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Collecting => Customs => Customizing Tips and Tricks => Topic started by: Fritzkrieg on August 2, 2006, 10:28 AM

Title: Tutorial: Adding Ball-Joint Shoulders to Non-Ball-Joint Torsos
Post by: Fritzkrieg on August 2, 2006, 10:28 AM

I could not find a proper thread to post this in so I started  a new one. If the Mods. have a better place for it feel free to put it were it should be.

Here is a little mini-tutorial, on useing my patented Rubber Gasket Technique to attach ball-socket shoulders to non-ball-socket torsos.

Step-1 Assemble Parts
 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/Fritzkrieg/Parts.jpg)
Step-2 Dremel Socket in Torso
I use a cone-shaped grinder bit for this. I also grind a small valley just under the arm-pit so the arms fold down flat against the torso and don't stick straight out from the sides.
 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/Fritzkrieg/step1.jpg)

Step-3 Making a Rubber Gasket
For this I use the rubber caps from Zoids model kits. I slice the cap in half with my hobby knife. If you drill a hole in the closed half of the cap you can make two gaskets using only one cap.
 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/Fritzkrieg/step2.jpg)

Step-4 Place the Gasket Over the Plug of the Ball-Socket Joint.
This is were the Zoids cap is the perfect choice for this technique. The rubber is very stretchy and stretches over the plug very easily. The shape of the plug insures that it will not back out of the gasket easily.
 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/Fritzkrieg/step3.jpg)

Step-5 Plug the Shoulder Into the Torso
This is a very tight fit. I use a small sculpting tool to push the excess rubber of the gasket into the torso. Any small blunt tool should work, just be careful not to use something too sharp or you'll pierce through the rubber gasket.
 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/Fritzkrieg/step4.jpg)

Here are the end results.
 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/Fritzkrieg/EDO9b.jpg)

I hope this helps
Fritzkrieg

Title: Re: Customizing Tips and Tricks
Post by: blaster_e11 on August 2, 2006, 10:43 AM

wonderful WIP pics

i love those tutorials

Title: Re: Customizing Tips and Tricks
Post by: Phrubruh on August 2, 2006, 11:01 AM

What a great tutorial. I would have never though to use those zoids rubber caps for this. Thanks for posting this.

Title: Re: Customizing Tips and Tricks
Post by: BrentS on August 2, 2006, 11:22 AM

Fritz - thanks for the Photo-tutorial. These are VERY VERY helpful.  I'm sure Jeff will like this thead to the master thread at the top when he gets to it.

Anyway, I did have a quesiton for the group.   I don't have any Zoids... any idea what else might work in their place as gaskets??

Title: Re: Customizing Tips and Tricks
Post by: IncomT65 on August 2, 2006, 01:38 PM

Wow, great stuff! I had huge problems with version 3 of my Galactic Marine. This is ideal to solve that problem!

Zoids eh? Aren't those cyborg dinosaurs with wind-up engines? I had some when I was a kid.

I think other rubber material could work as well. We have these 0.5 liter beer bottles with a special cap, sealed off with a custom fit rubber cap. Might work great.

Or some rubber from an old bicycle tyre (inner or outer).

Title: Re: Adding Ball-Joint Shoulders to Non-Ball-Joint Torsos
Post by: Straxus on August 2, 2006, 02:12 PM

Excellent tutorial! Also cool to see those desert troops in the early constructions phase!

Title: Re: Adding Ball-Joint Shoulders to Non-Ball-Joint Torsos
Post by: Darth_Ennis on August 2, 2006, 09:50 PM

Excellent tutorial Fritz. So thats how you do it. :P

We really need more of these kinds of things, showing how to do something is always better than telling.

Thanks Fritz, I may be giving this a try in the very near future.