The Energon Pub

I recently got a damaged G1 Mirage in a lot that a friend gave me. The previous owner had broken the pin in his middle and glued it back together. He looked ok in robot mode, but that's only half of what it takes to be a Transformer. When I snapped it apart, a big chunk pulled off of the upper body, and I ended up having to file off the whole thing.
This fix employs three of my favorite tools: epoxy putty, plastic tubing and my handy-dandy, manual mini-drill.
The first step was to find the right size of tubing. I heated the end and blunted it so it wouldn't pull out and trimmed it to the proper length.
Next I filled the cavity in his torso with FastSteel epoxy putty. It's a putty made for heavy duty repairs such as pipe joints and leaks, so it sets in under five minutes. It sets too fast for delicate work, but it's perfect for structural work.
Once the putty set, I drilled the right sized hole into it and fit the tube. Lastly, all I had to to was adjust things a bit, sand where necessary and glue the tube into the putty leaving the bottom free to swivel.
The final result isn't factory perfect, but he can transform again, and besides Mirage can always just project a hologram to cover up any imperfections.






I'll paint that.


Tools used:


I got this drill for Christmas, and I've used it on almost every project that I've done since. It's magic.

Is anyone having issues with the display stand for MP-03 Starscream?

I am noticing that my MP Starscream no longer fits snuggly on his stand. Instead, the peg and hole connection are starting to get loose, which is making his display a little precarious. He is starting to swing loosely on the stand.

Under close inspection it appears that some of the paint is coming off of Starscream's peg on his back, which fits into the hole on the stand.

What is the best solution? Clear nailpolish? Something else? Thanks.

Does anyone know of a way to help reduce the yellowing on Metroplex?

Well, first try googone and rubbing alcohol. If not, how about a whitening toothpaste? Haven't tried the toothpaste myself, but I don't see how it can harm the figure. I guess, just make sure the tootchpaste is all white.

Stormrider wrote:Is anyone having issues with the display stand for MP-03 Starscream?

Not stand related, but one of the wings on mine broke off at the hinge. Is there any way to fix it?

Geekee1 wrote:Does anyone know of a way to help reduce the yellowing on Metroplex?

There used to be a lot of information about yellowing before the crash two months ago. Somebody with a chemical engineering background even went into great details about the yellowing effects a year ago.

Basically the yellowing is caused by a chemical change in the plastic. UV rays & heat tend to increase the process. As the plastic molecules breakdown, the plastic takes on a yellowish color and can become brittle. Yellowing is a bad sign.

So far, I haven't seen any solution to reverse the chemical breakdown. Cleaning the surface of the plastic may not correct the problem since the problem comes from within the plastic, not on the surface.

Hey there! My MP-01 Prime recently fell out of it's display ( f-ing neighbors!) and the right leg total came out of the joint. none of the plastic seems to have snapped, but the leg has been loos even since.

Any Tips?

also, when unboxing my Mp-03 Starscream, the Port side machine gun peice that begins the TF process case loos and has been falling off since, again, with no breaks.

HELP!

I've had good luck tightening up joints on various kinds of toys using Krazy Glue. I drip a tiny bit into the joint and then keep moving it until the glue sets into a layer between the parts. If you don't like the risk factor of that method, you can also glue the knob part of a joint to a piece of foam rubber, or similar material, and peel it off. It should leave a thin layer that will tighten up the joint.
Either way, you'll fix your toy up right as rain, or ruin it beyond repair. But what's life without risk?

Tom_Servo wrote:I've had good luck tightening up joints on various kinds of toys using Krazy Glue. I drip a tiny bit into the joint and then keep moving it until the glue sets into a layer between the parts. If you don't like the risk factor of that method, you can also glue the knob part of a joint to a piece of foam rubber, or similar material, and peel it off. It should leave a thin layer that will tighten up the joint.
Either way, you'll fix your toy up right as rain, or ruin it beyond repair. But what's life without risk?

Thanks for the Advice. I'm not normally worried about risk, except that both the figure I mentioned are Masterpiece TF's.

* Breaks into cold sweat*

I'll let you know how it goes.

oddacidtea wrote:Hey there! My MP-01 Prime recently fell out of it's display ( f-ing neighbors!) and the right leg total came out of the joint. none of the plastic seems to have snapped, but the leg has been loos even since.

Any Tips?

also, when unboxing my Mp-03 Starscream, the Port side machine gun peice that begins the TF process case loos and has been falling off since, again, with no breaks.

HELP!

Ok, I am deathly afraid of Krazy Glue. Any little mistake and it becomes a disaster. If the joint is loose, just coat the balljoint with clear nail polish. Do a thin coat let it dry, place it back in and see how it feels. If its still loose, repeat. Works like a charm and is impossible to screw up.

