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Pleo Stuff => Pleo Archives => Archive -- General => Topic started by: applepie79926 on December 28, 2011, 07:14:25 PM

Title: Pleo skin
Post by: applepie79926 on December 28, 2011, 07:14:25 PM

Hi my name is Steven and i just got a Ugobe Pleo for Christmas and i named him Littlefoot. After playing with Littlefoot for a couple of days his paint is starting to peel on his back and sides a little. Is this normal?

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: InmemoryofRomeo on December 28, 2011, 08:02:48 PM

It is normal I am afraid, the best thing to do is put some clothes on your Pleo. That will help prevent any further wear. Some users here have tried various rubber care products with varying degrees of success to help reduce friction but I'm afraid it is an 'attempt at your own risk' kind of thing so do take care if you go that route. Test on a small inconspicuous patch first.

And welcome to the forums Steven :)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: AshWolFF on December 28, 2011, 08:06:34 PM

I remember Littlefoot from that cartoon.  ;D Right? Are we talking about the same toon with all the other baby dinos?  %)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: applepie79926 on December 28, 2011, 08:24:10 PM

Thank you InmemoryofRomeo i will try to find some clothes for him. Will small dog clothes work?? Yes my brothers girlfriend came up with it beacause of the Land before time cartoon.

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: applepie79926 on December 28, 2011, 08:32:53 PM

Will he still feel it when i touch his sensors if i put clothes on him

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: RedwoodsMama on December 28, 2011, 10:38:59 PM

Hi and welcome to the forums, Yes, unless the clothes are super thick, yes he will still feel your touch, the sensors that is. There are many sensors so some may be more sensitive than others. I have many Pleos and most wear clothes to protect their skin and also when you have as many as I do, it is easy to get them confused, except for the Reborns of course. I use small or extra small dog clothes, baby clothes and then make some as well, We also have two awesome talented members, IMR and Kat who make Pleo clothes that you can buy here on the forums, if you go to the Stores and you will find their shops. ;) P:)

                                   RWM and her Pleo Clan of the Redwoods

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on December 28, 2011, 11:38:08 PM

Hello and welcome!  Yes, many of us here use either purpose made clother or small dog clothes and I've not noticed any less reaction to the touch sensors.  Some Build-a-Bear shirts fit OK as well.  :)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: applepie79926 on December 29, 2011, 08:15:48 AM

Thanks  :)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: MurphyMooCake on February 03, 2012, 03:02:33 AM

Hi

I just wanted to bring this topic alive, and not have to create yet another SKIN related thread

Today I decided to give Goofy the Rb treatment, and spruce up his coat, I used a permanent green marker to just touch up the main lines on his body

More details...

I do not know what side effects the ink will have, ie will it erode the material?

However my main reason for doing it was as although Goofy doesn't yet have any split skin, there were a couple of stretches appearing in the lines on his neck, which could be seen when he lowered his head, and as such I wanted to colour these in to hide the bare rubber look

This got me thinking

There are many topics on this forum regarding the skin condition of the Ugobe Pleo, and that the later versions have better rubber and paint

So my question is a simple one really

Would it be possible to refit Pleo with a new skin?

If so we could contact Innovo and ask them to sell their new skins to old owners

Does anyone have a contact at Innovo?
Could this question be asked of them?
How much would you be prepared to pay for a new skin?


Discuss . . .

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: saratogaspringer on February 03, 2012, 03:38:22 AM

It would be great if we could buy new skin, especially for our Ugobe's.  I don't think that is going to happen, however. For some reason, I think it was mentioned on here that the exact. Composition of the skin and paint is a pretty guarded secret. I think Kat has been the only one here who has had the skin on her RB replaced, but she had to send it back to the factory and it was still under warranty.  

Patches of the material to place under and repair split skin would also be great.

There are a lot of used Ugobes out there with split and dry rotted skin. I think that happens when people just put them in a closet in the sleep position for long periods of time. I thInk I read on here where leaving them packed against the styrofoam will also rot the Ugobe skin. 

I use a product that is made for rubber and vinyl on cars called Vinylex. It keeps the Ugobe skin soft and pliable. Not to be used on an RB under warranty however. I think there is a similar product in the UK that Crewella uses.

The ink marker won't hurt. I have used it on my Ugobe. Hope that helps.

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 03:52:46 AM

This has been asked in the past - Innvo took over Ugobe so have no real motivation to support the Ugobe models, and basically it's just not economic for them to offer a reskinning service.

You can remove and replace the skins, with care - there's a thread here about removal.  I'm without a spare skin at the moment (Bob has Scully's) but when I can I'll do a replacement thread if wanted.  

http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=1778.0

It would, if you bought a cheap broken one, be possible to buy a Ugobe with a better skin and replace the skin on your crumbling one .........  but this is basically why I'm looking into experimenting with skin repairs at the  moment.  :-\

By the way, you do need to be careful what you put on Pleo skin, solvents and such can dry out and rot the skin, as do light and extremes of temperature.

Vinylex is fab, the UK one I use is Autoglym - it protects the rubber from UV light and condtions it, rather than just coating with silicon, which in itself can dry rubber/plastics.  It also makes them silkier to the touch.

