Don't know if this is the correct forum for this....


Does anyone has an extra Marlboor wheeljack conversion kit from transrepro that never got to use?

if so, and you are interested in selling it or borrow it to be copied and reproduced please contact me!

Try the endcap also.

You find someplace to make some repro stuff let me know!

MB WJ ya need ta repro the windshield and wings in clear blue. You start there and we'll see about the head.

Is there really a demand for reproduction parts?
Thanks. -Himawari

I'd buy that for a dollar...

robocop quotes aside...

Somoene made the Scamper repro set, which appears nice, I like those extra formers like him. There's plenty that pop up every now and then.

Demand really for customizers for Alt heads and weapons.

Me, I'd like to get quite a few little goodies, but some tweeked, colors changed or something.

Diaclone related, I would not mind another Marlboor WJ head for a special custom (for some reason, formed a special attachment to the "character" perhaps because I wondered many years before it was confirmed if there actually was another variant for WJ, since almost all seem to have one...Hound is about the only one...)

Shopping list for Ol' Weet...

Head for LioKaizer (and the rest of that set would not hurt) maybe one for the rescue force UK version...
Alt Tracks head
White Trailbreaker Fists
Red TB fists
White Sunstreaker fists

would LOVE to get the dunebuggy bot that came with PC remade.

Soundwave tape door's would be nice to see.
G1 windshields

one of these days I'll get a boot WST Prime trailer. Surprised they didn't make the booster kit for WST Megatron.

Repro MP Megatron Sword, supersized would be sweet.

oh and I could use the left leg to the PVC Soundwave cause mine has 2 right ones damn it!!!!!....temper check, OK...

Well not now that i know, but I really want a MB WJ, and as I cannot buy from reproparts anymore I may repro and cast the pieces, if someone else is interested we can work something out!

the only piece needed in fact is the head, the rest may be reproed from a regular wheeljack!

First, why can't you buy from reproparts anymore?
Secondly, casting is part of my "hobby". I use to cast at my last job for www.promodelbuilders.com. Made all the neat houses and train kits. Casting is no longer needed at my current job where I make kayak molds and parts using a cnc, but I still do casting on the side however. I do some custom car emblem work at home and have the necessary equipment ie:pressure and degassing chamber.
I've thought about doing some stuff(casting tf parts), but figured it wouldn't be worth my time. Casting custom car emblems actually pays, where I think most fans would like something for nothing. Not to offend anybody, but like myself, most who collect toys are some of the cheapest people out there. With the cost of labour (my time to create the molds and cast the parts) as well as the cost of materials, I doubt people would pay and have enough sales of a particular item to be worth the venture.
I'd love to be proven wrong, and make a powered buggy some day. I still need to finish a clear ravage project that I started for the folks on Autocon (yahoo groups) first though.

Opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks. -Himawari

I gota learn how to do that. I make crude molds out of clay, and as such casts mostly made of clay. I have used sand to make metal casts, and also made metal casts from clay molds, very dangerous.

Attempted poly urathane once or twice but didn't get that right either.

I made molds from the wheeljack statue and created, piece by piece, my own Marlboor WJ statue. Not perfect but pretty good. Symbol for the stand and all. Some of my changes I actually like better, such as the launchers are from G1 molds, bigger and badder, the pose needs some work, but all in all I like it, and the original statue is FINE. I could probably use the molds to make other statues, started a Prowl but don't like the pose so I never finished it.

Himawari, how much do you think it would cost to make a mold of the PC buggy?

See there's the problem of getting snagged for making major repro's vs demand. I think anyone who wished to have a complete Diaclone or TF Magnus set would love to have one. I my self would love to have a couple, one in blue or white to go with the TF version, and if I had a Shining Magnis I'd like a clear yellow or solid yellow...but I don't so... Something like that, from a guy like me for $20 or so would be do-able. I can spend $50 or so no problem on a custom project, but like you say collectors can tend to be on the cheap-o side. Heck, pretty much just spent that on the red mirage KO.

I remember someone I spoke with years ago, I think one of the guys on the Diaclone.Net page was looking for an extra wheel for buggy.

I get a freaking work shop, I must learn more of real plastic mold making...

that site has been out of work for a loooooong time, I mean the site is there, but none answers you e-mails.

Well, let's see... material cost of just the resin for the amount needed for each completed buggy I'm going to estimate to be around $10-$15. I wish resin wasn't so expensive, but it is if you want decent material. Now, that is not factoring material costs for even making the mold, nor any labour time. I may need to spend anywhere around $60-80 just to have enough platinum cure silicone to have enough material for molds. This means that if my target price range was let's say $30/ unit, I'd already have to have at least 4 or 5 units to break even, and that is without even lifting a finger, nor covering other costs for materials like sulfur free clay, lego blocks or sintra and plexi used to make containers for the mold making, release agents etc.... Then, there is the cost of my time. Just to make the molds, creating parting lines, setting the part, creating runners and gates, preping the mold and silicone and degassing etc for every part of powered buggy I would estimate the job would take 3 hrs/part at least(shop time) and I would say it would be broken down to have around 8 parts/molds (off the top of my head) all two part molds. That would mean a whole day of shop time and at let's say $35/hr (what I charge when I do custom car emblems) that would mean $840. $840 Just in labour, and that is only to MAKE the mould, not casting the parts. Let's say I could cast a complete buggy kit/hour, that is $35 in labour per item. Just that alone is already $5 over the target amount. Why only one/ hour? I only considered the cost of making one mold, and I can only pour one mold at a time since the pot life is so quick. I have around 5min to usually work the material, and then there is cleaning and prep after or before each pour. So unless there is ALOT of demand for a paticular item without many parts, there isn't much use for taking on such a costly project unless if I were to consider my time $0.
Now, hobbiests do that all the time, and if I had some spare time, I may consider it, but only IF I know all my material costs would be taken care of and I could get /some/ return out of it.

