Masterpiece Prime Legs Popped Off!! Need Help!!

[TransformersFan]

Today I picked up my masterpiece prime while reorganizing my shelf and when I repositioned his legs to get him to stand again on the shelf his leg popped off. I tried to pop it back in but it wouldn't click back in and while getting the one leg back on the other popped off as well. Now I'm starting to freak out. I've been trying to fix it for an hour now but the legs still won't pop back in. I've checked every piece three times over now and there is no warping, fractures or cracks in any of the plastic pieces and the ratchet joints are still intact.

Please if this has happend to anyone else or you know how to fix the problem please let me know. I'm desperate for any help I can get.

Thank You.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Until someone that knows better than me jumps in, I'll just say DON'T PANIC. Chances are if they popped off without breaking anything, you'll be able to get them back on by unscrewing stuff and then reassembling. Just look at the bot and see where you can unscrew things to put the legs back on. Don't rush into anything, just think about things for a few minutes and figure out what you need to do before doing it. I'm sure someone will post specifically about how to do it if you can't figure it out.

[TransformersFan]

I've identified what seems to be the problem. The clips the hold the ratchet joints in place aren't clicking and holding the legs in place but again upon close inspection the clips appear undamaged. I'm still at a loss at how to fix this and I'm afraid of doing anything for fear of doing any permanent damage to the figure resulting in having to replace it. Takara Masterpieces are not cheap.

Again any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[Shepp]

I would also think that if they just popped off, then its more than likely the position the legs were in that allowed them to pop off. I haven't looked at my MP Prime in a while, so I've forgotten how the legs attached, but them just popping off leads me to believe that there might not need to be any unscrewing to put them back in.

That being said, it may be that unscrewing isn't needed, but it may make things a whole lot easier.

Take a crapload of photos with a digital camera before you take it apart, and take a picture after each step of disassembly. They'll help greatly when popping things back together.

Also, which version of MP Prime is it?

MP-01 Masterpiece Convoy
MP-04 Perfect Masterpiece Convoy
20th Anniversary Optimus Prime
20th Anniversary DVD Optimus Prime

Were there any other releases?

[tusko]

I have the same problem.

The leg is designed to come off with stress. Its held in the hip by a magnet and my magnet is obviously underperforming.

For me it doesn't affect the overall toy much. There may be a polarity issue popping your toys hip out. Dunno, but its not the end of the world.

Take the advice of wiser minds first, but I suspect the whole leg ratchet hip assembly can be glued together. You'd just lose the safety feature and ability to disassemble it easily.

[TransformersFan]

Originally Posted by Shepp

I would also think that if they just popped off, then its more than likely the position the legs were in that allowed them to pop off. I haven't looked at my MP Prime in a while, so I've forgotten how the legs attached, but them just popping off leads me to believe that there might not need to be any unscrewing to put them back in.

That being said, it may be that unscrewing isn't needed, but it may make things a whole lot easier.

Take a crapload of photos with a digital camera before you take it apart, and take a picture after each step of disassembly. They'll help greatly when popping things back together.

Also, which version of MP Prime is it?

MP-01 Masterpiece Convoy
MP-04 Perfect Masterpiece Convoy
20th Anniversary Optimus Prime
20th Anniversary DVD Optimus Prime

Were there any other releases?

It's a MP-01 and thanks for the advice.

[TransformersFan]

Originally Posted by tusko

I have the same problem.

The leg is designed to come off with stress. Its held in the hip by a magnet and my magnet is obviously underperforming.

For me it doesn't affect the overall toy much. There may be a polarity issue popping your toys hip out. Dunno, but its not the end of the world.

Take the advice of wiser minds first, but I suspect the whole leg ratchet hip assembly can be glued together. You'd just lose the safety feature and ability to disassemble it easily.

Is the magnet a separate piece or is it part of the ratchet assembly because if it's a separate piece it's missing.

[tusko]

The magnet, or what I assume is a magnet, is on the end of the hip gear - equivalent of a ball - to the socket joint of Optimus's hip. Its flush and looks like a pin but I noted there was a similar metal piece inside the socket on the hip side.

Mine was fine for about a year until it just started popping off. The left leg more so than the right.

Wait until some of the moders weigh in on this. Relax! However a couple of pictures would help. I suspect its the same as mine.

[TransformersFan]

Here are some pictures. Hope this helps and thanks to everyone who has helped me.

[TransformersFan]

I still haven`t figured this out so if anyone has any advice I could really use the help.