REBOR 1:35 Ceratosaurus dentisulcatus Museum Class Replica “Savage” [updated]

[joossa]

I decided to try and fix the leg issue today. I had help from my younger brother in taking some of the shots while my hands were at work with the model or wet.

I started by looking at the model's legs again and how they are supposed to the fit on the base. I figured both needed to be moved outwards. I placed the model on the stand and used my fingers to get an idea of how much pressure I may need to apply to stretch them apart. I used the hair drier on the legs for about 5 minutes to get them nice and soft. Then I placed the model on the base and held the legs at the desired positions and slowly moved the model into an ice bath for about a minute and half. In the ice bath, I placed the feet all the way down to the "floor" of the bowl, allowing the floor to help me keep the feet level and add extra support as they solidified again.




After a minute or so in the ice bath, I dried it off and tested the results:



Immediately, I placed the model in a zip baggie and put it into the freezer for about 4 hours. May have been overkill, but wanted to be safe and give it more time rather than not enough time.



Took the model out of the freezer about 4 hours later and it was able to stand on a flat surface. I let it "thaw out" and it was still standing. I then moved him around on a couple different surfaces over the course of the later afternoon and early evening and took some shots.







That last one was taken about an hour ago. So, it has been about 4 hours since I took him out of the freezer and he's still standing on my desk as pictured in the last picture above. I will report back tomorrow with an update.



Finally, here is the before shot I took on Friday (don't mind the Carno toes at the top right (this was right after taking the comparison shot and had both models in one hand)):


And here is the after shot form today after the treatment:



I hope this works and his legs stay...

[DinoToyForum]

Looks good and hopefully it stays that way. Thanks for sharing and keep us updated

[Dobber]

I'll have to treat mine a 3rd time and put it in a he freezer this time. Mine is standing on the stand but not in the footprints and kind of on the sides of the feet as they rewarped.  Not as bad as original but still not to where I fixed them to. Thanks for the update, I hope it holds, it really is a beautiful figure. Now we just have to figure how to get the mouth to stay open. 

Chris

[Tbolt]

My guess is the mouth will loosen over time with use. Although a bit of hot air has helped unstick the joints on other figures I have had in the past.

Thanks joossa for posting that, now I know what to do if mine comes the same way.

Rebor, it is your figures that have gotten me enthusiastic about collecting dino's! That posted list has me salivating over the possibilities! Hope you stay at it for a long, long time!

[ZaZZU2]

Finally, here is the before shot I took on Friday (don't mind the Carno toes at the top right (this was right after taking the comparison shot and had both models in one hand)):


And here is the after shot form today after the treatment:



I hope this works and his legs stay...
[/quote]

The treatment appears to be successful, doctor! Here's to hoping they stay fixed. 

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I'll have to treat mine a 3rd time and put it in a he freezer this time. Mine is standing on the stand but not in the footprints and kind of on the sides of the feet as they rewarped.  Not as bad as original but still not to where I fixed them to. Thanks for the update, I hope it holds, it really is a beautiful figure. Now we just have to figure how to get the mouth to stay open. 

Chris

Find him something to eat and stick it in there..that should do it! lol

Actually, if you can open the mouth where you want it and insert something small, a tiny pebble or a very small piece of clear rod at the back of the mouth where the opening is smallest and not as noticeable that should prop it open.

[kes]

Just received mine. Yet again another knock-out figure from Rebor. It did have the leg issue but a small amount of heat and cooling seems to have sorted the problem.

[Alex-DinoFood]

My Ceratosaurus arrived today as well. It did have the warp problem, but I took the easy way out & just super glued it to the base. I was planing to do that anyways. As for the quality, It's mind-blowing. It really rivals anything Sideshow has ever done.

[joossa]

Here's my update. The model was left on my desk overnight and when I woke up yesterday morning, he had fallen over and could no longer stand off the base. I put him on the base and left him on there for the rest of the day. I took a closer look after work yesterday and sure enough, the legs reverted back and he could no longer stand off the base, only on the base with some help in positioning the feet.

For those of you who have applied the treatment multiple times, have you noticed a gradual improvement? Or better yet... has anyone at all who applied the treatment one or more times, been successful in keeping the legs fixed permanently? I'm afraid of affecting the model's paint and texture if I apply the heat/cold treatment multiple times. 
For those of you with more experience with this... What would you recommend at this point? Should I try the treatment once again and is it realistic to expect the legs to stay permanently fixed at some point in time? Your advice is appreciated.

[Simon]

I would apply the hair dryer to the both of the entire legs (all the way up to the body), two, three, four times longer time-wise than you think it might need - I mean you really need it to get as soft as it possibly can get.

Then cool it with water to stabilize the pose - and into the freezer - and leave it there for a couple of days. 

Again, don't skimp on the heating time - you need to make it so soft and so hot that the "old muscle memory" is erased.

And again, don't skimp on the freezer time either.

