Last night I discovered an undocumented transformation step for Alt Skids that results in a fairly significant improvement to the toy. Nearly every review and picture (including the final line art in the instructions) shows/describes him with his pelvis jutting forward (I don’t have the Binaltech version, so I’m not sure if the Japanese instructions show this. The Alt instructions do, but some of the line art implies this step by showing the head and shoulders properly aligned). This transformation step allows him to stand without the pelvis jutting forward, makes him a bit taller, allows the head plate and shoulder clasps to snap into place firmly, eliminates most of the torso wobble, and finally settles the question of where the front seats go in ‘bot mode (they get pushed all the way down to make room). All because of a tiny piece that needs to be moved a couple of notches in one direction.

So how does this work? Grab your Skids and let’s find out! (I know, my photos are crappy. Hulk not good with digital camera. But trust me, pictures don’t do justice to the importance of this missing step)

Step 1) Get your Skids into robot mode. It’s just easier to explain from here.

Step 2) Unsnap the shoulder clasps and head plate and separate the carfront/arms/head section from the dashboard/window/roof section.

http://dancingpaperclip.rated-arr.net/junk/P6150006.jpg

Step 3) Push the font seats down/back so they sit on Skids’ ass. Move the dashboard/windshield section as far back as it’ll go.

http://dancingpaperclip.rated-arr.net/junk/P6150007.jpg

Step 4) This is the undocumented step. Look at the first little hinged piece that comes off the torso. It’s the one that connects to the long ziz-zagged stalk that ends inside of the car front. That little piece needs to pivot on the lower hinge back towards the dashboard to the last notches. This allows the zig-zagged stalk to rest over it (the lower hinge actually goes into the underside of the zigzagged piece a bit; which is why the piece is zig-zagged).

http://dancingpaperclip.rated-arr.net/junk/P6150008.jpg

http://dancingpaperclip.rated-arr.net/junk/P6150009.jpg

Step 5) Reassemble the two halves of the robot upper body as usual. Make sure that the hinged piece that the head plate is on top of is on a diagonal towards the front so that it meets up with the chest. You should notice that, once assembled, the head and shoulders are now aligned with the torso and that the head plate and shoulder clasps now snap into place securely.

http://dancingpaperclip.rated-arr.net/junk/P6150005.jpg

Step 7) Go out there and make me proud, soldier!

-LB over and out

 

Well I'll be damned, you're right! I always thought I was doing it correctly, but that little adjustment makes him fit together a lot better. Thanks!

 

hmm.. interesting. I looked at mine, and his pelvis is already squared up  

Andy

 

Wow man what a difference it made. That's awesome, thanks LB! This should be stickied or something so everyone knows!

 

Yo cool! I just did it to mine and it's great! Kudos good sir!

 

I guess I'm part of the minority that got it right??? 

 

After more people see this thread the people that've got it wrong will be the miniority.  

 

I did that bit right.

However, at first, I didn't stretch the legs out fully, and was wondering why Skids was shorter than the rest of the Alternators. I just assumed it was part of his design.

 

yes, the zig zag stalk is on the dodgy side. i dont have a prob with that bit, but aligning the front end back into the alt mode is a biyatch.

 

Eheheheheh. It works.

Thanks for sharing, man!

 

Wow, this is why I like transformer-messageboards! This step isn't described in my BT manual either.

Thanks for making my Skids look even better!!  

 

Thanks man! Just did this to my Skids and it works wonders. You know... I'm kind of getting tired of Hasbro & Takara cutting small, but important little steps out of their instructions. It's starting to get a little annoying.

 

The man, the myth, the ledgend. Awesome job, man!!

This is huge! Its a significant and easy to miss step that was clearly designed into the toy.. You have to wonder if the engineers were groaning over the mistake in the instruction booklet and box pictures.

I loved Skids before.. now he will spend the forseeable future in my pants.

I think we all owe LB a round of applause and a pizza trophy!

 

I can't get this to work.
How exactly are the two hinges for the head and the front of the car supposed to sit?
There's the one coming from the middle, the one for the bonnet and the one for the head.

 

anyone happen to know what all the unused joints and hinges on the roof are? alternate backpack mode?

 

If I understand your descriptions correctly, the one from the middle is the very short peice to which the other two connect. That one should be pivoted back towards the dashboard as far as the ratchet allows. The one coming out of the bonnet is the one with the zig-zag. That one gets pushed down so that is rests on the first one. The one for the head should be at a right angle to the zig-zaged one, which has it leaning forward on a diagonal in relation to the toy when its standing. The head plate itself, which is hinged to the last piece I just described, should of course be level.

Hope that help! I gotsa go earns my monies now!

-LB works for da man

 

I was doing something towards that without the instructions. Infact, Skids was the first Alt I transformed without instructions.

 

Well, my Skids doesn't look taller, but he does look a little better aligned. I always thought his upper body looked a little pushed-forward.