How to fix and swap Sindy doll legs

UPDATE and quick note. A lot of people ask where to get the hip bands from. I don't think anyone makes them now so you will have to salvage them from an old doll. I don't sell them as they are old and may not be reliable. My best recommendation is 2mm string elastic as an alternative. Follow my new extra instructions below to find out how! Read on...

Sindy was swingy, and not in a good way!

Last week I sorted through all the Sindy dolls, spare bodies, legs and arms that I had in stock and fixed them up. One of the dolls had very 'swingy' hips and I replaced the elastic band inside to fix them up. I decided to make a video to share the process, as I've done it a few times now and developed a knack for it.

Swapping legs

It almost sounds like a dance, but swapping legs is just the process of removing a damaged leg and replacing it with a better quality one. Sometimes the feet have been chewed by Gnasher or the knee mechanism has snapped and juts out of the rubber flesh, or the surface is split or spoiled. Replacing a spoiled leg can really revive one of these dolls and make them like new again.

Restringing hips

This era of Sindy (from 1974 to around 1988) actually has thick rubber bands to hold the ball jointed legs securely inside the hips. However, the common word for replacing any of these inner workings is called 'restringing'. I guess this is because earlier dolls (although not Sindy) often had string or cord elastic inside the bodies. 

Sometimes the band inside the hips gets over-stretched and the legs and body will not stay in position when you want to pose them. In this case you need to find a replacement band from another dissembled doll and replace the loose one. 

You can also use cord elastic as a substitute - see video.

Process

I've shown the process of how to remove the legs, replace the elastic band and reassemble the legs and hips in this video. If you're familiar with fixing Sindy dolls, you can fast forward to 5:34 for the key quick tip on reattaching the second leg. This is the hardest part of the process because you need to keep the elastic stretched at the same time as working to pin it in place.

Fix with a repurposed vintage hip band

Fix with string elastic

Let me know in the comments below, if you have any questions or tips of your own about the process.