The bits that break.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 6:59 pm

It's happened to us all at one time or another - your pride and joy gets broken. No, not that - I mean one of your Transformers.
That feeling of sickness as you realise it's not the ball-joint that has separated, but the actual plastic bit itself. And it's always in the place that either is impossible or very hard to glue, or will affect the actual transformation of the toy.

So, what Transformers have you broken? Did you ever fix it, and was it ever the same again? Which were just the most badly made toys of the entire TF line?

I'll start you off:
I was happily messing about with my new Energon Wingsabre, connecting it to my Energon Prime to enjoy the combining goodness when, due to the stiffness of the arm extension fit, one of Prime's chest doors flew off! I initially thought it had just popped off and would easily clip back on - but no, horror of horrors - the little round bit that makes the hinge connection had snapped off completely.
I tried to superglue it, but apparently superglue just isn't that 'super' these days - the broken bit just kept coming off, not helped by the fact the area had to stretch a little bit to reconnect to the hinge knob. And as the chest door is that weird softer plastic, repeated gluing attempts were destroying the plastic itself. Why did I have to break the expensive one?
Finally I tried a multiple gluing process with some funky industrial plastic adhesive from a mate at work, which worked, but now I don't fully trust the chest doors on my Energon Prime in case it goes again (like when you break a bone and are relutant to put too much stress on it).
Luckily the chest doors aren't part of the normal cab transform of Prime so I don't need to fiddle with them much, and they lock properly into place when not in use. Apart from if I want to take a photo though, I WON'T be opening those chest doors anytime soon...

Over to you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:13 pm

Skids - torso became separated from his body via a weakened shoulder. Lost his head, although I've managed to put the rest of him back together. Looks ok-ish in car mode.

Trailbreaker (x2) - broken necks (same place). Can just about make him look ok in robot mode, and he looks fine in car mode.

Bumblebee - head became separated from body, which I then misplaced. The body, that is.

Silverbolt - his leg fell off, and if I ever find the right sized rubber ring, he'll be ok for more than just simple posing.

PM Prime - 'Articulation' no more as the trailer's plastic peg sheared off in the cab section. Bodged it by making the pole go through his legs instead. heh.

Skydive - Lost his nosecone due to canine interference.

Oh, and Pretender Starscream lost a clip for one of his wings. Rather recently, unfortunately.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 7:17 pm

Seems like you have a real problem with TF heads.
The sliding bit of the bonnet that connected to my G1 Jazz's head snapped off. That was impossible to glue back on because it had to slide along a little trench.
I've got a reissue one now, so it's not such a disaster (it was twenty years ago though).

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:20 pm

I'm very careful with them, still, G2 Dreadwing's arm shield connector broke off after the fourth or so transformation...

Optimus Prime Rib · Post by **Optimus Prime Rib** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 4:55 am

got Jazz in the mail 2 weeks ago.. then the windshield broke off..

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 5:24 am

Oh, and trust me... everything you hear about Roadblock's gold plastic is totally true.

I got a mint one and his fist broke in two as soon as I put the gun into his hand. I could fix it, thankfully...

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:48 pm

Optimus Prime Rib wrote:got Jazz in the mail 2 weeks ago.. then the windshield broke off..

In the same way as I mentioned earlier? At least it wasn't just me (well, my heavy-handed schoolfriend).
The gold plastic and it's 'snappy' properties are well documented. I suppose it was a cheap way of getting a new colour without chroming.
I was ALWAYS very careful with my TFs - but that's why it's such a sick-making feeling when one breaks without good reason.

Confession: I accidentally broke a pal's G1 Optimus' arm off once. Luckily it stayed in place in vehicle mode, so I put it to the bottom of his toybox and hoped he'd think it just happened from the weight of the stuff on top of it. Still feel guilty about it - even more than fifteen years later. He never mentioned it though, and I wasn't going to replace it.
Anybody else break a mate's TF?

anna · Post by **anna** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 2:21 pm

here my broken ones:(this is not including secondhand ones that here broken when i got them)
g2 silverbolt(front of fusalage)
g2 slingshots rearwings(i think)
g2 holligan(arm snapped off morning i got it cheap peice of ****)
i had a bumblebee that had broken its clip(the one that holds the headpegs)
bw t-wrecks i bought one at goodwill that was missing the head and dinoarms i found another at a yard sale last year but when i took the dinoarms out of the yardsale one the peg broke off of one of them (still havent been able to fix it suggestions anyone?)
starscreams wing the hole that holds the cannon in part of rim broke(still holds though)
my old powerglide the bolt kept slipping out of the wonghole fixed it with a nail but have gotton a new powerglide
huffer my old one the arm snapped off(got a new one at a flea market)
laserbeak ive had a couple that had broken heads but my current doent
frenzy/rumble guns tabs and wings are broken
ravages bomb a wing broke(i fixed it)]
trypticons pegs(the one on his tankpeices) broke off as well as the one his large turret hook on to

thats all i can think of im usually good at taking care of mine but sometimes it just happens

anna · Post by **anna** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 1:50 pm

one more thing broken optimus primes gun

anna · Post by **anna** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 1:52 pm

