Macross maintenance.

[Magnus]

On 7/27/2014 at 4:53 PM, no3Ljm said:

Hi everyone! Here's my first contribution on tightening the joints. I've included the texts on the images itself. I know it's not that in-depth but just the basic stuff so that everyone can get an idea on how to start tightening theirs. And hope that's ok. I remember asking questions on how to tighten the shoulder joints on the Messiah on the VF-25 Renewal thread. And so far members answered to use superglue and if I'm not mistaken Saburo replied with a video post of the YF-29 Durandal. (I will repost that video here next time in case members have problems with the YF-29 joints.) Which when I tried to check both shoulders, they're not the same. And the joint that was fixed on the YF-29 is not the joints that I want to repair. So I dared myself to try and pry open the shoulder armor on my VF-25F. And here it goes...

The reason why I didn't use the SuperGlue is because it can get messy and if that dries it leaves some white marks and white flaky stuff. That's why I look for an alternative first. And so far it works great. I will contribute more since I'm in the process on tightening other joints on my VF-25F Alto and YF-29 Isamu.

Hope that helps.

I love the use of the hand sanitizer rubber!

I just got a Renewal VF-27 Lucifer and was really disappointed that the legs still swing freely in robot mode.  I was hoping the renewals would have fixed this issue...

Anyway, would this method work for the Lucifer also?

[RealJayDee]

On 5/17/2022 at 7:58 PM, Magnus said:

I love the use of the hand sanitizer rubber!

I just got a Renewal VF-27 Lucifer and was really disappointed that the legs still swing freely in robot mode.  I was hoping the renewals would have fixed this issue...

Anyway, would this method work for the Lucifer also?

It should work, there are other methods too... 

You can apply any of these to the hip ball joint:

Clear nail polish, pledge floor care finish (clear), future floor finish, or kiki fix loose joints.

Gently apply and let dry... usually 1 or 2 coats will fix the issue, since yours is new I'd go for 1. Let dry at least 2 hours but preferably leave overnight before reassembly

[Magnus]

4 hours ago, RealJayDee said:

It should work, there are other methods too... 

You can apply any of these to the hip ball joint:

Clear nail polish, pledge floor care finish (clear), future floor finish, or kiki fix loose joints.

Gently apply and let dry... usually 1 or 2 coats will fix the issue, since yours is new I'd go for 1. Let dry at least 2 hours but preferably leave overnight before reassembly

Thanks, I used a bit of shaved silicone from a sanitizer strap and Kiki liquid, and now they're rock solid.  Same with my Isamu YF29.  Just with there was a way to fix the rotating wing engines on the latter, but ah well. 

[no3Ljm]

4 hours ago, Magnus said:

Just with there was a way to fix the rotating wing engines on the latter, but ah well. 

Glad the silicone thing works out on you too.

As for the rotating wing engine, you can tighten that up by putting a small strip of scotch tape (magic tape) in-between.  

[Magnus]

Brilliant idea, thank you!

[apharmd]

On 12/29/2021 at 8:28 AM, badboy00z said:

Does anyone know how to (if it's even possible) tighten the hip joints on the DX VF-31s? Even though they're ratcheted the ones on my Messer is looser than I'd like.

Also what about the waist twist joint? I tried taking it apart (2 screws) but I didn't want to try prying the plastic apart with force.

 

Hey homie, I had the same issue as you with my DX VF-31J. One leg felt looser than the other, for sure. I felt particularly brave today and wanted to see if it's possible at all to do so myself! Before I start though, this is my first time posting here with images, so forgive me if the implementation is a bit wack (advice would be welcome!) But anyway, I went about trying to disassemble the hip section.

It wasn't pretty.

