By Generation: Human Alliance Bumblebee Leg Mod (Version 1.5)

Razerwire · Jun 26, 2009

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tutor...n-alliance-bumblebee-leg-mod.html#post3795539

(As the previous link suggests, this modification proved to be very popular when originally posted, so much that many other artists decided to take their hand with it, adding other spins to it. Razerwire's addition not only clarifies some things from len_d69's tutorial, but also gives a different look at the modification itself. Also, other artists' contributions are included in "Version 1.5" here. ~Superquad7)

I rotate the legs at the hip joint first.

Take the parts apart and put them back so they look like this:

Make sure before you put everything back together that the hip joint has the more rounded side facing downwards.

plowking said:

Clearance issues?....while tf-ing him?.....I do what Peaugh does in the vid while tf-ing him.....I have no issues at all.
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Razerwire said:

What clearance issue are we talking about? You mean when you swivel the hips?

If the mod is done and it is transformed correctly there isn't an issue but for the life of me every time I transform the thing I forget how to do it
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Xcandescent said:

If you read the instructions, the leg transformation depicted is consistent with how HA BB is assembled in-package -- i.e., not CG-accurate, wheels facing inwards, etc. That transformation is a no-brainer: pull the legs down, and push the hip kibble in towards the crotch. Done.

If you do this mod, the leg transformation becomes a LOT more difficult.

From car mode, you have to unfold the thighs from the rest of the rear, then spin the thighs 180 degrees around on their hip joints (so the screws facing upward now face downward). Push the hip kibble so it covers the thighs, facing upwards. THEN, you have to figure out a way to turn the waist around without getting hip kibble or the thigh itself stuck in the roof.

Remember RiD Sideburn/CR Speedbreaker, and that ridiculous front bumper/arm mess? This is almost exactly like that. That alone is sufficient justification for Hasbro simplifying the transformation, via creative re-assembly (since they obviously wouldn't have the time/budget for a mold fix).

Peaugh said:

Just make sure the upper body is in car mode when you rotate the legs and the roof bit will be out of the way and provide just enough clearance to easily rotate the waist.
Click to expand...

The easiest way I've found to do the waist rotation is to:

0.) Orient your "left" and "right" from the angle of looking downwards through the roof. This is to avoid confusion regarding which leg is "left" and "right", since you can describe them from the robot's POV, or yours. Let's stick with yours.

1.) Bend the *right* thigh at the hip 90 degrees downwards, away from the roof. Also give the lower (not-yet-transformed) leg a 90 degree twist to keep it from hitting stuff.

2.) Turn the waist counter-clockwise 90 degrees.

3.) Bend the right thigh back upwards, so it's straight and parallel with the other leg.

4.) Finish the waist rotation.

5.) Finish transforming the lower legs in the usual manner.

Remember that all of this comes AFTER you've twisted the thighs around, so the hip kibble faces upward (and screws downward).

-XCN-
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AnimatedFan said:

I'm pretty sure I have it figured out. I think the way the hips now jut out, coupled with the thickness of the window pieces is the problem. They're rubbing up against each other and causing the gap. If the window's plastic, or the hips are trimmed down just a bit, enough clearance should be given, and should eliminate the gap. I don't have him in front of me right now, but as soon as I do, I think I shall be tackling that.
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JinSaotome said:

I believe I've nailed down the offending part that causes the roof gap! After you do the swap, shave off a bit from what was once the inner thigh. This was the part that was rubbing up against the crotch in car mode and pressing it down. The gap is gone now when I transform BB into alt mode.
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AnimatedFan said: ↑

It worked quite well, the gap is gone. (like a hairline crack shows through, but nothing out of the ordinary. I'm thinking it's my figure that's the problem in that department.)
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JinSaotome said:

Yay! That was the offending piece then. The more you shave that edge down the tighter the legs fold in against the crotch piece.
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Cheebs said: ↑

I think Bumblebee will look better if you shave his crotch instead of shaving his legs.
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AnimatedFan said:

The crotch has a silver coat of paint. I assume it's grey plastic underneath. If you shave away the crotch sides rather than the legs, you'd have to touch up the paint. At least the legs are just grey plastic, so it's a little more transparent a fix.
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Cheebs said:

Yeah, but the crotch part in question is facing the back of the figure hidden behind the front crotch plate. You would never see the shaved area. The leg part in question is prominently on the side of his leg.
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project9 said:

If you shave down the hips and make it flat, throw a coat of nail polish clearcoat on it, and it brings back the gloss like the rest of the plastic has. Works well.
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AnimatedFan said: ↑

If you shave down the hips and make it flat, throw a coat of nail polish clearcoat on it, and it brings back the gloss like the rest of the plastic has. Works well.
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Cheebs said:

But my point is you still shaved down a visible part that is supposed to be there. That outer hip bump belongs there in the original shape for accuracy. The back of the crotch can live or die and nobody will ever see it.
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J.T.Silversmith said: ↑

if you do the leg mod (like I have) the lower legs are much more movie accurate, but the thighs are less accurate, they are on the wrong side. They are more correct in the unmodified position. (To be perfectly correct you would also need to flip the thighpads 180 degrees)
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Cheebs said:

Unmodded, the thigh pads need a 180° rotation. (as you said)

After the mod, they need a 180° rotation and a leg swap.

Any further mod to put the thighs in a 100% accurate configuration would indeed result in an untransformable toy.

So they are upside-down in both cases. But I'll venture to say that they look more accurate to me after the mod. The wheel wells are supposed to point to the outside. They point inside before the mod, outside after the mod.

So,
Unmodded: upside-down and wheel wells facing the wrong way.
Modded: upside-down and wheel wells facing the right way.
Click to expand...

Insane Galvatron said: ↑

Mine has the clearance issues, and I can see that the part you shaved off is not making any contact with the crotch at all. Removing it will do nothing for mine. Yet, I still have the gap.

MegaMoonMan said:

I personally think the gap is caused by the legs attaching to the crotch a little off center. When you rotate the waist, the joint is now a millimeter lower causing it not to line up anymore.
Click to expand...

I agree here - those parts to be shaved aren't touching or rubbing against anything in car mode. There's a huge gap between them and the waist, shaving wouldn't do any good.

I don't think that's the solution. I agree about the waist just being a hair lower now - it could probably be fixed by enlarging the hole the waist post swivels in a little, but that could lead to a loose waist swivel.

The gap is minimal, so thankfully I don't really care.
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RHALX said:

Yeah, you both perfectly understood what I was talking about.

The other bad point with the mod is that since the leg support is reverted (it faces down), the legs are not as high as they are in the normal mode.

It makes bumblebee taller and "thiner".

So well, as said before, it's 50/50. I guess the prototype just has different upper legs, there's nothing we can do to fix it sadly. They didn't just swapped the legs, they also slightly modified the mold.
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[Also, thanks to all of the contributors:

shadow panther; plowking; encline; Cheebs; project9; JinSaotome; Xcandescent; RHALX; MegaMoonMan; Insane Galvatron; AnimatedFan
Dally; J.T.Silversmith; Peaugh (for the video helps)

~Superquad7]

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By Generation: Human Alliance Bumblebee Leg Mod (Version 1.5)

Razerwire 99 Problems... Veteran

Attached Files:

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BBroofgap 001.JPG

By Generation: Human Alliance Bumblebee Leg Mod (Version 1.5)

Razerwire 99 Problems... Veteran

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