"has anyone else broken a mates tf"? yes i broke a guys jazz one(the top hasnt been seen since ironically enough i ended up trading it off of him and replaced the top with a g2 one)

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:05 pm

I got a mint Pincher, and as soon as I put the small gun into the robot's hand, it stuck there... the gun's handle broke off when I tried to remove it. It's made of a bit rubbery plastic, methinks.

anna · Post by **anna** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 1:29 pm

i just redicovered thismorning skylnxs leg is broken off (methinks i need a new one lol!!)

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 4:36 pm

anna wrote: im usually good at taking care of mine but sometimes it just happens

Are you sure? That's a lot of damaged TFs. And how the hell do you break Prime's gun? It also sounds like Jazz's head needs a major redesign before the next reissue - everyone's seemes to break like that.
Luckily if you can find a good shop that deals with old secondhand TFs then they're likely to have a box of odd bits and pices that you can possibly find a replacement part in.
And WHAT is it with that crappy rubbery plastic that they sometimes use? It must be cheaper for production's sake 'cos it's no good for anything else. They used that stuff a lot on Energon Slugslinger (ruined the toy for me - he's so floppy) and that new Aerialbot leader in Energon (I can never remember his damn name!).

Is there anywhere on the internet that does TF spares? I didn't break it, but I could do with a gun for my secondhand Blaster.

Optimus Prime Rib · Post by **Optimus Prime Rib** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:57 am

I thought I WAS THE ONLY ONE who didnt really like Slugslinger all that much. I mean, hes OK. But he is no Bulkhead.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:05 am

Optimus Prime Rib wrote:I thought I WAS THE ONLY ONE who didnt really like Slugslinger all that much. I mean, hes OK. But he is no Bulkhead.

Is he really that bad? I really like the design, but it's no use buying him when he falls apart, then...

Bulkhead is too... bulky, I think. I like it abit, but won't spend that much money on such a large toy, will wait 'till Life Convoy who is teh same desgin upgraded.

anna · Post by **anna** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:40 pm

im not sure how it broke( i may have stepped on it by mistake my room can get bad like that ok ok so not all girls are neatfreaks lol!!)but truthfully i dont know how it broke and ive been collecting these things from almost the start so the stuff can deteriorate as for a place that has replacements i know of one in jackson mich that i go to when i can(since i cant drive that isnt often)and i have gotten as few replacement parts there(like laserbeaks head and i lost starscreams wing and bought a junker there for 9$)

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:38 pm

BB Shockwave wrote:Is he (Slugslinger) really that bad? I really like the design, but it's no use buying him when he falls apart

It's not that he falls apart, it's that the rubbery plastic is so bendy that nothing clicks into place properly in either mode - it springs out really easily. And it NEEDS the 'clicking into place' stuff to work or it ruins him as a toy. Add to that the fact that he's got lots of transformation needs around his arms and legs, and you've got a TF that falls over the moment you so much as look at it.
If you're prepared to swear a bit when using him, and then just leave him alone on your shelf in robot mode, then he's a good figure. I just hate that bendy plastic, and can't see why they needed to use it. Grrr.

As for toy spares, I have a good import/secondhand shop that has a big box of odd TF stuff that you can trawl through. Sometimes you can collect enough bits to build a complete 'bot from several broken ones at half the price.

I have Bulkhead, but I'm not that fond of him. If they'd named him 'Springer' I might've felt differently. And he was annoying in the cartoon. Just got the recolour of Energon Jetfire today (after months of searching I had to settle for the 'Overcast' version). He's so much better.

And yes, stepping on things WILL break them. Now I understand. Go and tidy your room immediately - I'll be 'round later with a white glove to check the surfaces for dust. (That's probably Michael Jackson's excuse too

).

Warcry · Post by **Warcry** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:14 am

RiD Prowl decided to dive off of a four-foot-high shelf today. Now he's minus one of his doors; he deserved it for being a clutz, I suppose.

G2 Slingshot...well, I'm pretty certain that everything that could possibly break on him has broken. Every single moving part has snapped off, so he's more or less just a metal chestplate with a few bits of crappy gold plastic hanging off.

When I was a kid, I somehow managed to break Thundercracker's die-cast chest piece in half.

