The Energon Pub

I posted about this issue a couple weeks ago and was left convinced that the lightpiping is present just the plastic is not transparant enough to make it work.

I don't have the picture at the moment but last night I took a photo of his face using camera flash and I noticed something funny.

if you look close there is brush strokes on the black part of his face, even though his face is black plastic it looks like it was painted over with black as well. The photo revealed that the same colour of paint was applied to his eyes! with bits of blue showing through.

So there you have it, his eyes are infact painted over. Thats probably the main reason why the lightpiping on this figure sucks.

Now I ask you all this... What would happen if I tried applying paint thinner to his eyes?

lester_ninja wrote:I posted about this issue a couple weeks ago and was left convinced that the lightpiping is present just the plastic is not transparant enough to make it work.

I don't have the picture at the moment but last night I took a photo of his face using camera flash and I noticed something funny.

if you look close there is brush strokes on the black part of his face, even though his face is black plastic it looks like it was painted over with black as well. The photo revealed that the same colour of paint was applied to his eyes! with bits of blue showing through.

So there you have it, his eyes are infact painted over. Thats probably the main reason why the lightpiping on this figure sucks.

Now I ask you all this... What would happen if I tried applying paint thinner to his eyes?

ironhide is my very first tf figure and i hope that his eyes are also transparent just like robo-vision prime so that when light reflects the back of the head, the eyes reflects the blue light effect...

lester_ninja wrote:I posted about this issue a couple weeks ago and was left convinced that the lightpiping is present just the plastic is not transparant enough to make it work.

I don't have the picture at the moment but last night I took a photo of his face using camera flash and I noticed something funny.

if you look close there is brush strokes on the black part of his face, even though his face is black plastic it looks like it was painted over with black as well. The photo revealed that the same colour of paint was applied to his eyes! with bits of blue showing through.

So there you have it, his eyes are infact painted over. Thats probably the main reason why the lightpiping on this figure sucks.

Now I ask you all this... What would happen if I tried applying paint thinner to his eyes?

Take a Q-tip and some nail polish remover. The cotton should turn black immediatley if you're right.

i think it's just the plastic that doesn't let light through very well. the lightpiping part is made out of the same plastic as the windshields and man.... those things are pitch black to begin with. direct sunlight i found was the best to see it work though.

I'll try to post pics soon, can't tonight because its my girls birthday (not a good time to geek out on tf's) but soon. And you can judge for yourself. It might be the opacity of the plastic, but I definitely think paint plays a part.

lester_ninja wrote:I'll try to post pics soon, can't tonight because its my girls birthday (not a good time to geek out on tf's) but soon. And you can judge for yourself. It might be the opacity of the plastic, but I definitely think paint plays a part.

wait did you apply thinner or nail polish remover? i'll give it a quick try.


ok... i removed the head from the body and i think also that the shoulders or the back is hindering light to hit the back of the head. the light piping works a bit better now that it's not being blocked haha. still can't tell if it's painted at all. doesn't seem to be.

neocrasher wrote:

lester_ninja wrote:I'll try to post pics soon, can't tonight because its my girls birthday (not a good time to geek out on tf's) but soon. And you can judge for yourself. It might be the opacity of the plastic, but I definitely think paint plays a part.

wait did you apply thinner or nail polish remover? i'll give it a quick try.


ok... i removed the head from the body and i think also that the shoulders or the back is hindering light to hit the back of the head. the light piping works a bit better now that it's not being blocked haha. still can't tell if it's painted at all. doesn't seem to be.

I have't tried either method yet. I'm going to try nail polish remover probably tomorrow. I'll post picks if the cotton ends up black.

I posted a couple pics of my ironhide. the light piping infact works, the bvlue plastic is just to opaque, to let the light shine through. I see nothing that would look like paint over the eyes, only a very opaque plastic, here is the thread:
IRONHIDE SUCKS!!!

and here is my Ironhide:



I used a key chain flashlight to the back of Ironhide's head. And it works.

Hasn't this already been discussed, and proven, with other pictures, that it's just the plastic that's just not translucent enough?

I used to be convinced that my Ironhides eyes were painted over until I applied a MASSIVE amount of light to the back of his head, then it looked like Overcracker's pic. Indeed it's just really dark plastic that doesnt really channel light through.

Hasn't this already been discussed, and proven, with other pictures, that it's just the plastic that's just not translucent enough?

Yeah, it was, in the thread i linked to in my other Post. the OP seems convinced its still paint over the ideas rather than very dark opaque somewhat translucent plastic.

I guess I'm stubborn but I really think theres paint. This may not be the case with all of them though. Plastic opacity definitly would contribute to the problem.

Maybe you did get a production error one with paint over the eyes, its certainly possible.

Try putting a flashlight (a key chain one works pretty good, but any small flash light should work) against the back of his head, and see if the light shines through, that should tell you whether its paint or not.

yea, there's been many threads on the defects with his head and theories. most plausible one, his head sucks.. but if you turn it around it looks like soundwave