G1 Shockwave skinny leg problem solved??

[primatives]

Hey everyone I just got a g1 Shockwave and the legs were loose and so I left it like this and to me it looks pretty good like in the cartoon. He was short wide and stumpy :) What do you guys think???

[Lordy]

One of the legs on my Shockwave does a similar thing as well. Cool pic :)

[SOUNDBLASTER]

But then he's just too short .. :cool:

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Looks better that way IMO. Any chance of comparison pics with some of the other notable G1 'con cast? I'd be interested in seeing how he stacks up against G1 Megs height-wise.

[GoktimusPrime]

I agree with SOUNDBLASTER. I think that looks bad. :/ Loose legs are a common problem on 1985 Shockwaves - mine are extremely loose too. But I find that I can get the toy to stand by simply pushing outward from the insides of the feet. It works for me and the outward splaying is so minute that it's barely perceivable. It's really easy to do and works a treat. :)

In each of these shots Shockwave's stance is being supported by slight outward splaying in his feet.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collection%202009/collection_007.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/More%20Than%20Meets%20The%20Eye%20EN101/mtmte_en19.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Photocomic%20Transformers%20The%20Movie/photocomic_tftm0005.jpg

I find G1 Sandstorm to be the worse when it comes to loose legs, and the worse thing is that because his legs are a single block, I can't try to spread his feet apart like I do with Shockwave. So I just stick two small pieces of blu-tac on the back of each knee. :/

I've heard that applying nail polish can re-stiffen loose joints but I've never tried it myself.

[SOUNDBLASTER]

Here is my solution for SHOCKWAVE..

2matches... Refer to pics .. Simple and effective :cool::cool:

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f35/ZOUNDBLAZTER/DSC00953.jpg

Sorry about the view.. Its a good thing he doesnt have janglies like rotf Devvy . :D

[blackie]

:eek: :eek: :eek: I can see up his skirt.... :P

[kup]

I'll pull mine apart and check if there is a solution for loose legs. Mine doesn't have that issue with the legs, instead his knees are wobbly but not too bad.

[dirge]

I actually took the legs apart and stuck electrical tape into the insides of his shins. It works a treat (:

[kup]

Here are the fix possibilities that I can suggest. I can't directly show you how to fix it since my Shockwave is fine in this department.

Before we begin, here is some mold anatomical background:

1. Unscrew Shockwave's lower leg by removing the 4 screws. The lower legs splits in two - You may need to gently separate the pieces.

http://www.geocities.com/wow_frostwolf/fixes/shockwave1.jpg

2. You will notice that the knee joint has a 'push' tab on it.

http://www.geocities.com/wow_frostwolf/fixes/shockwave3.jpg

3. You will also see that one of of the leg halves has two tab holes

http://www.geocities.com/wow_frostwolf/fixes/shockwave2.jpg

4. As you may have already guessed, the push tab goes into the hole on the upper leg in robot mode to keep the leg extended in robot mode and the lower tab to keep the handle (compressed legs) in gun mode.

Possible Fixes

Fault: Tab holes have become obstructed with dust or dirt preventing the tab from slotting in properly .
Fix: Simply clean the tabs so that they allow the tab inside.

Fault: Screws have become slightly loose and the leg is not tightly close which means that the tab is not fully pressed into the hole.
Fix: Simply tighten the screw, particularly in the knee joint area.

Note: Following fixes would be invisible from the outside as they are done within the leg.

Fault: Your Shockwave can't keep his legs extended is because the tab bed has been bent back too much but its not broken.
Fix: If its bent but not broken, gently bent it so that the tab stick out more - Don't over do it.

Fault: If the tab is cracked then it means that the tab has lost its flexibility.
Fix:The fix will be much more difficult. You need to push the tab back out by using some super glue to push the tab securely in place and reinforce it by gluing a small thin sheet of plastic or metal behind it to reinforce it and keep the tab pushing out.

Fault: Tab is broken off altogether and missing.
Fix: Since the tab is gone, we have no choice but to keep the legs in place using friction. Wrapping the purple joint in tape would be enough to do this as Dirge mentioned.

Reference For tab bed related fixes:
http://www.geocities.com/wow_frostwolf/fixes/shockwave4.jpg

[Lordy]

Thanks for the pics and info kup. I'll check out my Shockwave on the weekend and report back.


Now for a solution for the cracking rubber :)

[kup]

Thanks for the pics and info kup. I'll check out my Shockwave on the weekend and report back.


Now for a solution for the cracking rubber :)

I have a solution and I have fixed it on mine :)

[bruticus]

Thanks for the pics and info kup. I'll check out my Shockwave on the weekend and report back.

