Rawhide

I keep forgetting to post these :P This summer (July/August) my GF and I went on holiday to Italy. Turned out getting TF's there is even more difficult then where I live and even more expensive. However, I did find several KO's and eventually bought these two: RiD Wedge (actually, more the Japanese version) and G1 First Aid. Both are oversized and First Aid seriously. (The Fireflight in between is my old 80's KO which is the same size as the real figure -- actually, if I remember correctly, then some parts were swapped so it's partly a real G1 figure). altmode: robot mode: Wedge has all parts to combine so if the other parts were available I'd been able to buy an oversized Landfill. First Aid doesn't come with any combiner parts (just some ugly weapon), but according to the backing cards there was a total of 6 figures. One of these was Groove who was also available, but I don't know about the others. Although I doubt if you could actually make a combiner, Defensor would be pretty big. First Aid is in robotmode approx. at 220 % scale, so that would make Defensor about 46 cm: Yep, that's Brave Max his leg ;) But-uh, if one would assemble Defensor then he would probably crumble. First Aid is a mess with loose arms, thin plastic and I already have several inner parts falling out.

Hey, thanks for the pics of that white Bumblebee KO :thumb . Will honestly admit that he doesn't look like I was hoping he would :) . The in box pics made the robot parts (visible through the back window) seem like blue and so I was hoping on a white car with blue robot parts. (Would've made an acceptable Searchlight that way.) That Tracks KO is also very nice. DIdn't know there was one. Is he die cast or plastic? Do you by any chance know if there's already a white KO from Skids? I know there's a blue one...

KOtoys has an inbox picture of a white 2007 concept camaro with police lights. Does anyone have out-of-box pictures? And can anyone comment on the quality?

You might still get them, I ordered from KOtoys and also from www.chimungmung.com on the same day, got the package from Chimungmung less than a week later but was waiting for another 2 weeks til the KOtoys stuff came... BTW KOtoys has a forum, you could try posting in there? Yeah, but that's only two weeks later and a total of three weeks and includes the time they need to pack the items. Normal shipping time from Asia to The Netherlands is usually between one and two weeks. (I had actually bought something from an e-bay seller in Hong Kong well after buying from KOtoys and it arrived in less then a week, and that's including a weekend: that's shipped on Thursday and arriving on the following Wednesday.) I bought from KOToys on june the 14th, they marked it shipped on the 20th of June and that was slightly more than 5 weeks ago (5 weeks and three days). So, the total time is already over 6 weeks :(. That's way too much. Should it still arrive, then yay. But in the meantime to cover every possible angle I've filed a Paypal claim. (Although I'd much rather not have the money and my figures.) I think the trouble is with EMS. I don't think I've ever had good experiences with EMS shipping (so far it's been delayed shipping, seriously damaged packages and lost packages).

And so I happily bought some of those BT/Alt KO's at Kotoys. That was june the 16th. They were shipped with trackin number on June the 20th. After three weeks I mailed them because I still hadn't received anything and the tracking number had never yielded any information. TO which I only got a reply asking to which country they were sent. And after four weeks I mailed them again because I still hadn't received anything and the tracking number didn't do anything. And today it's five weeks and........still nothing. No KO's and no e-mail reply. So, I guess I'll have to make a Paypal claim about not receiving anything and hope I can find another place to buy the KO BT's I want (Red Smokescreen, White Sideswipe & gray flamed Sideswipe). :tfsad

Thank you-thank you. I could kiss you...but I won't because of many reasons :tfevil I was already looking on e-bay and using google to search internet for those Binaltech KO's (Metal transform) and never really finding what I want. I was already at the point of cursing myself for not getting them when they were ready available on e-bay. And here you go and give this link to a store that sells KO's including the BT's and even Alts. They have alt KO's that I wanted to make myself and now I can just buy them. I'm in heaven. Oh, and on topic: I like KO's when they make variants that either didn't exist before, or are extremely rare items like the diaclone red Mirage or blue Bluestreak. KO's that are simple cheaper versions of easily available regular Transformers...I have no interest in those. If someone really wants a TF's but can't afford them, well, then you could get a KO, but personally I wouldn't.

