[Flaccid Eagle]

sweet! just got the HOT TOYS ALIENS ALIEN WARRIOR (1st black version, my 1st hot toys!) figure today, and wanted to ask if anyone had any assembly advice, so i don't break or damage this bad boy when i put it together. Waiting until the figure gets back to room temperature before i crack him open (its freezing here on the east coast and would hate to damage the rubber or plastic from being brittle from the cold!!!)

i read somewhere that the feet tend to break, and I have read about the difficulties with the PREDATOR's assembly (the net tears, the armor doesnt always fit, the armor breaks, etc) and i dont want this to happen to my little Alien buddy.

- anything that needs to be heated or blow-dried before snapping it together?
- does it come apart once I put it together? it may be possible to disassemble it once put together, but i don't want to break anything...
- what are my re-boxing options? has anyone recut the plastic insert to put this guy back in his box? i currently don't have anything on display and everything has to go back into its box for storage, so i would like to know if his shoulders are wide enough to fit back into the box when fully assembled, or do i have to find/construct a new box for him to live in until he has shelf space...

also, any info, handleing, or storage advice you can give would be great.

i'm sure there are others out there who are asking the same things...
thanks!

 

[bubbahotep7]

It should snap together pretty easy. I think the breakage issues revolved around the ball socket in the foot and the joint itself at the knee, so be gentle. Personally, the left shoulder joint was quite loose, so I just put some superglue in there and worked it around until the glue dried to "fill" the joint a bit, and now it is nice and tight. The back tubes don't like to go in easy, but just give them some gentle pressure and they will go in. When you pose it, try to use the tail as a tripod to give it more stability, especially since the feet are smallish and have to support that big head.

It's a great figure, one of my favorites, much more posable than the first AVP alien warrior (which appears to be much more durable from reading the forums here and at sideshowcollectors.com), but unfortunately we have to be extra gentle to (hopefully) avoid breaks. Enjoy!

EDIT: It should pop back apart for storage, but I haven't tried. Only have to put on the back tubes, head-rest, and left leg/arm.

 

[spyder]

Mine was one of the "problem" ones. Lft leg, lft, foot, rt foot joints were cracked(female end) and would not stay on. Monkey Depot nicely replaced them all. When I go the replacements I heated them up with hot tap water and put them back on. Still a little loose(unlike the 1st Alien release) but its ok because I don't put thim in a lot of poses. Good luck with it...

 

[icruise]

Both knee joints on my broke with very minimal posing, and the feet wouldn't stay on. I did an informal poll on another forum to see if other had similar problems, and it seems that the Aliens warrior is by far the worst in terms of this kind of breakage. I don't know if some of them have faulty plastic (mine seemed to crumble away very easily) but I would be very careful about bending the knees.

 

[abake]

If it breaks send it back for a replacement.
Hot Toys has been pretty good about that.

 

[Flaccid Eagle]

thanks so much for all of your advice...

so i put a lot of my vinyl-toy fitting skills and your suggestions to use and put the bad boy together last night. so used a fine cotton swab to put a small amount of laundry detergent onto the joints, to make them "slide" into the ball sockets better, then heated them up with a hair dryer, and they slid right in, no problems. i then used a small amount of water to wash any residue off of the right side joints. and guess what? the already-assembled left foot just dropped off. the figure hadn't even had its own weight put on it, it hadn't even been stood on its feet! the left hip is a little loose too, but DAG that foot busting is annoying.

the inner clear plastic socket in the foot was cracked. WHY would they make it out of clear plastic and not black - clear plastic is notoriously brittle! it still stands and displays well, and the foot does stay on when posing it, but it does just drop right off when it is moved quickly around, or the foot is moved to a strange angle.

since i got this off of ebay, what do you think should i do?? i got a good price for it, most ebay sellers just say "tough luck." i'm pretty sure it was his last one... or try to blame you for rough handleing. And in the past i've had some major issues getting toys replaced by companies like Bandai, Medicom, and Aoshima (they all said since i did not purchase it from either an authorized dealer or a store/seller from Honk Kong or Japan i was not eligable for replacement parts)

where would i even send it to get a replacement? to hot toys HK? who would i even contact?? it would be $30+ to send this guy back there from the US... what would be awesome would be if i could just send the darn foot in, instead of the gigantic box and trying to disassemble the figure so he fits back in.

 

[icruise]

Honestly, I think you're better off just dealing with the issue. I can tell you right now that it's not the ebay seller's fault, so it seems a little unfair to try and send it back to him. You can try to contact Hot Toys, which some have had success with, but these figures are very problematic. I have two and neither can stand under their own weight. I use the Sideshow stands for them. Just be glad the knees didn't break off. I was lucky because I got my first one through Big Bad Toystore and they sent me replacement legs twice because they broke so easily. But the feet still won't stay on.

The second one I bought at a nice discount from someone who also had a leg break, and I was able to repair it well enough to display. But yeah, that Aliens version of this figure seems to be borderline defective.

 

[bubbahotep7]

You can also try plumber's tape (tape you put around pipe fittings to secure the seal on the threads) around the joints...no glue involved, but it will still thicken up the joint a bit. Not sure if you can find it in black though.

 

[KneeJoint]

You can also try plumber's tape (tape you put around pipe fittings to secure the seal on the threads) around the joints...no glue involved, but it will still thicken up the joint a bit. Not sure if you can find it in black though.

Good news. Home Despot has started selling plumber's tape in black white and gray.

 

[Flaccid Eagle]

You can also try plumber's tape (tape you put around pipe fittings to secure the seal on the threads) around the joints...no glue involved, but it will still thicken up the joint a bit. Not sure if you can find it in black though.

so would putting plumber's tape on the ball socket end fix the cracked foot?

the loose leg is not so much an issue with me.

 

[bubbahotep7]

It would probably work better on the loose joints versus an actual broken socket, but you could try. Heck, you could always hit Home Depot with the broke foot and see if anyone can help you find a solution, like some fancy o-ring or something.

 

[Flaccid Eagle]

It would probably work better on the loose joints versus an actual broken socket, but you could try. Heck, you could always hit Home Depot with the broke foot and see if anyone can help you find a solution, like some fancy o-ring or something.

I contacted HT and they asked for pictures of the piece- sounds like they're going to help me out. yay!

as for Home Depot, I can't even get those guys to make a key for me without holding someone hostage. Maybe its just the East Coast but Home Depot chain in this area are completely useless unless you know EXACTLY what you want, down to the part ##, or Home Depot SKU, or you can track it down in the store itself. One time the guy running the key machine, with a big key-shaped name tag, tried to lie and say "i don't know how to make keys!" because he was talking on his cell phone. I've actually had to converse with store general managers 3 times at 3 different stores, and the regional head once, just to get simple things like rubber grommets, keys made, wood panels, etc.

and i had to contact the regional head this summer in to order a simple Dremel bit, as the store employee was a way over the top jerk. the bit was a $45 special cutting bit for my boss, and the store usually stocked it, i bought 2 a month before. all i asked was "do you have a bit, part ###?!? for a Dremel tool?" and when he checked the computer he said "no" and took off, i asked as he walked away "can you order me one?" he instantly got so rude and confrontational, he poked my shoulder with his finger and said that, "if its not on the shelf, then we don't have it, and we don't order anything for anybody, unless you're spending REAL money. not only dont we carry it, we won't ever get it again, so stop bothering me, a hole" - seriously!

needless to say i have a personal ban on Home Depot, and luckily they haven't put our 2 local hardware stores out of buisness, i pay a little more, and have to wait for stuff to come in sometimes, but at least i can get what i want without insults or straight up lies.