TFPrime FE Voyager Optimus - head fix

[griffin]

It seems that a production error has occurred with the First Edition Voyager Optimus toys (this one (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/prime07.jpg) - both Hasbro and JP versions), in which the head has been assembled over a ball joint without actually popping the ball into the socket inside the head.
As such, the head has very little movement, and can't even look up or down.

A fix has been posted up here (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/head-fix-instructions-for-transformers-prime-first-edition-voyager-class-optimus-prime/24357/), which says to unscrew the head (single screw on the back), remove the front half of the head... pop the back half of the head onto the ball joint, then screw the head back together.

I just did it, and it is a noticeable improvement... and I can see how it was missed at the factory, as the head had a cavity in front of the socket that was just big enough to hold onto the ball joint, so would have been assumed to be constructed properly because the head wasn't falling off.

[GoktimusPrime]

Woo! Fixed :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/Transformers%20Prime%20Optimus%20Prime/prime_optimusprime_headfix.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/Transformers%20Prime%20Optimus%20Prime/prime_optimusprime_headfix1.jpg

New head poseability:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/Transformers%20Prime%20Optimus%20Prime/prime_optimusprime_headfix2.jpg

[Decepticon]

Ok. So now that the heads fixed, anyone manage to 'fix' the rest of this thing?

[Doubledealer]

Sweet! Thanks for the info Griffin, will be doing this on my one for sure. :)

[GoktimusPrime]

Ok. So now that the heads fixed, anyone manage to 'fix' the rest of this thing?
What do you think needs fixing?

The main flaw of this figure IMO are the shoulders have a tendency to pop out sometimes. You might be able to fix that by thickening the posts with something (clear acrylic???). The second criticism of this toy would be super soft and floppy smoke stacks and sword... but I don't know how you'd "fix" those because the problem is that, in HasTak's paranoia about kids poking themselves, they used a really soft kind of rubbery material. :/ But I consider these to be fairly minor flaws. While the shoulders don't lock in really tight, they're not loose either (unlike say Voyager Megatron's shoulders).

[Tallestblue]

The head popped off mine the first time i tried transforming him and i just popped it back on the ball joint so I never knew there was a problem. Heh. Life.

[doublespy]

thx griffin it really helped. mine's head poped off the minute i opened the package... but i guess when i poped it back on the ball still didn't go into the socket properly. the best way to do it is unscrew the head to make sure the ball does go into the socket.

[KalEl]

This fix make a very good figure even better :) I am unsure if people are aware but this figure also has an ankle tilt, though it is tight. (if this is useless information, so be it :p)

[klystron]

Wow. That is so much better.
This figure just keeps getting better and better.
Thanx Griffin for bring this to my/our attention.