The Energon Pub

Some help please....I was messing with my animated Megatron that came with Prime. And during transforming I noticed that his legs are now extremely loose. Considering how new/old it really is I wondered how and why. Since it's a ball joint can anyone suggest how to solve my problem?

My only alternative is to give it away if I can't find a solution. I really appreciate all the feed back and thanks in advance!

I've had success using clear nail polish on the both ends of the joint. I've repaired several toys (including almost all of my Movie Bumblebees) with it. It might take two coats of so, but that should fix the issue. Make sure you wait at least a couple of hours before you reassemble the joint for the polish to cure completely.

Another trick is to use a drop of super glue in the joint. No disassembly required

Put in the drop, and then continuously move the joint for about half an hour. You will feel it tighten up.

I've done this many times, and it works like a champ. Works well on loose socket joints too.

BUT, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you don't, oh I dunno, go off and answer the phone and chit-chat while the glue is setting up.

That's how loose joints become stuck joints.

What rpetras said is a needlessly risky approach and time consuming and boring. Pop the joint off (we all know how easy it is) and put a coat of glue on the ball. leave to dry for 15-30 mins. You'll know when it's dry cos it'll be hard and not sticky when you touch it. If it's not dry just leave it longer. Pop joint back on. If it's not stiff enough, repeat process.

Hey fellas thanks all around for the help! I will definitely keep it all in mind the next time I face this problem. I'm off to "unlearn what I have learned"....so thanks again to you and Seasons Greetings!

Mykltron wrote:What rpetras said is a needlessly risky approach and time consuming and boring. Pop the joint off (we all know how easy it is) and put a coat of glue on the ball. leave to dry for 15-30 mins. You'll know when it's dry cos it'll be hard and not sticky when you touch it. If it's not dry just leave it longer. Pop joint back on. If it's not stiff enough, repeat process.

I use this method. I use super glue so I usually let the glue cure for 24 hours(it's really because I'll forget about it for a day, hehe).

I advise a "less is more" approach because you may be tempted to really load up on glue for a really loose joint and end up with making the ball too large to fit in the socket properly. A single thin layer of super glue has served me well so far, even on significantly loose ball joints. It's easier to add glue than to take it away when cured/dried.

Convotron wrote:

Mykltron wrote:What rpetras said is a needlessly risky approach and time consuming and boring. Pop the joint off (we all know how easy it is) and put a coat of glue on the ball. leave to dry for 15-30 mins. You'll know when it's dry cos it'll be hard and not sticky when you touch it. If it's not dry just leave it longer. Pop joint back on. If it's not stiff enough, repeat process.

I use this method. I use super glue so I usually let the glue cure for 24 hours(it's really because I'll forget about it for a day, hehe).

I advise a "less is more" approach because you may be tempted to really load up on glue for a really loose joint and end up with making the ball too large to fit in the socket properly. A single thin layer of super glue has served me well so far, even on significantly loose ball joints. It's easier to add glue than to take it away when cured/dried.

As usual, I agree!