I think most of the answers to those questions can be found by simpling reading through all 18 pages of this guide. But nevertheless, to answer your questions: 1. Wraithverge, who started this guide, is a strong supporter of Plastic welder. You might want to try that. (I can't get that where I live so I use crazy glue which also works very good, although I did have to experiment with several types to find the one that worked best for me.) 2. As answered by both Rodimus VTS & Tramp: at a modelkit store you should be able to get styrene (model kit plastic) in various shapes and sizes. Although not as strong as the plastic that's used to make TF's, it strong enough for most kitbashing needs and has the advantage of being readily available (as said, in different shapes) and being easy to work with. Should this be to weak for you, you should try to find a store that sells ABS plastic...or you can cannabilize CD jewel boxes. 3. Since you live in the US, you have access to Krylon Fusion. (For that, I envy you :P) Krylon is apparently already highly regarded, but Fusion has the advantage of having been developed especially for harder plastics. The paint slightly dissolves the top layer of the plastic causing the paint to 'fuse' into the plastic. This gives a very strong bond and with KF being very resistant to wear you don't even need a protective coat. (Of course, the downside is that the stuff is rather toxic and the the instructions have to be followed pretty precisely.) Should you decide to use another brand/type of paint, here are some other options: polycarbonate paint, car paint or modelkit paint. Especially with the latter, the question raises itself whether to go for enamel or for acryllic. There are very good reasons for either choice. (You also have to choose to either handbrush, airbrush or use a spraycan.) Oh, yeah, there is *no* best paint. Everybody has it's preference and everyone has very good reasons for this preference. 4. Well, with Krylon Fusion you don't need a coat/sealer/whatever. With other paints you often do. Simple answer: experiment. I would argue against using modelkit coats. So far, I've had only bad experiences with this. (Personally, I went to a local paint store and simply asked. Several types of coat can be bought both in spray can as in handbrush.) 5. I prefer glue. If you can get the plastic welder then use that. Else use the glue you found worked best. Personally, I've tried nail polish and found the result severly wanting. Hope this helps somewhat. Do post pics of your project :thumb

With this part I would really say, if you can do what you want to do without removal, then do so. Nevertheless, the part can be removed. The windshield is connected to the main body with two pins. They go in from the side (beneath the doors) and stop inside the plastic. This means you can't hammer them out nor can you heat the pin and push it out. This means you have to use alternatives. TFM ones told me that if you carefully heat the pin with a soldering iron without pushing on it, the pin should ever so slightly come out (something to with the expansion of the warmed up air behind the pin and the warming of the plastic). As soon as this happens remove the pin with pliers. I have never done this and somehow I doubt its success. You can also determine to where the pin runs and drill a small hole behind it: this should be on the shoulders next to the head. Then heat the pin and use a nailpunch through this drilled hole to push the pin out. This will leave you with a small visible hole, but if you repaint these parts then you could also use some putty to fill it up. And then recently I read that STPrime had used a different method. He had made the hole around the pin a little wider so he could pull the pin out with pliers. (Maybe you could contact him for more information.) There are several methods of removing paint, but I honestly can't recall if any was specific for clear parts. I think using a (acrylic) thinner would be your best best. Gently rubbing it one in low quantities with a soft cloth should slowly remove the paint. Should any damage occur to the plastic you can use toothpaste to make it transparant again. But be careful and watch out for spill. Hope this helps.

