In this thread, DarkJedi wonders about the possibility of printing replacement T-hooks, and I express doubt about being able to, since the stress of the O-ring would cause the plastic of the hook to warp or break. However, this got me wondering about a way to replace T-hooks completely, as in, no hook or O-ring. That's when I hit upon the idea for the 'bubble wand' T-joint.
What if, instead of a T-bar with a hook on top to fasten to an O-ring, a bar was fashioned with a long shaft, terminating in an "O"? The length of the shaft would be such that there was just enough tension to hold the figure together tightly but still allow movement. The "O" would be just thick and deep enough to fit around the back peg where the O-ring used to. The attached picture isn't designed to any exact proportions, as it's just a rough sketch.
Attachment:
File comment: "Bubble Wand T-Joint"
replacement T-hook.jpg [ 31.86 KiB | Viewed 560 times ]
I don't actively collect RAH-style figures anymore, but I know a lot of guys do. So now I'm wondering if there would be any interest in this? Of course, this wouldn't be of use to someone restoring figures, but for customizing it might be useful, or for just displaying figures without having to worry about O-ring rot. What are your thoughts and opinions? If this seems to be something people are interested in, I'll design one up and test it with one of the various RAH figures I have with busted O-rings.