There's two screws. The back is easily accessible, but the front is hidden under a plate I had to bust in order to open, as shown in the image above. The good news is that this plate in battroid mode will be hidden, and people would have to look real hard under the gerwalk/fighter mode to notice the break. CAUTION: Open up the hips on top of a large table. The parts are liable to pop off and you don't want small bits going out. The image above also shows what I found underneath. The gears associated with the legs push against this ridged die cast plate, which are supported and pushed up by springs.

When I took the diecast plate off, I did notice that the springs are uneven, in the image below. I'm not mechanically inclined so I don't know what the term is, but one looks a bit more deformed than the other. That's the side of the loose leg. When I swapped the springs and I reassembled the hips, I did see that the looseness had swapped with the springs. So, there you go. I'm pretty sure that if we replace the springs with stronger ones, it'll make the ratchet tension better. I'm about to go to Home Depot to see if I can buy some 4mm x 10mm compression springs, I think these are the ones that would fit.

On that note, if anyone has advice on how to make my maintenance post better, please let me know. I'm just happy I can finally contribute.

Edited June 5, 2022 by apharmd

[Angesdad]

10 hours ago, apharmd said:

 

Hey homie, I had the same issue as you with my DX VF-31J. One leg felt looser than the other, for sure. I felt particularly brave today and wanted to see if it's possible at all to do so myself! Before I start though, this is my first time posting here with images, so forgive me if the implementation is a bit wack (advice would be welcome!) But anyway, I went about trying to disassemble the hip section.

It wasn't pretty.

There's two screws. The back is easily accessible, but the front is hidden under a plate I had to bust in order to open, as shown in the image above. The good news is that this plate in battroid mode will be hidden, and people would have to look real hard under the gerwalk/fighter mode to notice the break. CAUTION: Open up the hips on top of a large table. The parts are liable to pop off and you don't want small bits going out. The image above also shows what I found underneath. The gears associated with the legs push against this ridged die cast plate, which are supported and pushed up by springs.

When I took the diecast plate off, I did notice that the springs are uneven, in the image below. I'm not mechanically inclined so I don't know what the term is, but one looks a bit more deformed than the other. That's the side of the loose leg. When I swapped the springs and I reassembled the hips, I did see that the looseness had swapped with the springs. So, there you go. I'm pretty sure that if we replace the springs with stronger ones, it'll make the ratchet tension better. I'm about to go to Home Depot to see if I can buy some 4mm x 10mm compression springs, I think these are the ones that would fit.

On that note, if anyone has advice on how to make my maintenance post better, please let me know. I'm just happy I can finally contribute.

Your post could not have been better! I can follow clearly what you did, what the problem was, and how you plan on fixing it. My interest as of late has been Delta valks and this is a valuable piece of information, thanks!

[Angesdad]

My copy of Mirage AX had a backplate on the wing assembly put together rather poorly from factory which made it look real gappy. It has been bothering me until today my OCD has taken over.😆 At the same time I added some colors to the missing detail, thanks to much needed tips from @Lolicon. For those who wish to disassemble the wings for whatever reason, there are 4 screws underside that are hard to miss. Simply undo the screws and wiggle out the entire back piece. The only thing will get in the way is the folding arm connecting the gunpod, just got to find the right angle and carefully slide it out.

 

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by Angesdad

[Lolicon]

Great work! Always gotta make up for Bandai's sloppiness. 

I rebuilt my hangar/maintenance bay finally, after spending months in pieces.

[Angesdad]

I have a question for those with Arad’s 31S. Is it expected to inevitably end up with some paint rub and chipping where the dragon skull emblem is? - I was lifting the container arm up *gently* for the first time on my recently acquired S, and a chunk of paint just rubbed off right before my eyes.😱 I looked at my other 31 variants, looks like some of them have the rub on the same spot…Any fixes available or am I simply SOL? Thanks..

 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Angesdad

[chyll2]

anyone with yellowing plastic tried hydrogen peroxide dipping? Did it have any effect on the diecast?

[no3Ljm]

7 minutes ago, chyll2 said:

anyone with yellowing plastic tried hydrogen peroxide dipping? Did it have any effect on the diecast?