If that doesn't work, then its a lost cause and its time to get out the electric drill and a couple of pins and pin it to the base.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I agree with Simon, you have to get a lot of heat ( without melting any part of it ), the hotter it is the better chance it will do as Simon says (ha!) and hold.  It's one reason I prefer the hairdryer/heat gun over hot water...it takes awhile to get water hot enough to do the job...and then it's messy.

It is possible the material it's made from will not allow a permanent change though..the mold could be off then it's cast that way.  If so the only option is to pin it in place. I would do so after heating to be make it easier to pose, then once pinned it has choice but to stay in that position.

It might be another idea if your comfortable with it,  drill all the way up the leg as far as you can in a straight line and insert a pin all the way. It might give it enough rigidity to stay and it won't be permanently attached to the base.

[tanystropheus]

I've tried Quakehold Museum Wax to secure my Papo Running T-rex in place. It was stable for a a few weeks but then toppled over as soon as the temperature got warmer*. Perhaps, I didn't apply the wax correctly. Caution - It does leave behind a somewhat messy, oily residue (probably not a good thing for that base). It got great reviews as you can see from the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2gzqLHOLMQ

I don't know...maybe it's meant for vases and stuff. You might have better luck.

*I'm currently using a medium/small size acrylic riser to provide support for one of the Papo Rex's leg.

Disclaimer: I don't really know what the above video is all about (perhaps, some high school chemistry science project or something ), I was just looking around for a video demonstration of Quakehold and that was one of the first things that popped up on Youtube.

[Dobber]

Here's my update. The model was left on my desk overnight and when I woke up yesterday morning, he had fallen over and could no longer stand off the base. I put him on the base and left him on there for the rest of the day. I took a closer look after work yesterday and sure enough, the legs reverted back and he could no longer stand off the base, only on the base with some help in positioning the feet.

For those of you who have applied the treatment multiple times, have you noticed a gradual improvement? Or better yet... has anyone at all who applied the treatment one or more times, been successful in keeping the legs fixed permanently? I'm afraid of affecting the model's paint and texture if I apply the heat/cold treatment multiple times. 
For those of you with more experience with this... What would you recommend at this point? Should I try the treatment once again and is it realistic to expect the legs to stay permanently fixed at some point in time? Your advice is appreciated.

Hey Joossa, sorry to here it reverted back on you. Mine has done the same 3 times. I'm not sure, but freezing it longer as Simon says, may help hold it longer.....but what I fear may be happening there is that it will just simply be taking longer for it to "thaw" back to room temp at which point it will warp again. I'll give it one more try though, as I have already done this....minus the freezer....3 times already.

Don't want anyone to have this problem, as I want everyone to enjoy their figures....but I can't help feeling slightly vindicated as some people have come in and said it's a simple fix completely ignoring what I and others already reported that it didn't hold.....not you Joossa, other newer members. Anyway, I think you should be ok with another try and as Simon pointed out, use a hairdryer and REALLY warm it up. Then put it in cold water dry and freeze. Hopefully that will do the Trick. Mine seems slightly better than when I first got it but not nearly as good as when I fixed it any of the 3 times.

Chris

[joossa]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Will give it one more shot this weekend. *fingers crossed*

Chris, let us know how things work out for you.

[Shadowknight1]

I will say, while it hasn't stayed like I wanted it yet, my Papo Dilophosaurus did show improvement under repeated treatments, and this is for changing the basic pose of it.  If you're seeing any improvements at ll, it's a good thing.

[Tegnowaddict]

Hi Guys,

i'm new here, but came to the forum when looking for a solution for the Ceratosaurus leg fix...
2 days ago i used the hairdryer trick, by heating the legs for around 3 minutes, after this i immediately cooled the legs down in the desired pose (by simply putting it in a tile of water) and for me this solution completely worked.

48 hours have gone by and the legs are still in the new (and stable) position. Dunno if this will help people who are still having the reverting back problem, but i especially changed the position of the right leg (stretched that one more to the back, to get a stable position.)

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I think it also depends on your house.

If you have an air conditioned house or at least one that stays cooler they tend to stay more. If you use more hot, or let your house get warm in summer they can revert.  Same as putting them in a window or a room that gets direct sun.

[Arul]

I just wacthed the review about this figure from shartimus prime, lol he is very funny guy

[tanystropheus]

By far the best model in my entire collection, pictures don't really do the Ceratosaurus justice.

As far as I can tell, there is really only one way to ensure that my Cerato is stable on the base, as it doesn't seem to stand on flat surfaces. Take a close look at the included picture (s); The hind feet should lean against the tree stump in a manner that is almost interlocking. I hope this helps.

[Dobber]

Sad to say my Ceratosaurus reverted again....not as bad but sill enough to make it topple over on its own. It just took longer this time. 

Maybe mine was just really bad initially. I hope Rebor listened to some of our suggestions on how to protect the legs during shipping, for the Acrocanthosaurus and any future releases.

Chris