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Quality Control Issues


MisterMiracle

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So, is it just me or do Minimates tend to not stay together as well as they used to? I went to Toys R Us last night and I noticed that there were 5 sets of brand new Minimates that each had a figure with a hand that had fallen off in the package. A lot of my newer figures have had issues with the feet staying on. You try to put them back in and they immediately slip right off again. What's going on here?

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I think that the qc today is a lot better than it was two years ago. Take a look at the minimates for Thor and Captain America movies compared to those of the Avenges or Iron Man 2 vs Iron Man 3. I sometimes wish that they would go back and redo some of the ones that were really bad but overall I am happy with the quality that we are getting now.

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  • 3 months later...

I've noticed between the different licenses that some of the pegs/balls are slightly bigger or smaller

As for quality control, I've seen it fluctuate.

A lot of the older figures seem to have hands that just fall off (especially Wolverine hands) I assumed it was because the hands were rotated inside the arms and wore down the hand peg just enough to lose what friction it had holding it on. I've noticed a lot of the more recent hands have added rings on the hand pegs (I figure that's to help keep them attached)

I've also seen that certain figures always have a certain problem. Like the Nathan Hale Playstation figure always has a foot fall off (I think it's the right one) but it happens to every one I get.

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Thanks to TRU, we're experiencing more QUANTITY control issues lately than quality.

biggrin.png

Yeah, some waves tend to have more problems than others, the TRU Star Trek wave for example.

LCS Tomb Raider, on the other hand, is near perfect.

The one that I can't wrap my brain around is why do the boots fall off of Riot Gear Rick, but fit snug on Riot Gear Governor? They are the same molds! wacko.png

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The boots on Riot Gear Rick don't stay on at all!! So i went ahead and flat out put basic black feet on them just to hinder the major annoyance. I must say I've noticed lately that seems to be a common occurrence with the majority of new packs I buy too.

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The one that I can't wrap my brain around is why do the boots fall off of Riot Gear Rick, but fit snug on Riot Gear Governor? They are the same molds! wacko.png

I just slap some clear nail polish on those pegs and it's all better. It is a head-scratcher, though.

The only problems I've run into lately were pretty random; wrong stands, a missing part, stuph like that. The weird thing is that while I've read similar complaints through the history of Minimates, I managed to avoid them until this past year. I don't know that it's happening more often overall but it's definitely happening more to me.

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The one quality control issue I see and really am bugged by is loose-fitting arm sockets. It can't be fixed with re-heating/cooling or nail polish or super glue.

Perfect figures like classic Nova and best of Mr Fantastic's arms fall off way too easily. Nova's an easy fix with other gold-armed Iron Men... but there's no fix for Mr. Fantastic, in my favorite version of the costume. And coming from somebody that likes buying multiples, especially of favorite characters, it's a real drag.

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The one that I can't wrap my brain around is why do the boots fall off of Riot Gear Rick, but fit snug on Riot Gear Governor? They are the same molds! wacko.png

I just slap some clear nail polish on those pegs and it's all better. It is a head-scratcher, though.

The only problems I've run into lately were pretty random; wrong stands, a missing part, stuph like that. The weird thing is that while I've read similar complaints through the history of Minimates, I managed to avoid them until this past year. I don't know that it's happening more often overall but it's definitely happening more to me.

I don't go to that much trouble. I crimp the peg just slightly with my fingernail and that usually does the trick.

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One thing to consider: look at the size of these joints, pegs and such. There is no room for error. A 64th of an inch variance in thickness – a stray drab of paint or temperature contraction during cooling – is the difference between a foot that stays on, falls off, or is too snug in the hole. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt considering that the majority of Minimates are dead-on.

Edited by Lobsterman
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I've bought two sets recently with either two left or two right arms on a single minimate. Then one of my Maria Hills has some surface warping on the torso. Also the occasional ill-fitting peg and that's it for the two packs. Nothing big.

Its the boxsets that appear more prone to problems. Tampo details faded, sometimes rubbing off, unusually flat finish, warped belts, gloves, & boots, cloudy paint, malformed torso inner structuring, etc. Problems I've never really had with the two packs. Primarily impacted for me were Thundercats 1, Femme Fatales 2, Spider-Man Friends and Foes, X-Men First Class, and Curse of the Mutants. Also comparing same minimates from the Universal Monsters boxsets and two packs, the two pack versions look just slightly better with better tampo transfers and glossier finish.

Fortunately I've had no missing accessories yet.

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One thing to consider: look at the size of these joints, pegs and such. There is no room for error. A 64th of an inch variance in thickness – a stray drab of paint or temperature contraction during cooling – is the difference between a foot that stays on, falls off, or is too snug in the hole. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt considering that the majority of Minimates are dead-on.

When I have a peg or shoulder socket that is loose I take a small tab of tissue paper and place it in the socket. It's less messy and much more forgiving that super glue or paint.

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I just got the 3rd Thundercats set and there were 2 stands behind Grune. C'mon, DST! Get it together! Nobody wants your extra stands!!!

ooh ooh i do i do !!!! send them my way...i preffer the soft stands as razor fodder but the hard ones are perfect for customs display Edited by Lon
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One thing to consider: look at the size of these joints, pegs and such. There is no room for error. A 64th of an inch variance in thickness – a stray drab of paint or temperature contraction during cooling – is the difference between a foot that stays on, falls off, or is too snug in the hole. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt considering that the majority of Minimates are dead-on.

Yeah, its certainly not too much to expect your purchases to be everything promised, but these "issues" have been around since wave 1. Sometimes a peg is off or a joint sticks. Nothing new and reasonably acceptable, IMO.

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I think the worst I've ever gotten (besides the feet/hands falling off) was the Legacy Kirk with no feet. Not that they fell off in the package, but they weren't there at all. if it hadn't been my 4th or 5th Kirk, I'd have been upset. as it was I'd rather get it than have a new customer and have it turn them off to Minimates altogether.

the only other things I can think of is the TRU Iron Man/Rhino pack, IMs legs would pop off constantly and Rhino had 2 left legs. and the trouble finding TRU IM3 mates with decent paint, that was tough.

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the only other things I can think of is the TRU Iron Man/Rhino pack, IMs legs would pop off constantly and Rhino had 2 left legs. and the trouble finding TRU IM3 mates with decent paint, that was tough.

Gosh, my Iron man from this wave sux!!! Can't make his legs stop from falling at all!

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  • 9 months later...

I'll wait for the next Spider-Man before commenting on Marvel QC issues.

I'm not sure if it counts as quality control but the missing set of hands in the first Pulp Fiction set was a little embarrassing. I know that wasn't a manufacturing issue but more of an oversight at DST but I'm glad they'll be offering an extra set in a future assortment.

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The leg mold used on the DOFP set is perfect. I like how we've been seeing tape used less frequently since it can sometimes damage accessories. Like Liney said, loose hands and feet don't appear to be a problem anymore, unless a unique mold is used. Hands would not fit in the Wolverine Saga set at all.

Spider-Man tampos have declined in quality IMO.

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I'm not sure if it counts as quality control but the missing set of hands in the first Pulp Fiction set was a little embarrassing. I know that wasn't a manufacturing issue but more of an oversight at DST but I'm glad they'll be offering an extra set in a future assortment.

Nah, I wouldn't count that as QC, most likely a communication issue with the factory.

Although, I would like to point out that back in the day, when we didn't get Rocky's hair we weren't expected to buy another set to get it. whistling.gif

Edited by youbastards
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