Custom Generations Trailbreaker and Hoist NEW UPDATE: With the announcement of EchoTF/DMY Studion Trailcutter/Hoist trailer, my interest in these two molds was reignited and I decided to give them some touch-ups here and there. Gave their optics some metallic blue paint with a Gundam marker, and fixed Hoist's shoulder area by giving him some chrome shoulder pads to better hide the gaps there. Also put his X2 Toys wings on some stronger ball-jointed supports on his back. Someone asked me for clearer pictures of how I put together their spine assembly to give them their G1 hood torsos and windscreen necks, so I'll try to post up some better photos of the rear and sides of the figures soon. Cheers! Just standin' 'round. Comparison shots between the unmodded (Takara) versions and the modded (Hasbro) versions. Modded and unmodded Trailbreaker/Trailcutter next to Takara United Jazz. Comparison lineup with iGear PP05 Weapon Specialist (not-Ironhide), modded (Hasbro) Trailbreaker, Takara United Jazz, unmodded (Takara) Trailcutter, and custom Deluxe Cliffjumper. UPDATE: Been a while but just a quick update for my custom kitbashed Generations Trailbreaker and Hoist (with the X2 upgrade kit). No, they don't transform anymore without partsforming (which I don't mind a bit since I mostly display in bot mode). Back view. Side view. They're uber poseable. Hound having a chat with Trailbreaker (back when they were both chummy with Spike and Sparkplug, respectively, before Bee butted in and stole their thunder). "We build and repair. Call Hoist and Grapple Construction Company, 555-5555." As far as the X2 upgrade kit goes for Hoist: There are stress marks on the inside of the main C-shaped hinge connecting the Hoist-wings-on-ball-joints to the main backpack assembly, but there's no evident damage from the outside, so it should be fine. Only reason I noticed them was because I disassembled the backpack and wings to their base components to play with their configuration on the back of my custom Hoist. I don't think they'll break as long as I don't mess with them again (ie. pulling the pieces apart repeatedly). The way I have them now is the wings are plugged into the ball joints of the donated foot pieces from DOTM Armor Top Spin (perfect fit, I might add), which I then frictioned into Hoist's back (fairly solidly). Next, I simply frictioned the empty ball jointed stalk on the front of the wings (they slot into the holes nicely as pictured) and the backpack kinda hangs off of Hoist now. Could be more secure, but for my display purposes, it works. An unexpected benefit of my mods is that Hoist's wings can now be positioned and "locked" pretty solidly with two "settings"; the wide angled look (pictured above where the perpendicular "hook" pieces on the wings block any further movement), or they can be pushed up to sit higher (for a more narrow, G1 look where Hoist's over-the-head rear gun stops further movement). I like the wide angled look better; almost gives him a Wheeljack vibe I find appealing. (I didn't like how fiddly and loosely positioned the wings are in their stock/unmodded configuration.) Very happy with this purchase. I'm tempted to get the normal silver versions and fiddling with those on the Takara releases of Gen TC and Hoist. UPDATE: Someone asked for the parts and steps I used to upgrade Generations Trailcutter, so I thought I'd just repost this here: I'm currently working on upgrading Hoist and trying to document that kitbash as I work in progress. It involves several donor parts so it can get a bit expensive/difficult trying to procure them all (most of the figures I mention below were existing junkers I already had laying around to cannibalize for parts). Basically it's: 1) HFTD Mindset/Hailstorm's feet that become his new feet. I just drill two little holes in Trailcutter's stock feet and plugged in the donor feet's pins there. 2) The feet from Universe Inferno and/or RTS Solar Storm Grappel. They become Trailcutter's new heels and they simply slide and friction into the bottom of his stock legs. 3) FOC Kickback's disc launcher (aka "gear shredder") weapon accessory, once disassembled, becomes the basis of Trailcutter's frame or "spine". This is the most difficult part. I removed the pin from Trailcutter's torso piece (which I then reinsert the torso piece back inside his chest cavity to act as a "block" so his Autobot symbol hood doesn't keep popping back inside the gap). The 5mm handle of the disc launcher can actually slide into the back of Trailcutter's butt/waist piece. The stock shoulder ball joints on Trailcutter are flipped inward and out the back of him and friction on and around the disc launcher itself to form the frame/"spine" (takes some very careful positioning and it's annoying but once everything is in place, it's rock solid and holds firm). 