Tips for Restringing or Retightening Action Figures

Over the years, we have purchased many collections with action figures in pieces because the elastics broke. We have also had parents come in asking if we repair action figures or if we can show/tell someone how to fix one.

Rob can show you. It is fairly easy if you are patient and have a steady hand.  But because Rob is pretty busy and hard to nail down, he found an article that should help you out with some great tips, references and steps.

The following is taken from that article and there is a link at the bottom of this post so you can go see what else you can do to fix up those figures.

Before you read the article, here's a few things you may want to have on hand for when you're ready to fix your action figures.

1. a various selection of small 'O' rings or elastics
2. a sectioned container to sort the 'O' rings
3. a couple sizes of crotchet hooks (they come in metal, plastic & wood and can be found at craft stores)
4. fine tip craft scissors or sprue cutters
5. set of hobby screwdrivers

Are you sitting comfortably?  Then let's learn something neat!

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Idea 1
The best way to tighten your Action Figure involves a partial re-string. You need to shorten the single elastic (or you can use a new 'O' ring to reconnect the pieces) that connects the two legs and the neck. You need a long tool with a little hook on it like a crochet needle and a thin phillips screwdriver.

1. Holding Joe securely, pull his head away from the neck hole until you see the elastic that loops around the neck hook.
2. Push the screwdriver or crotchet hook through the loop to hold it securely above the neck hole.
3. This will allow you to easily unhook the neck from the elastic.
4. Set the head/neck aside.
5. Pull and separate the lower section away from the upper.
   Now you will have Joes two legs and abdomen section free to work on. 
6. You can shorten (tighten) the elastic by folding it an inch or so and then stitching it at that fold point. Make sure you stitch it securely.
   Now you can "re-string" Joe by putting the hook down through the neck hole past the arm elastics and out through the bottom of the chest hole. 
7. Hook your tool onto your tightened elastic and pull it up through the neck hole again. This will take alot of elbow grease. It will be very tight now..
8. Once you get it pulled just past the neck hole, stick in your screwdriver again to hold it above the neck hole.
9. Now, you can easily rehook the neck hook to the elastic.
10. Pull out the screwdriver, and you're done.

Joe is back to tight fighting shape! This process will also work for restringing or tightening the arm elastic as well. It sounds a little tough, but once you do it, it becomes really easy. -- John Medeiros


As for the floppy joints, I suggest the following (but only if you are brave): Grab some slide lock pliers, (you know, the big ones you use on the sink) and squeeze each pin and rivet gently until it begins to compress. Use the very edge of the plier face, and avoid contact with the plastic. I found this works better that tapping the joint with the hammer because you can watch the joint for stress cracks and stop at any time. You may experience a little paint flaking, but that is easily repainted. You also may want to wrap the pliers in a thin cloth. -- John

Idea 2:
I repaired a Cotswold Elite figure that had its arms come off. Anybody that has seen the cord inside these things should understand why. Here is how I fixed him:

1. Get a rubber band, the size that is used on newspapers and triple it up.
2. Take two bread twists and twist them together to form a piece about 4 or 5 inches long.
3. Tie one end of the bread tie to the rubber band, after attaching the rubber band to one of of the arms, and thread the bread ties along with the other end of the rubber band through the body.
4. Hook the other end of the rubber band on the other arm hook and then untie the bread ties. Your arms should snap right into place.

I don't know how long the rubber band will hold before it becomes brittle. It can't be any worse than that stupid cord that is in the figure though. This actually is a pretty easy fix as far as the arms are concerned. Give it a try if you ever have a figure do this to you. -- Jem


Other Ideas
Restringing arms and legs is easy except for the hip pins. They can be tricky to remove with out breaking them. Try a small awl or leather needle to pop them out. Then use some rubber cement to put them back in. To pull the rubber strings I use a coat hanger. The end makes a good hook and it is easy to pull the leg string out of the neck hole to attach the head. Do the same with the arm string . Hook one shoulder then pull the string through with the hanger and connect the other side. -- LordVader

When restringing arms and legs, I don't bother with the thigh pins myself. I leave them in if still serviceable. I bought a little bag of teeny tie wraps (the zip strip type) and just tie wrap the elastic loop to the still in there thigh pin. It works great with no noticable looseness for the extra .05 extra distance. -- Aaron


To read more of this article CLICK HERE

Please leave a comment about this post.

