do not disturb Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 i know no one is happy with the floppy/sagging arms in fighter mode for the 1/48's...not so much w/o the FP's, but w/FPs, some stay in position, some don't. well i just scored these tiny, really really strong ass magnets today so it got me thinking....toynami did the magnet thing with the MPC's(not that it worked with the MPC's since none of them were lined up correctly LOL). anyhow, the sagging arms have been bothering the heck out of me so i'm gonna give this a go. it should work out nicely and if so i'll try and track down the magnets and get them wholesale to offer here. well thats it, i'll keep you guys posted in the next couple of days to see if it works out. if anyone else found a solution for this, please post as i would prefer not to dismantle my valk unless i absolutely have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 11, 2004 Author Share Posted May 11, 2004 (edited) well i found the neodymium magnets at a pretty reasonable price here. CLICK ME about $10 with shipping for 25 of them suckers. now to the hard part... has anyone figured out a way to open the leg piece on a 1/48 without breaking it? any help would be appreciated. *added* nevermind dudes. with the assistance of Gary Coleman and David Hasselhoff i used the search function. "WE DO IT" i forgot who posted that but that was probably the funniest thing i've seen here. customizing underway should be done in no time. Edited May 11, 2004 by haterist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 the magnets worked! it doesn't matter if i hold the valk by 1 leg, or even split the legs apart....the arms stay in position in fighter mode. its rather simple, the only hard part was getting the 2 magnets in line with each other but once you got that figured out, all you have to do is reassemble everything and you're done. i put 1 magnet inside the leg(inner calf) and put 1 magnet in the arm armor and that was it. if someone needs pics, i'll post them, otherwise i'm gonna be modding out the rest of my 1/48. BTW, who knew that toynami actually had an idea that might have worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blaine23 Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 if someone needs pics, i'll post them, otherwise i'm gonna be modding out the rest of my 1/48. It would definitely make the thread more interesting and informative. Let's see some pics! And for the record... magnets rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXO Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Haterist! Great idea... let's see some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 heres a shot of the disassembly...the littel silver things are the magnets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 heres a close up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 and here its is holding on for dear life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 the best part about this was i only had to mod one leg. i guess i could do both legs but the magnetic force might keep the arms pulled towards opposite legs and cause the gunpod to fall off....does that make sense? anyway the link in the 2nd post is where i got the magnets. just be sure to get the thinnest and smallest ones you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 (edited) heres the last one assembled.... the power of magnets at work. Edited May 17, 2004 by haterist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXO Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 so you only did it for the FPs? Looks great I'm gonna have to try it out. Tnx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 17, 2004 Author Share Posted May 17, 2004 so you only did it for the FPs? Looks great I'm gonna have to try it out. Tnx! the arms stay in pretty tight w/o the FP's....i guess you could install the magnet in the arms themselves but i was worried about it getting in the way of the flip out hands. its tight enough in there to begin with so i opted for the arm armor. FYI, do not glue down the magnets until the very end. first use a piece of tape to hold the magnets in position. when you're 100% sure its lined perfectly, then go ahead with the glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kin Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 (edited) Will it stay on it if you remove those "ugly" clips Yamato made? I mean using the magnets for attaching the armor. Edited May 18, 2004 by Kin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFrenchOne Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Great idea ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Yay, no more froppy arms Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kensei Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 Well done. That's very clever. I'll do that myself one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 18, 2004 Author Share Posted May 18, 2004 thanks dudes. i'm not the customizing type, but this one was needed since the floppy arm thing was driving me nuts. the arms stay up during display for the most part but if you touch it....well you know. once you figure out what you gotta do, the whole process takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. i did my 1J hikaru and 1S roy for now with more on the way. Kin, i guess i could make the arm armors attach without the clips but i'm not about to cut off the clips to see if it works. as far as the rest of the armor, i don't think it would stay on all that well if i used the magnets only. if you got some armor that really loose, you can always give it a try but i don't know if it would help your cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opus Posted May 18, 2004 Share Posted May 18, 2004 the best part about this was i only had to mod one leg. i guess i could do both legs but the magnetic force might keep the arms pulled towards opposite legs and cause the gunpod to fall off....does that make sense?anyway the link in the 2nd post is where i got the magnets. just be sure to get the thinnest and smallest ones you can get. If you were to do both legs and put the magnet poles all in the same direction I would think they would all be attracted to each other and maybe even help the gunpod stay in place better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 18, 2004 Author Share Posted May 18, 2004 the best part about this was i only had to mod one leg. i guess i could do both legs but the magnetic force might keep the arms pulled towards opposite legs and cause the