Okay--project (99%) completed! So, besides trying to make Wheeljack taller, I also wanted to give him his ankle tilts back. I finally got around to figuring out where to drill into him to make it all work. I was able to crack the glue holding the foot blocks in so I could work on him. Sadly, he was the 'error' of my trial in figuring everything out. The holes I drilled weren't quite right, alignment wasn't where I wanted it, etc. But I have a friend staying with me who was more than happy to take that one off my hands since the 'tall' mod was still intact. And I learned exactly what I needed to in order to get it right the second time. And here it is! Also posted with the Nonnef wing kit: Next to the 'first' Wheeljack with his feet collapsed as normal And ankle tilt! Further down in this post, I have the original tutorial for how to cut out the "factory" ankle tilt in order to extend the foot. So for the ankle tilt, after figuring out hole placement, I drilled through the back of the leg exactly where I knew I needed to start. Then I used that to place the hole into the foot block. The arrow is indicating where I had to carve a 'channel,' otherwise the pin would be too high and stress/eventually break the plastic on the inside panel, or cause me to drill too high and cut out the top. Speaking of that inside panel, I basically reused the same piece the original ankle tilt was hinged to, just further into the leg: To give the ankle room to 'tilt,' I had to cut out a bit of this ceiling piece indicated by the red line in the pic below I also ground out a bit of a 'ramp' towards the end of it for even more room for the ankle to rock sideways. Then, just insert the pin! The pin looks like it's bent in this picture, but that's all reflection. It is coming in at a tiny angle, but since there's only one 'wall' on the foot block, there isn't any worry about warping. The pin is not too tight, but enough on the back of the leg that the gritted end of the pin grabs into the plastic and stays put. The pins are a touch long, but I plan to grind those down. Right now, I'm leaving them as they are to make sure long term doesn't stress or crack anything. Because once I grind them to size and put the pins in, they're pretty much permanent. I could leave enough pin that it goes all the way to the inside of the front of the leg (you can see in pic "07") and maybe use a spudger to push it back out with that leverage. But I'd rather just make sure it's right and cut enough to sink all the way in after. But everything transforms correctly, and even that little bit of pin sticking out clears with plenty of room underneath. Also showing off the Nonnef wing kit (and weapons in the below picture). Found a matching spray paint in Rustoleum's 2X Ultra Cover, semi-gloss Ivory Bisque. It's a near match for the plastic--closer than Hasbro's own painted sections I think. With my 'classics' Bumblebee. And last group-and-compare shot. The same friend staying with me also bought herself some figures while she was here, so I have a Siege Hound to throw into the group. It also makes me very aware that out-of-box Wheeljack is actually a touch shorter than the current 'short' deluxes. But thankfully this mod gives me most of what I want out of him. (yes, I'd prefer taller, but this will do nicely!) -------ORIGINAL POST------- Showing off the mod I did, but also wanted to pic some brains in here. So, I finished this over the weekend and wasn't sure if I should post it or not as it's kinda minor (and more for me anyway). But I just saw Printformer's work and how he did his: Minor/Repaint: - Transformers Earthrise Wheeljack improvement ...which I think is absolutely stellar, and I want that chestplate and knee-covers set he made (as I'm sure a lot of us do). But I thought I'd share another take on modding this guy for extra height. I knew I wanted to make Wheeljack taller and was determined to figure out how. I came to two possibilities. One was the one Printformers did; cut the hood panels with the stripes on it to allow the foot to rotate without having to come up over the ankle tilt. The other idea was a more drastic one; cut out the ankle tilt hinge portion of that block and make room that way, thereby keeping the hood intact. Because I decided I didn't think I'd like how it would look with those panels cut off, I went with the latter. You can see the cut I made on the one on the right. I then glued the block assembly into place where it normally 'clicks' for car mode. Now, mine doesn't have the extra height as Printformers does since he doesn't have that extra heel, but it certainly gets him closer to what I wanted. But you also lose the ankle tilt this way. Granted, I am also trying to find a way to possibly transfer the ankle tilt to the inside hinge. Since it would always sit at that diagonal under the foot/hood, I'm thinking of cutting away at the hinge grips, maybe using that 5mm peg to create something like a ball joint for the foot to swivel sideways on? But there's not a lot of room there, and I'm kinda stumped on ideas. Obviously any parts I'd put under there would have to be small, and the tilt wouldn't have to be that much. Any thoughts would be welcome. Oh, and just to show the car mode is still intact: Everything still works perfectly. No partsforming or anything.
Funny thing, he has the same issue. Legs are too stubby. Besides adding platform shoes you have to remove, you'd have to remake the legs entirely. But if you did, add maybe 3/8" to the overall length (split that evenly between the upper and lower legs to keep the car mode from becoming too long) and the whole figure would suddenly look much better in proportion. But that'll have to be the job of a KO company with a keen enough eye to notice that (and not care that it would make him bett...taller).
Updated with new pics and how-to stuff! Pretty much complete! (just need to test it long term before taking the pins out and cutting them to size so they don't stick out)
Thanks, guys! The advice I would give is take your time with lining everything up. I started with smaller drill bits before moving up to just under the pin size. Also, I had to drill the hole furthest inside the the leg by putting the drill through the outside most hole, so maybe keep tgat one small while drilling that far hole out (at least to start) If you guys do this yourselves, feel free to share tips if you did anything different.
