1/48's backpack hinge

[Lord of Tetris]

My 1/48 scale VF-1S just arrived in the mail. I've seen pictures of people ripping their Valkyries apart at just about every hinge imaginable, so I'm treating this guy with maximum tenderness.

My question is about the backpack hinge. I've seen pictures where the backpack sits flush with the backside of the Valkyrie. I also see that there's a hook that keeps it there. I've seen pictures where the backpack sits flush with the back without the help of this hook.

There's a little white plastic piece hooking the backpack to the body. There is a bump on this little plastic piece. For some strange reason, my backpack piece won't go past this bump, and it's always at an angle to the Valkyrie's backside.

Is it supposed to be this way? Currently, the backpack is sitting flush against the back solely with the help of that little hook. Without it, it sits about a 20-degree angle against the backside. I know there's a right and wrong way to do it, and the Search function didn't lead to any solid results.

I don't mind if this thread is deemed redundant and locked/deleted, but if that happens I'd appreciate a quick re-direct to the correct place.

[Hiriyu]

You may want to double check the sequence for folding down the tailfins prior to folding up the backpack assembly. If memory serves, you'll need to fold down the left tailfin first, which allows both tailfins to sit "flat" between backpack and backplate, decreasing the backpack's propensity to sit raised above the backplate.

Normally, the backpack will sit fairly flush without the use of the hook from the back hatch. It's really needed more for battroid mode, and especially if you are mounting fast-packs. The hook should engage into a little detent on the end of the "beaver tail" portion of the backpack. If your issue is in battroid mode, make sure that the back hatch panel is pushed beyond it's own detents, so that it actually sits recessed from the back panel.

Hope that makes sense.

[eugimon]

don't, DON'T try to force the back pack up at all, you will break that hinge.

The correct way to transform the backpack for battroid:

1. the little antenna on the rear hatch should befully recessed, it should not be sticking out at all.

2. the hatch should be depressed, it should no longer be flush with the back but pressed down past the two nubs on either side.

3. the the back pack gets flipped up but no further pressure should be applied to try and make it sit higher. The top of the backpack should be level with the top of the hatch.

4. the hook on the top of the hatch should now be flipped over to secure the top of the back pack.

If you leave the antenna out, you'll stress that joint and it will break.

if you force that backpack past being level with the hatch, you will force the joint and it will break.

Edited December 23, 2007 by eugimon

[Lord of Tetris]

I'm so sorry, I honestly don't mean to sound like a troll or ungrateful, but would it be all right if you posted pictures of those 4 steps? I hope I'm not asking too much, but I guess I'm having a hard time picturing what you wrote.

[eugimon]

edited my post with pictures as requested.

[Lord of Tetris]

edited my post with pictures as requested.

Thanks!

[David Hingtgen]

I'm thinking this should be stickied, or at least very often referred to.

[Lord of Tetris]

First the good news: I finally got it into Battroid mode. First 1/48 Valkyrie for me, and it is a hell of a lot more confidence-inspiring than my first-run VF-0S.

Now the bad news: the backpack is still at a 20-degree angle from the rest of the back. Pressing the "behind the head" piece toward the head didn't seem to do any good. I have copied one of the pictures above and circled the part that most worries me:

Am I supposed to push the backpack up until the circled part goes inside the backpack? With the way I'm doing it now, the circled part is staying outside of the backpack assembly. I can sort of intuit that pressing that into place will do the trick locking the backpack parallel against the body, but the moral of this game has seemed to be "do NOT force the backpack." So I've been scared to force that piece to lock in.

Although my camera is currently unavailable, I made some quickie MS Paint drawings to show what I'm asking. Here's what I'm doing, with the BP8's little bump in red:

My question is, am I supposed to push it so the red piece locks in, like this:

PS. Can someone who reads Japanese translate p.13 of the instructions? I'm talking about Step 19, which has a side-bar circling that same piece I circled in red. I want to read the Japanese text, but I don't read Japanese...