gunpod to fall off....does that make sense?anyway the link in the 2nd post is where i got the magnets. just be sure to get the thinnest and smallest ones you can get. If you were to do both legs and put the magnet poles all in the same direction I would think they would all be attracted to each other and maybe even help the gunpod stay in place better. i hear ya, but then i have to have 2 magnets inside each FP arm armor. my original thought was to put a total of 6 magnets, 2 in each of the arm armor, and 1 inside the calf of the valk but doing the one was easier for me and probably easier for anyone doing the mod. also, trying to line up all 6 magnets in the correct positions is probably a pain in the butt. besides, the gunpod doesn't fall off that easily on the strike armor....the TV armor on the other hand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonz Posted May 25, 2004 Share Posted May 25, 2004 good idea! i have a question, how did you get that little peg out of the leg before you unscrew? i've been trying to do that but it doesn't seem to come out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 25, 2004 Author Share Posted May 25, 2004 good idea!i have a question, how did you get that little peg out of the leg before you unscrew? i've been trying to do that but it doesn't seem to come out use a thin knife or a jewelers screw drive and pry it up. its doesn't take much force, its all about the leverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toonz Posted May 26, 2004 Share Posted May 26, 2004 thanks haterist. i shall give it a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 Haterist, what glue did you use to stick on the magnets? Is normal super glue OK? Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 27, 2004 Author Share Posted May 27, 2004 Haterist, what glue did you use to stick on the magnets?Is normal super glue OK? Graham i used good old crazy glue but i didn't go overboard since crazy glue melts plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiley424 Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 Nice Haterist. I'm gonna have to try this out. Those darn floppy arms drove me nuts ever since I got the F/Ps. I tried to leave my 1/48 w/o the FPs but it just wasn't right to do that to the valk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 Haterist, what glue did you use to stick on the magnets?Is normal super glue OK? Graham i used good old crazy glue but i didn't go overboard since crazy glue melts plastics. Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I'm trying to track down a source of Neodymium (sp?) magnets in here in Hong Kong, as I think this modification is such a good idea, I but don't want to end up melting my 1/48s. BTW, what is the diameter (in mm) of the magnets you are using? Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 i used good old crazy glue but i didn't go overboard since crazy glue melts plastics. Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. errr... super glue doesn't melt plastics. Styrene cement does. This includes Testors' and Tamiya's cements. Super glues form a very strong bond, but they leave the part underneath it, plastic or otherwise, completely unscathed. But, of course, the stuff's rather dificult to remove. Styrene cement, on the other hands works scrictly by melting plastics. The theory is that you apply it to two pieces of plastic, stick 'em together, and when the glue dries (un-melting the plastic), the plastic of the two parts fuse together. But now, even if you were talking about using styrene cements to glue magnets to a 1/48's plastic parts (which wouldn't work), it still wouldn't melt the plastic enough to have a noticeable effect on a reassembled valk. You'd have to use a LOT of the stuff and leave it sit for a good long time for it to melt through enough plastic to distort the outside of the part. I suppose all that is a long way of saying 'your concerns are entirely unwarranted' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tetsujin Posted May 27, 2004 Share Posted May 27, 2004 i used good old crazy glue but i didn't go overboard since crazy glue melts plastics. Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. errr... super glue doesn't melt plastics. Certain types of plastics, with enough glue, and it will. I think ABS in particular doesn't mix well with super glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 27, 2004 Author Share Posted May 27, 2004 Haterist, what glue did you use to stick on the magnets?Is normal super glue OK? Graham i used good old crazy glue but i didn't go overboard since crazy glue melts plastics. Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I'm trying to track down a source of Neodymium (sp?) magnets in here in Hong Kong, as I think this modification is such a good idea, I but don't want to end up melting my 1/48s. BTW, what is the diameter (in mm) of the magnets you are using? Graham this is the size i picked up.... click me but i should've gotten these..... THESE the ones i should've gotten are a little bigger diameter-wise but they're slightly thinner and have more magnetic surface area. i'm not a 100% sure if they'll fit into the correct position in the FP arm armor, but i know for a fact it'll fit into the actual arms....and quite nicely. anyhow, if you ahve trouble finding them around you, just let me know and i'll hook it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
do not disturb Posted May 27, 2004 Author Share Posted May 27, 2004 before this turns into a "will super glue melt palstic" debate let me just say this.... you're only putting a small drop of glue to hold down the magnet and its all within the interior of the valk....in otherwords you can't see it. if you want to be super safe, use epoxy. i would've, but i was afraid of the magnets shifting positions while it was drying. you actually don't even need glue, i had scotch tape holding it down for a while before i decided to glue it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fearyaks Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 Dang. I recently got my first 1/48 from Neova and I though there was something wrong with my poor VF-1A and it's lame gorilla arms. Good to know there is a way other than 'luck' to get the things to stick together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedi Knight Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Heck, I'm sure double-sided tape would work fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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