I've been trying for well over a week now with no luck at getting the wings off of Megatron. I've used a nail, a nail punch, a mallet, a hammer, and I've been tapping and pounding away as patiently as I could posibly be. I've tried different pin locations and tried pushing it out from both sides. I've even used a soldering Iron to heat it up a little and try it that way. I've done every thing that the pin guide at transtopia reccomends. The only thing I've accomplished is beating up the plastic and paint. If I pound any harder, I'd probably destroy the thing. It is very frustrating. So I ask you... How did you get the wings off? Which pin did you choose, and which side did you hammer it out from? Do you know which side the pin that holds the wing together (the one joint that folds down in Robot Mode transformation) comes out? Which side should be hit, and what transformation was the easiest to get to it from? I've been doing it in gun mode, but maybe I've been doing it all wrong. Help! I really need your help!
Given that you've hit him with everything under the Sun and not had much luck, I would recommend giving the soldering iron trick another shot. If available, use a soldering iron tip that comes to a small point, so as to pin point (no pun intended) the pin and minimize collateral damage to the surrounding plastic. Plus, sometimes you can determine which end of the pin is "knurled" by looking very closely at it (the knurled end may appear slightly larger in diameter than the non-knurled end).
You mean you drilled the pin out through the whole? I thought I had the knurled end by looking at it, but after it not budging I decided to give the other side a try. Didn't work either. Now I'm afraid I just made it harder on myself after hammering both sides.
no I didnt drill it out. Look at my pictures, the part under the trigger, and you should be able to see what I cut off
So in bot mode, does your Megs' "wings" go to the same dimension that G1 Prime's trailer does? (i.e. what do you do with your Megs' wings in bot mode?
I simply beat the pin out with a hammer. Took 5 minutes of effort. For a chisel I used the smallest slot head precision screwdriver I own (it's just a harbor freight junker, no loss if I destroyed it). I folded the wings together and rested the toy on the edge of my workbench with the only supported part being the joint in question (wing group on bench, Megs dangling off the table). This gave a good base for banging. I got lucky in my choice of side to beat on. One side of the pin is smooth and the other has little grippy nobbies. If you beat the the grippy side out first, it goes quicker I should imagine. Looking at my barrel, it looks like I banged on the right side of it (handle south, barrel pointing east) to get the grippy side out first. Seriously, no more than 5 minutes work. No damage either. I posted pix with my Megatron hand-mod thread. And yes, Megs keeps the wings in subspace with Prime's trailer.
I usually use a soldering iron to get my pins out. I stopped trusting the hammering method after I shattered the hood of an Alternator Swindle. Now, granted, I read your initial thread and I recognize that you've had no end of hell trying to get that Megs pin to come loose...but I do think that the soldering iron will work, provided you've got the right tools. Tell me these 2 things: 1. How long did you keep the soldering iron on the pin? Remember that you're heating up a pin lodged at the end of two big-ass pieces of plastic, so there's a LOT of places the heat can travel to in order to dissipate (i.e., the rest of Megatron's "wings.") 2. What shape/design does the end of your soldering iron have? I use one with a cone-shaped point on the end, which is nice because you can usually reach a pin that's been lodged in relatively deep in order to heat it up. I bought mine in the automotive section of Wal-Mart.
1.I kept it on for about 5 minutes. I even did both sides. 2.It's a screw on brass/copper colored tip that is for the most part coned, but flares into a very pointy tip. This tool can also be used for wood soldering and artistic carving. I got it at Big Lots. Thanks for your suggestions guys. I know with you're help I'll get this thing out yet. I'm going to go play some football with cousins and friends and when I get back I'll check back on the boards and apply these suggestions. I'll give it another shot when I get home.
Five minutes with the soldering iron should have been way more than enough, though I assume you've already figured that out. Did you notice any melting or softening of the surrounding plastic? You may want to try a different tip, and make sure that the tip is clean clean clean (dirt/gunk/and burnt crud on the tip will only decrease the rate at which heat will flow from the iron to the pin). Or, perhaps the iron itself isn't getting hot enough. Keep trying.
I haven't tried doing anything to megs yet but when I remove a pin, I use a piece of pine wood on the bottom side so the pin can push into the soft wood instead of hitting a more solid surface. I also use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold my pushing pin/nail so I don't hit my fingers and then I can hit the pin/nail harder. Don't forget your safty glasses. If your hitting it square and hard enough, it should come out in either direction. It will just be a little harder if you are forcing the knurled end all the way through It too late now but the knurled end of the pin is usually flush and the other side is sometimes a little recessed and/or has some small amount of plastic around the edges. (from pushing it through) Abrogate. I couldn't see the difference, at first. It just looked like the pin was missing but after looking again I saw that the tab from the wings is missing.
I heated up the hinge where the trigger and trigger guard were attached to the back of the figure. I heated that plastic hinge up with a hairdryer for about 60 seconds. They I took a thin metal rod and found out which side of the metal pin would move more when I pressed on it. Once I figured that out I got enough of the pin out so I could grab a hold of the exposed side of the pin with a pair of plyers and then I pulled the pin out. Definately had to use some muscle in getting it out though.
I finally got the wings off. I used revlimiter's method to get the pin partially out. I uncliped the wing shells and folded them back so the the pin piece was flush, while the rest of the figure was dangling off the table. I took a nail punch to it and wasn't shy this time. I figured, "Oh well, if it breaks, it breaks" and just beat the crap out of it. (Redline's suggestion. ) The pin came partially out and then I took a pair of needle nosed pliars and tried to get it out. It wouldn't budge. So then I got a different soldering Iron than I used before, heated it up and got the pin warm. After a few minutes it was able to pull it out. Thanks for all your help guys. This is my first project and I'm going to get it right. I wouldn't even be doing it if it wasn't for all of your knowlege and experience leading the way. I can't wait to share pics with you all! That's still a long ways away though.