There were some discussions of using haircream by chriswoo in the You're Yellow thread. He did mention though that when it got contact directly to the metal it will corrode. Hope that helps.

 

[chyll2]

@no3Ljmthanks a lot. i am re-reading it. i think cream is better, I was initially planning on the solution dip. I guess with cream i can mask the metal bits.

 

thanks will re-read the thread.

[no3Ljm]

You're welcome! Glad to be of help. 

[IIymij]

 my arcadia 1/60 yf-19 feet self combusted.... is there anyone I could comission to 3d print me a set of feet?  

[no3Ljm]

3 minutes ago, IIymij said:

 my arcadia 1/60 yf-19 feet self combusted.... is there anyone I could comission to 3d print me a set of feet?  

Sorry to hear about your YF-19 feet.  

I haven't done this process, but I'm thinking maybe it's possible to do DIY recast of the other feet using resin?

[IIymij]

12 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Sorry to hear about your YF-19 feet.  

I haven't done this process, but I'm thinking maybe it's possible to do DIY recast of the other feet using resin?

unfortunately they both were super brittle when i transformed it and both are in shambles

 

[no3Ljm]

6 minutes ago, IIymij said:

unfortunately they both were super brittle when i transformed it and both are in shambles

Oh, it's both? My apologies if I misunderstood the first post. Maybe there's a way to glue one together and do the recast once you refine it? I know it's more work than doing 3D printing but maybe it's worth a shot in case no one replied regarding to 3D print it for you.

Just an option.  

[IIymij]

11 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Oh, it's both? My apologies if I misunderstood the first post. Maybe there's a way to glue one together and do the recast once you refine it? I know it's more work than doing 3D printing but maybe it's worth a shot in case no one replied regarding to 3D print it for you.

Just an option.  

thanks ill have to look up some tutorials on youtube

[chyll2]

Tried disassemble as much as I can. The whole engine/feet, are unfortunately glued together. 

 

While the vf-25 renewal can be floppy after playing with it, majority of the joints are exposed and can be reinforced.

 

 

Disassembly made for planning if I will whiten or do full recolor

[badboy00z]

My copy of the Anniversary VF-25 has a loose "neck plate". It's the grey piece below the head. Is there a way to tighten that? It's not that big of a deal since it doesn't affect the posing stability but it would be nice if it was tighter. Mine also had a loose hip but I fixed it with Kiki. 

[Astralith]

Has anyone figured out how to fix the loose/wobbly intake joint on the DX VF-1? It's happening on mine and I'd rather it didn't 😅

[nightmareB4macross]

19 hours ago, Astralith said:

Has anyone figured out how to fix the loose/wobbly intake joint on the DX VF-1? It's happening on mine and I'd rather it didn't 😅

Same here. Especially, at the swivel joint of the knees.

[LeonardoM2]

Hi from Argentina, ok guys, a few days ago I brought this from another country, today when I transform to battroid mode I realize that it does not have this piece, its missed, i was looking in the boxes and nothing.I need your help please.

If somebody can upload the images with measures and another from rear side with the joint/articulation or folding mechanism  i could reproduce the piece with pvc/abs or other plastic.

Its imposible back the toy or change it....Anyway i will really appreciate your help whit some photos..The image was taken from the internet, it is not mine.

bye and greetings from Argentina.

 

 

 

[Rein+]

On 12/4/2022 at 12:07 PM, LeonardoM2 said:

If somebody can upload the images with measures and another from rear side with the joint/articulation or folding mechanism  i could reproduce the piece with pvc/abs or other plastic.

Sorry to hear that mate, but do you have another VF-31? that piece have the same mold with other VF-31, just dissamble it and recast it.

[LeonardoM2]

25 minutes ago, Rein+ said:

Sorry to hear that mate, but do you have another VF-31? that piece have the same mold with other VF-31, just dissamble it and recast it.

