The Energon Pub

Got Skullcruncher (Skullsmasher) today and he's very loosey-goosey practically. I've been keeping him in beast mode as its the only form he's capable of standing without support in. What was weird about it was when I took him out of his package today his legs came right off with not much pressure applied. I think it indicated he was separated from them when they bound him in the package. It's only served as a testament to being so wobbly though unfortunately. The Titan Master is a lot like my Scourge sadly with being loose itself as well. The only one to actually be good was my Galvatron, and thankfully there's been no breaks or stresses put on the plastic with that. So I lucked out there with that at least. One out of three though. Meh.

Tyrannacon wrote:Got Skullcruncher (Skullsmasher) today and he's very loosey-goosey practically. I've been keeping him in beast mode as its the only form he's capable of standing without support in. What was weird about it was when I took him out of his package today his legs came right off with not much pressure applied. I think it indicated he was separated from them when they bound him in the package. It's only served as a testament to being so wobbly though unfortunately. The Titan Master is a lot like my Scourge sadly with being loose itself as well. The only one to actually be good was my Galvatron, and thankfully there's been no breaks or stresses put on the plastic with that. So I lucked out there with that at least. One out of three though. Meh.

Try the Wipe and Shine Pledge fix. If tightened the legs/thighs of my Takara version. Didn't have issues with the head though.

fenrir72 wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:Got Skullcruncher (Skullsmasher) today and he's very loosey-goosey practically. I've been keeping him in beast mode as its the only form he's capable of standing without support in. What was weird about it was when I took him out of his package today his legs came right off with not much pressure applied. I think it indicated he was separated from them when they bound him in the package. It's only served as a testament to being so wobbly though unfortunately. The Titan Master is a lot like my Scourge sadly with being loose itself as well. The only one to actually be good was my Galvatron, and thankfully there's been no breaks or stresses put on the plastic with that. So I lucked out there with that at least. One out of three though. Meh.

Try the Wipe and Shine Pledge fix. If tightened the legs/thighs of my Takara version. Didn't have issues with the head though.

Yeah, I'm going to try it actually. Going to walk over to the grocery store today to see if they have any and what not.

I'm reluctant to do such things mostly because I am atypically a klutz and don't want to ruin the figure.

Tyrannacon wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:Got Skullcruncher (Skullsmasher) today and he's very loosey-goosey practically. I've been keeping him in beast mode as its the only form he's capable of standing without support in. What was weird about it was when I took him out of his package today his legs came right off with not much pressure applied. I think it indicated he was separated from them when they bound him in the package. It's only served as a testament to being so wobbly though unfortunately. The Titan Master is a lot like my Scourge sadly with being loose itself as well. The only one to actually be good was my Galvatron, and thankfully there's been no breaks or stresses put on the plastic with that. So I lucked out there with that at least. One out of three though. Meh.

Try the Wipe and Shine Pledge fix. If tightened the legs/thighs of my Takara version. Didn't have issues with the head though.

Yeah, I'm going to try it actually. Going to walk over to the grocery store today to see if they have any and what not.

I'm reluctant to do such things mostly because I am atypically a klutz and don't want to ruin the figure.

I used a long neck and narrow tip pippette. Shake the bottle(Pledge) well then extract a small amount. Apply in on the thigh joint of Skull(the one that twists sideways (you know what I mean) and the socket joint connected to his body. Just a small amount. Btw, it won't damage the figure. I guarantee it.

Won't the polish make the pippet go rock hard - I guess you have to suck a lot of water in an out of them afterwards ?

I just drip it off the blunt end of a paint brush myself

RAR wrote:Won't the polish make the pippet go rock hard - I guess you have to suck a lot of water in an out of them afterwards ?

I just drip it off the blunt end of a paint brush myself

In the pipette, you can control the amount. And, my pipette's tip is as clean as a baby's bottom, which you need to rinse after use of course.

