Transformers:
Cybertron Ransack rear strut swap Here's a comparison of the bike mode, the top is the factory-assembled manner while the bottom is the modification with the rear wheel struts reversed. (If you're wondering, I hadn't tapped the hinge pins all the way back in at this point which is why they're showing in these photos, I did this to swap the parts while photographing them, they go all the way back in with ease - and that's a Princess Leia figure in the upper right).  To explain, Hasbro and Takara assemble all the Ransack figures - in Japan he's "Gasket" - the same way you see in the photo above (except with the pin fully inserted), so the rear wheel struts angle down. This causes the wheel to be much lower, so not only does it not follow the fender, but it also raises the bike up, and keeps the bot's heels from fitting fully in place which causes the rear wheel to slightly rub the bottom of the heel (you can see this in the above photo).  This next photo compares how the heel sits in its slot: the top is where the factory-positioned wheel stops it, while the bottom shows that it actually goes in further which this wheel strut swap allows.  After seeing Ransack's design sketch on the Hasbro website (included above), I noticed the design has the rear wheel's struts angled up, the opposite direction from the way the factory assembles the toy. This confirmed my suspicion, so I tapped out the pins holding the wheel strut hinges together, removed and then swapped the left and right struts -- lo and behold, now the bike rides lower, the rear wheel follows the fender, and the bot's heels can go all the way into their slots... heck, even the weapon box on the back now is more level. The pins are in the hinges very tightly, it took a lot of effort and I had to put the leg parts in a small vice surrounded by a rag to keep them in place -- it's also crucial to use a tool that's small enough to fit in the hole. One end of the pin is cross-hatched to hold it firmly in place, this end was flush to the top of the strut while the other side of the pin was slightly inside its hole. I tapped the pin out from the hole end so I wouldn't have to fight the cross-hatching all the way through, once I got it started and made sure the tap would fit in the hole, I gave it some confident hits and the cross-hatching part came out, from there it was easy.  In case you were wondering, here's a comparison of the bot before and after the swap. Also, the bike mode still has plenty of ground clearance after the swap and now no parts are rubbing, so I don't think Hasbro or Takara actually meant to assemble it wrong. I think the factory is mistakingly assembling them this way because the wheel struts have "R" and "L" in them corresponding to where they were put on the bike, but I suspect the letters actually refer to where they go on the bot - which has its left and right sides swapped from the bike mode. |
-JediTricks |