Nop, its my first VF31, here in Argentina could be a really hard work obtain one of this "toys"...

[Zeliard]

Hi guys. I just bought a 29 durandal max , and I notice the front landing gear won't close properly. Any fix? 

[French Onion Soup]

Hi, new poster, didn't see an "introduce yourself" thread so I'm jumping right in. I read through this thread and didn't see anything that explicitly said one way or the other, so, what's the ideal method for repairing/rebonding cracked transparent plastic?

I've had an HMR VF-4 in fighter mode on the stand that came with it for a while, and the cradle that clips onto the fighter is stress-cracked in two spots on the socket where the stand plugs into it. I was thinking I'd paint the cracks with a modeling cement and seal them before they spread any further. I have Plastruct Bondene (the dichloromethane one) on hand, but it has almost never seemed to work out for me on toy plastics. Maybe this is a better job for the other Plastruct, or for Tamiya Ultra-thin? I know cyanoacrylate (superglue) fogs transparent plastic, so prefer not to do that if I can get away with it.

 

Also, I didn't see it mentioned in here, but one thing I have had success with in the past is JBWeld Plastic in the syringe. I've found it's good for mechanically strong repairs to things that aren't visible or don't have to maintain a great deal of dimensional accuracy. IE, bosses that receive screws that have snapped off, or the backside of broken panels. There's probably other epoxies that work as well for the same thing but I can pick this stuff up at any hardware store. Unfortunately, I can't use it for this fix, it's pretty ugly when it dries.

[Zeliard]

Anyone knows how to fix chipped paints? Can I use a Tamiya paint and brush over it? Would it stick on the diecast part?

[Angesdad]

On 4/17/2023 at 10:54 PM, Zeliard said:

Anyone knows how to fix chipped paints? Can I use a Tamiya paint and brush over it? Would it stick on the diecast part?

Are you referring to Tamiya acrylic or lacquer? If you're touching up diecast parts I'd go with lacquer as it provides the strongest adhesion. a clean surface helps too. lacquer>acrylic>enamel.

[Zeliard]

On 4/20/2023 at 12:23 AM, Angesdad said:

Are you referring to Tamiya acrylic or lacquer? If you're touching up diecast parts I'd go with lacquer as it provides the strongest adhesion. a clean surface helps too. lacquer>acrylic>enamel.

thanks. btw, anyone has a 3d print file on an Arcadia VF1 shoulder? https://www.shapeways.com/product/DV3KRQCTN/kanzen-henkei-1-60-scale-fighter-variable-hinge?optionId=3675956 

Shapeways would be too costly for me after the exchange rate and postage, perhaps i can print it locally. Thanks in advance. 

[CF18]

 

Just got a sealed DX VF-1D from Mandarake, and those two just fall off like they never had any glue.  I will just glue them back, but any glue I should avoid? 

 

And any tips on how to tighten those slightly loose horizontal joints?

Edited June 11, 2023 by CF18

[Zeliard]

On 6/9/2023 at 11:45 AM, CF18 said:

 

And any tips on how to tighten those slightly loose horizontal joints?

Have u tried inserting a small piece of paper? Or a short dental floss?

Edited June 11, 2023 by Zeliard

[Zeliard]

Hi guys. I obtain a unit of Mirage VF-31C used, still in excellent condition. But I notice the tail fins are not at the usual upright position, but rather found underneath tucked away at the wrist. 

Is this normal? Or a defect? I've checked reviews, and unboxing. Certainly I don't see this. 

[Angesdad]

50 minutes ago, Zeliard said:

Hi guys. I obtain a unit of Mirage VF-31C used, still in excellent condition. But I notice the tail fins are not at the usual upright position, but rather found underneath tucked away at the wrist. 

Is this normal? Or a defect? I've checked reviews, and unboxing. Certainly I don't see this. 

Hope you didn’t pay too much for it.🤣

Edited July 9, 2023 by Angesdad