The plastic hinges on Wol Fwire's canopy just snapped completely through when I was transforming it and the canopy accidentally somehow got pushed down into the hollow area it covers. Just the yellow plastic hinge, though, the transparent red part is made of that rubbery stuff and survived. Not sure there's any way to fix things because a big pin holds that whole area together, and without getting it all taken apart, gluing would make a huge mess.

fenrir72 wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:Got Skullcruncher (Skullsmasher) today and he's very loosey-goosey practically. I've been keeping him in beast mode as its the only form he's capable of standing without support in. What was weird about it was when I took him out of his package today his legs came right off with not much pressure applied. I think it indicated he was separated from them when they bound him in the package. It's only served as a testament to being so wobbly though unfortunately. The Titan Master is a lot like my Scourge sadly with being loose itself as well. The only one to actually be good was my Galvatron, and thankfully there's been no breaks or stresses put on the plastic with that. So I lucked out there with that at least. One out of three though. Meh.

Try the Wipe and Shine Pledge fix. If tightened the legs/thighs of my Takara version. Didn't have issues with the head though.

Yeah, I'm going to try it actually. Going to walk over to the grocery store today to see if they have any and what not.

I'm reluctant to do such things mostly because I am atypically a klutz and don't want to ruin the figure.

I used a long neck and narrow tip pippette. Shake the bottle(Pledge) well then extract a small amount. Apply in on the thigh joint of Skull(the one that twists sideways (you know what I mean) and the socket joint connected to his body. Just a small amount. Btw, it won't damage the figure. I guarantee it.

I put a squeeze or two of pledge into a small version of one of these



and keep the lid on when I'm not using it. Haven't had to put more in in a few weeks and several figures.

I apply it with a toothpick, get it soaked up right and you'll get a drop on the end that works nicely. Work the joint after a few drops in various places to make sure it gets where it needs to. When in doubt, always apply more than less, but keep a paper towel handy to wipe off excess amounts if they get in other areas, especially on darker plastics. It won't hurt anything, it's just easier to wipe off before it dries, so might as well clean it up sooner. Then let it dry overnight (some say 24hrs, but it's not that exact, just don't expect it in an hour or two)

This worked really well on my Skulls Masher's legs. Though I don't doubt those dropper things do a nice job, I don't have those or know where to get one.

Today I'm tightening up the elbows and one really lose knee on Astrotrain. Oddly his other knee is already very tight (but not too tight).

Optimum Supreme wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:Got Skullcruncher (Skullsmasher) today and he's very loosey-goosey practically. I've been keeping him in beast mode as its the only form he's capable of standing without support in. What was weird about it was when I took him out of his package today his legs came right off with not much pressure applied. I think it indicated he was separated from them when they bound him in the package. It's only served as a testament to being so wobbly though unfortunately. The Titan Master is a lot like my Scourge sadly with being loose itself as well. The only one to actually be good was my Galvatron, and thankfully there's been no breaks or stresses put on the plastic with that. So I lucked out there with that at least. One out of three though. Meh.

Try the Wipe and Shine Pledge fix. If tightened the legs/thighs of my Takara version. Didn't have issues with the head though.

Yeah, I'm going to try it actually. Going to walk over to the grocery store today to see if they have any and what not.

I'm reluctant to do such things mostly because I am atypically a klutz and don't want to ruin the figure.

I used a long neck and narrow tip pippette. Shake the bottle(Pledge) well then extract a small amount. Apply in on the thigh joint of Skull(the one that twists sideways (you know what I mean) and the socket joint connected to his body. Just a small amount. Btw, it won't damage the figure. I guarantee it.

I put a squeeze or two of pledge into a small version of one of these



and keep the lid on when I'm not using it. Haven't had to put more in in a few weeks and several figures.

I apply it with a toothpick, get it soaked up right and you'll get a drop on the end that works nicely. Work the joint after a few drops in various places to make sure it gets where it needs to. When in doubt, always apply more than less, but keep a paper towel handy to wipe off excess amounts if they get in other areas, especially on darker plastics. It won't hurt anything, it's just easier to wipe off before it dries, so might as well clean it up sooner. Then let it dry overnight (some say 24hrs, but it's not that exact, just don't expect it in an hour or two)

This worked really well on my Skulls Masher's legs. Though I don't doubt those dropper things do a nice job, I don't have those or know where to get one.

