The Energon Pub

hi im thinking about doing the spring switch on movie leader megatron but im sorta afraid id break the thing. Anyone got a guide/walkthrough on how to do it? Any help would b e appreciated thanks.

Okay, so I'm busy fixing up a Soundwave. It came to me from an E-bay vendor in far more horrendous condition than I had expected (And been told, which pissed me off. No positive reply from me!): The joints were really loose and the tape-door was so badly warped in two places that it wouldn't stay shut. Fortunately, I was able to fix the door problem with some boiling water (A plastic-lover's best friend next to Superglue) and am working on fixing the hinge joints with some Green Stuff. However, the rotating and metal joints are starting to prove problematic. If I want to make it worth it, I also have to replace all the extraneous parts aside from the battery cover for less than $14 to keep it under the cost of the remake. Is this possible?

Also, I have a Blitzwing with a broken wing coming in soon. That will be a different experience.

Here's the picture the vendor used. I got it for just over $8 including shipping. If I can fix it, is it worth it?

Kohdok wrote:Okay, so I'm busy fixing up a Soundwave. It came to me from an E-bay vendor in far more horrendous condition than I had expected (And been told, which pissed me off. No positive reply from me!): The joints were really loose and the tape-door was so badly warped in two places that it wouldn't stay shut. Fortunately, I was able to fix the door problem with some boiling water (A plastic-lover's best friend next to Superglue) and am working on fixing the hinge joints with some Green Stuff. However, the rotating and metal joints are starting to prove problematic. If I want to make it worth it, I also have to replace all the extraneous parts aside from the battery cover for less than $14 to keep it under the cost of the remake. Is this possible?

I'd check places like Tfieds.com to see if someone is selling a junker with accessories. That's usually a cheap way to fix up your figure and get the accessories. They may not be in perfect shape, but there are ways around that.

Which joints on Soundwave are giving you problems? The arms you can probably work a little tape/paper magic with, but the legs might be harder. If I'm remembering might(and I might not be... might hafta pull junker Soundwave out and look) they've got plastic "gears" which can wear down, which is a problem with my G1 Prime I'm working with. At that point, the only thing you can do is find replacement parts.

Okay, a couple of questions...

First of all, I got a G1 Mirage to patch up my old junker. He's in pretty good shape for the most part, but one of the overhang pieces on the back was snapped. I replaced it, but the old piece has faded considerably, to the point it's like a blue-green compared to the dull blue of the other figure. Is my best bet repainting the whole thing in blue, or is there a fairly reliable way to match colors?

Also, anyone had luck with tightening the nosecone joint on the Seekers? It's the ONE problem with my G1 Starscream, and I'm not sure how to fix it, short of forcing out the pin and stuffing the holes with something to tighten the fit.

KoH4711 wrote:I'd check places like Tfieds.com to see if someone is selling a junker with accessories. That's usually a cheap way to fix up your figure and get the accessories. They may not be in perfect shape, but there are ways around that.

Which joints on Soundwave are giving you problems? The arms you can probably work a little tape/paper magic with, but the legs might be harder. If I'm remembering might(and I might not be... might hafta pull junker Soundwave out and look) they've got plastic "gears" which can wear down, which is a problem with my G1 Prime I'm working with. At that point, the only thing you can do is find replacement parts.

Paper? Tape? I've been using Green Stuff to stack on top of the worn-out gears. It's a kind of putty that you can ask for at any store that sells tabletop game parts like Warhammer 40k by the name "Green Stuff". It's a kind of putty that gets rock-hard after curing. Is that okay or should I look for a different solution?

Does anyone have tips on how to open the clear orange "face" on a G1 Omega Supreme? It looks like it will pop out, but at the risk of scraping or snapping some plastic. Can it be removed safely by unscrewing the head? I am thinking about giving him a face from the Repro labels upgrade set.

Kohdok wrote:Paper? Tape? I've been using Green Stuff to stack on top of the worn-out gears. It's a kind of putty that you can ask for at any store that sells tabletop game parts like Warhammer 40k by the name "Green Stuff". It's a kind of putty that gets rock-hard after curing. Is that okay or should I look for a different solution?

For matching up gears, that actually sounds like a great solution... I might have to try it on my G1 Prime.

If you have a joint that's just a peg hooking into a slot, usually the plastic's worn down. You can just use masking tape or even paper towels to fill in the gap. For more complex stuff, like the gears, it sounds like you're on the right track. I hadn't even thought of anything like that. It's been a long time since I looked at my junker Soundwave, I'll give him a once over and kinda look at the joint set-up.

You know, I sometimes half wonder if a "diagram" style page might be helpful for restoration...

My 08 Bumblebee has a black spot on his head. I am going to paint over it and I'd like to know what type of paint to use and what type of color would work best.

I think my '08 BB has a loose torso ball joint or something. Kind of hard to get an exchange/return on him now. His left leg is a bit loose too but not as bad as the torso I think. Anyone know a simple way I can fix these a bit?

IceDrake - Where on the head is it? I've seen some people touching up 'Bee's face using silver paint, and that might work for you. If you're not confident with paint, a Testor's silver paint pen is pretty good for stuff like this.

Icetron - Gotta go with the tape or paper combo here if it's a ball joint. Pull the leg off very carefully, and put some paper in there, and reattach the leg. It might take a few times to get the fit just right, but this is an easy way to restore a loose joint. I don't have my '09 Bumblebee in front of me, but the torso joint will more than likely require a little disassembly. Just be careful, as you never know when a tiny but crucial part might be hiding underneath(if you've ever done any work on a G1 Prime's arm, you'll know what I'm talking about).

