Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem"
Saturday, October 25th, 2008 12:32AM CDT
Categories: Toy News, Site Articles, TranstopiaPosted by: First Gen Views: 86,233
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Seibertron.com member Geekee1 has taken time to show all you Ironhide loving TransFans out there how to do a relatively simple modification to Universe 2.0 Ironhide. This fix will eliminate the "hanging head" problem. Here's what he had to share"
I will post this in both the kitbashing forum and the toy forum, as I believe more people will see it there.
Poor ole Ironhide. he just can’t catch a break with his head can he? For as long as we’ve known he’s gotten screwed when it comes to his head. First he had no head, then he had it blown off in the movie, and now with Universe the poor bastard just can’t stop looking at his boots.
If you’ve been wanting to fix this as much as I have then I have some good news for you, and I have some bad news. The good news is that it can be fixed! Yes, yes hooray, you may love me now. The bad news is, is that it is a fairly extensive (albeit overall easy) mod that takes a good deal of cutting and sanding. Booo! You suck. I know.
So if you’re still with me (and if you love Ironhide you’d better be) here’s what you need.
First tools. Not a lot really. You’ll need a small phillips head screwdriver, and X-acto knife, some sand paper, and a small flat surface like a popsicle stick to wrap the sand paper around.
There are three major culprits in Ironhides head tilt, and how this got passed engineering is beyond me. The first is his “lower spine.” This piece folds down and presses against his rear bumper in robot mode. The problem is that there is too much plastic to allow it to sit flush, so that has to go. First partially transform him and then remove the three screws that hold the roof on like so.
You will also find it easier to work with him if you remove the “lower spine” from the upper body. Just pull the pieces apart.
It may be a little tight at first but I have removed and put this piece back together at least fifty times and it still works perfectly. Now carefully cut and sand the shown areas until you can push the spine to the bumper and his head sits flush when you reattach the spine. Remember to go slowly with the cutting and the sanding. You can always take more off, but you can’t put it back on. It took me a good hour to get this how I wanted it, granted I was being supremely careful.
Now it would be nice if that was the only problem, but unfortunately it’s not. We have two other problems to deal with. The next one that we will deal with is the hinge that is between his headpiece and the roof of the car. The problem here is that when his wheels come up into his backpack the wheel wells hit the underside of this hinge. What needs to be done here is to cut out a triangular shape on both sides so that the wheels can slide into them. I marked where the pieces were hitting with a marker and went from there. After finishing I’ve found that a good place to cut is parallel with the second “line” on this hinge as shown. The other cut for this triangular piece should be at about a 45 degree angle to the first cut. Once again you will have to keep test fitting until you get it just right, and again slow and steady.
Now onto the last problem that we have that’s got ole Ironhide lookin’ down. Remember those three screws that you took out to take backpack off? You can get rid of two of them because they are part of our last problem. The two screw pegs on the outside of this piece are keeping the tire from fully coming up into his backpack. They’ve got to go. You can cut these little buggers completely flush to the larger piece of plastic and then sand them smooth.
Do you have to take them all the way off you may ask? The answer is yes you do, and I should know, I spent about two hours carefully sanding these down little by little, fitting and refitting to see if they could still be used. They can’t. Don’t worry about the roof no longer being secure either. It is still plenty sturdy with just the center screw in there, and if it bothers you that much it can be glued on too.
Now put all pieces back together and voila! No more looking down for Mr. Hide. Now a few additional notes. The head won’t be quite perfectly flush, but it’s damn close. Also if you look at the rotating pelvis area it won’t go quite the whole way back, as it’s hitting the automorph bumper. Honestly this isn’t at all noticeable unless you’re looking at him from underneath. I didn’t even notice it for a couple of hours after I finished the mod.
Lastly I would highly recommend clear coating the backpack pieces. Mine were scarily tacky right out of the box, and I haven’t had that problem on any of my other figures. I recommend Testors Dullcote for this. I used it and it worked great, and the sheen on the figure isn’t that different either. Remember to mask of the windows though or you’ll end up with foggy ugly windows. I also painted his face silver with Games Workshop boltgun metal, followed by chainmail, but you can use whatever you want.
I would consider this mod to be of intermediate difficulty only because of how much plastic you’re actually getting rid of. It’s more time consuming than anything. I also may be a little biased having about 25 years of model building experience, but I’m sure that if you’re careful anyone can do it.