Today I'm tightening up the elbows and one really lose knee on Astrotrain. Oddly his other knee is already very tight (but not too tight).

I got mine from your local medical equipment/supply shop.

My Skullsmasher have the loosest hip balljoints I've ever seen. Shake the robot to have the legs fly off! It's really maddeding that such an unforgivable flaw is on such a great TF.

gantzrunner wrote:So I guess I should've been wary when I discovered nearly the entire first wave of Titans Return in one day between 3 stores since im never that lucky. I say this because every single figure I purchased have worse construction than a K.O.!

What KOs are we talking about here? The high quality ones you have to order online, or the cheap ones you find at the dollar store? If its the dollar store ones, then I disagree. There are issues, but its nothing close to those. KOs are oversimplified with less parts than the originals and sometimes cant even transform fully. I havent encountered that with any of the TR figures. Not that they have 0 issues, but I have had more issues with the CW line so far with things breaking and some plastic feeling super cheap. Plus the way UW Blastoff and Strafe (the only mold Hasbro will never release) has a serious issue with the head popping off. And Brawl is a poorly conceived mold. He clearly wasnt meant to be used as an arm since the hand piece broke off:



The problems I have encountered with the Titans return line are minimal. Principally it is the loose hips of Skullsmasher, which do not prevent him from standing. And the loose head on Scourge which does not in any way mean it will fall off or cant be posed properly. He still poses perfectly well and you cant tell the head is loose when posed, at least for me:



In the end, I see no difference between this line and others. They all have issues but nothing is as bad as the KO g1 scramble city toys I have, far from it.

william-james88 wrote:

Any particular reason why you used a Stunticon HFG? Or a Drag Strip/Mirage type for that matter?

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Any particular reason why you used a Stunticon HFG? Or a Drag Strip/Mirage type for that matter?

I dont know who it belongs to, all my hands and accessories are in a seperate bag. I was doing a galvatronus configuration and I wanted all purple for hands and feet, and I was using Brawl as an arm to see how that looked. They should all fit regardless, no?

william-james88 wrote:I dont know who it belongs to, all my hands and accessories are in a seperate bag. I was doing a galvatronus configuration and I wanted all purple for hands and feet, and I was using Brawl as an arm to see how that looked. They should all fit regardless, no?

In theory yes, they should all use the 5mm standard. However, tolerances can be very fickle and difficult to get just right. In Brawl's case the fit seems to be too tight in that particular spot, which could mean the peg is slightly too big, or the hole is slightly too small. I've seen multiple Alpha Bravos with a similar problem, with the different result in the hole cracking.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

william-james88 wrote:I dont know who it belongs to, all my hands and accessories are in a seperate bag. I was doing a galvatronus configuration and I wanted all purple for hands and feet, and I was using Brawl as an arm to see how that looked. They should all fit regardless, no?

In theory yes, they should all use the 5mm standard. However, tolerances can be very fickle and difficult to get just right. In Brawl's case the fit seems to be too tight in that particular spot, which could mean the peg is slightly too big, or the hole is slightly too small. I've seen multiple Alpha Bravos with a similar problem, with the different result in the hole cracking.

I love how ol' uncle HasTak can't even get something as simple as universal 5mm ports right. Quality products ladies and gentlemen.

Speaking of quality products, I got TR Skullcruncher and his hips and thigh swivels were LUDICROUSLY loose. Like, "Out of the package won't stay on the figure" loose. Fortunately I was able to tighten them with the old super glue trick, but really I shouldn't have had to- especially not to THAT extent. Limbs just falling off out of the package is something I expect of bootleg makers, not the real deal. On top of that his gun peg was also loose, and whilst not a QC issue per se he's got basically zero paint apps on him (which I took the liberty of rectifying).

A shame because once fixed he's a fantastic figure, but really I shouldn't be having to fix things like this out of the box. ESPECIALLY not with the price hikes the figures have been getting. Combined with the stories I've heard on 4chan and this very website about Weirdwolf's canopy hinge breaking, Chromedome's doing the same, loose heads on Scourge and Highbrow and the general cheapness of the line...Yeah, I'm a lot less enthusiastic for it than I was.

