TF: Prime Knockout's Bodywork Tools (Shapeways)

TF: Prime deluxe Knockout's Bodywork Tools
Update November 20, 2012


"PREPARE FOR SURGERY!"

Alright! I know plenty of you have been waiting for this set for a long time..
and I also pains me to have it delay another day so here it is!
The TFP deluxe Knockout set is finally released and ready to order!

I won't apologise for taking so long with this set, because from my experience,
it's much better to delay a release a few weeks to make sure every piece works out
rather than to rush it out and patch things up later. I'm glad I took my time with this
because you can have my assurance that 90% of the time, this set will work out beautifully.
This is even with the inherent idiosyncrasies of 3D printing.



There are a lot of items for this set. For the torso you will receive a pair of
replacement shoulders and a pair of back fillers. The shoulders are redesigned to be
more show accurate, and the top plates swivel upwards for a better bot silhouette,
yet swivel down close to allow them to fit in alt mode. The back fillers are meant to
fill up the gaps in Knockout's back and give him a more solid looking body
and a better overall appearance.



For Knockout to play doctor, the set has included 1 cutting saw, 1 trephinator drill
and 1 paralyzer spear. All 3 accessories need assembly, but they should be simple
enough that anyone can do it. The saw and drill are designed to be held by the hand,
but they can also be mounted straight into his forearms with the hands folded in.
As for the spear, it can be folded in half and comes with a side peg for storage purposes.




In alt mode, the shoulders compress down and fit comfortably, but you have to be
careful to get the orientation of the arms just right, or the shoulders will pop right off.
The back fillers can be pegged onto the side peg holes of the car to form boosters to
give Knockout a little extra push. Also, the boosters have 5mm diameter holes
for weapon storage as well.





Problems/Issues



Well, this set has no major ones so far, but the only fault I care to mention is that
depending on the quality of the print you receive, the joint of the spear could be
very loose or very tight. The joint has a octagonal cross section with a protruding,
locking ring. If there's too much powder deposited on the model, the peg will be too
thick for the receiving ring and the latter might snap when you try to flex the joint.

If you suspect that's going to happen, take a step back, use a blade to carefully scrape off
material from contact surfaces of the peg, especially around the octagonal area.
It helps if you do a few test turns to 'wear down' the joint.




Some guys have given feedback that they are unclear on how to mount the saw and
drill into the forearms, and/or the weapons don't stay in and are too loose.
The two photos above explains how I mount the weapons on mine. I use the gap in
the weapon handle to 'grip' the inner ribbing of the forearm, specifically the second one in.
Make sure to push the handle all the way in to ensure a firmer hold, and fold the
roof panel down with the hand positioned as shown for additional security.



If the weapons still feel loose (especially the cutting saw which is heavier) you can
try clipping the weapon on the third rib instead. In this position it seems the
inner structure of the forearm helps a lot more in holding in the weapon. The only drawback
is that the gap at the bottom of the forearm is slightly larger.

Hope this helps!


Conclusion

And so this is it! A set to make an average figure as awesome as his on-screen counterpart!
Few free to give comments, critique or gifts of chocolate!




You can order the standard version here at
TFP Knockout's Bodywork Tools on Shapeways.




You can also order the ported variant set with extra 5mm peg holes
on the back filler pieces. This one is available at
TFP Knockout's Bodywork Tools (ported version).

I have tested this set in White Strong Flexible, and details are pretty good. A nice paintjob
should be able to bring out all the details.

- Ariel

Flickr is here.

Fakebusker's Shapeways Store