Armada Predacon to Beast Wars Transmetal Megatron - Retrofit - Work in Progress

[Shepp]

Step 3 - Retrofit Parts



What we have here is the preliminary stage of popping the new and improved Megatron figure together.

Here we have all of the usable parts


and here we have parts that are causing some problems.

Ignore the shoulder plates, that's been dealt with.


OK, here's where we get into the snag points.

Critical Point Number 1 - Torso Hip Rotation Joint Pin



I could use some advice on this one. I mean, I could leave it as is and have Megatron use Predacon's green "belt" but I'd rather not.

I haven't tried heating it, but I have tried a fair amount of force. I've refrained from using all of my force to pop the pin out, mainly because there were stress marks in the plastic even before disassembling the figure.

Critical Point Number 2 - Hip Plates



This once again rears its ugly head. I do want to replace all the brown plastic from Megatron but because of that rivet, I don't know what to do.

Could use some advice.

Also, since the pin on Predacon at the same point is pretty long and there isn't much support at that point, should I be concerned before trying to remove it? Should I brace it somehow? or what?

Critical Point Number 3 - Neck Plate Pin



Since the pin is anchored into the L shaped part, I have no idea which side to pop it out. I've applied a moderate amount of force to remove it one way and then the other, but it didn't seem to budge either way.

Anyone have any ideas on how to handle this type of pin connection? I'd like to keep both the neck plate and the L shaped piece intact and able to re-insert the pin.

Snag Number 1 - Elbow Joint

I mentioned this before, the holes in Megatron's forearms are slightly larger than Predacon's and will be loose after the whole thing's put together.

So I'm tempted to try building up the joint with nail polish or superglue, but I want to make the process reversible. Anyone have suggestions on what I could do with this joint to tighten it up that won't be permanent?

The first thing that springs to mind is to add a washer into the joint.

Snag Number 2 - The Tail

Predacon's ball joints are smaller. Would nail polish be the best? superglue?

Either way I'll test the ball joint in both Megatron's tail and Predacon's tail to make sure they could be swapped back and forth.

Now the handle seems like it will have to be built up a whole lot. Should I apply superglue or nail polish to the handle or to where the handle mounts?

[Badgertron]

The japanese BW Metals version of TM Megs is immune to GPS, just thought I'd pass that on

[Shepp]

Oh, I should let everyone know that I've added pictures to previous posts.

What does everyone think of this thread so far? Good? Bad? Train wreck?

[Shepp]

Originally Posted by Badgertron

The japanese BW Metals version of TM Megs is immune to GPS, just thought I'd pass that on

I had heard otherwise, but I don't know how accurate my sources were. I'll edit the previous posts accordingly. Thanks for the info.

With that knowledge, I think I'm still going to proceed with the conversion. I mean I've gone this far and might as well complete it.

Plus, its my most ambitious custom so far.

[Network]

it's looking good so far I have no experience with customizing or pin removal so I can't help there, sorry.

I must be lucky, my megs is still a-okay. he is a little loose in the mid section but otherwise holding up pretty well. however, I may have to look into getting a predacon, if nothing else to have in the event.

good luck with the conversion, I eagerly await the results

[Shepp]

Snag Number 2 - The Tail Solved

Well, this morning I went ahead and used the superglue method for securing the tail's ball joints.

As for the handle, I had to get a bit more creative. In the end, I decided to use a clip to keep pressure on the handle and butchered a paperclip for that purpose.

Here's a pic of what it looks like when complete.



The clip itself fits in very snug, but to insert it the curved end must be bent slightly.

The clip looks like it won't interfere with anything since it sits pretty flush and isn't blocking anything.

If I can think of a less obvious way of securing the handle, I'll share it with the board, but for now I'm considering the tail complete.

Edit: Additional note, I will be trying the golden disk reader once I'm sure the glue has dried to make sure its still compatible.

[Shepp]

Update 2

Here's the first couple of bits of real progress



First, the pin holding in the waist rotation joint is quite difficult and stubborn to remove.

But its do-able. If you do this, BE VERY CAREFUL AND PROCEED SLOWLY. This will take a significant amount of force applied carefully and a whole lot of time.




Upon removal I found another interesting sculpt difference.



Predacon has a counter-sunk hole in the waist belt piece while Megatron does not.

The counter-sink is there because there's a slight curve at the base of the waist connection.

So I had to fix it. It was easy enough to do, I just took a sharp drill bit and drilled by hand, testing every so often.



The results look something like this.

Ok, now onto the neck plate pin.



Yes, this one was stubborn indeed. Mainly because the rough part of the pin was right smack dab in the middle.

[Shepp]

3 - Retrofit Assembly

Anyways, Here's a picture of my progress so far. There's only the arms and the hip plate left.

The rest is assembled.



Megatron's T-Rex head doesn't clip as well as I'd like to Predacon's torso, but I could probably build the plastic up with nail polish at a later time.


Anyone have suggestions for what to do with the hip plates and the arms?

[Shepp]

I've tried the golden disk reader. At first it fits a bit snug, but it still moves around easily. Plus it isn't any harder to pop in or remove.

I've settled on leaving the brown bits on the hip plates and just connecting the assembly up to the main figure.

So now the only task left is the arms.

For now I've set the figure aside until I decide to operate again.


So what does everyone think?

[JLvatron]

Hi Shepp,
1st off, my apologies for not noticing this thread before. I guess it was around the time leading up to my wedding reception so I mighta not bin checking this forum.

Your tutorial is amaze! I have BW TM Megatron and never knew about this problem. I will have to find him and test him out.

Maybe I should record the event in case of breakage.