For this procedure you will need:
1) Your trusty hair dryer
2) A small Phillips screwdriver, jeweler’s size
3) A hobby knife, like an Xacto #11
The knife blade does not have to be sharp. You are going to use it to separate two parts, not to cut anything.
First remove the lower leg by grasping the shin in one hand and the knee joint in the other. Twist and pull the lower leg till it separates from the knee.
Next we will remove the foot and ankle from the shin vinyl. The ankle joint fits very tightly in the shin vinyl. This can be the most difficult part of the operation.
Heat the lower part of the leg with the hair dryer. This could take several minutes.
The shin vinyl will have to be softened quite a bit in order to remove the ankle/foot assembly. You should be able to squeeze the lower shin easily. Hold the ankle ball and twist back and forth while pulling away from the shin.
Next, remove the Phillips screw on the bottom of the foot.
Remove the ankle joint from the foot by tipping the ankle joint forward and slipping it up and out of the foot.
Now slip the foot collar (a ring with the tab) off of the ankle joint.
On the ball of the ankle joint you will see two parallel seams. Take the hobby knife and CAREFULLY wedge the blade into one of the seams and pry the seam wider. Once you can get your finger nail in the gap put the knife away and remove the cap on the ankle ball.
If you can now see a Phillips head screw, you're ready to move on. If you see a hex nut on a bolt, repeat the procedure and remove the other cap.
Under the ankle ball caps there is a small bolt through the ankle joint. One side has a hex nut that fits snugly in the hex shaped hole while the other side has a bolt head with a Phillips slot.
Take your Phillips screw driver and tighten the bolt one quarter to one half a turn. This will depend on how loose the foot/ankle was. You can test the tightness by replacing the foot collar and the foot (replace the Phillips screw in to the bottom of the foot). Bend the foot and ankle joint to see if it is tighter than before.
Once the friction in the joint is satisfactory, reassemble the ankle joint ball caps (they snap on), slip on the foot collar (note the position of the tab), and finally the foot vinyl and bottom screw. Be careful not to over tighten this screw. It's one of the only metal screw-into-plastic connections and you don't want to strip out that plastic hole!
You will probably need to heat the shin vinyl in order to re-insert the ankle/foot assembly into the shin vinyl.
With the ankle/foot assembly back in the shin, reassemble the lower leg and the knee joint. Make sure the lower leg skeleton peg goes into the knee joint.
