well that is good to know i will double check mine now. maybe i will lube the hole so it wont freeze up... 

bbts might be complete shit as far as the store goes for anything really. but they have a pretty good customer service there so i am sure they will be able to help you.

 

theyve been good about getting me replacements if it's within the return period... which I am no longer in. Item was shipped 6/24 and it has now been 2 months, not 1  

 

so no word on the leg kits?

 

Based on the delay for the original kits, expect a release in Oct/Nov.

 

Got a notification on Monday that BBTS got my Scorponok in stock. I'm very excited to ship my pile of loot on the 1st and get him and the kits. I'm really enjoying seeing everyone on here getting their kits, I can't wait to get my hands on this bad boy!

 

I asked TFTOYs and apparently they got theirs in this week as well. Patiently waiting for a shipping notice!

 

Cool! Pre-ordered with BBTS back in April, been patiently waiting for this big boy... Still waiting for BBTS to update status to shipped though...

 

Okay, so I finally got my hands on a second-run Earthrise Scorponok, and picked up the DK-21 kit because I really wanted that visor and those posable legs. But I absolutely can't recommend this kit, especially for $40+. Not just because the QC is kind of mediocre and the partforming shield is a really dumb idea (I would rather have had another set of movable cannons TBH) but because a significant part of the kit is functionally useless due to negligent engineering.

I followed the instructions and replaced my purple vanilla scorpion mode legs assembly with the grey aftermarket assembly included in the kit, and went to put it all back together. Everything seemed fine at first, but no matter what I did the back panel would not stay up. Every time I tried to snap it back into place, it just fell right back off. After checking the instructions to see if I had made some mistake along the way, I took a closer look at the parts in question.

See this little hooked tab here?


It's supposed to slide into this groove, and hook onto this little notch:



This works pretty well on the stock Hasbro assembly, making a satisfying click and easily supporting the weight of the folded tail section.
Now take a look at the same groove on the DNA DK-21 kit:



Notice anything...missing?
That's right, the DK-21 parts don't have any notch for the panel to connect to, meaning it just slides right back out every time.

Maybe this tab and hook assembly is a running change on the newer releases of Scorponok and DNA didn't have to account for it before, but either way it's completely incompatible and I strongly discourage anyone from buying this kit for that reason.

After realizing there was no way I was going to ever be happy with the back flap constantly falling off, I punched the pins on the stock assembly and removed the stock scorpion legs, intending to just replace them with the DNA scorpion legs. Unfortunately, the DNA assembly refused to relinquish the pin. I tried everything from punches to hammers to soldering irons, and could not work it loose, so...since I wasn't going to be using these defective parts anyways, I opted for the brute force approach to get the legs off.



I was surprised to discover that the DNA pin isn't knurled at either end, but it's in there so tightly it's nearly impossible to work loose.
It's the same diameter as the original stock pin, though, so the combination of the stock leg assembly and the DNA legs works just fine together in the end.

 

i dont know what all you went through today.

but i think this might have been a case of user error. you might have actually been doing it wrong. it has been awhile since i have even messed with my scorps outside of just poking at him.

but from what i remember the tail section was actually pretty tight at first just like the gun handle.

so i just lined it all up and gave it a good old fashion slap on the back and it clicked in really tight.

that piece is designed to be a snap fit. after a couple of tries it definitely loosens up. just like the gun handle.

i am bummed that you had problems with yours. but all and all they are absolutely fantastic kits. my bot is also designed exactly like the pics you posted.

 

"User Error"?
"Doing it wrong"?

Brother I showed you photos of the exact engineering fail that explains why it doesn't work properly.

If your backpack is staying connected, I promise you it's because of pure friction and coincidence. It's sure not because there's anything there to properly hold it in place.

