Yamato 1/48 BP8 issues SOLVED !!!!

[Kinzoku VF]

Hey again everyone,

I've been getting into the 1/48 line lately and have encountered the dreaded BP8 tab problems.

The 1st (and last !!!) 2nd hand 1/48 I got (Hikaru Fire Box.) had a tiny crack on 1 of the hinges.Whilst transforming it, both BP8 hinges snapped in my hands a day later!!

AND I am extremly careful when handling my figures!!!

Needless to say from then on I only purchased them NEW...But realised very quickly, that even brand new, there wre some issues with that part. After checking the web, I quickly understood that it was a common and well known fact that some 1/48 releases have back problems.!!!

Right so fast forward a few weeks, I bought more 1/48... Up until now, only 2 of them had no BP8 issues:

the VF-1A Woodland Version, and the Hikaru VF-1J.

They were O.k, not perfect, but their backpacks can be folded up without forcing/pushing like crazy on the backpack.

All the others that I bought NEW, not used..had the issue!!!

Tried to go on the web, and aside from hints and people saying the same thing about this part..I just thought I'd have to take them as they are...Not touch/transform them....Just be careful and leave them in my displays.

As most toy collectors know, these kinda parts are the ones most prone to getting stress marks, cracks, and eventually breaking off completely. When you see videos of people transforming their 1/48 on YouTube, the way some people just force /push it ,makes you wonder how long it took for their part to snap!!

Tried to E-mail ARCADIA (in JAPANESE too !!) to request extra BP8 parts, but for some reason,the mail cannot be sent. Why? No clue, but seems if your outside Japan, it refuses the mail??

Tried on the Forum, without much success either, aside from some very difficult BP8 repro parts that can be found ( still did not get a reply ).

So to avoid any furher damage to all my other 1/48, I decided to perform some light VF 'plastic surgery'

PLEASE REFER TO INSTRUCTION / MANUAL FOR PARTS NUMBER:

(Also if you want pics let me know, I'll do it in a 'visual' way !But really if you know these figures, you should understand what I 'm referring to without pics.)

I started to investigate further...

After dismantling the whole back wing/back pack piece, I realised that the little tab on the BP7 seemed to be too high (there is this protruding tab that stops the hinge itself going past through the minute gap of the BP8 piece.)

So in order to fold the backpack properly, that tab has to slide at least halfway through this tiny gap on BP8. As the tab is too thick, you have to force slightly (or a lot in some cases), the hinges being so small start to give in under the pressure, eventually, or straight away, (if you push the wrong way...) it's going to snap!!! As I had experienced first hand with my 1st 1/48

SOLUTION: Please read everything before attempting this 'mod'!

1st you need to dismantle the back pack from the rest of the body (it's easier to have it dismantled to do this).

-Once dismantled, fold the BP8 downwards to expose BP7 completly.

-Now the 'tricky' part. You need a very sharp scalpel/modelling tool. (by the way, it does not leave any marks if you do it carefully.)

- With the cutting scalpel, you're going to TRIM off 'tiny slices'(NOT CUT it off!!) from the little knob that is protruding from BP7.

You have to be relatively careful and most importantly, only cut away TINY strips of 'excess' tab plastic. Try to do it evenly so that it's more or less the same height that you've trimed off the little tab.

IMPORTANT: to avoid trimming too much /or too little, after a bit of trimming,gently put the backpack back into place on the body (no need to screw it back up for now). And see if it can fold properly without applying the crazy pressure you had to apply before!!

IF YOU TRIM TOO MUCH OUT, THE BACKPACK PIECE WILL DANGLE TOO MUCH ONCE ATTACHED!!!

So bit by bit slice very carefully to make the tab slightly less protruding from BP8.

-Then with very fine sanding paper (Not necessary, but if you're a neat freak like me!!!) just sand gently the part you've just trimmed to make it nice and smooth.

Screw back the parts...And the backpack can now fold without applying any unnecessary tension on the BP8 hinges !!!! (BUT it now has to be attached to the BP4 clip like shown in the instructions, meaning, the BP9 part of the backpack has to be secured by pushing forward towards the head past the 2 tabs that will hold it into place correctly otherwise, it leans back too much)

PROS:

- BP8 will not snap/break anymore,\ /

- Holds perfectly fine in fighter mode and Gerwalk mode (as there is another tab on the inside of the backpack opposite the one you've just trimmed to help support the weight whilst it's folded).

-Holds Super Parts perfectly (don't forget to attach the side parts of the Super Parts to alleviate the weight of the parts)

- If done with minimum care, it won't show at all on the tab that the little protuding square bit has been trimmed.

