Replacement shoulders?

[dreadpyrat]

Well, the shoulder on my 1/60 Yamato VF Roy Focker finally gave up the ghost and the arm completely fell off. I've been reading up on this and it sounds like my two options are:

1. somehow get a hold of an official Yamato replacement shoulder

2. Get a shapeways shoulder.

My questions are:

1. How do I get an official shoulder?

2. The threads I've been reading here say the shapeways shoulder does not actually fit properly.

3. Is there a 3rd, more awesome option?

What is a fella to do?

[Falcon18]

1. Since Yamato is gone. There is no way to get an official shoulder me thinks. Maybe you could try asking other members. Might be a longshot.

2. It might require some sanding if I'm not wrong. Else, it's fine. Many ppl have used it before.

3. Don't think so.

[dreadpyrat]

Thanks Falcon, I'll look into the shapeways option since true awesomeness escapes us at this time.

[lancalot]

there always the unpainted 1/60 kits , you get a whole figure as spares might be an option if shapeway cost too much .... just depends on how many parts you need

[chyll2]

last time HKcollectibles had a vf-1A assembly unit. for around 45 USD, but it is sold out again. Ebay has some at 60USD before with economy shipping. I dont know now though

[barurutor]

IMHO getting the assembly kit just for 2 shoulders is overkill unless you really plan to use the rest of the kit for modding/repair. A pair of shoulders on shapeways costs USD15-USD30 (including shipping, cost depending on where it's shipped).

[technoblue]

Hi dreadpyrat,

I was facing the same situation recently. Two of my older Yamato Valkyries developed blown shoulders while in storage and I noticed the damage while breaking everything out for a new display. But I had other unseen damage that I noticed after breaking down one toy, so my stuff needed more attention than hinges for a complete restoration.

That aside, the shapeways shoulders are good replacements for broken hinges. I was confused about the fitment at first, and after messing with the pieces I realized that the new parts had new engineering. That said, there is a noted margin of error for shapeways designs. If the fit of the ball joint isn't "just right" out of the bag and the part is too big, then you may need to do some sanding (as noted above). On the flip side, you may need to coat the joint with future if it is a little too small.

If you do need to adjust the fit, then go slow and take your time.

Another option is to preserve the original parts. I'm worried because you said the arms fell off. However, if the pieces haven't completely disintegrated, then you might be able to glue them back together with Tamiya ABS Cement (or some other ABS cement). You will still need to modify or replace the knurled pin to avoid damage down the road. If the hinge pieces are just junk itty-bitty bits of plastic now, then this is not a good choice.

Edited September 1, 2014 by technoblue

[Jasonc]

I use a spare unpainted, unassembled kit. It was much less expensive as it is now, but if you look around, you should be able to find them around.

[CoreyD]

You can also use the Arcadia 30th kit as a hangar queen. It includes some black shoulder hinges, which go well with anything. I used a pair in my super ostrich and it looks pretty sharp.

I expect the price to keep dropping on that visual abomination as time passes, so keep an eye out.

[Valkyrie Magnus]

You can also use the Arcadia 30th kit as a hangar queen. It includes some black shoulder hinges, which go well with anything. I used a pair in my super ostrich and it looks pretty sharp.

I expect the price to keep dropping on that visual abomination as time passes, so keep an eye out.

I like that idea! I don't think that thing will go up in price since it was so hideous.

[wmkjr]

Did the OP find a solution for this? From his description I was assuming it was for a VF-0S since he mentioned ghost. Are the VF-1 and VF-0 shoulder parts compatible?

Edited September 19, 2014 by wmkjr