The Energon Pub

Inspired by all the brilliant super-articulation projects going on lately (Ptitvite's Dinobots and Devastator's gestalts, for example), I've decided to have a crack myself. Digging out my old junker Inferno, I've taken him apart to give him some proper joints.

At this point, I'd already got a knee working; I basically scored and snapped the leg at the appropriate points (one side just above the knee, and the other side just below), and filed the joint down. I also used a needle file to slightly widen the screwhole inside the knee.





Here the left leg is scored and ready for snapping...



Here he is after snapping and filing the left leg, showing the parts it's been split into...



...and showing the new assembled leg...



After that, I set to work on the hips. I took the groin, hips and upper knees from a messed-up Shockini. After cutting the legs right off the torso, I used a diamond burr to buzz a socket for the waist's ball-joint. The hip-plate has been trimmed down and fixed to the Shockini's groin and hips, and the the upper knees were filed down and installed into Inferno's thighs to give him a rotary joint there.

These shots show a small sample of the movement available to him.







So now the legs are nicely articulated - the ball joints are a little loose, but I may attempt to tighten them up a bit with superglue or something.

I need to get the arms apart next to see what I can do with them...

Ramrider wrote:Inspired by all the brilliant super-articulation projects going on lately (Ptitvite's Dinobots and Devastator's gestalts, for example),

Admit it. It was really my articulation of Stalker that inspired you.

That aside, great to see more people getting back to the old G1 figures and giving them modern day technology.

Inferno's looking great, love how the poseability is looking.

And I should also add that it's great to see you around more often!

That is looking to be one great mod. Can't wait to see completed.

Burn wrote:Admit it. It was really my articulation of Stalker that inspired you.

Actually, now you mention it, he was one of 'em, too...

Burn wrote:That aside, great to see more people getting back to the old G1 figures and giving them modern day technology.

It is indeed. It just goes to show how great the original figs were; with a bit of extra love, they can look like a brand new toy.
If this works out, I'm tempted to have a crack at Mirage. Mine's in pretty poor shape at the mo as it is, what with having snapped in half at the waist; seems like I can't really do much to mess him up, so I might as well spruce him up...

Burn wrote:Inferno's looking great, love how the poseability is looking.

And I should also add that it's great to see you around more often!

Aw, shucks...
Nice to know I'm loved.
Transtopia's been my home from home over the last few years, and I've spent most of my time there. Since we're moving house soon, as it were, I figured I may as well scout on ahead.
Sometimes I forget how much I like it here...

Nujevad wrote:That is looking to be one great mod. Can't wait to see completed.

Thanks. Me either... although I'm not quite sure where it's going next. Until I can get the shoulder pins out to open his arms up, I'm a bit stuck.
Also, after looking at the fig so far, I think I'm gonna need to make the waist a bit sturdier, and the torso joint (the original hips) a bit looser, 'cause when I try to transform him, it seems he'd rather pop his ball joint than swing back at the torso. Also I may need to deconstruct the thighs and space them apart more; they're too close together in vehicle mode...

Looking very good.. im impressed when someone comes along and takes the G1 series of figures and gives them some modern loving and making them more dynamic.

As far as your ball joints are concerned, try filling the socket with some thin plasti-card (sheet styrene) so that it creates a tight grip so that the ball-end won't pop out and it will help tighten the joint for when everything is put together.

As far as widening the hips hmm i think you are right, so add a disc or two as a spacer for the legs on the hip joint.

other than that.. keep goin.. i would like to see this badass finished

This is looking great.

Now if only someone could do this to Rodimus Prime.

Massdestruction wrote:Now if only someone could do this to Rodimus Prime.

Surely that's why we have the Titanium.

Dear sir,

Holy crap, that's cool!

waaaaghlord wrote:

Massdestruction wrote:Now if only someone could do this to Rodimus Prime.

Surely that's why we have the Titanium.

Titanium Rodimus is OK, but like the rest of th titaniums it just isn't a great figure. The seethrough chest, the downward staring head, it just falls short to me. Don't get me wrong though, I wouldn't get rid of mine.

But seriously, G1 Rodimus would be a great figure t do these types of mods to. Since the legs are not essential to attaching the cab to the trailer, modding the legs won't affect the vehicle mode's stability. Plus, he has always had such a stylized robot mold, he would be almost perfect with added articulation. That's my 2 cents.

Another delightful bash that really shows how cool G1 really is.

waaaaghlord wrote:

Massdestruction wrote:Now if only someone could do this to Rodimus Prime.

Surely that's why we have the Titanium.

nah man! There's challenges to be had in taking a brick and completely articulating it!

That's really great work there Ramrider. Well done. Personally, if I were you, I wouldn't bother with the arms. They really already have a great deal of articulation, particularly in the shoulders. The only thing they're really lacking is horizontal rotation in the elbow. The part i would fix is the head. That is the next part that really needs the articulation since it has none. Good work.

some sweet work, cant wait to see the rest of the modding!