Fixing differences in leg length

Hi there,

 

Here I am again with another newb question (I couldn't find a thread discussing this, but if there is, please feel free to refer me to said thread)!

 

When my Len arrived, one of his legs was about 1cm shorter than the other, and the foot on said leg is very difficult to position and move around. The troublesome side also appears to have a larger gap between the foot and the lower leg.

 

 

I'm assuming that these issues may be related and that it will require some disassembly, but all of that seems quite daunting to me and I wanted to ask the more experienced collectors among us for advice on I had best approach this. Thank you in advance!

Edited May 14, 2017 by Guest

The legs may have become slightly separated during shipping. Maybe they just need a little reassembly! Try pushing them together at the thigh and the knee.

 

Some of my DDs just seem to have slightly different leg lengths too, but it's a very small difference that doesn't affect their posing.

 

Good luck!

Linda S.

galatia9

The legs may have become slightly separated during shipping. Maybe they just need a little reassembly! Try pushing them together at the thigh and the knee.

 

Some of my DDs just seem to have slightly different leg lengths too, but it's a very small difference that doesn't affect their posing.

 

I've tried pushing the seemingly longer leg at both areas, but it didn't do a thing. Besides that, I really don't know what to do about the shorter leg, as it barely moves at all. I have posted a few images to show you what I'm referring to.

 

Both the knee and the ankle can move forwards and backwards, but otherwise the foot doesn't want to budge (I can't turn it like I can with the other foot). Both the difference in leg length and the foot make it impossible to make him stand, even with support.

The hip inner frame being off center plus how far the upper thighs have been pushed into the hip can affect how the legs compare to each other in length.

 

Edit: And to clarify, it's easy to fix. Just wiggle it until it's centered on crotch. Make sure both thighs are in as far as they go, helps to keep the vinyl shell as far down on the frame as you can.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Guest

I've tried pushing the seemingly longer leg at both areas, but it didn't do a thing. Besides that, I really don't know what to do about the shorter leg, as it barely moves at all. I have posted a few images to show you what I'm referring to.

 

Both the knee and the ankle can move forwards and backwards, but otherwise the foot doesn't want to budge (I can't turn it like I can with the other foot). Both the difference in leg length and the foot make it impossible to make him stand, even with support.

 

The foot skeleton has a cup on it, and it fits over a peg inside the doll's calf. The peg might be too wide, making the joint too tight and impossible to push all the way together. It IS supposed to turn, though! I would keep trying to turn it, forcing it gently. I think that joints can sort of "freeze" in place, and just have to be jolted out of position before they can move properly. Then maybe the foot can be pushed in.

 

(This photo shows the cup on a DDII foot. The DDIII foot looks much the same.)

 

DD skeletons are a frustrating mixture of durable and fragile! I had one DDII shoulder that was SUPER tight, I could barely budge it! I wrenched it back and forth until the plastic inside was flexing! Once I got it out, I sanded the peg down with a nail buffer until it was smaller, and now it's not as tight. I seriously think that some DDs have small irritating factory defects, just like cars!

 

As shikaree said, the hips can also tilt slightly from side to side. Check out the internal frame structure thread to see what you're dealing with:

 

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=44

 

I'm sorry your Len is bugging you!

 

Linda S.

galatia9