I will post this in both the kitbashing forum and the toy forum, as I believe more people will see it there.
Poor ole Ironhide. he just can’t catch a break with his head can he? For as long as we’ve known he’s gotten screwed when it comes to his head. First he had no head, then he had it blown off in the movie, and now with Universe the poor bastard just can’t stop looking at his boots.
If you’ve been wanting to fix this as much as I have then I have some good news for you, and I have some bad news. The good news is that it can be fixed! Yes, yes hooray, you may love me now. The bad news is, is that it is a fairly extensive (albeit overall easy) mod that takes a good deal of cutting and sanding. Booo! You suck. I know.
So if you’re still with me (and if you love Ironhide you’d better be) here’s what you need.
First tools. Not a lot really. You’ll need a small phillips head screwdriver, and X-acto knife, some sand paper, and a small flat surface like a popsicle stick to wrap the sand paper around.
There are three major culprits in Ironhides head tilt, and how this got passed engineering is beyond me. The first is his “lower spine.” This piece folds down and presses against his rear bumper in robot mode. The problem is that there is too much plastic to allow it to sit flush, so that has to go. First partially transform him and then remove the three screws that hold the roof on like so.
You will also find it easier to work with him if you remove the “lower spine” from the upper body. Just pull the pieces apart.
It may be a little tight at first but I have removed and put this piece back together at least fifty times and it still works perfectly. Now carefully cut and sand the shown areas until you can push the spine to the bumper and his head sits flush when you reattach the spine. Remember to go slowly with the cutting and the sanding. You can always take more off, but you can’t put it back on. It took me a good hour to get this how I wanted it, granted I was being supremely careful.
Now it would be nice if that was the only problem, but unfortunately it’s not. We have two other problems to deal with. The next one that we will deal with is the hinge that is between his headpiece and the roof of the car. The problem here is that when his wheels come up into his backpack the wheel wells hit the underside of this hinge. What needs to be done here is to cut out a triangular shape on both sides so that the wheels can slide into them. I marked where the pieces were hitting with a marker and went from there. After finishing I’ve found that a good place to cut is parallel with the second “line” on this hinge as shown. The other cut for this triangular piece should be at about a 45 degree angle to the first cut. Once again you will have to keep test fitting until you get it just right, and again slow and steady.
Now onto the last problem that we have that’s got ole Ironhide lookin’ down. Remember those three screws that you took out to take backpack off? You can get rid of two of them because they are part of our last problem. The two screw pegs on the outside of this piece are keeping the tire from fully coming up into his backpack. They’ve got to go. You can cut these little buggers completely flush to the larger piece of plastic and then sand them smooth.
Do you have to take them all the way off you may ask? The answer is yes you do, and I should know, I spent about two hours carefully sanding these down little by little, fitting and refitting to see if they could still be used. They can’t. Don’t worry about the roof no longer being secure either. It is still plenty sturdy with just the center screw in there, and if it bothers you that much it can be glued on too.
Now put all pieces back together and voila! No more looking down for Mr. Hide. Now a few additional notes. The head won’t be quite perfectly flush, but it’s damn close. Also if you look at the rotating pelvis area it won’t go quite the whole way back, as it’s hitting the automorph bumper. Honestly this isn’t at all noticeable unless you’re looking at him from underneath. I didn’t even notice it for a couple of hours after I finished the mod.
Lastly I would highly recommend clear coating the backpack pieces. Mine were scarily tacky right out of the box, and I haven’t had that problem on any of my other figures. I recommend Testors Dullcote for this. I used it and it worked great, and the sheen on the figure isn’t that different either. Remember to mask of the windows though or you’ll end up with foggy ugly windows. I also painted his face silver with Games Workshop boltgun metal, followed by chainmail, but you can use whatever you want.
I would consider this mod to be of intermediate difficulty only because of how much plastic you’re actually getting rid of. It’s more time consuming than anything. I also may be a little biased having about 25 years of model building experience, but I’m sure that if you’re careful anyone can do it.
