The Energon Pub

So, I went out today to see if the TF drought is as bad in the DC area as has been reported elsewhere. Short answer: it's dreadful. The two Targets and one WalMart I visited had huge empty swaths of pegs and shelves where the TFs should be.

I did manage to find Titanium Fallen (huttah!) and three movie voyagers I wanted - Ratchet, Ironhide and two versions of Starscream (reg'lar and - the one I wanted - G1 decos).

Ratchet is concerning me. I've been having trouble with his robot mode aligning correctly (or, at least, as it appears in Seib's gallery).

Here's issue #1:

This is the receptacle for the post that attaches his upper & lower halves nearer his midsection (there's another one just below his head), and it is obviously distorted. I've done a little grinding away to fix the problem I'd been having with the post not being able to fit in the hole, which largely worked.

However, that did not fix issue #2:

The top of the pelvis, the vehicle's roof, and the vehicle's hood/front end are supposed to stack, as in this image from the Seibertron gallery. Mine does not.

Am I transforming this wrong? Is that whole "spine" section mis-molded? It certainly appears so. Ideas?

Hmm.

One question: Do you have the pelvis locked in place? On that spinal column, there's a hole for a post and the post is on the back of the pelvis. They're supposed to be connected together.

Also, the chest piece is supposed snap in like the Pelvis does. I'm guessing you don't have the chest locked in place.

If need be, try and bore out the holes on the spinal column before continuing, so the posts will fit better.

If that doesn't correct any of it, then yes...you got a bum Ratchet. =\

I did pay close attention to the spinal column pic you took...it does look a tad warped.

from the looks of the picture try to put the roof flat on the hood before you snap the hips into place.