What price hikes? Didn't titans return go down in price from combiner wars?

No. CW were at £16:99 on average. TR wave 1 was the same, wave 2 is at £20 for deluxes.

Insurgent wrote:No. CW were at £16:99 on average. TR wave 1 was the same, wave 2 is at £20 for deluxes.

In the UK then, but prices went down or remained the same in the states and Canada.

william-james88 wrote:

Insurgent wrote:No. CW were at £16:99 on average. TR wave 1 was the same, wave 2 is at £20 for deluxes.

In the UK then, but prices went down or remained the same in the states and Canada.

Well hurray for you guys.

Black Hat wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

william-james88 wrote:I dont know who it belongs to, all my hands and accessories are in a seperate bag. I was doing a galvatronus configuration and I wanted all purple for hands and feet, and I was using Brawl as an arm to see how that looked. They should all fit regardless, no?

In theory yes, they should all use the 5mm standard. However, tolerances can be very fickle and difficult to get just right. In Brawl's case the fit seems to be too tight in that particular spot, which could mean the peg is slightly too big, or the hole is slightly too small. I've seen multiple Alpha Bravos with a similar problem, with the different result in the hole cracking.

I love how ol' uncle HasTak can't even get something as simple as universal 5mm ports right. Quality products ladies and gentlemen.

Speaking of quality products, I got TR Skullcruncher and his hips and thigh swivels were LUDICROUSLY loose. Like, "Out of the package won't stay on the figure" loose. Fortunately I was able to tighten them with the old super glue trick, but really I shouldn't have had to- especially not to THAT extent. Limbs just falling off out of the package is something I expect of bootleg makers, not the real deal. On top of that his gun peg was also loose, and whilst not a QC issue per se he's got basically zero paint apps on him (which I took the liberty of rectifying).

A shame because once fixed he's a fantastic figure, but really I shouldn't be having to fix things like this out of the box. ESPECIALLY not with the price hikes the figures have been getting. Combined with the stories I've heard on 4chan and this very website about Weirdwolf's canopy hinge breaking, Chromedome's doing the same, loose heads on Scourge and Highbrow and the general cheapness of the line...Yeah, I'm a lot less enthusiastic for it than I was.

In some of the versions in TL, Scourge has no issues. Hardhead too. Skullcruncher? Well, my suggested fix is a testament to that

Any known issues with Blaster?

Insurgent wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Insurgent wrote:No. CW were at £16:99 on average. TR wave 1 was the same, wave 2 is at £20 for deluxes.

In the UK then, but prices went down or remained the same in the states and Canada.

Well hurray for you guys.

Yeah, sorry

fenrir72 wrote:Any known issues with Blaster?

I have 0 issues with my Blaster.

I bought a stray bag of Combiner wars hand/foot/guns and I was testing them out on the Combaticons and some fit fine some won't even go in the holes so there is seeming issues on the 5mm nature of the post/hole across the line.

I have heard some people have found the same issue with Titan Masters on the little pegs they stand on some fit tightly some fall off.

It looks like some toys the holes are the issue though as people also complain about the use of 3rd party hands and feet causing breaks too.

RAR wrote:I bought a stray bag of Combiner wars hand/foot/guns and I was testing them out on the Combaticons and some fit fine some won't even go in the holes so there is seeming issues on the 5mm nature of the post/hole across the line.

I have heard some people have found the same issue with Titan Masters on the little pegs they stand on some fit tightly some fall off.

It looks like some toys the holes are the issue though as people also complain about the use of 3rd party hands and feet causing breaks too.

I have a feeling it's not just the size of the pegs and holes that's the problem, but also how much the plastic is able to "give way", as in squeeze around the peg on a microscopic level. That's part of how tolerances work.

The handle on my Crashbash was far too tight for anyone to hold without fear of snapping their mits. Hell, the grey plastic in general doesn't seem very good.




I dunno if Clobber is any better.

Gotta build 'em like bricks again, like G1... and get rid of all those loose ball joints that characterize modern Transformers toys.