Author: Wes Dennis [Wes]
Title: Editor, Writer, Photographer

Some of you might recall my review of Master of the Universe Classics Adora, which was unique among MOTUC reviews not only for the... shall we say, colorful language, but also because I gave a decidedly low score to a figure in a line that's otherwise garnered high praise among reviewers and consumers alike (value scores notwithstanding). However, many of the points Adora lost were due to the flaws of the particular figure I received -- and I have no problem admitting that the figure would likely have scored 10-20 points higher had the extreme looseness of Adora's shoulders not driven me to attempt to fix and ultimately mutilate the figure in strange and exotic ways.

But since Mattel ultimately sent me a replacement figure, it seems appropriate to revisit Adora for a second look... which may prove informative and helpful to readers whether they collect the MOTUC line or not.

Before we get to the figure, however, a tip: if you have a problem with a MOTUC figure, 1-877-466-2889 is the number you should call. Don't e-mail the MattyCollector website -- and if you do that anyway and receive an e-mail with a different number, don't call it. Apparently a different division at Mattel used to handle quality control issues with the figures, hence the e-mail from Digital River (via the MattyCollector website) to call Mattel... but now Digital River handles both the purchasing and QC issues (or so I was told on the phone), so you should contact them. I guess the system and perhaps the folks checking the e-mail haven't received that memo, though, so you should call the number to talk to someone in the know.

Be warned that the communication is also somewhat spotty. After I finally got the above number and spoke to someone from Digital River, he took down my e-mail address and gave me a ticket number... and then I didn't hear anything until, several days later, I received a notice for an order with the purchase price fully credited. And then, the following day, I got a shipping confirmation, and Adora showed up nearly a week later in step with the UPS timetable. That worked out satisfactorily, and I very much appreciate Mattel/Digital River addressing my concern, but a note to the effect of "Hey, we've received your complaint and are shipping you a replacement Adora. Sorry about the original problem -- and thanks for shopping at MattyCollector!" would have helped to dispel whatever confusion I had about what was going on.

Anyway, on to the figure itself! My impressions of the sculpt and paint for this Adora are practically the same as the first figure I received. The arms on this one are a bit more warped -- particularly the right arm -- but I probably wouldn't dock the figure more than an additional point for that. The paint flaws are slightly different and look a teensy bit worse, though -- among other things, such as a few faint black marks on the tunic, Adora II has the hinge on the right foot painted. Considering that that piece is completely unpainted otherwise on both this figure and Adora I, that's kinda strange! Granted, that would ideally make this figure better, but since the hinge on the other foot isn't painted it just looks mismatched. The paint on that piece is also fairly chipped, which explains why the workers weren't instructed to paint it elsewhere. In any case, since the foot isn't a focal point of the figure, it isn't a huge deal.

So while Adora II would probably get a 6.6 to the original's 7.0 in the paint category if we gave decimal scores, I can safely say that my sculpt and paint scores would have remained largely unchanged even if this figure had had perfect articulation. Alas, right out of the package, Adora II sported the very same windmill-punch action that her unfortunate screw-shouldered predecessor originally possessed! I'm not sure whether this flaw is fairly common among Adora figures or MOTUC females in general or if I'm just really unlucky, but... yeah. So taking the figure on its merits and assuming that one couldn't fix that flaw, this Adora would also be just as unfun and as poor a value. A $30 figure really shouldn't have these QC issues.

Admittedly, however, one prong of my criticism has been effectively dealt with: my comments regarding Mattel's customer service. As noted above, it was a touch slow and kinda spotty in terms of communication, but Mattel/Digital River came through in the end... even though this figure's shoulders are also hella loose. I'm not sure what the odds of that happening are when most of the other people who've gotten the figure seem largely satisfied with it, but at least you can rest assured that The Powers That Be will try to make it right if you end up with a defective figure and give them a jingle.

Despite standing by my original scores for Adora, I'll admit that part of the reason I docked her so heavily was because of the nature of the problem with her. I find warped limbs pretty annoying, but I rarely penalize figures significantly for them: I just break out the hair dryer or heat up some water and reposition them as necessary. (I've already done just that with Adora II -- the pics below feature that change.) Similarly, if Adora had had a loose bicep joint, I would've noted the problem -- but it also wouldn't have been nearly as infuriating because it's relatively easy to pop off a joint and throw some clear nail polish in there. The loose shoulder was problematic not just because it was a loose shoulder and clearly resulted from an assembly error (in this case, because the front and back halves of the torso weren't pushed all the way together), but also because of the relative difficulty of correcting it and the unfortunate mishap that occurred when I tried. I mean, if I order a turkey burger with no lettuce and it arrives with lettuce, I'm much more likely to just take it off than complain and send it back -- but if I order it with no mustard and I end up with a burger with mustard (particularly if I have a mustard allergy that causes me to break out in a full-body rash), I'm going to be much more upset about the mistake.

