The Energon Pub

News Credits: 5749 · by **El Duque** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:25 pm

Are we talking about the flaps that wrap around Vortex? Could someone who's had this problem post a picture?

by 009* » Sun Jan 30, 2011 6:45 pm

This happened to mine as well. I shaved one of the pegs on my Vortex, to reduce stress on the connector pack, and it still holds. Granted Vortex's enhanced robot mode suffers, one pack can't attach anymore but the combined figure still holds together.

by **Shadowstream** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:39 pm

News Credits: 668 · by **Autobot032** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 9:44 pm

I'm not sure what to do with it yet.

I've already swapped the flaps from Explorer's adapter, and they held for a while and now they completely broke.

I'm thinking of boring a hole in Vortex's side and use screws to hold him on during combined form, or take a pin and use it to fit in the hole. Something.

Velcro didn't work. It worked well for TRNS's chest, and still does, but wouldn't work at all on this set.

Magnets maybe? But I'm not even sure how to make such a thing work.

I might email BBTS and see if they have a replacement piece, or can get their hands on one (slim chance at this point, I know), but it seems a bad idea, really. I mean, it's just going to break again, given enough time.

I thought maybe the blue and gray repaint from the Universe/ROTF set would fare better, but now that I see a repainted copter has the same problem as my Energon original, I see it's a design flaw and you're screwed either way.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:00 pm

Well, if you're totally desperate you can buy a new Vortex and glue the peice onto it. But it seems to me that enough invisible elastics *might* be enough to secure Vortex to the peice if you use enough of them.

If you go the elastic route I would first suggest buying a quality glue to fix your broken pieces. I liek the Last Glue myself. Those holes may never be good for connecting again, but they'd be ideal to run some elastics through.

by **Shadowstream** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 11:34 pm

Autobot032 wrote:I might email BBTS and see if they have a replacement piece, or can get their hands on one (slim chance at this point, I know), but it seems a bad idea, really. I mean, it's just going to break again, given enough time.

I contacted BBTS yesterday as well. I once managed to get a replacement part when my city commander was decapitated, though that was not quite as long after the initial order as this one was. If I do get a new part and it doesn't work I'm considering getting blackout. If even that doesn't work though... well let's hope FP is paying attention. In the meantime I'm using an elastic. It's not a clear one, but it works.

I tried sanding down the underside of Vortex to see if that wouldn't create more clearance... It did, but not enough. I really don't want to customize it any further though since it's part of an expensive set, even though I did personalize it with Reprolabels.

News Credits: 8 · by **LiKwid** » Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:09 pm

I had a hard time getting the flaps to click with the enrgon version so..Like with most problems I have with transformers..It felt the wrath of my dremel...The peg was a tad to big so I filed it down a bit and it fits beautifully..Only prob I have had with the set other than that was Explorer's floppy wasit and finnicky feet..Pain in the ass...

News Credits: 5749 · by **El Duque** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:51 am

Well thanks for making me paranoid

Just checked on mine, it's been in combined mode since the set came out, everything looks fine. Hope it stays that way.

by **WeatherManNX01** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 3:34 pm

After a couple of months in vehicle and bot modes, I just put them back into Bruticus mode. While there are no stress marks or breaks, it does seem like those pegs are a little tight in those holes, so certainly seems to be something to watch out for.

by **NTESHFT** » Tue Feb 01, 2011 8:09 pm

I've kept check on mine. I even played with it a little. Still no signs of stress or any breaks, and I have had it combined since day two of owning it. I'm fixing to break him down and play with these awesome guys, plus I'm fixing to order the decals from Reprolabel for them.

by **Shadowstream** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:06 am

Well, BBTS sent me a replacement part... to no avail, as it seems it just wasn't meant to fit unstressed... *sigh* modding time.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:27 pm

Shadowstream wrote:Well, BBTS sent me a replacement part... to no avail, as it seems it just wasn't meant to fit unstressed... *sigh* modding time.

Did it just beak again?

by **Vicalliose** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:31 pm

Edit: WRONG ACCOUNT!

by **Shadowstream** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:40 pm

D***it Vic, LOG OUT WHEN YOU'RE DONE!

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Did it just beak again?

No, but I could tell it would stretch if I tried. This whole debacle is particularly frustrating for me since I have enough trouble getting normal Transformer products to last in my collection.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:50 pm

Well, at least you have an unbroken product. Try out some alternative ways of connecting Vortex and post yer solution here. I'm interested to know what you'll use to connect Vortex and spare your part.

There must be something off about the Vortex mold since my own part is undamaged. It's been Bruticus for months now.

by **Shadowstream** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:18 pm

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Well, at least you have an unbroken product. Try out some alternative ways of connecting Vortex and post yer solution here. I'm interested to know what you'll use to connect Vortex and spare your part.

There must be something off about the Vortex mold since my own part is undamaged. It's been Bruticus for months now.

My brother and I are wondering if that isn't where the main problem lies: Assembly and disassembly. We never like to keep ours displayed any one way all the time so we've had it back and forth between combined mode. What if it's the removal and replacing of the part that causes the most stress, hmm? It seems like that since most of the people who posted saying they didn't have the problem have kept it in combined mode.

News Credits: 668 · by **Autobot032** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:41 pm

Shadowstream wrote:
Gauntlet101010 wrote:Well, at least you have an unbroken product. Try out some alternative ways of connecting Vortex and post yer solution here. I'm interested to know what you'll use to connect Vortex and spare your part.

There must be something off about the Vortex mold since my own part is undamaged. It's been Bruticus for months now.

My brother and I are wondering if that isn't where the main problem lies: Assembly and disassembly. We never like to keep ours displayed any one way all the time so we've had it back and forth between combined mode. What if it's the removal and replacing of the part that causes the most stress, hmm? It seems like that since most of the people who posted saying they didn't have the problem have kept it in combined mode.

Very possible. However, when mine broke, there were no stress marks, and it had sat combined for at least a month.

I think modifying the post as others have said, might just help.

Website · by **Flux Convoy** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 12:34 am

No issues at all with mine. I'm using the ROTF release figures and I've only combined them or transformed them once or twice. No issues at all really.

News Credits: 2 · by **paul053** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:20 am

I have mine in combined form for long and transformed back and fourth few times. No issue so far. Actually taking that thing out is a pain in the neck. I've bent my nails few times and the stress mark is on my thumb nail, not on it. Thanks for the heads up and will keep an eye on it. BTW, mine is the ROTF version.

Website · by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 5:20 pm

Mine's the ROTF version, for the record.

by **Bruticus Maximus** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:09 pm

Hey whats up guys, I'm new to the forums. I just purchased the Crossfire 02 A&B Bruticus upgrade sets, which should be here by Wednesday. I ordered mine through ToyArena.

I'm going to check the fit on my Vortex, and if it feels as snug as everyone says it is, I'm going to take a micro file to the inside of the peg holes to remove a just enough material to make the pegs fit juuuuust right. :-?