FixClix 101

[HeWhoIs]

Your fingers are huge, and the frighten me.

[Biomechanoid]

Alright class, listen up.

Um, looks like I may be doing a regular article submission here and as part of Rock810's mag about how to do some simple repairs to Clix figures. Of course, this is experimental right now, but if it's well-received I'll make a go of doing one of these a month until I run out of ideas, and then maybe branch into customizing tips. By putting it on the forums it opens it up to additional tips from others as well as suggestions for future articles. This is my laboratory, and the handful of you that actually visit here from time to time can be my Igors, my hunch-backed, evil assistants...or something... Anyway, the most unwieldy part of this is the illustrations. One of my goals with this is to provide as much pictoral reference as possible for the articles. My digital camera quality is less than 1 megapixel, and although I can still get some sharp images without sinking the ship with heavy files, I'm in the market for something better. Hosting them is another issue, but I'm probably ok for the time being. If you check in this thread and see either a bunch of bandwidth warnings or the dreaded red 'X' it's because I'm too cheap to go with anything but a free web-based pic host. Beyond that, I have to get in touch with Rock to find out if there are length restrictions for articles submitted to him. He may want to resize my pics, too, which will be fine. But I'll want him to add some reference to this spot so that the full article or large pics can be accessed.

So, here it is: my first attempt. Criticism welcome.

[Biomechanoid]

FixClix 001

The sticky dial

HeroClix are awesome. Never before have so many different characters from across the vastness of comicdom had their effigies immortalized in plastic. They're gorgeous - no other toy company can boast the sheer numbers of dynamic sculpts and iconic poses that Wizkids can. Not only that, but there is apparently some kind of game that can be played with these miniature figures. Oh. You knew that. Well, as truly great and fun as HeroClix figures are, they're not perfect. They are mass-produced toys, and therefore are naturally prone to minor defects and production errors. Plus, they're really frickin' small, and may break easily. While Wizkids does offer a fantastic exchange program for such problems, there are often very simple methods for correcting many of these imperfections. The purpose of this article is to offer a few tips on how to remedy specific problems and hopefully either save you a shipping charge or two or at the very least save your Clix from the dark fate of becoming landfill fodder.

Wizkids' introduction of the combat dial was perhaps one of the most revolutionary innovations to happen to the collectable gaming industry. Unfortunately, it's often the source of a myriad of afflictions a figure may suffer. Poorly aligned statistic stickers, tight or loose turning dials, and crooked flight pedestals are some of the more common problems. However, with a little spare time, some back-engineering, and the aid of a few simple tools, most dial frustrations are easily solved.

The first aggravation I'm going to address is the sticky dial. This is perhaps one of the most common specific complaints voiced on the various HeroClix forums. Fortunately, it is also one of the simplest to fix. Since Collateral Damage is the hot commodity at the moment, let's take a look at a freshly pulled Experienced Clayface. This dood is a nice mid-level brick, and the swellest lookin' mudman I've ever seen in 1:48 scale. But he rides a dial that just won't budge.



Most players don't realize just how easy it is to separate the primary disc components of the HeroClix combat dial. Here you can see that a thumbnail slid in between the wall of the outer dial and the disc is sufficient to gently pry them apart. Be careful not to apply too much pressure, because a minor but painful injury to you is almost as likely as damage to the figure. Other tools such as a thin letter opener or even a medium guitar pick are appropriate for opening the dial this way. Once a thin object is pressed into this gap, carefully slide it around the dial and apply very slight amount of leverage until the dial snaps out. This method works on both the underclick (or arch-enemy) style base and the overclick style as pictured here.




Once the dial is disassembled, it can be much more thoroughly inspected to find out what is preventing it from being turned easily.

Sometimes, the problem is as simple as a small piece of debris or other obstruction causing extra friction. Often enough, the statistic sticker is improperly aligned or "bubbly," and interferes with the fluid rotation of the dial. In this case, the sticker can be peeled off (carefully) and repositioned or simply pressed down more firmly so that the adhesive helps it to stay flat.



Most often, however, either a plastic burr or other manufacturing oddity, or the "clicker" itself is causing the problem. A hobby knife or detail file can be used to remove or reduce any raised obstructions that occurred in the mold, but the "clicker" nub that is the key to the function of the dial mechanism is a more delicate matter. Cut too much of it away, and your figure will suffer a dial that turns too loosely, which can cause perhaps more problems for you in the heat of battle than an overly tight dial. You may have already seen a loose dial turn a full click just by bumping the table. In this case, the nub is clearly the cause of our Clayface woes (and not muddy ooze as suspected), as pointed out here.

[Biomechanoid]

Here's the easiest fix I've found for solving this particular problem on dozens of figures: put the dial back together and spin the crap out of it.





Clayface is a little dizzy now, but he's already experiencing a smoother spin. The idea here is that you want to wear that "clicker" nub down a bit until the dial turns more easily but still clicks at every stat slot. Yes, with frequent use the dial will wear down even more over time, but you generally won?t be spinning it this forcefully, as fast, or as many times. Be careful not to twist it so violently that you rip the figure off of the base, though. Also, it always helps that when you grip the dial you don't squeeze the springy tab that presses the "clicker" nub against the disc.



Another, more temporary solution to the sticky dial is to press the resistance out of this tab. Hold the dial firmly, and gently pry the tab away with a fingertip or the eraser end of a pencil. Don't bend the tab back - only lift it enough to see that it's moving.



This will provide a bit more tolerance for a brief time, but the tab will eventually remember its original tension.

[Biomechanoid]

Now, let's give Clayface another test spin.



That's much better. Now he's ready to stomp a mud hole.



Stay tuned for more do-it-yourself HeroClix repair tips.
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END OF 001

[Wildonion]

Were those Talons?!?!?!?

[Biomechanoid]

<looks at hands, then down at tiny keyboard and mouse...weeps...> [img]graemlins/cry_smile.gif[/img] <sobs> At least I shaved my knuckles... [img]redface.gif[/img]

But did you learn anything?

Yinz are soooo helpful. [img]graemlins/whatever.gif[/img]

[img]tongue.gif[/img]

[BigBlowfish]

Pretty good, helpful.

The first time I looked at the part about putting pressure on the tab, I couldn't tell what you were doing, but on further analysis, I figured it out.

[Ronfar]

Too many pictures.

You is like Sean O'Haire. You dint teach me nuthin I dint already know.

Repairing figures for me has been vital.
You know those flight sticks that have tops that break off? You know where the top is like a cup holder with two cracks in it? so that half of the cup holder inevitably breaks off? With the flight stick transplant I can trade uniques that had been broken like that and no one will ever know. That has been a much bigger issue for me than sticky dials but I guess that's because I cram over 100 figures in one shoebox.

But I found the article to be mildly informative. I give it a 5 of 10


Y'all listen to Tom Waits, right?

[Biomechanoid]

all the trucks unload
beyond the gopher holes

Am I famous yet? Rock's latest ish went out, so we'll see how this goes. The editing suits me just fine, but if I do another I'll try to be more concise.