Edited December 23, 2007 by Lord of Tetris

[eugimon]

Don't force the bump any further than what you see here.

When the back pack is raised, the hinge will look like this:

[Lord of Tetris]

Thanks for the help, guys. Again, I really hate to sound like a troll, but I've done all of your suggestions, and the problem isn't any better. I've taken pictures this time.

I'm aware that there are two hinges on the BP8: one on the backpack itself, one on the back of the plane. From what I can tell, both are fully deployed. This is the result:

As this picture shows, I have not moved the piece past the bump that I colored red in my drawings:

So, from what I can tell, the two backpack hinges are both fully deployed. Any more movement, and I'm stressing the plastic. There's a 1cm gap between the backpack and the hook:

I can get the backpack to sit flush with the back if I simply apply pressure with my hand and put the hook on. But this way seems to bend the plastic, and I don't want to keep doing that. It can't be the way it's supposed to be, right? I've seen tons of pictures where the backpack sits flush against the back all by itself, no need for the hook.

[EXO]

seems like the problem is within the backpack... open it up and see whats keeping it from closing.

[Lord of Tetris]

seems like the problem is within the backpack... open it up and see whats keeping it from closing.

^^^I don't see how that helps, though. Here's some comparisons:

In Graham's picture here, there's no hook, and the BP8 seems to bend at the backpack to an acute angle (green). The other joint (not in green) seems to be an obtuse angle. These angles appear to be supplementary, and the result is a parallel fit.

On mine, it's a right angle. Right angle+obtuse angle=/=parallel fit with the body.

The "backpack-to-bp8" hinge (EG, the ones on the side away from the bump) seems to only want to hinge 90 degrees. There is no way for mine to go past 90 degrees, because the plastic pieces literally stop each other. It'd be like trying to get MP Prime to do a bicep curl; his arm simply won't bend past 90 degrees, and neither will the backpack. I don't see how opening up the backpack will help, because I can see right on the outside that a 90-degree angle is the maximum possible angle it can achieve. I hate to sound so n00b, but I simply don't understand how people's joints (the ones I made green) are sitting at acute angles.

[eugimon]

hmm, try refolding the tail fins, which ever one you have on top, fold that one down first this time.

[Lord of Tetris]

hmm, try refolding the tail fins, which ever one you have on top, fold that one down first this time.

Just tried it. Didn't work, because the fins weren't getting in the way to begin with. The problem is that the backpack itself is getting in the way, and the only way to get an acute angle from the backpack and BP8 is to get out the dremel and do some shaving.

Sorry if I seem argumentative. I really do appreciate your efforts to help me out, Eugimon.

[eugimon]

no worries, sorry I couldn't help.

Can you take a top down picture of the backpack and the hinge? I'd like to see how yours is different.

[David Hingtgen]

I just fiddled with my 1/48, and the "BP-8 hinge to backpack" joint is at an acute angle. Now, I did open my 1/48 totally up and did much sanding of the backpack and hinge joints to allow for an easier, less stressful transformation, but I don't recall it ever not being able to properly transform.

::edit:: Fiddled some more. Ok, carefully and slowly folding the backpack, I note the following:

It likes to "catch" when the backpack-to-hinge is at about a 135-degree obtuse angle. (in otherwords, raised 45 degrees from from fighter mode). It will hold this position, and wiggle around it a bit. Then, going further, the stress/force required increases, maximizing right around 90 degrees. Then, once past 90 degrees, it becomes almost effortless and folds flush, with an acute angle.

I think you may have to open up your backpack and see what's preventing it from getting past the 90-degree point. Alternatively--trust in the fact that it's SUPPOSED to go past 90 degrees, and push it until it does. It'll either get unstuck or break.

[Lord of Tetris]

It'll either get unstuck or break.

Heh. Well put.