None of my Jumpstarters have legs anymore.

Sureshot lost the metal pin that holds his waist together at some point. He's currently being held together (surprisingly well, I might add) by a toothpick.

Pretender Grimlock got decapitated somehow.

My first Technobot Afterburner snapped in half at the waist years ago. And if the joint was as tight as it is on my new one, I can understand why...

Rebis wrote:PM Prime - 'Articulation' no more as the trailer's plastic peg sheared off in the cab section. Bodged it by making the pole go through his legs instead. heh.

Same here. Actually a common predicament, from what I recall.

I've also got many, many other busted TFs that I can't remember off-hand. I was rough on my toys when I was younger.

BB Shockwave · Post by **BB Shockwave** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 9:49 am

Autobloke wrote:
BB Shockwave wrote:Is he (Slugslinger) really that bad? I really like the design, but it's no use buying him when he falls apart
It's not that he falls apart, it's that the rubbery plastic is so bendy that nothing clicks into place properly in either mode - it springs out really easily. And it NEEDS the 'clicking into place' stuff to work or it ruins him as a toy. Add to that the fact that he's got lots of transformation needs around his arms and legs, and you've got a TF that falls over the moment you so much as look at it.
If you're prepared to swear a bit when using him, and then just leave him alone on your shelf in robot mode, then he's a good figure. I just hate that bendy plastic, and can't see why they needed to use it. Grrr.

You know, plastic is quite crappy nowdays... examples: Armada Sea Team, Ultra Magnus' minicons, Sledge. Arms and legs, in astroscope's case, half of his body popped off as soon as I tried to transform them.

We never had this trouble with G1/2, well except the Laser Rods and Cycles...

As for toy spares, I have a good import/secondhand shop that has a big box of odd TF stuff that you can trawl through. Sometimes you can collect enough bits to build a complete 'bot from several broken ones at half the price.

Oh yes, I have lots of such wrecks. I'm currently building an Overlord from two wrecks for Optimus Prime"s Rib...

I have Bulkhead, but I'm not that fond of him. If they'd named him 'Springer' I might've felt differently. And he was annoying in the cartoon. Just got the recolour of Energon Jetfire today (after months of searching I had to settle for the 'Overcast' version). He's so much better.

I got Jetfire yesterday, can you snap on his head on his shoulders? On my toy there is a large gap between his head and shoulders, really annoying. But overall he's a great toy, looks nice carried by Energon Magnus...

Speaking of him, anyone's interested in Magnus's Space Team Repaints? I got them yesterday and already hate them with a passion, willing to trade them...

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:30 pm

BB Shockwave wrote:I got Jetfire yesterday, can you snap on his head on his shoulders? On my toy there is a large gap between his head and shoulders, really annoying.

Thank god it's not just mine then! It really p***ed me off to see that huge gap. No, I don't think it snaps into place either. Also, I have to force his eye-visor back into place every time I flip his head out. I was so worried that I might break it. I got the repaint of Jetfire (Overcast) because his colours matched the Armada version's colourscheme.

That rubbishy rubber/plastic is like the stuff they used on the Pretender Monsters' shells. It smells funny too...

HoistKeeper 2.0 · Post by **HoistKeeper 2.0** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 2:50 pm

My G1 Jazz reissue - the missile launcher has broken away from the body of the missile launcher - will get round to gluing one day.

RID Ultra Magnus - blue left hand won't stay on the ball joint.

RID Megs - not broken but can be wobbly on the legs at times.

Armada powerlinked Prime (Whatever you call him - blue version) - My biggest problem of all my TF's: the trailer has never self-transformed, i got new batteries when i got it, but it's been uless and is now always falling apart

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:00 pm

HoistKeeper 2.0 wrote:My G1 Jazz reissue - the missile launcher has broken away from the body of the missile launcher - will get round to gluing one day.

RID Ultra Magnus - blue left hand won't stay on the ball joint.

RID Megs - not broken but can be wobbly on the legs at times.

Armada powerlinked Prime (Whatever you call him - blue version) - My biggest problem of all my TF's: the trailer has never self-transformed, i got new batteries when i got it, but it's been uless and is now always falling apart

Another entry for G1 Jazz. That guy seems to have loads of problems.
As for Magnus' hand: do you mean it's really loose? Isn't a liberal coating of nail varnish on the ball (ooer) and left to dry supposed to tighten things up? Test this first though as it may melt some types of plastic.
Armada Prime's trailer never worked that well as far as I could see. Luckily mine has never fallen apart, but a friend's son's (the same one I mentioned earlier) one fell to bits a few days after he got it. Even following the pictures on the box or in the instruction booklet I still couldn't reassemble it for him.

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The bits that break.

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