As for REAL plastic mold making.... that is a whole new can of worms that I know already too much about since I went to school for 2 yrs on JUST that. First, you have your product design, K that one is easy since you want to make a copy and the hard part is already taken care of for you, BUT the $$$ needed to make a mold is were it becomes more difficult. Labour is always a killer. This is why alot of this works gets shopped out overseas or other countries where the cost of labour is much cheaper than if we were to get it done in house or local. Secondly, you would need to know what is required for machining the mold ie aluminum plug in a generic mould housing. Don't bother buying that $100,000 CNC machine, shop it out to someone who already has one, and the labour force and know how to do it for you. The same goes for the injection molding machine required. Do you know how to operate one? I do, but that doen't help you unless I'm doing it for you (which I'm not going to, so there ) I could go on about parameters of calculating the clamping pressure, shot size, and discussing time, temp, and back pressure, but I won't. Then, there is the material being used. How much do you know about plastics? Do you understand the Rheology of plastics? Probably not, nor do I think you want to. I really don't want to sound like a wet blanket, nor do I want to piss on your parade, but I see alot of people who have tried to go down this path, some actually do quite well (usually the ones that have money and are close to retirement) and some give up after knowing it is more than what they bargined for. Sure, I'd like to one day have my own CNC and small injection molding machine and make whatever the heck I want since I am more than capable of operating both as well as knowing about proper mold design, nominal wall thicknesses, radius constraints, draft angles, gate, runner, sprue placement etc... But after it is all said and done, if I really DID want to have something made, and I know I had the demand, I'd just ask a company in China or Mexico to do it for me. In fact that is what I would suggest to anyone who had a desire to have something made, the only problem is capital. You may get stuck with 10,000 items of your dream, and no return to show for it.
I'm beginning to rant now.... moral of the story, stick with casting.
Thanks. -Himawari

Oh btw, 2 robot points for anyone who knows where this pic is from....
Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Thanks -Himawari

If someone casts Marlboor Wheeljack heads, count me in the buyers. I want a few of them. I also expect our Chinese friends to 'reissue' him along with the regular Wheeljack.

Well unfortunatly, I do not own a /marlboor/ lancia stratos. However, if someone were to entrust sending one to me, I would take the time to make a mold from it.

Thanks. -Himawari
BTW, mangaged to take the stupid (large) wheels off his powered buggy without breaking/damaging it. Yippie.

I have a second MB WJ head I got from transrepro. I made 2 custom Marlboor WJ's, one I painted and made my own stickers + full kit (wings and windshield, very happy with that) and the second reprolables kit and a second repro head...that one I am not so proud of, normal clear windshield, just kinda OK.

H, if you are serious about making more I could lend you one (or both). I could use a 3rd one for another custom idea I had... we can talk about that, they are all in storage in prep of me getting a house in a couple months...looking for a new job and a second job...it's a complicated life right now.

If it's as complicated and crazy as it sounds and it's just not a good idea, that's cool too. I for one don't wanna loose out on my only chance to own (and keep owning) a MB WJ. When I used to talk to Ken about new molds and such, he preferred multiple items, so he could double profits. And said there might be a slight risk of damage but minimal...that could be bad...

That might make your numbers work better.

Well, two heads are better than one! However, I wouldn't want to make a copy from a copy for obvious reasons of loss of detail, refinishing, shrinkage etc... I can understand wanting to make a mold that has two of the same part, so that the cost of labour is cut in half due to the amount of time investing in the actual casting is also cut in half provided that both turn out ok. An example would be when I made castings of houses for a topographic model, more than one master would be made, and laid in an array of let's say 5X5, and then I would make more that one mold, lets say... 4 molds. That way, I could maximize my time by being able to deal with two molds, and while that is being cast, I would do the other 2 molds. This would cut out waiting time for resin and production would be continuous. Or, I would maybe do all 4, and then do some other molds for a different job. Now, being at home I don't have to worry about being effective for production but I still would do the same to maximize the free time I do have.
If you don't mind, you could perhaps post macro pics of both sides of the head. I might then see if they could be usable or not. As for damage, it would only be an issue if things had to be taken apart ie powered buggy wheels from the back. Or, around areas where the paint is delicate to chemicals. If the plastic is extremly old, it could be brittle and snap if there are thin sections. This would be just from normal handling and not specifically from casting the part.

Hope this might give you a better understanding on what would be involved on my part and what I would require. It /would/ be possible to cast from a cast, but i really don't know what his parts look like.
Thanks. -Himawari

If you are willing to lend one I could make molds and make repros, obviously i will send yours with an extra repro.

I plan to use silicone molds so it is safe for them. if you agree in this just contact me, i will pay shipping!

Didn't transrepro used to make Marlboor Wheeljack heads? I remember one repro site did but I can't think of any other sites besides that one.