Just watch it and check every 10mins or so. I used plastic take-out cups I got from Thai food leftovers, mixed and stirred with chopsticks. After 10mins, using a second cup, I used cold water to rinse off the parts so I could compare it to the paint on Ratchet's shoulders. If they weren't quite right I'd put them back in the dye cup. Once I got close enough, I called it good.

 

If you like how it turned out then just ignore this-- I think yours looks pretty cool as is. But, if I remember right, rubbing alcohol can remove the dye if it gets too dark. Just don't get alcohol on translucent plastic, it makes it fragile.

 

Matrix Workshop kit for Nightbird looks finalized now and shipping:

Looks nice, but considering MW's major peg issues (oversized and don't fit...unless they finally fixed them), I see 7 pegs that would need to get fixed. I'm most concerned about the molded handle on the sword if that needs to be sanded / filed down.

Shockwave Lab's Omega Supreme kit also looks to be done and shipping:



I wonder if they'll actually provide instructions on taking apart the head (not necessarily easy). I hope their battery chamber problems are fixed with this one (prior LED kits had chambers that were too big and wouldn't touch the batteries right). The rocket tip replacement when pushed all the way in will turn on its LED. That part looks interesting to me. The LED kit for the head has me concerned: 1) not sure if they'll give people clear instructions on how to take apart the head to avoid damage and 2) the LED unit forces you to get rid of the lightpiping, which in turn gets rid of the eyes. Omega Supreme will look weird without eyes when LEDs are off. This also means yet another kit from them with bare, uncovered, and blinding LEDs. From their stock photos, the LEDs look too bright.

 

I love Siege Omega. He's so big and blocky. And he can provide a good bit of fun!

Even Autobots need some downtime every once in a while.

 

The responsible ones.

 

So they relax by playing with themselves?    

 

I'm not really willing to mess with it since the results are holding as is, but thanks for the advice.

What I'm unsure of is why exactly it turned out so dark, is it a matter of "the longer you leave it in, the darker the color will be"?

 

Did you disassemble the chest in any fashion while you were dying?

 

I used to like the three titans triple changers, but seeing the siege Astrotrain makes me realise how much a mess that Blitzwing and Octane are. I've gotten rid of mine now and hoping for an inevitable new version of them both.

 

The wait for new triple changers begins

 

"With the Magnus Armor, I shall combine with it to form..... Ultra Magnus!!!"




"Ultra Magnus...... ready for duty."

 

As toy Astrotrain appears more populat than Blitzwing not sure if last one will be Cybertron version or Earth, instead for Octane an Earth version will be the best but he has always been the less famous of 3,still hope for a new toy.
And on SIEGE Astrotrain my best modes are bot and train.

 

I would just love them go get Octane right

 

Yes.

Just removed the three screws to take off the upper torso. The lower torso, pelvis and upper thighs stayed together when I dyed it. It gets in there easily and dyes evenly.

 

Thanks for the info. I was on the verge of canceling my pre-order because of the height.

 

Just to confirm for myself, the left forearm on Omega Supreme, just like the head, has both screws and glue keeping it together. I was careful in taking it apart and not cause stress marks. After taking off the sheath, which is not glued together, and a total of 8 screws, started at the elbow and gradually started to separate the glued pegs. LEGO separator is helpful too. The forearm pegs are thicker than the ones in the head and should not snap off. There’s 6 glued pegs to separate (by gentle force). The screw shaft parts are also glued together and there’s 4 of them. The head has 4 glued mini pegs in comparison and you’re guaranteed to at least break 1, if not all, of them.

So, fairly risky for an upgrade in terms of damage potential. I feel comfortable taking stuff apart but I would assume others would not (on an expensive toy). I could see other people wanting to take apart the forearm to more easily paint the molded details inside the rocket interior.

Edit: Here's a picture of the disassembled forearm. For those who like to paint on molded details, this would give easy access to the whole interior. I may make my own LED mod and make a resin copy of the nozzle.

 

I wouldn’t call those two a mess IMHO, apart from the headmaster gimmick the Blitzwing mold is rather well done in my opinion. Of course the Hasbro paint job looks a bit crap, but the LG version would probably be my default Blitzwing EVER. I wouldn’t mind another WFC Octane but I wouldn’t bother updating TR one either.
On the other hand the hollowness and the shuttle mode (that looks like the back end had exploded) makes Astrotrain my second least favorite siege figure. If they redo Blitzwing I hope at least he is less chunky.

 

This right here is probably the best, simplest, and most direct guide to how to dye these parts I've seen.
Everything else I read was quite frankly a bit intimidating, but this is great. Thanks @LongarmMagnus !