The black wings towards the back on Soundwave have bent, due to...flawed storach techniques (putting him in a zip-bag then into a storage bin with other figures [on top]). I've learned my lesson on storing him (and other soft-plastic) that way, but I need suggestions on how to re-bend the wings safely. My instinct is to bend it with my fingers and hold it that way for a long period of time. I'm under the impression I should hold it over steam then re-bend, but I'm not sure about how long to expose it to direct steam. I've also just read something about dipping it into hot water. In the end, I want to re-bend the plastic, and don't want to damage other parts of the toy. Suggestions?
I wouldn't use steam because those wings are too fragile. Try laying it on one side with the wing being weighed down by the body, it will most likely bend back to its original position over time. Then repeat on the other side. Tedious but will most likely work.
Boiling water trick does work. But you have to keep your eye on the ball. Even in the case of harder plastic, probably best to avoid more than 2 seconds at a time in the water
When it comes to straightening out bent plastic I microwave a coffee mug full of water for two minutes and then I dip the plastic in for just a few seconds. You can see the plastic going back to its natural shape right away. Never fails. Once it's back to normal you can give it a quick dip in cold water or run it under the tap and that cools it back down instantly while holding its new shape.
Well getting back on topic would running it under hot water do the same trick? Seeing this thread reminded me I really need to straighten out the wing bits on Animated Lugnut's weapon.
Hot water straight from the tap might not be hot enough. Give it a try. Worst case scenario is Lugnut's weapon gets a bit wet.
I had to do this for my soundwave, just boil some water... let it stand for about 4 min, then dip wings in for 4 - 6 sec, using the toy like it is stiring ... pull it out and use a popsicle stick against it till it cools and voila, all fixed...