Bonger wrote:

oddacidtea wrote:Hey there! My MP-01 Prime recently fell out of it's display ( f-ing neighbors!) and the right leg total came out of the joint. none of the plastic seems to have snapped, but the leg has been loos even since.

Any Tips?

also, when unboxing my Mp-03 Starscream, the Port side machine gun peice that begins the TF process case loos and has been falling off since, again, with no breaks.

HELP!

Ok, I am deathly afraid of Krazy Glue. Any little mistake and it becomes a disaster. If the joint is loose, just coat the balljoint with clear nail polish. Do a thin coat let it dry, place it back in and see how it feels. If its still loose, repeat. Works like a charm and is impossible to screw up.

They don't call it crazy for nothing. I usually end up stuck to my working surface!.

My concern is with the MP-01 hip joint, as it in much more complex than a ball joint.

I was wondering what everybody uses to clean up old G1 toys? I've started cleaning my old ones up that have been sitting in my parents basement for about 15 years. I've been using rubbing alcohol to a pretty good effect so far. The only problem is that it destroys the stickers. It's not a big deal right now though, because most of the stickers have started to disintegrate anyway.

After trying to glue transformers pieces countless times with different glues I was wondering which ones you use. Is there a glue for transformers that will completely bond it and not let it brake away? So far I have used testors "plastic to plastic" glue, crazy glue, and some glue from thailand.

Mmm,

As for cleaning, I use a combo of rubbing alcohol and goo gone.

However, both will destroy stickers. Gotta just work around the stickers.

This is just for the initial cleaning when I first get a new figure as they are generally not well cleanned.

After the fact, mine stay in enclosed glass cases which I only need to clean like once every 6 months at the most.

If I notice any dust, I'll just use compressed air which generally does the trick for the light coat of dust that gets into the cases.

Enclosed glass cases are a must imo. There are pretty nice ones at Ikea stores for about 50 bucks. I have one of those for my WSTs and HOCs and it works well.

As for glue. If I HAVE to, I use Krazy glue, and it is always a disaster.

unicron129 wrote:After trying to glue transformers pieces countless times with different glues I was wondering which ones you use. Is there a glue for transformers that will completely bond it and not let it brake away? So far I have used testors "plastic to plastic" glue, crazy glue, and some glue from thailand.

Try Super Jet Super Glue. And also look up a technique called "pinning." It's used a lot in plastic modeling.

Where could I buy that super glue?

Anyone know where to get replacement cams for omega supreme to make him walk again besides buying junker tanks and taking them apart

thanks
parsons

unicron129 wrote:Where could I buy that super glue?

I always buy mine at the local hobby shop. But you could check out a Hobbytown USA if there is one near you. There website is http://www.jetglues.com

psrsox wrote:Anyone know where to get replacement cams for omega supreme to make him walk again besides buying junker tanks and taking them apart

thanks
parsons

You should have been here a few months ago. I got a couple of sets of machined brass cams for Omega from a guy in Australia. They are a perfect fit and are indestructible. I sold a spare Omega with one set of the cams and I have the other set in my current MIB Omega. I have the original set of cams but I am not sure that I want to part with them. I have had moderate success buying junker tanks to salvage the cams.

What kind of non messy extra strong glue I should use to repair a small broken thigh tab and the smaller upper trigger connector on my Mp Megatron? Is it possible it won't come off again later when I transform him to p-38 again? Or should I use spare parts when they become avaliable on Ebay to repair it? Thankyou!

Bonger wrote:Mmm,

As for cleaning, I use a combo of rubbing alcohol and goo gone.

However, both will destroy stickers. Gotta just work around the stickers.

When you say destroy stickers do you mean they degrade and remove them or they mess upthe print? What about the effect on paint/plastic?

Is it possible that brush on super jet glue work on fixing the tabs?

This might seem silly, but I just got my MP-04 Prime (great figure!! the's trailer is perfect!). In robot mode, I noticed the torso line (horizontal) between the windshield doors and the silver "obliques"/grill section is kinda loose. I also have the first Hasbro 20th Prime and he seems a lot tighter in that area. Can anyone tell me if they have this problem too and how to fix it? I don't want to do anything to possibly damage this $180 figure...

Just don't transform him anymore if you don't want to mess him up. If you try to do something you'll liable to mess him up. I'd tried to glue the small peg on Meg's thigh plate first with super glue and I couldn't. Due to the peg being so small I almost glued my fingers along with the peg. I decided to go with the spare parts needed instead. If I ever see them at some point.

SpacerAM2 wrote:Is it possible that brush on super jet glue work on fixing the tabs?

I've never tried the brush on, I always either apply it directly to the piece or use a toothpick.