How do you take apart G1 Prime's thighs?

Hey radicon gurus,

i looked in the table of contents but didnt find this topic. I know how to remove pins but this is more complex.

G1 Prime's torso is held together by two screws and the front wheels.

Obviously the two screws are easy to remove. But I cant figure out how to remove the front wheels safely and without permanently damaging them.

There seems to be a metal hub on the axle. I have tried pulling the metal hub off with pliers at both ends. but i just end up scratching the metal hub.

Does anyone have experience removing primes torso to get to the chrome thighs?

Thanks

Originally Posted by ultraconvoy I been after this toy for years and i have every right to brag and celebrate.

I am not sure if it is a solid axle pin, I would have to see him again to be sure. Most likely he has 2 separate pins that run through a hole in each of the wheel's and into the torso. These pins have a flared end piece to stop the wheel from coming off and a ridged opposite end piece ( that act as teeth to grip the plastic ) that stops it from coming out of the torso once inserted.
If this is the case, the way I do this is I take a dremel tool with a small drill bit, ( 2 x smaller than the diameter of the pin's flared end ) I carefully place it directly in the center of the flared end of the pin and I drill with just enough pressure to heat the pin up. With steady pressure this will take about 15 secs. You will have to have your pliers ready so that you can pull it out immediately. If you take your time and are careful not to let the bits tip slip from the center of the pin you will not damage the pin beyond use. You will have a small circular indentation when done that actually can give the wheel's hub more detail. After you pull the pin out you should cool it immediately in a bowl of lukewarm water. This will stop the pin's heat from expanding any parts of the plastic it is surrounded by. When you are ready to put it back in you should be able to insert it with relative ease. I would recommend using some super glue to help the bond. Does this help?

Sort of. I have done that do remove pins. I use a soldering iron to heat up the parts.

However, Prime's thighs are not held in this fashion. There seems to be a solid axle. The axle is what the chrome thighs rotate around, to transform from truck to robot. There are springs that keep tension on the legs. but if you push the thighs to the side, you can see the axle. Also it helps that im looking at a Clear KO G1 prime and I can see the axle running thru the plastic.

If you look at the front wheels, you can see a axle/pin and what looks like some sort of collar around the pin.

Originally Posted by ultraconvoy I been after this toy for years and i have every right to brag and celebrate.

well its an axle all the way through. i do allot of g1 prime customs and i just take the grill off and the rest of the cab and just paint around the legs.

i bought a parts lot one time on ebay and it was all prime parts in that lot there were allot of attempts to take that axle apart all in failure. my only idea to take it apart was to cut the axle and then replace it somehow with something else. like i said though i just leave em alone

hmm darn. not quite the answer I was looking for. But hmm cutting the axle and replacing it does sound promising.

Originally Posted by ultraconvoy I been after this toy for years and i have every right to brag and celebrate.