Credit(s): Geekee1
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Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821566)
Posted by Solrac333 on October 25th, 2008 @ 1:43am CDT
Posted by Solrac333 on October 25th, 2008 @ 1:43am CDT
I never noticed my Ironhide looking down. I might try modding it.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821590)
Posted by Blurrz on October 25th, 2008 @ 2:24am CDT
Posted by Blurrz on October 25th, 2008 @ 2:24am CDT
Great mod there Geekee! I'll give it a try once Ironhide hits up here in Canada.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821616)
Posted by DMSL on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:25am CDT
Posted by DMSL on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:25am CDT
I will wait for the Henkei version. I did mod my Animated Lockdown, but still haven't done Bumblebee. I just can't figure out what to cut away and it really doesn't cut away that easily that plastic is pretty thick. FYI i am using a hobby knife and hobby drill from Games Workshop. I can tell you that a kitchen knife is much sharper, what a waste of 30 bucks meh.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821618)
Posted by Hard Hacker on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:35am CDT
RiD Ironhide has no problems with his head.
Posted by Hard Hacker on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:35am CDT
GuyIncognito wrote:Geekee1 wrote:
Poor ole Ironhide. he just can’t catch a break with his head can he? For as long as we’ve known he’s gotten screwed when it comes to his head. First he had no head, then he had it blown off in the movie, and now with Universe the poor bastard just can’t stop looking at his boots.
It's true. :lol: But you forgot to mention Energon Ironhide! I just got him yesterday. His head can't do ANYTHING; it can't even hide in alt mode!
Movie Ironhide has a good solid head.
RiD Ironhide has no problems with his head.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821669)
Posted by Prowl1529 on October 25th, 2008 @ 8:10am CDT
Posted by Prowl1529 on October 25th, 2008 @ 8:10am CDT
I think i will try this on the Henkei Ironhide and Ratchet as soon as i have them of course. I believe this also can be done on Ratchet since they have the same mold. 
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821709)
Posted by Quaternion on October 25th, 2008 @ 10:08am CDT
Posted by Quaternion on October 25th, 2008 @ 10:08am CDT
I'm not sure if I did something wrong in step 1. After my mod, the bumper now sits flush against the torso and his head looks forward. but now the crotch hits bumper, which gives him the appearance of having a bigger crotch. Did I do something wrong or do I need to sand down the top of the crotch?
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821805)
Posted by Swiftpaw on October 25th, 2008 @ 2:22pm CDT
Posted by Swiftpaw on October 25th, 2008 @ 2:22pm CDT
I might try this if I can find a second Ironhide to tinker with, but right now the one i've got is the ONLY one i've seen around here.
Though, the head doesn't bother me too much. Old people tend to not hold their heads up as steadily, so it kinda goes with the whole 'beat up and put back together more times than you can count' look Ol' Hide has. I'm one of those that's just happy to finally have a G1 related Ironhide figure thats good AND has a head.
Now if they could just get a darn copyright on the name properly and do a Trailbreaker. Then I'd be really happy.
Though, the head doesn't bother me too much. Old people tend to not hold their heads up as steadily, so it kinda goes with the whole 'beat up and put back together more times than you can count' look Ol' Hide has. I'm one of those that's just happy to finally have a G1 related Ironhide figure thats good AND has a head.
Now if they could just get a darn copyright on the name properly and do a Trailbreaker. Then I'd be really happy.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821863)
Posted by Starscream6 on October 25th, 2008 @ 3:59pm CDT
Posted by Starscream6 on October 25th, 2008 @ 3:59pm CDT
GREAT MOD!!!! looks so much better, have been waiting for this one. ive found that toenail clippers work great to take the bigger chunks of plastic out then use the exacto to clean up.
thanks geekee1
thanks geekee1
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821890)
Posted by Geekee1 on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:25pm CDT
The crotch will protrude slightly more now, if you try to push it all the way in like before he will go back to looking down.
Sanding the top of the pelvis may work, but the tops of his legs might hit the bumper then. I'm not sure as I haven't tried it. The thought has crossed my mind, and I may try it eventually if I pick another one up.
Posted by Geekee1 on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:25pm CDT
Quaternion wrote:I'm not sure if I did something wrong in step 1. After my mod, the bumper now sits flush against the torso and his head looks forward. but now the crotch hits bumper, which gives him the appearance of having a bigger crotch. Did I do something wrong or do I need to sand down the top of the crotch?
The crotch will protrude slightly more now, if you try to push it all the way in like before he will go back to looking down.
Sanding the top of the pelvis may work, but the tops of his legs might hit the bumper then. I'm not sure as I haven't tried it. The thought has crossed my mind, and I may try it eventually if I pick another one up.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821893)
Posted by Solrac333 on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:33pm CDT
Posted by Solrac333 on October 25th, 2008 @ 4:33pm CDT
Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem"? So THAT'S why his face is blue... 