CONS:

-You will always need to push BP9 (part with the little shark fin thing) all the way toward the head (like it says in the instructions.) when transforming into Battroid mode.

Otherwise, the backpack will kind of slant back more than you'd want it to.

Not sure if that 'trick' has been done before. It must have though, as it's one of the 1st thing that came into my mind when I was thinking of a solution, I just wasn't keen to slice off bits of my costly 1/48...but so glad I gave it a go!!

I had searched the web in vain, without any luck or solution to this issue. And was getting really p'd off as I love the 1/48 line above all other Yamato lines!! And I just felt that at one point my figures would all end up with brocken backs!!! Could not enjoy them at all....I like to fiddle with my toys, pose them play with them etc...Not just leave them in their boxes!!

OTHER 1/48 ISSUES I've encountered:

SHOULDER JOINTS:

When they are new (even when they're not), sometimes the arms, don't seem to lift 90 degrees or rotate properly, feels like they're kinda blocked by something... .Well they are!!

For that, you need to dismatle the shoulders (unscrew the 2 screws at the back of the shoulder.)

If you have that issue, you'll likely to find that the ball joint at end of the BD4/BD5 parts have a little excess plastic at the end of the ball (probably from when they were detached from the sprues whilst being assembled by the factory)

That tiny excess plastic, should be cut (the people who put them together should really have done that..but hey..it's a Yamato figure...). Anyway once that tiny piece is off, put the shoulders back together..And hey..the arms now move up/down without any friction or whatever!!!

I've only had to do this to 1 of my 1/48 so not a really common problem, but it obviously happens.

BACK OF THE KNEE:

I've noticed on my 'broken back' VF and and some pics posted by people online, that the back of the R-L2/L-L2 (the Gerwalk joint if you will). At the back of the intakes, cracks can start to appear. There are a few reasons for that.

-1st one, is when transforming, make sure to hold on to that particular part R-L2/L-L2 (So many videos on Youtube, people just take the leg whichever way and fold the ratcheted joints in one go!) Well doing it like so, increases the chances of cracks in the plastic. You have to Hold the part fairly firmly and gently fold the gerwalk joint click by click. Not all at once!

-2nd When displayed into Gerwalk mode for too long with Super Parts attached, the whole weight of the upper body parts ect rests and puts a lot of pressure onto these particular parts increasing the likelihood of cracks forming.(Also puts pressure on the Backpack and increases risks of cracks in the BP8 hinges). So try to vary the position of the figures once in a while!

So that's it. Just remember the CONS before attempting the BP8 surgery . Even though you need very little modelling skills, you do need to know what /how you're going to do it.

So do it at your own risks! I don't want people saying that they broke their 1/48 because of that!!

But , I did it on several of my 1/48 and it makes a HUGE difference, I don't have heart attacks whilst transforming that part anymore!! Seriously, I love this line!! And was considering stopping collecting them completely just because of that ***%$@ BP8.! NOT ANYMORE .

Even though it's not THE perfect answer, I'd rather doing that than end up with broken hinges/backpacks on my 1/48s!

Still wouldn't mind some spares though to repair my broken one and just in case!

Hope this helps !!!

[EXO]

The BP8 thing is not an issue. That tab is there to stop you from folding it too far it's not there to hold up the back pack. They have tabs and that hook to to do that for you. I have over 20 1/48s and I've never broken one BP-8. It was discussed heavily when the toy first came out.

[Kinzoku VF]

Hey Exo, yes, I know what you mean by 'Folding it too far', thing is without any presssure or pushing, on some 1/48, it's just impossible to reach the little tab to hold the backpack into place.

When you put some pressure, yes, you can get to the position, but....the 2 little hinges are not strong enough to handle all the tension. Yes, not all break, but you end up with 'tiny' stress marks around the hinges. (I cannot stand stress marks...) Anyway, after my experience with that 2nd hand 1/48 that snapped, I'm now completely paranoid about breaking this part.

I've only just recently got into modern Macross collecting (I mainly collect vinatge bots), so, I guess I have missed the discussions etc when the subject matter was current.

Still, in my point of view, it is an issue. As it does not affect all releases, I don't think I should stress out every time I transform certain of my 1/48s .

[EXO]

That was my theory about the BP-8. I think a lot of people breaking their BP-8s are owners of the 1/55s where you do use the tab to hold up the back pack. I know I tried doing that the first time I got it. Well good luck and thanks for the tip.

[RosarioLuv]

Someone broke my BP8 when they attempted to transform my valkyrie without permission. Is there any replacement BP8 parts these days? Original, recast, or shapeways perhaps?