on their part. Which is why I just drilled her hands out a bit, and now her hands swap without feeling like they're going to break, and best of all, don't need a damn sink nearby. I tried oil on mine and heat, but the pegs were way too chunky, irritating to say the least.
If she wasn't so heavily holiday themed I'd probably get her. It's really impressive especially for the price but I just don't like holiday stuff lol. If they repaint this as a necromancer or succubus in a bone construct I'd be down for that. Cool review!
Yep a shame too, it's like they assume people aren't going to be actively swapping out hands lol. A ball joint seems to be better on these smaller figures. A ball swivel is just begging for trouble on tiny wrists. The pumpkin's tail is pure magic ha.
@@stygianhoplite yeah in worried every time I have to put pressure on such joints. It always boggles my mind when I swap hands and I just have to think they never tried to swap hand themselves cuz it's so obvious that it's a problem that they must never have tried it ever
@@stygianhoplite it's a real shame, cause they put so much skill and quality into these figures, if they just did a little more they would be all time greats
Yep unfortunate as hell since it's a damn good looking box lol. I usually don't care for boxes, but this one was nice. Already requested a new empty one ;). And yes this figure is definitely going to hold a special place for me, can't get enough Halloween.
@@stygianhoplite on a side note, you mentioning the wrist joint in the video, Snail Shells have for the most part been durable, but the Purple hornet girl figure also had a wrist ball joint that snapped off immediately and stuck in the original hand. Fortunately there were a couple replacement ball joints, but yeah that hurts for their price tags
@@cyryc Yeah that sucks big time. It's the weird oblique wrist cuts they use. Seems like bad idea through and through. The wrists are definitely the weakest points on these figures. Sad that it got stuck. I know it's hellish getting those out sometimes.
@@stygianhoplite I don't even know if I can get it out unfortunately. The peg broke off from the ball portion :( But again it's great they put a replacement joint in there. Still a gorgeous figure, but definitely the most delicate of the Snail Shell line I've encountered. Weirdest thing I can't stop complimenting are Snail Shell's knees. Crazy how smooth they feel to articulate
@@cyryc In my XesRays Combatants review something similar happened to my figures. If you have a pin vise with a small enough bit you should probably be able to wedge it out. After heating the broken peg and wiggling the bit inside the stuck peg. And hopefully you can get that replacement in.
