Another one I've been meaning to do for a long time... except I only recently realized just how EASY it was.

In the end, all of this was achieved with only a screwdriver. To complete the mod, I'm going to glue a swivel joint in where the "powerlinx" port is in his chest, so his whole upper torso can turn freely around.

Remarkably, none of this affects his car mode AT ALL. He still transforms nice and clean. For now, his canopy is just detached and stuck on his back like wings... I figure if parts-forming is good enough for Jin Saotome it's good enough for me!  

Heh... I do have a plan ready to allow his canopy to actually rotate to the back of each leg, but I haven't implemented it yet. The head swap was an aesthetic choice... the Energon head is very cool, but the Cybertron Downshift head just channels G1 Wheeljack better for me.

I'm also thinking of painting his upper legs and forearms a more G1-style black.

zmog

 

that's cool dude. he screams G1.

 

looks sharp. shame his torso is so small. It'd be cool if you cut the canopy so that only the top parts were up as wings so that they could be used to emulate the original, but its no big deal if ya can't.

 

Yeah, his torso is kind of dwarfed by his big legs, which makes his proportions sort of the opposite of the ol' G1 "monkeywrench" Wheeljack.

The canopy/doors won't stay on the back... this is just the "easy" version.  

In the final stage, they should be folded up on the backs of his legs. Then I can use the spoiler to emulate his oldschool wings.

zmog

 

thats nice I like it

 

Looking slick, love the pics too, some badass angles

 

It does look very cool, but I'm confused to the max. How does it transform now? Since the legs are now on the opposite sides, surely that stops it? Any chance you could show pics of how the legs swap sides for transformation? Or is that what the planned swivel joint is for?

Also I'm very curious about the fig itself - your Wheeljacks arms, thighs, exhausts etc are a silvery grey; mine is more of a beige colour - is that the Takara version or something?

 

Yep, that's the Takara version, which I found on Ebay a while ago. WAY nicer than that puke green colour used for the US version. I have no idea why they changed the colours. The deco colours are a bit darker on this version as well, and there are a couple more paint apps, though not a big difference overall.

I have a couple of the Energon versions, but I'm planning on remodding and repainting them into the Battlechargers, so the puke green will go on them too.  

YES, this transformation hinges on the swivel joint where the old Powerlinx port was. I removed the screw that connects the upper body and shoulder section to the body (on that hinged arm that's only used for powerlinxing) . Currently, without the swivel installed, the upper torso and arms can just pop off in one piece and you turn it around manually. However the peg on the hinged arm still plugs into the screw hole on the body, so it locks everything down solidly.

I installed a similar swivel in my Energon Ironhide and it works well. You can see it here.

The step-by-step of how it works is actually more confusing than actually doing it. Basically you can just disassemble the hips and upper legs, swap everything around (and remove the screw holding the upper body to the lower body) and you end up with this, and miraculously, he still transforms perfectly into car mode!

To help clarify, in the new transformation, the false windshield/chest part ends up inside the car, rather than underneath... but everything still fits.

Oh, I almost forgot. I had to shave down a tiny edge on the attachment plug for the upper body, to allow it to fold up inside the canopy. Once you get to the last step in the transformation, you'll see exactly what I mean. But it doesn't affect the figure any other way... it's barely noticeable.

Hope that helps. It's the kind of thing you can try with your Downshift in about 10 minutes, without actually permanently changing anything. It's all screwdriver work.

zmog

 

Damn. Now I want the Takara one. Or yet another Downshift so I dye the parts I want black.

Good boy. I said ages ago that this mould would work well for those lads. It's actually really versatile; aside from Wheeljack, I could probably think of at least half a dozen other TFs it'd work well as with barely any mods. At least one, I'm already working on, but Runabout, Runamuck and Sunstreaker numbered among the others.

That makes sense. And good work on Ironhide - that looks so much better than the original version...

Now the only thing that needs addressing is the crappy leg articulation...  

 

Yeah, no kidding! So far, this mod is super-easy, and I'm super-lazy... so for now, I think I'm going to leave the legs as is. I can still get some cool "standing around" poses out of him, so that'll do for now... until they do a Classics 2.0 version, and render all my work for nothing.  

zmog

 

Heh. Here's hoping.
My non-Wheeljack mod is taking a more drastic approach of using the hip joints and thighs from a donor Cyb Hot Shot. It's more work, but hopefully it'll have a lot more articulation...

 

Wow, that is ambitious. I was trying to figure out a way to make his legs more articulated, but it never occurred to me to just replace them with legs from a totally different figure!

The positioning will have to be JUST right for the transformation to work. Good luck!

zmog

 

badass! wheeljack doesn't get enough love. he's one of my favorites

 

Hey SMOG thanks for the tips on doing this mod. I just finished it and it makes me hate my stand in Classics WJ just a little bit less now. If he was all grey like yours it would be a bit better. Keyword of the day Articulation (or lack there of in this case)

 

Nice work!

Wheeljack was the first TF I ever got way back in '84. He's always been a favorite of mine.

Thanks for sharing your very cool custom!

As for your thoughts on adding a bit more black to make him a bit more G1-ish, I say go for it.

 

I'm amazed by that custom.

 

Very nice indeed. I too am a lazy ass and have done nothing to my Energon Wheeljack other than pose him and let him be.

I need to get rid of that puke green or find a Takara one. As well, this mod sounds easy, I might follow you lead.

 

Smog! sweet! I love these modifications. I have pre-disgned decals for mine that are a little more G1 if ya want em. you'll have to remove the green and red off of the hood and you're good to go!

 

Hey can i have a look at your decals? I'm looking to redeco my Energon Wheeljack as well.