Energon Sky Shadow [to Classics Powerglide], Wing Modification

Hey everybody . . . I finally was able to finish the wing mod tutorial for my Classics Powerglide [which uses the Energon Sky Shadow mold], so without further ado, here we go!

1) You will need either of the Energon A-10 combiner figures, Sky Shadow or Terradive, to perform this mod, and you will need these tools, courtesy of REDLINE and Lobo Customizer's Tools. In addition to the tools listed in that thread, you will also need a hot knife, which is basically a soldering iron with an exacto blade attachment on the end and can be found at Michael's as well as a 1/16 pin punch for removal of pins.

2) Using the hammer and pin punch, separate the backpack from the figure, keeping track of the pin. Also remove the arms and put those to the side. Here's what you should have at this point:




3)Next, take the backpack and lay it flat. I have placed arrows pointing to the parts you are going to cut with the Dremel and cutting wheel. This is necessary to remove the wing pins, you will need to take the wings off to do this mod. The pics show what you should have when done:






4) You'll need the hammer, pin punch, a pair of pliers and a roll of tape to remove the wings. Just take the backpack, insert the pin punch in the hole with the pin in the wing, and place it on top of the roll of tape which is used to absorb the shock of the blows and as a soft surface to drive the pin into, and carefully but forcefully strike the pin until it is protruding. You will then grab the pin with the pliers and pull it out. Repeat the process for the other wing, here's a pic to show you what you should have:




5) Next we have to remove the head and pin from the backpack. You'll notice I have an arrow pointing to where the pin is, just knock that out. Here's a pic:




6) Now flip the backpack over. See those landing gears? Pull them out. With the wheels out, you'll notice that it looks like you could run a pin or a piece of wire through that area. Guess what? You can, and this is part of the secret to the wing mod. [Here are] a couple of pictures just to show what I mean:






7) I have provided a pic that shows the areas you will be working on next, these will need to be Dremeled out; that is a the Dremel accessory I used to do it:




Here's a pic of what it should look like when it's done. Remember to clear out as much of that area as possible, it will make things much easier later:




8) Turn the backpack on it's side. Here we see there is a line created by the black and white paint. This is the line you will be cutting along with the hot knife, going up and around the wing hinge as well. In front of the hinge you'll see another line going down, you'll also be cutting here as well. A word of caution: the knife is going to be hot and we all know what happens when too much heat is applied to plastic for too long - melt-y messy ruined custom, so don't keep the knife on it for too long. As a matter of fact, I would recommend letting the plastic cool between cuts just to be safe. Please look at the pics before performing this step to have a clearer idea of what we're aiming for:

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This is what you should have if you did this right. Repeat for the other side, and don't worry if it isn't perfect - it will pretty much be covered up by the wings when they are back on. Just make sure you have something that resembles this.


9) Next, take your files and file down the sharp edges from the pieces and areas you just cut so everything is nice and pretty. Got any other figures laying around that you can cannibalize pins from? Good, because you are going to need 2 pins about a centimeter long each. If you have a long pin, just clip it til it's about that long X 2. When you have them, set them aside nearby. Take one of the pieces you cut off the backpack and fit one of the pins into the hole on it. Most likely, you will need to widen the hole a bit, so take a 5/64 drill bit and carefully widen the hole with it a little at a time checking often for fit. What you are aiming for here is a very snug fit, and if you overdid it a bit, just take some superglue and glue the pin in:






10) Remember step 6, the one with the piece of wire going through the landing gear area? If not here's another look:




We are next going to drill this hole out a bit as well using our 5/64 drill bit and checking often for fit. These holes can be a little looser than the other ones we just did, because we want the pieces to pivot freely here. This is the trick to the wing mod and will give you that upright wing position our friend Powerglide is famous for. As with the previous step, if you overdid the drilling, just take some superglue and put it on the pin, then insert it into the area. You will want to keep moving the piece up and down every few seconds so that you do not permanently glue it in. As a side note, this is a useful trick for loose ball joints and hinges as well, just remember to continuously move the piece in question around until it tightens up. Anyway, if you followed along to this point here's what you should have.










Thus ends my tutorial, congrats, and please feel free to hit me up by PM with any other questions you may have. Here's one last pic for incentive and shameless self promotion:

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