Round 2 of my custom Generations Trailbreaker kitbash. The original arm joints weren't working for me and neither was the waist area (some complained he was too fat so TB went on a diet, heh), so I went in a different direction to slim him down and improve articulation. This is perhaps my most rock solid (nothing is loose and I used all of the stock Generations Trailcutter parts) and articulated kitbash yet. He can't transform anymore (I display in bot mode 99% of the time anyway) but he's bigger/taller and can hold poses like a boss now!
Thanks! I was gonna kitbash his arm nozzle gun but I'm better off just waiting for the http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/950642-x2-toys-hoist-trailcutter-add.html.
This is a cool look too, though I still favor version 1's tubby Trailbreaker. I'm still trying to figure out how I can achieve that look.
I liked Tubbreaker too but the shoulder joints annoyed me too much so I took a 2nd crack at him. Glad I did as I love Trailbreaker v2 so much more now. It took a lot of extra parts and on-and-off trial and error to get this point, let's put it that way. But I had a lot of fun doing it though.
After his force field generator failed him one too many times, Trailbreaker vowed to never let himself become that vulnerable again. He raided Cliffjumper's and Skids's armories, taking up the mantra that a good defense is a good offense. Just having fun with this guy. The amount of 5mm ports on him is pretty ridiculous, lol.
Incredible job, congratulations. Please can you put detail pics from the pieces you used and from the rear? Thank's.
Thanks! Yeah, the loss of the alt mode is no big deal to me (can always pick up a 2nd Gen Trailcutter on the cheaper later down the road and display that in alt mode if I wanted). As long as he looks "right" in bot mode, especially when displayed next to his compatriots, that's what matters to me. I just need his gun nozzle on the left arm but third party X2 will take care of that. Thanks! I'll try to take some shots of his back and how his roof weapon plugs in there. It was a case of killing three birds with one stone since I needed a way to push his roof/neck piece further down, secure his new shoulder joints, and provide a 5mm peg/port on his back in which to plug in any accessories. I'm actually gathering the parts necessary so I can upgrade Hoist next (if you notice my sig, FOC Kickback's disc launcher accessory is one of the components, heh, and I just bought one loose from a fellow TFWer). I'm halfway through with the parts-hunting. I'll try to document Hoist's kitbash since he's essentially the same as Trailbreaker/cutter.
"Git in mah bellay!" I rather liked fat TB too but the waist and shoulder joints proved too problematic for posing/play, and his parts tended to shift too much. V2 is rock solid by comparison.
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. WIP picture. I'll try to take more photos as I continue but I don't have all the parts (that I used for Trailcutter) yet for Hoist.
It pretty much flips down flat relatively easy (keeping in mind that this figure no longer transforms). The only problem (aside from keeping the roof/neck piece down securely) is that the Autobot symbol portion of the hood likes to pop inward back inside the chest cavity at the slightest touch. That's why I took apart the stock gray abdomen piece (after removing the pin) and inserting it into the chest cavity so it can act as a "block" to prevent the Autobot symbol portion of the hood from moving around.
Normally parts-forming is a deal-breaker for me... but man, this robot mode is SOOOO MUCH BETTER!! Dammit, Hasbro... why didn't you pull something like this off??? Nice work. zmog
Thanks, I appreciate the vote of confidence! Yeah, after the triplechangers (Springer/Sandstorm and Blitzwing/Doubledealer), I'm fairly sure Hasbro could have made these guys much taller and beefier (with more interesting transformation/engineering) had they been Voyagers instead of (small) Deluxes. Partsforming/non-transforming isn't that big a deal to me if it can improve one mode over the other, to be honest. And I display most of my mixed Classics in robot mode (split between Bots and Cons) so that's my main priority. It really bugged me that Hoist seemed like such a midget when posed standing next to his buddy Grapple. After the upgrade, the mold stands around the height of a tall Deluxe (or short Voyager), which is suitable for my display needs (at least Trailbreaker/cutter isn't lost amidst a sea of Deluxes ). Again, the main point is not to make them more G1 (they're still Classics so they're never going to be as accurate as an MP figure) but to have fun kitbashing them (which I am in spades ) and the challenge of customizing with the available parts I have on hand, even if the end result is basically an Actionmaster.
Those foot mods are great, I might have to do something like that. I was wondering if a 3rd party kit would come along to do something similar, clip on feet would be fine with me.