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (821939)
Posted by Angelus on October 25th, 2008 @ 5:35pm CDT
I read somewhere that Hasbro has stated that his blue face is a mistake and that next runs of this figure will have his silver face again as it was intended...
Lucky us again... :s
Btw, I never ever change anything about a figure; I want it original and that means that if it has a flaw, so be it...
Posted by Angelus on October 25th, 2008 @ 5:35pm CDT
omega666 wrote:Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem"? So THAT'S why his face is blue...
I read somewhere that Hasbro has stated that his blue face is a mistake and that next runs of this figure will have his silver face again as it was intended...
Lucky us again... :s
Btw, I never ever change anything about a figure; I want it original and that means that if it has a flaw, so be it...
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (822346)
Posted by Auto Bot on October 26th, 2008 @ 11:32am CDT
Posted by Auto Bot on October 26th, 2008 @ 11:32am CDT
You call that easy??? I'm sweating just imagining how much plastic shaving involved in the process.
Anyway, it's a damn good job you did there. He look so much better with the head proudly held high.
A question. His legs look a little bit.. uh.. short. Or is it just me?
Anyway, it's a damn good job you did there. He look so much better with the head proudly held high.
A question. His legs look a little bit.. uh.. short. Or is it just me?
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (822566)
Posted by Cheetron on October 26th, 2008 @ 5:39pm CDT
Posted by Cheetron on October 26th, 2008 @ 5:39pm CDT
I really want to try this but part of meis afraid of getting hurt again after an accident fixing Animated Grimlock. Still have no feeling in the end of my finger and I don't want to have it happen again.
Still, thanks for the help. I appreciate it. I was getting tired of him just hanging together.
Still, thanks for the help. I appreciate it. I was getting tired of him just hanging together.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (822585)
Posted by muswp1 on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:08pm CDT
I'm planning on using a Dremel drill to do the cutting. If you have some experience with plastic model building like I do, the mods actually look fairly straightforward.
Posted by muswp1 on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:08pm CDT
Starscream6 wrote:GREAT MOD!!!! looks so much better, have been waiting for this one. ive found that toenail clippers work great to take the bigger chunks of plastic out then use the exacto to clean up.
thanks geekee1
I'm planning on using a Dremel drill to do the cutting. If you have some experience with plastic model building like I do, the mods actually look fairly straightforward.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (822609)
Posted by tacogrande on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:33pm CDT
Posted by tacogrande on October 26th, 2008 @ 6:33pm CDT
I went to Wal-Mart and they had a good amount of animated, and next to the animated was three vertical pegs of classics that was completely empty except one lone Ironhide on the top peg. He was the last figure I need (I'm not going to buy powerglide) but I was really hating on the figure. Had there been more of him I would have left him, but there was just the one and he was the only classics they had so I decided what the hell.
I have to say, this figure is incredible. Far better in hands than in pictures. So to all of you haters, I was one of you, and I've changed. For $7.77 he is a steal!
I have to say, this figure is incredible. Far better in hands than in pictures. So to all of you haters, I was one of you, and I've changed. For $7.77 he is a steal!
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (828032)
Posted by rpetras on November 4th, 2008 @ 3:20pm CST
Posted by rpetras on November 4th, 2008 @ 3:20pm CST
He's an awesome figure, and the listed mods make him even better!
I agree with the original post, though. I can't believe he got out of engineering QC with the ill fitting back kibble. But even so, he is a great representation of the character.
I did the mods over the weekend and it really adds to the fig.
On additional bit, I had to sand down the top of the hip plate to accommodate the fact that the chest sits lower.
If you are a bit afraid to cut on a hard to find figure, simply leaving the wheels down looks decent and allows the head to reach a normal position. This is how I had him for the first week or two till I got time to make the mods.
I agree with the original post, though. I can't believe he got out of engineering QC with the ill fitting back kibble. But even so, he is a great representation of the character.
I did the mods over the weekend and it really adds to the fig.
On additional bit, I had to sand down the top of the hip plate to accommodate the fact that the chest sits lower.
