How to Change Speedo legs?

[cheng]

Its been quite a while since I tried changing Speedo(dad) legs.
Anyone knows whether they use heat or glues to weld the male and female parts of his pair of legs together? (The 'male' leg is his right leg and his 'female' leg is his left which has a recess/housing to receive the 'male' protrusion)

I have still not succeeded to separate speedo-legs without breaking them (sorry if you find this gross but its in the name of "Playmo-custom-science" and no speedo-clickies were hurt in the process as you can see from their smiles )

I would need to figure out a way to force them apart, horizontally, something like our rubber-band or string method. I do need speedo legs with white and black undies.

[Tiermann]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that Playmobil uses sonic welding on larger items like 123 parts and ship hulls. No idea if they use that in the klicky factory, but its an additional poosibility beyond glue. With sonic welding they press two pieces together hard in a machine while it produces sonic waves that excite the plastic and cause it to melt together at the molecular level.

[tahra]

I didn't know what they were like, I just pulled them apart (hard, and in every possible way) and they came off whole, though marked... (my PROCESS is WAY behind)

However, if my goal would be to reuse the legs, I don't think that'd be reliable.

[cheng]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know that Playmobil uses sonic welding on larger items like 123 parts and ship hulls. No idea if they use that in the klicky factory, but its an additional poosibility beyond glue. With sonic welding they press two pieces together hard in a machine while it produces sonic waves that excite the plastic and cause it to melt together at the molecular level.

have you or any of of our visitors to the factory noticed the use of glue at all?

sonic welding would have properly fused any area the aimed it at....I would assume at the same side always....I hope I dont have to break another pair of good legs to check if the same side of the protrusion is fused. If its only one side, we might be able to tear it with sufficient horizontal force. Luckliy it doesn't look fused all around...the engaged surfaces looks quite smooth/unmelted as clearly seen in the photo

[cheng]

  here I am, trying to be scientific or like a surgeon planning a micro-surgery and you, just using brute strength (are you sure did you didnt coax it ?! ) you separated them with no visible cracks, Tahra?!

anyway I was about the share this close-up photo which probably looks like what you described as 'marked' ..can you examine yours and see if the 'marks' are on the (welding) spots? If pulled apart unidirectionally/in a linear plane, it might not break any leg...I cant afford to break any more speeo-legs for playmo-science

[tahra]

I'm quite sure mine are usable - but they have a "white strain mark". The problem is, it was just luck.

I'll let you know what happens to my next ones... you know my secret ongoing project is... going. Slowly. So, I'll have a couple more of those.

I'll post pics later

[cheng]

I'm quite sure mine are usable - but they have a "white strain mark". The problem is, it was just luck.

I'll let you know what happens to my next ones... you know my secret ongoing project is... going. Slowly. So, I'll have a couple more of those.

here's a person who can change speedo legs am is not shouting about it

but thanks Tahra...at least now I know they are not totally fused by sonic welding and it might be possible to get 99% success if I can pull them hard and straight out using a double-string-method, tied to my balcony's sliding doors

[GrahamB]

Geobra missed the chance here to have klickies with legs capable of moving independently of one another! The 'male' end could have clipped into the 'female' and held together with friction (or a spring of some sort, like the 'poppers' you get on clothing), but allowing each leg to move on its own (OK the figures would have to walk 'goose step' like Russian soldiers, but the gymnasts could have many realistic poses...). Instead they glued/welded them together... opportunity missed.

Thinking about this, I wondered if wrenching the legs as if you were trying to make the figure goose-step might work? I tried it on the only swimsuit klicky I have two of. I gripped his hips firmly and twisted back and forth a few times, then the connector broke- job done! No external damage at all. My klicky had two-piece legs (grey top half, light skintone lower half), so I was careful not to put any strain on the lower half or the place where the two halves join. It might be easier to do this by gripping the hips with two pairs of well-padded pliers.


How about joining the legs back together? Here's my method (used to repair many toys over the years). It does involve a rubber band!
1. Drill a small hole in one part using a small drill bit (I used a 2mm diameter bit, slightly smaller than the screw I used) and taking care not to go right through. There was a hole there already, which made it easier to get it in the right place. You might even be able to use the existing hole without drilling.




2. Screw a screw into this hole, then cut off the head with pliers (file the end smooth if you wish). You could do this with a nail ('Round Wire' type) or even a piece of wire paper-clip. Glue the nail or wire in place if the hole is too big.




3. Drill another hole in the other leg (same size hole if using a nail or wire, slightly bigger hole if using a screw).


4. Put some glue in the second hole, fit legs into place (check the feet point forward!) and wrap a rubber band around until glue has set.



5. If you have glued both ends of the nail/wire the legs will now be fixed. If you used a screw, the legs should rotate independently (the screw moves in the first hole, unscrewing slightly as you move the legs) and your figure can do gymnastics, join the Russian army or kick his mates in the b*m!


Can you tell which is which? One has been dismembered and reassembled, the other is intacta.


The one on the right is the one I took apart and reassembled!

[playmofire]

I imagine that the spring idea would have two disadvantages - slower to assemble and maybe not suitable for machine assembly and dangers of small children harming themselves with the spring if the figure came apart, e.g. swallowing it.

I think that Geobra still make items such as legs in a single mould and so the upper and lower parts of the leg are not joined as they are moulded in one piece.  The ridge where the grey changes to flesh will be part of the mould to give the impression of the edge of the material of the shorts etc.

[cheng]

thanks for sharing your view points Gordon!

and GrahamB,
that's an awesome "How To" instruction you've clearly explained and illustrated....I'm sure many would like to own your gymnast but do not have our tools or dexterity (I too learnt the hard way repairing my son's toys and things around the house)

as for my need to just switch panties, you have saved me much pain and waste for it would take brute lateral force to pull apart the welded part, judging from the jagged joint in your photos (mine must have been less welded as I could see quite a large still smooth area on the male 'pin')

I'll try twisting by their hips and report here...wish me plenty of luck