Now for a solution for the cracking rubber :)

I have a solution and I have fixed it on mine :)

wow, have you found a way to fix the cracked hose problem? :eek:
can you pls share the solution with us?

[kup]

It's actually a simple and straight forward fix but don't expect your hose to look as if just out of the box. It will look better than cracked for sure and look good but not 100% the same depending on the extend of the cracking.

All you need is rubber glue and some black matt paint (mix with a hint of gray for better color matching).

I can't remember what the glue is called exactly so I will need to get home and check it before I write something down.

[dirge]

I bought a junker Shackwave and did a hose transplant. The only "tricky" part is that I wasn't able to feed the wires through the new hose - the LED is too big, so I ended up cutting and resoldering the wires leading to the LED. You can't tell, thankfully.

[kup]

I used Bostik Contact Bond for laminates, wood, leather, rubber, metal and concrete.

1. Bend the hose slightely to open and expose the hose cracks but don't do it too much or you will crack the hose more.

2. Apply the contact bond within each of the exposed cracks and then position the arm so that the hose relaxes making the cracks close (position 'up' as if Transforming him to gun mode).

3. Wait for bond to dry and then apply mat black paint or mixed with a hint of gray for a better color match. Unpainted the glue dries yellow.

4. If the hose is heavily cracked, follow the above steps but instead just applying the bond on the crakcs, coat the surrounding areas.

That's it. My Shockwave has maintained a solid hose since I applied the glue almost 2 years ago.

[bruticus]

dirge - haha, i would have expected a shackwave to have a worse condition hose than a real shockwave.

kup - thanks for sharing. it was interesting to know.

[dirge]

dirge - haha, i would have expected a shackwave to have a worse condition hose than a real shockwave.


Yeah well this one I bought had a hose in fine condition. So yeah, I ran with it :)

[Geminii]

I find G1 Sandstorm to be the worse when it comes to loose legs, and the worse thing is that because his legs are a single block

Wait, what?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHMk4W8twWA

2:33 in

[GoktimusPrime]

Oops... still, I haven't found a way to keep the loose legs on my Sandstorm extended without falling back in. Guh? This guy rates Sandstorm as the best G1 Triplechanger (even above Blitzwing and Astrotrain?!)? I think he's the weakest. :/

[liegeprime]

Oops... still, I haven't found a way to keep the loose legs on my Sandstorm extended without falling back in. Guh? This guy rates Sandstorm as the best G1 Triplechanger (even above Blitzwing and Astrotrain?!)? I think he's the weakest. :/

I have, try nail polish, or super glue spread thinly ( do it at the back part of the upper legs) lets dry for a bit, then scrape off some of it just leaving a little bit to make the surface more rough, before it dries up completely. Its what I did for my sandstorm, now he doesnt end up being a hobbit when trying to stand him up.:)

[Geminii]

Guh? This guy rates Sandstorm as the best G1 Triplechanger (even above Blitzwing and Astrotrain?!)? I think he's the weakest. :/

He does have the visual interest of having one boxy altmode and one very rounded one, his rotors pack away without having to detach like Springer's, and the colour scheme's quite striking. He's got proper feet and even some articulation there - only Broadside can match him. His ground-mode wheels roll and don't require extra support, his flight-mode rotors spin, and he doesn't have any altmode parts which have to be left off in other modes. He's got (basic) neck articulation, which none of the others have.

In addition, there are clever tricks like having his flight mode roll around on his ground-mode wheels, meaning he doesn't need little cheaty mini-wheels. Of the others, only Springer avoids this (Broadside doesn't roll), and Springer's two altmodes are nowhere near as different as Sandstorm's.

If it wasn't for the problems with his arms in robot mode, he'd be damn good. Okay, so he's a little more backpacky than most, but it's a thin backpack, doesn't overbalance him, and he's not wearing 50% of his altmodes on his back like the Horrorcons.

Give him landing pontoons/arms which pack away under his chestplate in buggy mode, and the leg transformation from Energon Barricade, and he'd be damn near perfect.

[dirge]

Broadside's the weakest for me - a block that turns into a block with arms and then a block with wings.

Sandstorm is a lot more ambitious and creative, and while the execution isn't awesome, he does manage to stow four attached rotor blades.

[GoktimusPrime]

Hmm... yeah, I would agree that Broadside does suck more than Sandstorm as an actual toy. Though for some reason I really dig his axe. :p Still, I wouldn't rate Sandstorm over Blitzwing and Astrotrain. IMO the Decepticon Triple Changers were better than the Autobot Triple Changers.