I'll put some top-down pictures next chance I get. In the meantime, can someone tell me how I'm supposed to open up the backpack? I couldn't find any screws...

[David Hingtgen]

Top center of the backpack, there's a sort of T-shaped plate. (a fat, hex-rounded-ends T). Pry it up. Screws are under there.

[Scream Man]

i think it just isnt clicking up enough, probably at the point of the hinge on the back of the fighter, not the backpack. Im sure that's supposed to be raised up lsightly further.

[Lord of Tetris]

I've opened up the backpack. I'm going to sand down the hole that takes the metal bar so that the backpack can slide out about 1 mm. Then, it'll have no problem going into an acute angle. Is there any reason I shouldn't do this?

[Lord of Tetris]

Okay, so tell me if this is a good idea:

I've methodically taken the backpack off the Valkyrie. I pried open the little T-shaped panel and unscrewed the backpack. Very easily reversed. I'm going to widen the hole where the BP8's metal bar hinges with the backpack. What used to be a circle, will now be an oval that allows the backpack to slide about 1mm away from the Valkyrie's body, allowing the backpack and BP8 to form the acute angle.

I'll post pics when I can, but here's some artwork:

Steps 1 and 2 show the backpack, unmodified. The blue is the BP-8. The problem is that "BP8-to-backpack" is at a 90 degree angle. This can't be changed, because the plastic physically gets in the way. I simply do not understand how everyone gets theirs into an acute angle. The "body-to-BP8" hinge is at an obtuse angle. I'm told that forcing this angle any further will snap the hinge.

In step 3, I plan to shave out a little of the "light green" hole into the area occupied by the dark green. This will create an oval, which allows the BP8 to form the acute angle I see in all the pictures.

Before I proceed...is there any reason I shouldn't do this?

I'd like to finish this post by saying that the backpack, unmodified, DOES close parallel to the body, but only with the hook. Without the hook, it juts out in the 20-degree angle I have depicted in the pictures. When hooked into the "flat" position, there is some serious plastic bending. Before I make this modification...is it normal for the Valk to be this way? If everyone's Valk needs the hook to close, then I'd like to know before shaving away some plastic...

Edited December 27, 2007 by Lord of Tetris

[David Hingtgen]

If you'd like, I'll take some pics of my hinges in different configurations so you can see exactly what angles each piece needs to be in. I might even be able to get my backpack open again and see how it looks inside, so you can compare to see if anything about yours is "wrong".

[Lord of Tetris]

If you'd like, I'll take some pics of my hinges in different configurations so you can see exactly what angles each piece needs to be in. I might even be able to get my backpack open again and see how it looks inside, so you can compare to see if anything about yours is "wrong".

I would greatly appreciate that. Thanks.

Again, my concern is how the backpack looks without the hook keeping it in the correct position. As is, the only way the backpack stays parallel is if I use my finger and force it flat against the back so that the hook clamps onto it.

[David Hingtgen]

Ok, I'll go take pics right now.

[David Hingtgen]

Must apologize for the quality of some, not many turned out (I took dozens)---indoors in the afternoon around the winter solstice is probably about the worst time possible to take pics.

Anyways----here is the "hinge to fuselage" joint at the "battroid mode" angle, but with the "hinge to backpack" joint in fighter mode---basically I folded the backpack up, then unfolded just along one hinge. The opposite configuration was just impossible to photograph due to the fins getting in the way, I could do no better than what you already see from the backpack fully folded up pics of Graham's. All I can say is the hinge-to-backpack angle is definitely acute.

Here are two different angles of the hinge area of the backpack joint fully folded up. There is a small protrusion inside the backpack on the hinge itself, that rubs against a grey part (backside of the 3 small backpack thrusters). That does seem to determine the angle the backpack folds to. Looking at mine, it is completely unaltered. Maybe yours has something blocking it. or something. But I have no play in the hinges fore/aft or any sliding motion--it is purely rotation.