How to Repair and Maintain Your HeroClix Figures

Quick answer

Most HeroClix damage is cosmetic or mechanical, not fatal. Match the fix to the symptom: warm-water reshaping for bent plastic, a tiny dot of gel super glue for a clean break, and careful pressure on the base or dial for wobble. If the dial no longer clicks or the figure has cracked through a load-bearing joint, stop and treat the piece as display-only rather than risking worse damage.

HeroClix figures take a beating. They get stacked in bins, carried in bags, knocked over mid-game, and shoved into cases with dice. Sooner or later a cape bends, an arm snaps at the shoulder, or a base starts to spin without clicking. None of that means the figure is ruined, but the wrong repair can turn a small problem into a permanent one.

This guide walks through the most common HeroClix problems by symptom, explains what usually causes each one, and gives you the corrective step plus a clear stopping point. It also covers the maintenance habits that keep painted figures and dials working long before anything breaks.

Start by identifying what actually broke

Before you reach for glue, figure out which part of the figure failed. HeroClix models have three zones: the sculpted figure, the base, and the dial mechanism sandwiched between them. A bent sword is a sculpt problem. A base that spins freely is a dial problem. A figure that leans is usually a peg problem where the sculpt meets the base. Each zone takes a different fix, and mixing them up is how people crack bases or glue a dial shut.

Look at the break under bright light and, if you can, a magnifier. Clean breaks with matching edges glue well. Jagged, whitened, or stretched plastic means the material was stressed before it failed, and those repairs are weaker. Note whether any small piece is missing, because a lost fragment changes your options.

• Photograph the break before you touch it so you can compare alignment later.
• Keep broken-off pieces in a small labeled bag instead of loose in a bits box.

Fixing bent or warped plastic

Bent capes, drooping weapons, and leaning stances are the most common HeroClix complaints, and they are also the easiest to fix. The cause is usually heat and pressure: a figure left in a hot car, packed tightly against other models, or stored in a bag where something heavy rested on it for months. The plastic slowly takes a set in the wrong shape.

Warm water is the standard remedy. Heat water to a temperature you can comfortably hold your hand in, dip only the affected part for a few seconds, and gently bend it back past straight, because the plastic will relax slightly as it cools. Hold it in the corrected position under cool running water to lock the shape. Repeat in small increments rather than forcing it in one go.

• Never use boiling water or a heat gun on a painted HeroClix figure; you can dull paint or melt thin parts.
• Reshape one bend at a time and let the figure sit overnight before judging the result.

Repairing a snapped arm, weapon, or accessory

A clean snap at a joint is the best-case break. The cause is almost always handling: pulling a figure out of a tight foam slot, catching a weapon on a bag zipper, or dropping it on a hard floor. The fix is a small amount of gel-type cyanoacrylate glue applied with a pin or toothpick, not squeezed straight from the bottle. Gel gives you a few seconds to align the parts, and a controlled dot keeps glue off surrounding paint.

Dry-fit the pieces first and hold them together to confirm the alignment. Then apply glue to one side, press together for the full cure time on the label, and let the figure rest undisturbed. If the joint is load-bearing, such as an ankle or a shoulder holding a heavy weapon, add a tiny support behind the joint rather than relying on glue alone.

• Test-fit before gluing; a misaligned arm is harder to fix than the original break.
• Keep accelerator away from painted surfaces unless you have tested it on a hidden area first.

When the base or dial is the problem

A base that spins without clicking, sticks between numbers, or feels gritty has a mechanical fault, not a cosmetic one. Causes include grit trapped in the dial, a warped base plate from heat, or a figure that was dropped and popped the base apart. Before doing anything, check whether the base is meant to come apart on your specific figure, because not every HeroClix base is designed to be opened.

If the dial is simply gritty, a soft brush and a puff of air around the edges often clears it. If the base has separated cleanly, you can usually press it back together and test the click. If the dial internals are cracked or a spring has escaped, that is your stopping point. Rebuilding a dial mechanism is fiddly work with a high failure rate, and a display-only figure is a better outcome than a destroyed one.

• Test the dial click before and after any base work so you know whether you improved it.
• If parts fall out when you open a base, stop and bag them rather than forcing it closed.

Maintenance habits that prevent most repairs

Most HeroClix figure repair jobs trace back to storage and transport. Store figures upright in a case with individual slots or in a compartment box where they cannot lean on each other. Keep them out of hot cars, attics, and direct sun, since heat is the root cause of warping and base distortion. When you travel to a game, use a dedicated figure bag rather than tossing models into a backpack with books.

For cleaning, dust with a soft dry brush and avoid solvents, alcohol, or household cleaners on painted surfaces. If you handle figures often, wash your hands first, because skin oils dull paint over time. A few seconds of care during storage saves you an evening of gluing later.

• Rotate stored figures occasionally so nothing stays pressed against a hard edge for years.
• Label compartments by team or set so you are not digging through loose figures.

Knowing when to stop and replace instead

Some damage is not worth repairing. If a figure has cracked through the base plate, lost a dial spring, or broken at a joint twice in the same spot, further attempts risk making it unusable. In those cases, retire the piece to display duty or replace it. The good news is that HeroClix has plenty of affordable entry points if you need a fresh figure or a whole new starting lineup.

If you are repairing because you are getting into the game, it is often smarter to start with a set designed for new players than to resurrect a battered figure. A starter set gives you ready-to-play pieces, and a themed pack gives you a specific character without hunting singles.

• Stop if the repair has failed twice at the same joint; repeated stress weakens the surrounding plastic.
• Stop if you cannot identify how the dial is supposed to reassemble.

Symptom diagnosis chart

• Bent cape, weapon, or leaning stance: Likely cause is heat and long-term pressure in storage. Dip the part in comfortably warm water, bend it slightly past straight, and hold under cool water to set. If the bend returns within a day, the figure is being stored under pressure; fix the storage before reshaping again.
• Clean snap at an arm, weapon, or accessory: Likely cause is handling or a drop. Dry-fit the pieces, apply a small dot of gel super glue with a pin, press and hold for the full cure time. If the break is at a load-bearing joint and fails twice, stop and retire the figure to display.
• Base spins freely or sticks between numbers: Likely cause is grit in the dial or a warped or popped base plate. Brush and air out the edges first; press a cleanly separated base back together and test the click. If dial internals are cracked or a spring is missing, stop; rebuilding a dial rarely ends well.

Products that help with repair and play

• DC HeroClix: Starter Set 2024: This starter set features four detailed, ready-to-play, pre-painted figures of popular DC characters: Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman and Harley Quinn, and each character comes with two different levels of gameplay to guide players through. If a repair keeps failing, this is a clean way to get back to playing with pre-painted figures that need no assembly or touch-up.
• Marvel HeroClix: Marvel Studios Next Phase Pizza Party (She-Hulk): This set contains one Limited Edition She-Hulk HeroClix figure with a character card, and it lets you and your friends recreate the bond between the cousins from She-Hulk. A single-character pack is a practical replacement route when one specific figure in your collection is beyond repair.
• WizKids Wardlings Painted RPG Figures: Zombie (Male) & Zombie (Female): Wardlings are pre-painted miniatures for families and gamers of any age who are young at heart. If you want pre-painted figures for casual tabletop use without the risk of handling fragile older pieces, this line is a low-stress option.

Most HeroClix problems come down to heat, pressure, or handling, and the fix is usually smaller than the panic suggests. Diagnose the zone first, use the gentlest method that works, and know when a figure has earned a place on the shelf instead of the battlefield.