Toiling over toys

My son loves action figures. He saves his allowance and waits for the day we say, “Yes, you can buy another toy,” then he spends 30 minutes scrolling through his Amazon Wish List to find his next action figure acquisition.

This time it was Star Wars Commander Wolffe. We clicked Place Your Order and my son immediately turned to me:

“When will it get here?”
“In two days”
“What time will it be delivered?”
“By 10pm”
“Aw man!”

Two days came and went and the toy arrived. My son ripped open the box, gathered the rest of his Star Wars toys, and began an epic battle.

He took Commander Wolffe to bed with him that night. Took him out to breakfast with us the next morning. Brought him grocery shopping. Played with him in the bath. And then again right before bed.

From my son’s room, we heard him shout, “No!” and then burst into tears. He walked into our room head hanging low, crying uncontrollably. Commander Wolffe’s left arm broke off. His new favorite toy was ruined.

This wasn’t the first time one of his toys broke. But it was the first time it broke my heart. 

I scooped up my son and, without thinking, promised him we’d find a way to fix it. Typically I apply Gorilla Glue to the broken piece and call it a day, not worrying if the toy still has the same articulation and functionality – it’s a toy after all.

But this was different. I needed a new strategy.

I googled until I came across a YouTube video explaining step-by-step exactly how to fix a broken ball joint in an action figure arm. The video explained that it’s simple – all you need is a dental implant post, super glue, tiny screws, a tiny drill, good lighting, and patience. I was screwed. The supplies I could get, but the patience to toil over a tiny toy until it’s fixed… not so much.

Turns out I couldn’t get the supplies either. I searched local hardware stores and Amazon but couldn’t find the exact supplies needed. The toy sat broken for almost a year on my bedroom dresser slowly collecting dust. 

Last week my son found it and asked me when his toy would be fixed. More determined this time, I went back to the source, YouTube, and searched for different videos on how to fix Commander Wolffe. The new videos I found didn’t use obscure items like dental implant posts, the materials they mentioned were more accessible. I found them on Amazon:

A pin vise drill
2mm diameter brass rods
Super glue

Two days came and went and the supplies arrived. I ripped open the package, gathered the broken toy pieces, and began my epic battle.

I forced myself to take my time, not wanting to ruin his toy even further. I worked for a few minutes, then stepped away, coming back 10 minutes later to do the next step. I became a toy surgeon with only 10 minutes of training: 

Carefully drill a hole the size of the metal rod and place it into the shoulder ball joint. 

Measure the distance between the shoulder joint and the arm before placing the metal rod in both and securing it with glue.

After securing the metal rod in the shoulder and the arm, I took a deep breath and tried to move the arm to see if it had the same articulation as before. It moved left, right, up, down. It didn’t fall out. 

I did it.

Commander Wolffe reassembled and ready for battle

My son jumped up and down with glee. I told him Commander Wolffe needed to rest for the night, so we made a bed for him, but in the morning, he could play with him again but not in the shower because of the glue.

The next morning he carefully took Commander Wolffe out of his action figure bed. He played with him before school and after. The epic battles continued.

Later that night my son came up to me with another toy: a Red Power Ranger. Part of his sword broke off in the toy’s back. “It’s okay, though, right? You can fix anything. You’re a toy master now!” 

Alternate article opening line written by my son: My son’s toys were made horribly and now I feel like a master of toys and I can fix them all. (Then he told me I could write the rest myself)

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Thanks to

Emma Dorge

, the editing master and late-night encourager