"Hot Rod, for pity's sake tuck your shirt in!"

"Okay."


I love MP-28 but even I really disliked the chest. The whole thing was a plank to facilitate the weak Matrix gimmick which, if you didn't have MP-10, was just a big hole in his gut. So I decided to do something about it. I used leftover parts and runners from Bandai's 30 Minute Mission kits to make a swiveling sliding post the front bumper attaches to, and cut it free from the few little strings of plastic surrounding the void in his gut.




And yes, he still transforms, and somehow the front pieces line up better than before. (I guess because the swivel allows me to adjust it)




You also may have noticed my Roddy has sad silver pipes. Mine wore off and BADLY, like easily about 10-20% orange. I tried using Molotow liquid chrome, but it just wasn't a good enough match and whatever clear coat I used dulled the finish or wasn't protective enough, so I ask you: should I get a KO MP-28 just to switch the chrome pieces over? I mean, he's basically perfect now, and Hot Rod isn't Hot Rod without chrome. But the KOs are like $40 Cnd on Ebay and that's $40 I'd be spending on pipes.

Please remove thought and responsibility from my life <3

 

This is brilliant. Wow!
A minor change that makes ALL the difference.

 

that does wonders for the mold. stellar.

maybe someone here will see the silver pipes n be willing to swap for chrome ones, or you could at least swap them n sell the ko w/ silver pipes for some cash to offset the cost so it's not a flat $40 for the pipes said n done. or you're paying $40 for replacement parts from the ko, just in case.

 

Thanks!

That's not a bad idea, I just don't know who'd want a chrome-less Hot Rod.  

 

Great job!

 

Maybe someone who wants to customise him to look like the comics or something, or who may need other parts from the figure. There’s always buyers.

 

So people talk about chrome marker/pens. I don't know who makes them but it might be a cheaper option. I think they're for Gundam kits

 

That looks MUCH better, it completely kills his derpy flat gut. I'm tempted to do it myself.

 

Simply BRILLIANT.

 

I tried the chrome markers, it’s one of the reasons I fell back on silver. The finish didn’t match perfectly and I couldn’t find anything to clear coat it that wouldn’t ruin the chrome effect, or at least dull it.

I’m sure you’d find a better way than my weird pole track. Maybe a double hinge system so that the bumper doesn’t rotate, because while it does line up for vehicle mode the two perpendicular swivels at play makes it take a while to get everything synced up, especially since I think mine’s bumper got slightly warped so the edges slightly curve up, so I had to gently bend it back into shape.

It’s surprisingly easy due to the shear empty space leftover from the Matrix chamber and the paltry amount of plastic actually holding the bumper in place. It almost, almost, feels like it was designed to compress before the gimmick was added.

Also I neglected to mention that the slot that formerly accepted the tab on the bumper needs to be shaved down as well to make room for the bumper, but given how much redundant tabbing is on this figure no stability is lost whatsoever.

 

You just fixed this mold. Can I coarse you to fix mine?!

 

So does the bumper slide in and out, swivel and swing in and out? Looks like it articulates three ways.

 

It does, though only two are necessary. It slides in and out, and where the grey block connects to the grey cylinders it swivels. This lets it tip backwards for that tiny amount of space needed to slip behind the orange chest panel, since they overlaps otherwise. The tilting motion is just a byproduct of the round pole it slides on.

 

Now do something about that crotch flap and you've a perfect HR.  

 

this is awesome. can you show better pics of exactly what you used to accomplish this?

 

That just made a world of difference. You, or some 3rd party company, needs to make this a kit for others to buy. Like yesterday!

 

I must learn how to do that,

also yes, I do struggle with MP-28's fading chrome dilemma.

I also need to find a good clear coat that works with the Molotow chrome pen

 

I actually ended up getting MP-40, and doing the exact same mod and this time taking pictures. I plan to do a semi-tutorial this weekend. It's pretty straightforward but requires a lot of removal of inner Hot Rod skeletal struts.

 

awesome. looking forward to it!

 

I really want to try this on mine! Can't wait for the tutorial. Would it be possible to use Lego pieces? I don't have any of those Bandai kits and don't really want to buy one just for this, but I have a lot of Lego pieces.