4) BH/RID Deluxe Ratchet donated his shoulder ball joints to become Trailcutter's new shoulders. I threaded new, longer pins and frictioned them onto the disc launcher frame and used his roof/neck piece to hold everything together. 5) A long 5mm pole was inserted into the top of the disc launcher (I drilled a hole there with a Dremel), through the 5mm port that already exists in the back of the roof/neck piece, and that holds the roof/head piece down very securely. The 5mm pole is actually the hilt piece from ToyWorld Hegemon's dark energon sword, and has ports that can plug Trailcutter's shield/gun accessory onto his back. 6) Shoulder pads were donated from DOTM Deluxe Armor Top Spin shoulder pieces, just to fill in the gaps there so Trailcutter's arms don't look like they're hanging so low. His stock arms are pretty short and noticeably so now that he's taller, but I'm hoping the third party X2 gun nozzles and Hoist wings add-on will fix this somewhat.
looks like hailstorm/mindset feet, dotm topspin shoulder ball joints but how he got them attached is beyond me... now he looks like his chubby g1 self lol
Thanks! See below. Arigato! Thanks very much! Check below, heh. Winner winner, chicken dinner! I indeed had some Mindset and Armor Top Spin parts laying around from previous kitbashes and decided to do a little recycling, lol. I got the ball joints to stay in place with simple screws that attach where the pin (that holds his torso piece in place) used to be. Everything's pretty solid save for the roof kibble on his back (and by consequence the chromed shoulder rockets). I'll have to find a better way to secure them but that can wait. Yup, beer belly Trailbreaker is best Trailbreaker!
Whatever you did with the feet look great, but everything in the torso looks awful. Trailbreaker isn't pot bellied, he's got a solid hood chest. Not the same at all.
He always came off as having a bit of a belly to me in G1. In any case, I like a bit of variety with my Bots since there are so darn many of them in Seasons 1-2. Would be boring if they were all sleek sex machines (that's why most of the new Bots in TF4 are boring the pants off me aside from Hound; dude looks some chunky and clunky and just plain practical, at least as far as alt modes go). As I recall, TB's stomach was comprised on his entire hood while his head sat on top of his windscreen and partial roof. But this is Classics (as in updated designs), and not necessarily G1/MP. Granted the shoulders were the toughest part of this kitbash to secure on the figure and make them look right (or just good enough) but I worked with what I had. Can't please 'em all, but I'm only interested in pleasing myself and this works for my collection.
Not gonna lie, the Torso is not very good. I understand the want for a potbelly, but it doesn't really look pot-bellied. Maybe it's just because the figure itself is perfect to me, since I love the character and design from the comics, (where he was a normal sized to shorter guy anyhow) but this needs a little refinement. The feet are a good job, but the longer torso also makes his arms look short. There's good ideas here, but ultimately it just looks like you took a well-proportioned figure and stretched him out in the torso. Maybe if their was a bit more mass near the top that wasn't cannons? I bet that would help greatly improve the look. Another idea would be to transform the torso sort-of properly, and add a shorter extension at the waist, and arm extensions.
Well done, man. Going to steal your idea to add to my custom TB http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/956804-g1-style-laserhand-idw-trailcutter.html EDIT: The more I look at it the more awesome it looks. So rad.
I had to go and look a Mr. Deflok's Trailcutter to see what was done to yours as I don't own the figure....What you did really improves the looks(more G1) of the robot mode a bunch !
I'll be showing this to the wife after I get that toy tomorrow. Good job. Blaming you for the purchase.
I just had a quick play around with mine but I can't get the body to sit as high as yours. Did you do some cutting inside?