Thursday, November 17, 2011

EasyFix: G.I.Joe Cobra Stun 1986

For all us collectors and Joe nation enthusiasts, there are a few vehicles with common problems. When the MISB, MIB or mint loose/complete option is way too expensive, a considerably lower priced item is in order. And those usually come with known issues. There are many examples, and some will be covered here, like the 1985 Hydrofoil has. Today´s vehicle is the Cobra Stun from 1986 and its common issue, the flags.


Although completionists may prefer looking for brand new flags or looking for a decent trade with friends, the good thing about this procedure is that the parts in question are already "trash" and probably inside the "custom" bucket for a later use. Also, a good chance to practice the techinique or in the process, find another way (which I´d love to hear about).


We´ll then start by looking at the original mint flag/antenna and the broken one. It is good to take a few minutes to find the proper direction and mold lines to follow. These parts, like so many others have visible lines where the plastic was taken out of the mold or halves connected. It is unwise to simply cut and glue in any direction when you can save its look by spending a few minutes observing...

 
You´ll need to drill a 1/2 inch tunnel inside the antenna on both ends. The base and the flag. You´ll need steady hands, patience and a proper drill. This is will be a close call, since the hole´s diameter will be almost the size of the flag´s pole.  Before drilling, pick a proper pointy tip from your modelist cutters case and carefully punch a hole which will serve as a drill guide. That way you won´t be off when starting the most delicate parte of the whole deal.


Don´t try to drill the whole section at once. The metal drill will heat the plastic, causing it to expand around the drill and ruin your work. Instead, do it in steps, like 1-2 seconds perforations. When you´re done, you should have something like seen above (top right image). Then, you must remember this small tunnel is so close to the plastic, any dark-looking material you decide to put in will be seen from the outside. There are a couple of solutions. Either find a very thin (and not rigid) plastic cable from a parts plastic tree, or find an old copper cable and strip it, cut a small piece and slightly bend it (remember the flag is not straight).

 
Try it for size (on bot ends) and find the best position (as close as the original was so both parts become one) before applying glue.


Let it rest for a day or two (although most glue - good ones -will only take 12hrs). 3 days is ideal.


And there you have it. While waiting for a brand new one, your Stun will look almost as new.  This is a good thing when you have more than one Stun and don´t have the time or money to invest in all of them. Hope it helps, YO JOE!... or in this case: COBRAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

2 comments:

  1. Always loved this one and nice to see it once more.

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  2. Hello, I'm really fascinated by the fix you've provided a tutorial for! Would you be able to help me fix mine by any chance? Please let me know as I don't own any of the items that you've used to fix the above example.

    Sincerely,
    An

    ReplyDelete

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