Ok, I’ve been dying to find a decent transformer to turn into a modern day Erector. And then I realized that Huffer’s Earthrise incarnation really looks badass enough to pull it off. But what to do about the lack of a crane? Well... I have something. But first, action pose! And now the more standard posing. Both with cab hood up and down, the latter of which is when he’s in construction mode. Erector also uses it to hold various tools if needed. Vehicle mode: After some uppity ‘Cons took out his crane base, however, Erector decided to get some equipment that was a little more mobile. And flexible. It’s just a different kind of crane now, albeit one not for erecting things. It actually comes from a $5.00 pack of cheap construction toys, and I wound up using a pin punch to lengthen the arm to something less sane to give it a “wow” factor in motion. Of course, the swiveling crane toy is glued to the shield, though I had wanted something easier to manipulate at first. Still looks cool, though. The other big difference aside from paint is all the construction and caution tape on Erector, which came from me printing labels to make a team of Ghostbuster ‘bots and ‘cons a while back. It helps cover some places where the paint doesn’t fit well. I honestly love this guy, even if he’s not perfect. EDIT: I have also made a partner, Krane. For those who don’t want to find the post with his rough sketches, he’s an Airwave from Earthrise, with a child’s toy construction crane literally glued to the back of the torso. Unfortunately, this has also made his vehicle mode less cool. In that the crane will never look quite right. Still! This looks great.
Good job!! Come to think of it. Hasbro could create a proper Erector by retooling the cab section and create a deluxe weaponizer or modulator that acts as a battleplatform/trailer . These could interact with Huffer, Pipes, Optimus, Rhoughstuf etc.
Airwave is a great idea. I have one, but couldn’t think of a way to mod him properly. I was thinking Ironworks, but I don’t have one at all. Still, it’s totally something Hasbro should do!
Maybe just attach his left arm to Huffer's/Erector's rear or only the connectors (alternatively to the shield). Or remove his treads and replace them with wheels with more ground clearance so he can slip over Erector's rear like his trailer.
I am doing this myself for an expanded Constructicon crew. I am using Airwave, plus the Brunt mold's arms and lower legs. In trailer mode they form two claw cranes. One on each side of the control tower. Haven't figured out how to attach it to Erector yet.
I keep coming back to look at these pics. Such a perfect custom. I might steal the caution stripes on the helmet idea, even though I'm planning Constructicon colors. Just to throw out another idea I was kicking around for mine, a WfC Optimus trailer would do the trick nicely if you could find the right crane arm to fold up inside. If you're a heavy modder with a 3d printer you might even be able to use the radar cockpit attachment and build something truly epic.
Update! I have found a way to make the construction crane look better, modding it into a 5mm peg mounted item. It fits way nicer on the arm, and the vehicle mode looks hilariously neat. The only downside is that his shield looks a little munched from the leftover glue, but I think it adds character. Also, he has a heavily armored bot mode, which I adore. I also found a copy of Mr Topcoat finishing spray from Japan, and I find it seals the paints and fake stickers I made quite nicely!