Sorry Tramp, but you're still jumping to conclusions. From the BT interview True, this is for BT's that are part die-cast. But compare alts & BT's like Grimlock and Silverstreak. It looks like exactly the same kind of paint. Also, it wasn't just the die-cast taht is/was painted with BT's: the entire figure was painted. Exactly. And as we all know, the paint on TF's is much harder then what we can apply. Again, I agree. There is a clear difference. Just as there's a clear difference between the enamel and acrylic paints (available to us) and the paint on a TF. Those exact same methods also work on enamel paint. Actually, they were developed for enamel paint and only when acrylics were developed did it became clear those also work on them. Jumping to conclusions again. You offer no proof of the kind of paint used: only arguments (and only half-baked ones). If hastak are using (acrylic/enamel) paint with different formulas and better quality then we as kitbasher can get, then it’s also very well possible that an enamel based paint will work on those flexible parts. All in all, as I said before, you're jumping to conclusions that suit your personal preference. The information you have supplied does not warrant any conclusion on what kind of paint HasTak is using. It only makes clear they use the same kind of paint on both types of plastics. And, agreed, with the paint available to us kitbashers, that could be considered as an argument for the possibility that they're using acrylics. But its not proof or anything. All we've got right now is: - the same kind of paint is used on the soft and the hard plastic (and with the paint available to regular customers enamels don't cure very well on soft plastic) - on the BT they used epoxy based paint. - paint on TF's (and all toys) is harder then paint available to the regular customer. From these few facts we can draw many conclusions, but none of those are absolute because the foundation for those conclusions is just too limited. (I also remember that a few years ago there was some problems with toys for younger children containing lead based paint...doesn't exactly sound like acrylic to me). Furthermore, as you suggested yourself, if HasTak is indeed using either acrylics or enamels, it's most likely that they're using some high quality stuff with a different formula. Something we can't obtain or is too expensive. This doesn't automatically mean that the same kind of paint (acrylic/enamel) of a lower quality is the best paint to use by us kitbashers. TF's are made of hard plastic yet very few of us use hard plastics to scratchbuild or modify: we mostly use styrene because it's more readily available, cheaper and better workable. I won't be surprised if HasTak is indeed using a type of high quality acrylic paint. After all, enamel paint is highly poisonous if you're exposed to them on a daily bases and especially if they're airbrushed on. (This is also the main reason why acrylics were developed.) It seems highly likely to me, that to comply with safety/health regulation the factory where TF's are painted uses acrylic based paints. However, this is still just arguments to create a thesis. There's currently no proof. And that's my whole issue with your post. You're jumping to conclusions based on scarse information that can be interpreted in many ways. Now, if you want to argue why we should use only enamels or only acrylics, I can give you several arguments and even several facts why one should go for either paint. As I stated before, with the current information, there is no absolute best paint to use. Everyone has their preferences and everyone has good reasons to choose what they do. As soon as you have absolute facts about the type of paint HasTak uses, please post this because I would like to know. Same as with the enamel-acrylic argument: as soon as you have testable proof about which is better, please post this because it's information we all could use. As long as you don't have facts or undisputable proof, please stop pushing your convictions on others. (Always make it "...IMO", or "I have been told that...but I can't proof it's correct".)

Interesting information, but I don't see the relevance. I also have got to say that your conclusion is completely unfounded. There are more types of paint on this planet then acrylic and enamel. So you're really jumping to a conclusion here (a conclusion which completely suits your preference). Actually, I know your conclusion is wrong based on previous information coming (indirectly) from Takara. Some time ago there was a transcription of the interview with the BT designers on-line (should still be over at TFormers). If I remember correctly, it was stated that the paint used for BT's was epoxy based. Which makes sense, since epoxy based paints are much stronger then either enamels or acrylics. It also has a different finish. And just looking on the paint on figures I can tell it's neither acrylic or enamel paint. The paint looks completely different and also is much stronger then the paint we can apply as kitbashers. Also, as you may remember from a topic over at transtopia, there are actually paints that adhere to soft/rubbery plastic quite well (yeah, I forgot which one since I can't get it anyway) and that was also neither acrylic or enamel paint. So, sorry, no cigar for you :P (PS. I do agree that for softer parts acrylics are the only solution readily available to most of us. Alternatives are just too expensive.)

^ pin...that's right. Also thought it was a screw. In that case: do what RodVTS said, plus a little extra. You'll have to do a little search here (or at transtopia, but I think it was here :schin ) Simply heating the pin and then removing it, will be a hell of a job. There was discussion here (or again, at transtopia) about removing the door pins from Meister. Someone, completely forgot who, suggested using a dremel to make little notches on the side of the pin. After heating the pin, these notches will give plyers (?) a better grip, making it easier to remove the pin. Do the search for a better description (than my lame I-really-should-go-to-bed-cos-I'm-effing-tired-English) and some pics. :thumb

Well, basically, I got very frustrated and annoyed because I had hoped to really getsome work done and the paint started cracking on me. At the time I couldn't quite remember what WV had written, looked it up and discovered that nothing really applied to my problem. I went to the local model kit store (I used Revell/Humbrol model kit paint) and they told me that my problem was probably that the paint was stored to close to the radiator: which causes some changes is in the paint which makes it unsuitable to use through an airbrush). I bought new paint (which I since then have stored out of direct sunlight and no-where near a source of heat), sanded the whole thing down anew, and redid everything (including the washing of the parts and the masking). Haven't had the problem since. No cracking of paint what-so-ever, even though I'm using the same kind of primer & paint on the same parts. That, for me, was really the problem. My attic isn't to warm around Christmas. Had to really have the radiator pump heat into the attic which resulted in exposing the paint to too high a temperature after which I couldn't spray it anymore (brushing still worked) But before you go through the frustration of sanding and repainting, please make sure it's really necessary.

Cracking paint is a nuisance. Had to endure it myself and all I could do to help it was sand it down and repaint. It can have several different causes: different types of paint that don't work together, wrong temperature, plastic problems, humidity, etc.... Wraithverge discusses this somewhere on the first few pages of this guide. Suggest you look it up :thumb