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: MurphyMooCake on February 03, 2012, 04:42:51 AM

Quote from: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 03:52:46 AM

This has been asked in the past - Innvo took over Ugobe so have no real motivation to support the Ugobe models, and basically it's just not economic for them to offer a reskinning service.

I wasn't thinking of a re-skinning service, simply the option to buy just the skin, after all if they are manufacturing them for new bots, then surely they could do a production run just for the skin?

Just a thought ;-)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 04:53:01 AM

I suspect their reasons for not being keen on the idea are also because it's not easy to remove the skin in one piece, and even harder to put a whole skin back on again - it could put a LOT of stress on the cables if not done very carefully.  Not many will want to go through that ....... and we're back to the economics.  Trust me - I thought the same thing!  :D

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: InmemoryofRomeo on February 03, 2012, 04:53:46 AM

First of all its INNVO not Innovo ;) Sorry I have to point that out, it really irks me and it could be misleading for people reading the topic.

Secondly, yes I would personally buy a new skin in a heartbeat if they ever offered them, sadly though Innvo have not offered that service although it has been suggested :( The reasoning may be because the skins are not strait forwards to attach and Innvo would likely end up with a lot of angry customers who didn't know what they were getting themselves into :P

Thirdly please don't ever use permanent marker on your Pleo again. Permanent markers contain ethanol and isopropanol both of which can dissolve rubber. If you feel the need to touch up your Pleo we have an excellent painting thread with lots of ideas for safe ways to give a new look or freshen up a Pleo.

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 05:32:01 AM

As IMR says, although economics of running off a few skins probably aren't a problem, the additional customer support, instructions, shipping, organisation ...... and general hassle for a small company sadly just wouldn't add up.  :(

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: MurphyMooCake on February 03, 2012, 07:30:42 AM

Oh well, just a thought - but I guess it will be a rub down and careful maintenance, followed by repairs 'as and when'

Sorry about the marker pen - I didn't read that anywhere, and so just jumped in, hopefully Goofy won't fall to pieces ?


I loved the video of the naked Pleo by the way - if all else fails then I could live with Goofy looking all terminator(ish)

There is another thread http://bobthepleo.com/forums/index.php?topic=252.0 which didn't seem to conclude, where Tinman was attempting to make a whole new skin from a mold, does anyone know if this ever came to fruition?

PS - just an update - Goofy's jacket is working very well, allows me to rub away on his back as much as I like without causing any paint loss!

cheers

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 09:08:53 AM

Not  immediately - but also it's the thinner areas between the 'scales' that get the most stress and are more likely to go on the moving parts, and I think that's where you went for it?  Just don't do it again!  :bullwhip: :P

As far as I know, it never came to anything ...... it's hard to do ......

I love the terminator look too - it's a very elegant design. :)

Glad the jacket's working well.  Some of us do have a bit of fun dressing our Pleos, but the main reason most of us do it, or at least started doing it, was for the same reason as you. :D

By the way - is it OK to call you Murphy? 

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: MurphyMooCake on February 03, 2012, 01:27:53 PM

Murphy is fine,  after all that's my name!

Don't ask where murphymoocake came from. As I embarrass easily :-)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: InmemoryofRomeo on February 03, 2012, 02:53:02 PM

Aww I was going to suggest Moo :D

But you've made me insatiably curious now, where did the name come from %)

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 03:59:16 PM

Lol!  Me too!!  :D

I originally typed  "is it Ok to call you Murphy ....... or Moo .......?" and backspaced!  :P

Oh dear ....... Moo might well stick ............  ;D  :moose:

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Wicked_Lovely on February 03, 2012, 04:04:37 PM

Ooh, so good to know about that Vinylex skin care product, I researched it right away-- I see on their site that it comes in two forms, the quickwipes and a spray. Which one of those would you pleo experts recommend?  ^-^

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 04:10:49 PM

Personally, I like to apply it with a sponge, quite thickly (but careful not to drip or get the electronics wet) every couple of months or so.  The wipes would be very handy for cleaning in between, but a damp cloth does just as well, especially once you've applied a coat of it.

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Wicked_Lovely on February 03, 2012, 04:19:48 PM

"Every couple of months or so"  :o oh my, I was under the impression it was more of a regular weekly thing? I suppose that it's possible to over-use it?

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 04:57:48 PM

You have to forgive me, I deal in antiques so I tend to come at things from an overly 'conservational' angle.  But, personally, I do think you can over-use products, so prefer to do a thorough coat every couple of months and then just wipe with a damp cloth in between.  But then I'm somebody who will only put wax on my wooden furniture once a year ...... ;)  :moose:

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Wicked_Lovely on February 03, 2012, 05:16:22 PM

Ahahaha it's all good  :D I didn't mean so much about conserving the product because it's expensive (though i admit i haven't looked into that-- if it is, then that does change things XD) but more of can the product be harmful to the skin of the pleo if you use it more than perhaps it's intended to be used?  %) ahh, i'm really not sure, lucky for me that you're here!

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Crewella on February 03, 2012, 05:49:04 PM

Sorry - I did mean conservation of the Pleo skin.  Same as wax on furniture - I've spent far too many long nights trying to remove thick layers of old wax ......... ;)

You can get a build-up if you use too much of any product ........

Title: Re: Pleo skin
Post by: Wicked_Lovely on February 03, 2012, 07:06:34 PM

Makes sense, I'll be sure to keep that in mind! Thank you ^^!