Well, it all started almost 25 years ago in my native country, where diaclone toys were too expensive to get, I remember one of my neighborhoods having the new countach lp-500s (sideswipe) how it made me drool. Then suddenly they dissapeared from the shelves and... TADAAAAAA!! Transformers appeared, with NO DRIVERS!! Since then they became an obsession for me, but they are difficult to get and oh yes, expensive. I have amassed a collection of 25 real drivers and 2 vintage from the 5 star kos(very bad quality). Almost 6 years ago living in brazil, I found out transrepro was making kits for these, all in resin, but when i was about to order from them,BAM! they went out of bussiness due to problems known to this community, then I tried to repro them, but back in brazil there are no high quality materials for reproing these small parts and be durable(besides material is very expensive), so i gave up.The only available source for Drivers became EBAY, with high prices and the crazy chasing after them. Almost a month ago I saw annovasin's repros, hell good, but again they are casted completely in resin and painted to imitate metal parts. So, I realized, why not give the US market a try, and see if the correct materials are available for casting such small figures in durable materials , well, the results after investing in equipment and materials are the one You see in the pics. They are casted in metal and plastic colored resin in a pressure tank to avoid bubbles and imperfections. I can cast them in two type of metals now, one that has lead, but they are covered with a clear coat to avoid any "lead poisoning concerns" and another alloy that has NO lead, however,this alloy is brittle and will not stand high impacts because it breaks in thin parts like the neck. Pictures 6 and 7 shows comparison between the real thing (left) and the repro(right white metal feet) please give me Your comments, critics and feedback.
Have you thought about looking to use a jewler and have them make a bronze cast of the metal parts? We have been looking to have GI Joe t-bars made and we can get them done in Mexico for $.50 each as long as we put in orders of 100 or more. Something to look into.
AWESOME work, i love the type 1 drivers and it's great to see them being casted. i have the 3 warudaros evil drivers though they are KO version, the quality is still good for casting it's funny people still remember ken and transrepro, I was the guy who supplied those type 2 drivers to be casted i REALLY hope you'll be offering these for sale, the diaclone nuts will eat it up. for metal you can try bismuth as well, it melts at low temperatures so it can be melted on a stovetop/ hot plate, its harder than lead, and the finish is a good replica for zinc.
sorry but these things really freak me out, i dont know what it is about them, i just dont like them, but your work is amazing and i admire your dedication to it well done bro.
Thanks for Your comments, Type 1 driver is the one I like the most, that is why I made this mold first, Type 2 is on the way, and if anybody here is willing to provide the sample for warudaros drivers and power suits I may also cast them, i always loved piloted mechas and the diaclone concept is cool. I have sometimes thought that Hasbro should lauch a "diaclone like" history, where the transformers borrow their schematics to build piloted mechas so the humans could fight an alien invader or something like that... thanks again for Your inputs they are very appreciated.
u realize you did a billion worlds better job than the KO companies did back in the 80's way to go. I am going to have to get a few of these from you.
If you're wanting to sell these, be sure to post a thread in the "Commissioner Listing and Feedback" section! I think these look great
thanks to You all,Your words are very appreciated. Now just one more thing.....Just when You thought You had seen everything on Diaclone drivers and You thought it was safe to go out there without wanting one extra little guy they surface!!!........ prepare for TRANSLUCENT DIACLONE DRIVERS...Almost here!!!
Strange question maybe...but how did you manage to make the magnets...I have some (genuine) type 2 drivers at home, but those are missing the magnets...I tried cutting some magnets myself...but...
Anyone have a link to show all the different drivers? Used to love these little guys as a kid. Only had 2 or 3 of them. Were great for the older transformers. Think my drivers were KOs back then though. Dad used to pick up these kinda things from China Town NY back in the day
Hi Prowl, here's a link of a (not yet complete) list FredsWorkshop.com I used to own a couple as a kid...guess I'll stop talking there...now it's up to 100 vintage versions. Soon it'll be 99 again LOL...planning on selling my double boxed GiG diaclone triceratops (slag)...but at this point I'm still in a planning stage...planning on when I decide wether I choose to sell it or not LOL
