Neck

DESC: The necks are fairly simple ball and socket joints. The neck is part of the chest piece but there is also a small plastic piece that goes between the head and neck (see above). The neck joint is a disc with an arrowhead on top (which is different from the wrist arrows) and has a bulb attached to the bottom for the ball and socket joint. The neck on the upper chest piece is simply a socket which the bulb snaps into. The design allows some tilting as well as a complete twist of the head.

REM: While attempting to remove the neck joint from the upper chest the plastic on it started to neck (i.e. turned white from stress) so I stopped. Since both the neck and the upper chest are brittle plastic, the neck will not come out very easily. I have suggestions for removing it, but you may not be able to do so without damaging the joint beyond repair. The neck is easiest to remove if the head has been removed (see next section). If the head has been removed, get a strong grip in the body and neck parts and simply pull them apart. The neck will snap out of the socket. If the chest was opened and the neck was opened as well then the bulb will easily slide out the side of the two halves. If you want to remove the neck while the head is still attached, then you'll have to find some way to get hold of it without damaging the head. I haven't removed the neck in this fashion, so I have no good suggestions.

REST: Simply snap the neck bulb back into the socket it once occupied.

Head

DESC: At last, the final piece of the figure! The head is made of very soft and pliable plastic and depending on the character may have rooted hair. The bottom of the head has a small concave depression with a hole through which the neck joint is connected (see above). The head is probably the most likely piece to be removed and replaced, and since the construction is similar to that of Barbie and other fashion dolls, we'll be using the same methods to remove and replace the head.

REM: To remove the head we can take a page from Barbie customizers since the design is similar. A good way to start is to heat up the head to make it a little softer and more pliable (which will help getting it off). A hair blow dryer can be used to blow hot air on the head without causing damage to it, just don't put it too close to the dryer! You don't have to heat it, but it helps soften the plastic. Then you want to try and pry a small, long screwdriver (or other small, thin device that can be used as a lever) into the small opening where the head attaches to the neck. You will have to pull the head up and away from the neck in order to get good access to the hole. Once inside you can use it to pry the head off of the arrow (from the neck). Be careful and take your time while removing the head, there's no rush and you don't want to damage the head.

REST: This is pretty easy in that all you have to do is push the head back on and it will slide over the arrowhead and once the ends of the arrowhead pass through it is attached. If you are using a custom head or a head from another line you may have to do some modification on either these instructions of the head you are using in order to reinstall it.

I hope that this article is of great use to customizers and the curious alike. I think it helps to appreciate the work that goes into these figures and the quality of construction and the overall durability of these toys. They are well made and built to last for many years of play from children of all ages, so this line will definitely be around for a long time.

If you have comments, suggestions and pictures that will help make this easier to understand and more useful to collectors of all skill level please send them along and the best comments will be added (with due credit of course). Send them in to us at [email protected]. We'll look over them and the best information will be added to future updates for this article to give people even more help in their customizing efforts.