Toy Review - Titans Return Trypticon

[Jellico]

How widespread are these hip problems? I still haven't opened mine, and am now worried that it will be a dud (or that any stock on shelves will be 'returned' with a flaw). I'm not handy with tools, and it seems a big task to disassemble his hips just to be able to transform him

Here is a tutorial.

https://www.seibertron.com/transform...g-a-hip/38720/

My fix was simpler. I just put a round piece of plastic between the teeth of the ratchet to stop them meshing. The pressure from the springs holds Trypticon upright. I don't like the idea of a sharp pointy spring end eternally scratching the inside of the joint. Likewise for decomposing cardboard.

[Jellico]

Okay. Fixed up the final ratchet.

This is the one in the hip that allows Trypicon to turn his legs outwards in the vertical. It is a green tube going into the black piece in Trypticon's leg. At either end of the tube are a set of purple ratchets. While the teeth in the ratchet are limited in where they can go in the tube, the plates attached to the black piece can be rotated 90 degrees.

If the plates aren't attached at the right angle the legs can't sit flush with Trypticon's body. So, take the hip to pieces. Rotate the plates. Put it back together again.

Both sets of ratchets are identical but installed at 90 degrees to each other. Easy to see how it can be stuffed up.


I have to say that I am preferring the friction joints I created in the main hip joint to the original ratchets. Those things were scary to move.

[reillyd]

Here is a tutorial.

https://www.seibertron.com/transform...g-a-hip/38720/

My fix was simpler. I just put a round piece of plastic between the teeth of the ratchet to stop them meshing. The pressure from the springs holds Trypticon upright. I don't like the idea of a sharp pointy spring end eternally scratching the inside of the joint. Likewise for decomposing cardboard.

Thanks for posting that Jellico. Your solution sounds easier, and doesn't involve cutting the springs. Can I ask what type of plastic you used to cut the plastic for the teeth. Am I looking for something really soft, or something really firm? The cardboard might deteriorate or rot over time.

[Jellico]

I used the bottoms out of a couple of Play Dough containers that were headed to the bin at the time.



I figure a margarine container might work? The play dough containers were a bit softer. As long as the teeth slide across it.

[hYpNoS]

My fix was simpler. I just put a round piece of plastic between the teeth of the ratchet to stop them meshing. The pressure from the springs holds Trypticon upright. I don't like the idea of a sharp pointy spring end eternally scratching the inside of the joint. Likewise for decomposing cardboard.

Yours sounds simpler, any...pics of what you've exactly done?

Reading it reminds me of the fix for cw skylynx, open it up, shove something between the ratchets, but I think I'm comprehending it incorrectly since the ratchets would still be rotating, just with something between them...is that really enough?

Actually, thought maybe ripping an image from the tutorial might help, the ratchet teeth are the grey bits (which i circled horribly in blue), you just put something between those, as you said a bit of plastic, yes?

But what about the blue cross (which I circled and went around in yellow, again horribly), isn't that the section that gets damaged and mangled?

I'm guessing putting something between the ratchet teeth simply releases the tension?

[Jellico]

One day when I do something amazing I will take photos and figure out Photobucket. Until then

Sorry if this gets long winded. I am going to try and cover everything here.

Okay. How does the hip work?
1. Inside that big black piece at the back there is a ratchet that controls angling the leg in and out in the horizontal. I haven’t heard of any problems with that.

2. Where the blue piece joins the black there are a pair of ratchets that control angling the leg in and out in the vertical. There are little purple plates in the black piece that can be out of alignment by 90 degrees. If they aren’t right the leg sticks out slightly which is a problem in base/Nemesis mode.

3. The big hua that controls movement back and forward. There is a spring underneath that lower ratchet that pushes it up into the upper ratchet. The cross holds the leg in place so it is important.
The failure seems to be something stops the ratchets disengaging and people force the joint until the cross gives up. Maybe the spring is too strong. Maybe the teeth are too deep. Maybe, because people seem to get acceptable movement in one direction, the spring is digging into the plastic. In any case, because it is a big bad ratchet that you must apply a bit of force to anyway, it is easy to get it wrong.


Fixes.
2. Take the hip apart and rotate the purple plates until it works. There is an element of trial and error. The toughest part is controlling two separate springs and not losing everything.

3. Okay. The big one.
I have seen three fixes.

1. Remove the spring and pad it out with stuff until the ratchet engages again. The materials involved seem to involve paper which is not good long term.

2. Cut the spring. Pad until it is the right height. Destructive, with a sharp spring end inside the joint. And maybe paper.

3. Put something between the teeth of the ratchet. I have used this because it is the least destructive. The ratchet marked in blue naturally slides down the cross marked in yellow as part of its normal movement to clear the upper ratchet which is at nearly the same height. I initially tried a 20c piece, but it is too thick. You need something thin enough to sit between the cross and the teeth of the upper ratchet but firm enough that it is not going to get chewed by the teeth. Eg. card is not going to work. Thin rigid plastic seems to work.

The ratchet stops being a ratchet and becomes a friction joint with the spring providing the tension to hold Trypticon upright. Because the teeth of the ratchet can’t mesh, there is no immovable object the leg won’t get jammed and you can’t apply too much force.

I have found the result to be better than as designed when transforming it as the legs require a bit of posing during transformation which puts stresses on the side doors when they aren’t locked in position. Those were really strong ratchets.

Posing is fine. Some balancing may be required with full therapod stances. Don’t try and get Devastator to ride him. There is nothing to stop a nose plant. I haven’t really experimented with how much weight he can carry forward in each stance. Godzilla and tail dragging (and lifted) seem fine. The tail is your friend for balance. Use it.

[hYpNoS]

Sounds good Jellico, though if it helps out could just use imgur like I did for my horribly edited image it was quick and easy no account needed.

I just right clicked on my upload and went view image and used the url here (on firefox at least) to embed it but even bare links work, overall I've gotten a better sense of what your mod tries to do and looking forward to saving my trpticon, I just hope its not too late

[Batfan007]

Thanks for the into on fixes etc guys.

If I wanted to post my own pics of Trypticon (for fun) is there a particular thread that would suit? I don't want to start a whole thread to post like 3 photos.

[CoRDS]

ive used the inside seal from a vitamin jar to put between the teeth in the ratchet. have yet to attach the leg on to the body to test it yet

[hYpNoS]

@jellico decided to take a stab at your solution, posting wip images.

So I'm to basically lay some plastic between the teeth, then just slap it altogether and its right to go?

First the bottom teeth

Then the plastic (which I'll cut to fit, its the bottom of a yogurt container)

Finally top of the teeth and back together


I'll give him a shot after this is installed, I just hope he doesn't destroy himself...

If the plastic is wrong PLEASE let me know, only used it as I went for recycled options on hand