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I just recently found a HA Sideswipe and the guys awesome, but the back kibble from the alt mode is kind of annoying. I came up of a idea to hide the back kibble better. Well heres what im talking about...
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0310.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0311.jpg

the backpack has a joint that could allow it to bend inwards fully, but the problem is that a plastic tab and some other plastic bits are in the way of it making a full bend.

If you get rid of some plastic under the car hood, the entire assembly should be able to bend towards the chest and lay under it
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0314.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0316.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0317.jpg

After cutting
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0318.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0320.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0319.jpg

You know, I never mess around with disassembling a figure even if it means better articulation and stuff, but I may just have to try that out! He looks WAY better! You should make an in depth tutorial...because I'm sure I'd mess my figure up if I just tried looking at the pictures you posted. Great job though man, you may have saved this figure for many fans.

Well this was my very first mod. When you get sideswipe unscrew the car roof to see where the joint folds better. Basically what I did was make grooves in the plastic with a hobby knife and then twist the plastic off with some pliers. It was a VERY disorganized process, i was just cutting/ shaving off plastic that i saw getting in the way of a full bend

First off, good job. I was kinda undecided on this figure due to it just not looking as good as the deluxe. Thankfully, there are people willing to disassemble their figures and make mods to improve on the design. With the economy the way it is, I'd be afraid to try this without an in depth tutorial, a bible, and a buttload of faith.

Secondly, why the heck can't Hasbro do this stuff IN THE FIRST PLACE? From what I've seen, some seemingly minor changes can make the new figs 100% better and accurate.

Sorry for the rant. Your braver than I am as far as mods go, and a first-time mod at that.

wow, now with just a bit of cuttin, this figure is perfect!! this mod should be a standard read for this figure.. he looks much more like the movie version now, and even better IMHO then the deluxe!! awesome!!!

Moar pics! this guy looks so much better without half a car hanging from his back, but rather it IS the back now.

And I forgot to mention if you losen the screws under the cars rear lights(sideswipes chest you can push push them inward to give a better look.
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0321.jpg

I did the same type of mod. It does look better.

A few things to note:
Trim the plastic as shown by the original poster. The joint section and a tiny bit of the post (where it triangulates at the end) need to be trimmed. The post portion needs to be as straight as you can make it, so shave a bit off the sides at the end of it.

It also helps to trim a small section off of each smaller wing piece (the part that is under the door in car mode). When you rotate it, you can see where a small plastic tab blocks it from having full rotation. You only need to trim about half of the tab.

I also mistransformed the feet to give him a little bit more stability. It can stand on my carpet without falling, for whatever that's worth.

I took the pistons out of the legs and aligned them so the legs can be all the way extended. It adds to his height, although he is still shorter than HA Bumblebee.

He's still a bit iffy for me.
This does remove a major problem, though.

Thanks for sharing the mod! It improves the figure but I still prefer the proportions in robot mode of the deluxe class Sideswipe.

good modification

That loos so much better. I'll bear this in mind if I ever get him on clearance.

i seen the ha sideswipe at target.... wasnt a fan

My biggest complaint now is the lack of articulation, especially at the waist. He is a brick compared to HA Bumblebee.

vbann wrote:After cutting
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0318.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0320.jpg
http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0319.jpg

Looks good from the front, the side not so much, but well done regardless.

I still think his chest looks huge either way. However, I still need to find one of these beauts...

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for this tutorial, in does make HA Sideswipe look a LOT better than he does out of the box as is. That back pack is...awful.

sweet mod, from the front. actually kinda makes me want to pick him up....
but then i was reminded of his backpack.... its like you cant hide from it

vbann wrote:http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0319.jpg

I just did this mod, but did not remove as much material.

It allows the hood to tuck further up under the back, but for mine, it does not stick quite so far straight back.


Basically this cut, but without removing as much material.

vbann wrote:http://i357.photobucket.com/albums/oo11/vjgraham/100_0316.jpg

It's much better than factory, and it only took cutting the tab flush with the plastic & trimming the edges of the screw mounts.

The whole thing fits much better.

Oh, I didn't mod the running board at all, they still fit in the "down" position as listed in the original instructions.

It's kind of a shame they didn't use the transform from the deluxe. I must admit, I like that version a lot better.

After cutting, will the backpack swing around or it will just hold in place?

Wow. This is such a good mod. The figure is amazing aside from the kibble, so I am really excited to make this change to mine. This is great.