 

well i had 2 fully kitted scorps and never had an issue the new kits. sold one and kept the other i have even helped a few locals intown build theirs out. without any problems at all.

call it dumb luck, pure coincidence or not. the backpacks are generally so tight you can literally shake the bot and the tails wont come undone. you could never do that with a factory bot.

again i am sorry you had issues with your kit maybe you caught a dud. it happens from time to time.

but since you are the first person that has ever had this issue. i can't help but think it might be something else other than the exact kits that most of us in this thread are running.

if you got this much of a tight fit and travel with your tail and it was falling back out. i think there was something else going on like maybe a real factory defect or whatever. because they can basically sit flush on the back.

 

Perhaps there was some hidden angular leverage you didn't notice until a second too late? This is a small peg at the far rear end of a piece that's about 10" long and that usually has its weight supported by the robot arm; if the gun isn't lifted out in a perfect straight line but leans forward even a little, with the gun's weight suddenly concentrating diagonally at the base of the peg, I could see that causing problems.

 

I never lift it straight up I always try to twist it VERY delicately. It twisted off when I was using very little force

 

I cannot fathom how you are STILL making excuses (and blaming me) in the face of explicit photographic evidence.

"maybe you caught a dud."
Look at the photos. The connector is literally missing the latch for the hook. It was clearly molded this way. This is not a one-off incident.

"but since you are the first person that has ever had this issue."
I'm the first person TO IDENTIFY THE ISSUE IN THIS THREAD.
Almost certainly not the first person to ever have the issue.

With the purple stock assemblies, everything snaps together securely. I can lift the entire figure by that flap alone.
With the grey DNA assemblies, the entire tail section falls right out under its own weight because there are no latches to hold it in.

"I didn't have any problems" doesn't mean there ISN'T a problem.

 

I had this problem at first but my scorpion legs were not folded in correctly. They should sit at a slight inward angle. The 4 retaining tabs are only held by friction on my copy as well, depending on how loose they fit into the hole maybe you can add a little goop in there and let it dry then fit it?

crap. I sanded my peg out of the box to avoid future problems

 

Yeah, guessing leaving it in for several weeks caused it to I dunno? Just get in real tight? Expand a little? I'm not an expert on plastic lol. Think some light sanding ahead of time might fix it. Good luck to all of you

 

After reading this debate, I took a second look at my modified Scorp and @ShadowStitch is absolutely correct about the missing ridge to tab the backpack in securely. You can even see it in the photos lilcarus posted.

However, my backpack doesn't fall out because of friction tolerances both there, and on the bottom two tabs, so I suspect that's why Shadowstich is having problems--the tolerances are looser on his copy than they are on mine. But he's also right about how securely the backpack tabs in--I have two Scorponoks, one with the kit installed and one without, and I can pick the unmodified one up by the backpack, and I can't do that with the modified one.

Mine just doesn't fall out on its own like his does, something that can easily be chalked up to production tolerances.

 

no one is disputing any of that.

but that doesnt mean the new kit needs them at all. DNA engineered their piece to function without the tabs and it functions very well.

since this thing was clearly thought out, cad designed and cut into molds. it stands to reason that they did it that way for a reason.

again i feel for the guy but there are no major design flaws with the kits. im sure we can almost all agree in that.

but all this ild kit talk is getting kind of stale.

hopefully they drop the thigh kit soon. i cant wait for that one.

 

My copy has the same issue, but the bottom tabs on his back keep it secure enough so that the backpack doesn't fall off.

 

So after coming across Fortress Maximus last weekend at a vintage toy shop near me, I was inclined to finally bite the bullet and get Scorponok before he goes up in value and out of production. Just so they can keep one another company of course.

I was very aware of the DNA kits and decided to get what I can for both. I’m fairly impressed with the Scorponok kit I’ve received(the one with the rifle is coming) and I’m patiently waiting for the leg extension kit to place him in the same height class as Maxi.

I’ll just need to wait for Maxi’s feet upgrades and decide when to upgrade his hands.


It’s interesting handling both figures because Scorponok feels like he’s made with a denser plastic and construction than Maxi.