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Post by Coletron on Mar 14, 2018 9:51:22 GMT -5
I was organizing boxes in my basement, and I found my G1 Optimus Prime from childhood. I'm quite excited - I haven't seen it in years. And, somehow it's still in mint condition! The joints are even nice and tight; but the shoulders seem to be stuck.
I'd like to transform it into robot mode, but I don't want to break this keepsake. What is the best way to loosen these tight plastic joints? Should I slowly work them in? Should I heat them with a hair dryer? Is there a gentle lubricant I can apply?
Please HELP!
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Post by shogunkid on Mar 14, 2018 15:30:18 GMT -5
Best lubricant I've used is armor all (or similar), the kind you spray on your car vinyl to protect it. It eventually dries and also should protect the plastic from UV rays. But its very lubby and should do the trick without damaging anything.
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Post by Yumcha on Mar 14, 2018 22:18:41 GMT -5
I would try the gentle heat idea. Not sure about the sprays idea, TBH.
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Post by mojacko on Mar 15, 2018 11:38:31 GMT -5
Heat it in a warm water or hair blower.
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Post by shogunkid on Mar 15, 2018 12:54:41 GMT -5
Not an expert as I've never used the heat method on any plastic robots... but doesn't that trick work best when the object has two different materials that expand at different rates when heated? If its a tight joint heating it will just make the two pieces of plastic expand against each other... possibly making it tighter. Just my two cents of theory... I would think water at cool temperature would be enough since you just want the water to lubricate the joint.
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Post by Coletron on Mar 16, 2018 8:07:06 GMT -5
Thanks for your replies! This is all good advice. But I'm still not quite sure how to proceed. I'll keep you guys posted. I appreciate your help.
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Post by shogunkid on Mar 16, 2018 16:32:45 GMT -5
Yeah don't leave us hanging in suspense!  |
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Post by Mr. Ginrai on Mar 17, 2018 1:00:45 GMT -5
Which joints? Do you mean the part where the rear cab/arms slide away from the cab front so they can be turned from cab to arms, or do you mean the actual ratchet joints of the shoulder ones the rear cab panels/arms are folded out?
If you mean the actual ratchet joints, don't force them, they will snap or shatter. Clarify for me and then I will explain more.
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Post by Coletron on Mar 18, 2018 22:10:07 GMT -5
Which joints? Do you mean the part where the rear cab/arms slide away from the cab front so they can be turned from cab to arms, or do you mean the actual ratchet joints of the shoulder ones the rear cab panels/arms are folded out? If you mean the actual ratchet joints, don't force them, they will snap or shatter. Clarify for me and then I will explain more. Yes... I mean the shoulder ratchets. What do you recommend? |
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Post by Coletron on Jun 19, 2018 17:37:10 GMT -5
Which joints? Do you mean the part where the rear cab/arms slide away from the cab front so they can be turned from cab to arms, or do you mean the actual ratchet joints of the shoulder ones the rear cab panels/arms are folded out? If you mean the actual ratchet joints, don't force them, they will snap or shatter. Clarify for me and then I will explain more. Sorry to bug you, but my Optimus is still in eternal tractor trailer mode. I was looking forward to any advice you may have. Thanks. |
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Post by Mr. Ginrai on Jun 21, 2018 15:37:09 GMT -5
You may be able to lubricate them but I would also recommend lightly sanding the ratchets. If you take the cab/shoulder apart (I'm not looking at one at the moment so I can't remember which part the ratchet is secured with) the ratchet should be a joint with two gears. You will need to see if the teeth need to be filed just a bit or if they just need to be lubricated. I'll see if I have a junk cab at home to look at before you go disassembling yours.
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Post by Coletron on Jun 21, 2018 21:02:59 GMT -5
You may be able to lubricate them but I would also recommend lightly sanding the ratchets. If you take the cab/shoulder apart (I'm not looking at one at the moment so I can't remember which part the ratchet is secured with) the ratchet should be a joint with two gears. You will need to see if the teeth need to be filed just a bit or if they just need to be lubricated. I'll see if I have a junk cab at home to look at before you go disassembling yours. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it! |
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