Joes with the common 1982-2001 construction are basically held together with a small screw and a plumber's O-ring. You should love the O-ring, because this is what gives the figure its great articulation in the waist and legs, allowing better poses. It's as vital a feature as swivel-arm battle grip. But these rings are made of rubber. Over time, they become stretched out, hard, and brittle, and eventually break. Unless you store your Joes in pieces to reduce wear on the band, repairing them will become a frequent chore for your older figures.
If your Joe has the normal construction, there should be a screw visible in the hole where the figure's backpack attaches. A few later produced Joes, such as the Ninja Force and Armor-Tech, don't have a screw visible. If one of these figures is broken, you'll probably just need to pick up a new one. These later Joes aren't too expensive, but they can be hard to find. The only other figures that could cause you trouble here are Zartan, Zandar, and Zarana. Their torso halves are glued together. You may be able to get them apart, but you risk demolishing them in the process. Fortunately, Zandar and Zarana are cheap and easy to find. Good luck snatching a reasonably priced Zartan, though.
Assuming you've got a normal figure whose screw isn't too rusty, you can follow these step-by-step instructions to replace a broken O-ring:
Well, that's simple enough. Now that you know how to disassemble and re-assemble the figure, you can swap out other parts to restore or customize your figures, or store them in separate halves to save wear and tear on your O-rings.
One other problem may arise: what if the hook itself breaks? This usually doesn't happen on its own, but if your figure takes a fall onto a hard surface, or if your O-ring is too tight, it just might happen. These hooks aren't very common, so you'll need replacements from spare figures or from on-line stores (again, smalljoes.com has them).
These are the easiest ways to fix a G. I. Joe. Unfortunately, other common breaks just aren't reparable without actually getting a new part for that particular figure. This includes broken thumbs and fingers, chipped collars and heels, snapped waistpieces, and the ever-so-annoying cracks that inexplicably appear next to the elbow joints. Dealers don't usually sell just parts; you'll probably have to buy a whole new figure. The best advice here is to go easy on your Joes. Don't give them to fierce animals, make them hold weapons with oversized handles, force them into ill-fitting footpegs, or set them where they can plummet to oblivion. Above all things don't let the screws rust to the point that they can't be removed. Finally, a careful application of paint can tighten up loose joints or clear up paint-wear problems, but be aware that this restoration may lower the value of your figure more than the normal wear and tear will. Don't plan on trying to sell a repainted Joe.
Since 2002, new-sculpt figures have been packaged in poses that may leave their soft (i.e., less breakable) plastic warped. The easiest solution to this problem is to run the affected part under very hot water (boiling if necessary, but don't burn yourself; the hotter the water, the more permanent the fix). Then bend the part into the desired shape and run it under very cold water.
One final note on maintenance: Much of the white, grey, and light blue of older figures is prone to a chemical change when exposed to certain kinds of light. Direct sunlight in particular is deadly to figures such as Snow Job, Storm Shadow, and Stinger Driver. Some vehicles are also subject to this process. Once the plastic starts to turn yellow or green, the change is irreversible. This doesn't mean you can't play with your Joes (you 30-year-olds know who you are), but try to avoid displaying them by the window or in a lighted glass case that's on 24 hours a day. You may just want to put these figures on a rotation so they get plenty of "dark time."