If you are a bit afraid to cut on a hard to find figure, simply leaving the wheels down looks decent and allows the head to reach a normal position. This is how I had him for the first week or two till I got time to make the mods.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (831993)
Posted by Doubledealer93 on November 10th, 2008 @ 11:39pm CST
Posted by Doubledealer93 on November 10th, 2008 @ 11:39pm CST
i did the mod once three quarters of the way and found out and hour ago that i missed a step. so i did the last step and he looks awesome! but i will do some thing about the windows. he looks like he was broken into. any way awesome mod. if u dont have ironhide get him and do this mod. it is the missing piece to the classics. besides blitzwing. and reflector.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (875867)
Posted by Oilspill on January 29th, 2009 @ 7:59pm CST
Posted by Oilspill on January 29th, 2009 @ 7:59pm CST
Thanks for the awesome mod. I finally got around to doing this last night, took a couple of hours and shaved off a bit of plastic but it's done the trick and now he looks awesome.
Gotta say, I love this guy in robot mode. He's really poseable and full of character.
Gotta say, I love this guy in robot mode. He's really poseable and full of character.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (875879)
Posted by Geekee1 on January 29th, 2009 @ 8:30pm CST
Posted by Geekee1 on January 29th, 2009 @ 8:30pm CST
There's another nice mod that you can do with him. If you unscrew the shoulders you can shave down the plastic that keep his arms out from his body. It gives him a much nicer range of motion in his arms.
I also did a slightly different mod to his waist. I shaved down the opposite side of the spine and posed him with the pelvis reversed. Same results different look. Doing the mod this way does align his head, shoulders, hips and knees nicely though.
Enjoy!
I also did a slightly different mod to his waist. I shaved down the opposite side of the spine and posed him with the pelvis reversed. Same results different look. Doing the mod this way does align his head, shoulders, hips and knees nicely though.
Enjoy!
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (875885)
Posted by Oilspill on January 29th, 2009 @ 8:43pm CST
Posted by Oilspill on January 29th, 2009 @ 8:43pm CST
Please do upload some pics when you get the chance.
Ironhide was always one of my favourite characters and I want to get his toy as kick-ass as possible
Ironhide was always one of my favourite characters and I want to get his toy as kick-ass as possible
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (1521574)
Posted by leakin' lubricant on October 3rd, 2013 @ 5:18pm CDT
Posted by leakin' lubricant on October 3rd, 2013 @ 5:18pm CDT
Thought I'd give this thread a bump, recently acquired Ironhide and Rathet, just. Did the mods on Ironhide and he looks ace! Don't be scared about the cutting if you have a half decent craft knife you will be fine, it took me about 20 mins just by following the images alone and the improvement is well worth it.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (1521644)
Posted by Mykltron on October 4th, 2013 @ 5:09am CDT
You should have waited until its fifth anniversary! I did the mod but didn't like it as it makes him look like he's thrusting his pelvis forward. I wish I'd just given him a ball joint neck.
Posted by Mykltron on October 4th, 2013 @ 5:09am CDT
leakin' lubricant wrote:Thought I'd give this thread a bump
You should have waited until its fifth anniversary! I did the mod but didn't like it as it makes him look like he's thrusting his pelvis forward. I wish I'd just given him a ball joint neck.
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (1521716)
Posted by mooncake623 on October 4th, 2013 @ 11:58am CDT
Posted by mooncake623 on October 4th, 2013 @ 11:58am CDT
Ahhh kind of want to do the head mod, but I've never done anything like this before and am afraid to mess up my Henkei Ironhide... =/
Re: Transtopia: Fix Universe 2.0 Ironhide's "Low Self Esteem" (1521778)
Posted by leakin' lubricant on October 4th, 2013 @ 4:31pm CDT
Honestly it really isn't as scary as it looks, I have no real experience in modding Transformers beyond minor repaints/touch ups and found this very easy to follow, plus the pictures make this mod pretty idiot proof. I understand why you feel apprehensive but as long as you follow the tutorial you wil have no problems.
Posted by leakin' lubricant on October 4th, 2013 @ 4:31pm CDT
mooncake623 wrote:Ahhh kind of want to do the head mod, but I've never done anything like this before and am afraid to mess up my Henkei Ironhide... =/
Honestly it really isn't as scary as it looks, I have no real experience in modding Transformers beyond minor repaints/touch ups and found this very easy to follow, plus the pictures make this mod pretty idiot proof. I understand why you feel apprehensive but as long as you follow the tutorial you wil have no problems.