KoH4711 wrote:IceDrake - Where on the head is it? I've seen some people touching up 'Bee's face using silver paint, and that might work for you. If you're not confident with paint, a Testor's silver paint pen is pretty good for stuff like this.

It's on the top right portion of his head. The mark is right in one of the grooves on his head. Something must have nicked it during production. Its on the yellow portion of his head so I'll look for yellow Testors.

Icetron wrote:His left leg is a bit loose too but not as bad as the torso I think. Anyone know a simple way I can fix these a bit?

I had the same situation with mine. I used to collect a toy line called Xevoz, they were like Stikfas but bigger and more detailed. Their ball joints got really loose all the time. I had some clear nail polish and popped BB's legs off, dabbed a little around the surface of the ball joint. Let it dry for a few minutes and pop it back on. It should be a lot less loose.

I just got the Classics Devastator today from wal-mart. its really awesome but im having trouble getting the legs to stay attached at the knee where the bots join together. anyone got any good advice on how i could make them stay to gether better? a PM would be great if youve got some ideas. thanx

Lapse Of Reason wrote:Does anyone have tips on how to open the clear orange "face" on a G1 Omega Supreme? It looks like it will pop out, but at the risk of scraping or snapping some plastic. Can it be removed safely by unscrewing the head? I am thinking about giving him a face from the Repro labels upgrade set.

Anyone?

KoH4711 wrote:IceDrake - Where on the head is it? I've seen some people touching up 'Bee's face using silver paint, and that might work for you. If you're not confident with paint, a Testor's silver paint pen is pretty good for stuff like this.

Here's some pics

hi folks,

i managed to pick up a masterpiece convoy over the weekend at Otakon. i'm really really happy with it, except for one minor QC issue. Prime's right chestplate (our left in the photos) is not aligned right, and i can't seem to figure out how to fix it. it's like the pin holding the chestplate half is bent somehow. i circled the chestplate in the pics below.





anyone know how to fix this?

Hi,
I have had alot of my recenter TFs stored in a cupboard because of shelving problems, and they have gotten an awful metallic-esc odor, is there any way to get rid of it? Or will I have to air them out? Thanks.

hopefully this is a simple fix.

Movie I have a bumblebee (74 version) and when I was changing him into a car some yellow plastic piece popped out. Next thin I know the front end of the car (chest in robot mode) refuses to stay flipped up. It stays flipped down into the Robot chest mode. can anyone offer some help.

I just got back into Collection Transformers and this is pretty frustrating.

Edit: nevermind I fixed the autoflip by popping the spring. now I can change him back and forth. I don't know why Hasbro let that issue slip by them.

IceDrake wrote:

KoH4711 wrote:IceDrake - Where on the head is it? I've seen some people touching up 'Bee's face using silver paint, and that might work for you. If you're not confident with paint, a Testor's silver paint pen is pretty good for stuff like this.

Here's some pics

If you have a comics or modeling shop nearby that sells Gundam markers, the yellow is a really good match. If not, they can be ordered online. Testors makes a yellow paint pen you can pick up at most craft stores, but I don't know for sure how well that matches up.

Dragon, I've been having the same problem with my Bee. Could you tell me exactly what you did to make the front end stay up?

KoH4711 wrote:Icetron - Gotta go with the tape or paper combo here if it's a ball joint. Pull the leg off very carefully, and put some paper in there, and reattach the leg. It might take a few times to get the fit just right, but this is an easy way to restore a loose joint. I don't have my '09 Bumblebee in front of me, but the torso joint will more than likely require a little disassembly. Just be careful, as you never know when a tiny but crucial part might be hiding underneath(if you've ever done any work on a G1 Prime's arm, you'll know what I'm talking about).

Thanks, I tried the tissue thing for the legs and it works so far, not for the torso though. It looked like just another joint, so good thing I didn't break anything lol.

IceDrake wrote:

Icetron wrote:His left leg is a bit loose too but not as bad as the torso I think. Anyone know a simple way I can fix these a bit?

I had the same situation with mine. I used to collect a toy line called Xevoz, they were like Stikfas but bigger and more detailed. Their ball joints got really loose all the time. I had some clear nail polish and popped BB's legs off, dabbed a little around the surface of the ball joint. Let it dry for a few minutes and pop it back on. It should be a lot less loose.

Thanks, I will probably try that for the torso joint to see if it'll fix it.

Defirion wrote:Dragon, I've been having the same problem with my Bee. Could you tell me exactly what you did to make the front end stay up?

sure all I did was use a small screwdriver and popped this one spring out.



Once you do the hood will stop flipping over. you can then manualy convert Bumblebee back and forth.

Dragon,you're my new hero.

Fang Wolf wrote:Hi,
I have had alot of my recenter TFs stored in a cupboard because of shelving problems, and they have gotten an awful metallic-esc odor, is there any way to get rid of it? Or will I have to air them out? Thanks.

K, I let them air out, odor gone, but I have a new prob with my G1 Tracks. The legs will not stay in place in vehicle mode. Does it have springs in the legs or something?

Hi all, just found this thread, and decided to ask for help.

My good ol' Snarl is in need of repair. I rummaged him up recently, and I found out his hind right leg snapped off. Any hope of repairing him? Here are some pics, sorry about the poor quality though.

Any advice on how to tighten a pin joint -- preferably without removing/replacing the pin? Portions of it are exposed, if that helps...