That said, thanks to the recent discovery I'm about to share with you, loose shoulder swivels may bother me (and perhaps you) significantly less in the future! You see, if you are unfortunate enough to end up with the elusive (unless you're me) Windmill Punch Adora variant -- or Windmill Punch Anyone, or even Not-As-Tight-As-You'd-Like-Shouldered Anyone -- here's a fix you can use to tighten those shoulder swivels and ensure that your figure poses just as well as Adora II in the images above. Unlike my ill-fated mishap with the glue, it's also completely risk free... and all you need to do it is a clear elastic band! Or two, if both shoulders are really loose or you're working with a "special" case. I can't take credit for this trick, since I'd almost swear I read about it years ago, but I'd completely forgotten about it until it came to me in a chilling dream of horror and regret that followed the screw-shoulder-mutilation incident. If nothing else, hopefully my experience and this article will help to inform more people of this safe and effective method for fixing certain types of loose joints.

In the image above, I've tried to represent the shoulder articulation of an action figure. We're looking down on the figure, such that we can see the top of the shoulder... and since we've got X-ray vision, we can also see how the peg enters into the figure through the front and back halves of the torso. Now, there are a number of possible reasons that a figure might have loose shoulders, but the reason that Adora's shoulders were so loose is because whereas the front and back halves are supposed to fit together over the peg -- such that the friction between them and the peg keeps the joint tight -- Adora was assembled such that a small gap remained between the two halves of the torso (represented by the portion of the image to the right; the green circle is a cross section of the filled in area on the peg). It's imperceptible from most angles due to the tunic, but it makes the shoulder swiveling very loose and a little wobbly to boot.

Now, short of hitting the figure really hard with a hammer, you're probably not going to have much luck tightening the joint by forcing the torso halves together properly. My original plan sought to fill the empty space with glue in order to tighten the joint -- and while that will work, one runs the risk of gluing the shoulder hinge in place and ultimately ending up with a screw-shouldered misfit toy. But there is another way. Note that the figure in question's shoulder itself isn't pressed tightly against the side of the torso inside the cavity -- if it were, there would be enough friction to hold the shoulder in place in various poses. And although you may not be able to get additional material into the peghole without risk, you can fill that gap relatively easily.

To do that, take a clear elastic band of about medium size -- too small won't do much and will be difficult to get inside there; too large will bulge visibly around the shoulder and/or leave excess material hanging out of the shoulder cavity -- and stretch it around the figure's arm such that it catches in the cavity as suggested by the image above. (The Hunter's shoulder is actually a ball joint, and a rubber band of this size is too thick to work -- and you should be stretching the band rather than allowing it to hang freely -- but hopefully the color contrast between the figures and size of the band help to show you what you should be doing.) Sometimes you may have to use an additional tool, such as the closed nose of needle-nose pliers or a small, flat screwdriver, to push it in there. You can also try popping the arm off at the bicep (or elbow, if the figure has Hasbro-style swivel-hinged elbows) to make things a little easier, though this really isn't necessary.

Once you've got the elastic band hooked in the joint, twist it and bring it back over the arm, such that you're effectively wrapping it around in the space. Rinse and repeat until you're unable to stretch the band back over the arm (if you can get close, go ahead and force it -- you'll generally know when you've reached the end of your tether). Then release the band and allow it to retreat into the shoulder cavity. If a little bit is still hanging out or visible, just work the shoulder around a bit to wind it into there (as you do this, you should notice that the joint feels much tighter). Once you can no longer see it without difficulty, you're done.

This will work not only with MOTUC females, but also with males -- and in fact with any figure with recessed shoulder areas. Power Rangers, DC Universe figures, Marvel Legends offerings (provided they don't have the lateral shoulder movement)... the possibilities are diverse and nigh infinite. You also don't have to have a figure with windmill-punch action to do this fix. For instance, Juggernaut never had especially loose shoulders, but I always thought his shoulders could use some additional hold what with those gargantuan arms and giant fists. Thanks to this fix, his shoulders have the tightness of a NECA Street Fighter IV figure! It'll also work to nullify action features that interfere with the articulation. For instance, the MOTU 200X Skeletor had a sword-swinging action that reduced his right shoulder swivel to a limited ratcheting joint and prevented him from being able to keep his sword aloft owing to the weakness of the internal mechanism. Although I had to use two clear bands in this instance -- due to his action feature, Skeletor had more empty space in the cavity than a standard figure -- this trick has made the right shoulder articulation just as smooth and tight as the left.

In fact, this fix will even work with many types of swivel-hinged hips -- really, as long as there's sufficient space for the band to hook and vanish into, you can do it. However, because most figures' hips don't have a cavity that will obscure the clear elastic band a la shoulder recesses, I don't recommend doing it there unless there's a skirt or some other piece to hide the band. With MOTUC figures, for example, the skirts and furry underwear generally hide the hip articulation -- so if you ever get a MOTUC figure with floppy legs, you could just as easily "fix" it this way. Of course, you shouldn't have to fix a $30 figure, and Mattel/Digital River has proven that it'll take steps to resolve any issues you have with your purchases... but if you'd prefer to save yourself the trouble, this is a quick, easy, transparent, and safe way to improve the poseability of your flawed figures. I do wish I'd remembered it before the screw-shoulder mishap, but admittedly the ordeal has proved to be a positive (if not especially meaningful) learning experience in more ways than one.

-Wes

Disclaimer: Neither Articulated Discussion nor Wes are responsible for any damage to figures or persons that results from any attempts to use this fix. :P

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