Phicen Query.

Okay, so I only have one "seamless" and am really in no hurry to acquire any more but mine came with instructions NOT to leave the body in any "dynamic" pose for more than two days!
Question for all owners of such.
Do you bother to change the poses of your figures that frequently or not?
The brochure with mine seems to suggest the silicone will split or some such catastrophe.
Does this happen?
If the thing is going to be that temperamental, I am leaning more and more towards changing out the body on my figure for a conventionally articulated one. The articulations would be fully covered by the clothing anyway and it could be left on display indefinitely without damage.

Dal is your man , but as I mentioned to you previously , don`t leave your Phicen bent or posed for any length of time . Once you finished playing ....ahem , photographing him . Straighten all his limbs out , so he looks how he came in the box . Like he`s having a lay down . I think it is also advisable to douse them in talc every now and again . Your better off with a jointed figure in your case I think Barry . The Worldbox are probably the best out there , especially for neckless head sculpts , though I would try to avoid the 025 `s , I have had troubles with those .

My understanding is that creases at the bends, like elbows and knees, can become permanently etched in to the rubber.

My only experience is inadvertently leaving a figure doubled over at the waist when I dropped it back in to the storage tub.

Actually, I remember which figure and pose it was; this one:



When I pulled the figure out of the tub two or three months later and straightened it out, there was a crease across the stomach. I thought it would be permanent, but after three or four days the line had disappeared.

I don't know if you would consider joining another forum, but you might take a look at One Sixth Figures (OSF): https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/

I suggest this because the members on that forum often address "technical questions" like this in detail. Additionally, the forum is NOT exclusively seamless; in fact, discussions often revolve around which bodies are better for certain applications - static poses, dynamic poses, photography, long-term storage.

There are also some members who are deeply in to history; your comments about some of the historically inaccuracies of your Egyptian figure reminded me of some of the figure reviews on the OSF forum. Actually, some of the self-appointed history experts on that forum can be annoyingly nit-picky over details. Apparently many of those guys (and a few gals) were around in medieval times so they have first-hand knowledge of how knights wore their armor and things like that.

Seriously, though, there are interesting aspects of the OSF forum, and being able to get a decent amount of feedback on "technical questions" like you've posed here, in addition to discussions on how to kitbash more authentic details on historical figures, are two of the major strengths of the forum. You might find it worthwhile to take a look.

As long as the figure is not left for an extended period of time in one posed position, it will be fine. As Dave say's leaving them posed will course creases in the rubber. The most common place for them to split (which I have so far not encountered) is the elbow. If you put them back into a static position when finihsed using them, you will be fine Barry .

Thanks to Chip, Dal and Dave!
I VERY much appreciate the detail of advice from people hear who have far more experience with these things than I possess.
These figures aren't cheap and I'd had to see a split or crease develop.
 
The pose most associated with a Pharaoh is the familiar crossed arms in front of the chest holding the crook and flail. That is how I wanted to pose the figure when on display. This involves a very heavy bend at both elbows, which Dal lists as a danger area.
So I have to say that what I bought primarily as an eye-catching (and expensive) display piece really won't fulfil that unless I just stand it there like a Buckingham Palace Guard. Or risk serious damage to the body.
Take it out for a photo, ...and I am certainly impressed by how well they pose, but then return it to the default stiff corpse-like position.
They don't tell you this when you buy, ....but there is a small note included which mentions the problem.

I have two display cabinets containing some of my favourite figures, many set up in what would be considered "dynamic" poses in small scenarios and I rarely if ever move them. I'm a bit sorry now that Pharaoh cannot join them, specially since he's got a new throne.

Thanks again to everyone who took time to answer.

If you don't mind, I would like to post your query to the OSF forum and see what the know-it-alls have to say.

Go right ahead, ...I'd like to know if the mentioned splitting and extrusion of the metal skeleton has ever happened to a seamless figure?

Some helpful responses to this question were posted on the One Sixth Figures forum, where a number of members have experience leaving seamless figures in fixed positions for various lengths of time:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t5293-seamless-figure-posing-question-re-possible-damage-tbleague-tutankhamun

So... this just happened. Or, I just noticed it:



Elbow split, TBLeague (Phicen) S45 figure.

Figure purchased new: November 2021

Damage noticed: March 2022

The figure has been sitting undisturbed since January with the elbow bent at no more than a 45 degree angle. The figure was actually in a dark garage, not exposed to any direct sunlight, and not subject to extreme heat or cold. The angle in these images is to illustrate the tear in the material. The angle when the figure was stored was much less sharp, no more than a 45˚ angle at most.

I am disappointed to see this; I am now questioning my decision to invest fairly significantly in seamless-bodied action figures. Maybe it's time to transition back to Pinky-Street, Bratz, and Monster High (although most of my Monster High figures are experiencing extreme loosening of the joints).

Interesting response from London Road Hog on the MWD forum:

"This is not good news Dave. Looking at your first image in detail, it looks as though the elbow joint might be a bit ragged, or sharp. I wonder if this might be the cause, especially as these smaller figures would have less thick “skin” material around elbows and knees that some of the other models. I will have to keep an eye on mine. So far I’ve not noticed anything. But I might not have used them so much. Might mean that I may stop the training sessions for Ali and Laura, as I would be bending the elbows more than 45 degrees."

To which I replied:

"The elbow on this particular figure never felt quite right. Perhaps it is a manufacturing flaw that resulted in a sharp interior edge, or perhaps I inadvertently damaged the figure at some point. The joints can be a bit finicky, and sometimes it feels like they get rotated out of position inside the body and need to be gently coaxed back in to place.

That is a helpful observation about the sharp edge. I hope this spontaneous disintegration is not a characteristic of this figure, but rather a result of a manufacturing flaw or "user error." "

Here's an additional image better showing what appears to be an internal sharp edge:


It does appear that the internal armature may be damaged, which could have caused the split.

Oh that’s a real shame Dave . You could start recollecting or collecting Joe’s.

Maybe she inadvertently rested her elbow on Dr Evil's lab bench....???

That is not too good at all Dave . Can it be fixed?

Ouch ! That does look nasty. I'd be very frustrated to see that happen if I owned one of these.

Your close up shows an almost jagged edge on the lower elbow bend there Dave.
Looks like it could easily cut through the outer material with movement such as posing the limb.

Given you have only owned it since November, I'd be back on to Phicen about that.