This blog post is opinion only and any damage/injury or loss to product or person is the responsibility of that person and Chinook & Hobby West and it's employees are not responsible.

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Ideas for Cleaning Action Figures

From time to time we like to share articles from others that you may find interesting.
Please leave a comment on this article as to if it was helpful or not.

Cleaning

So, how does one clean a Joe? Try an old, softened toothbrush and Soft Scrub cleanser. It works miracles, and won't damage the paint if you scrub lightly. Avoid A brushing the hair, of course. -- Derryl D. DePriest

I have found that Formula 409 works very well for cleaning plastic pieces. I have also used some something called "Purple Plus Super Stuff" for cleaning pieces that are very dirty and/or stained. You can probably find it at a hardware store. It is similar to "Simple Green" which would probably work just as well. -- Chad Reed

I always do all of my Joe repair near my kitchen sink. Have paper towels and water handy at all times. I also use a toothbrush and a plastic surfaced cleansing pad for the cleaning chores. These are non-abrasive to Joe's plastic. At the sink, I start by scrubbing him with a dish washing liquid like Ivory. If he's a painted hair-scrub him all over. If he's a fuzz head-skip the head for later. Rinse him with warm water. Next, repeat the process with Soft Scrub with Bleach-going easy on the head this time. At this stage it is especially good at cleaning the hands. It makes discolored Kung Fu Grip hands look human again. Warning: scrub gently as the fingers can break very easily. After you have scrubbed him thoroughly, rinse again in warm water. Dry him off with a towel and look at the head and face. Chances are he needs a closer cleaning there. Using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, scrub the face clean. Be sure to get behind those ears! Don't worry, unless he has been repainted with acrylics, his paint will stay put but go easy on those areas with anything stronger than dish soap. If he still needs a cleaning after that, try Formula 409 on a swab. Then, rinse the face with a wet cotton ball, removing all of the cleanser. A word about fuzzheads. I had always suggested keeping his hair dry during cleaning to avoid possible hair loss. However, a good friend of mine has had very good results by gently cleaning A.T. heads with a good quality shampoo. Finally, repeat the cleaning process with the dish washing liquid. This is an important step-it will remove any residue of the stronger cleaners which could later find their way on to uniforms. Now, rinse in warm water and dry him thoroughly. Chances are that his internal elastics have gotten wet during all this washing. You want him totally dry inside and out to avoid rusting and elastic rotting. Gently pull Joe apart at the waist and insert a pencil or chopstick between the two elastic pieces so that it keeps the torso and pelvis sections separated. Place him on a window sill in the sun or near (not on!) a radiator. Let Joe dry for at least 24 hours before you remove the pencil, checking to make sure the elastic feels dry to the touch. -- GITrooper

If you buy a set of steel armor from Cotswold, you'll have to deal with rust since it's not made from stainless steel. To keep it up, you could resort to the method that they used then - oil or continual buffing with beeswax polish. Once you've eliminated the rust (any automobile store will supply a good rust inhibitor) a good, thick coat of lacquer or polyurethane varnish should stop the rust for a couple of years. -- David Higson

CLR (known for a heavy duty cleaner that removes rust and water stains) has released a mild version that can be used on plastics, fiberglass ect. I wonder if it can be used to clean up older joes. I'm gonna give it a try on one of my vintage & I'll let you all know... -- Logoffsys

There are several products available that will help get rid of stains. I have had excellent results with Oxy 10 gel and Clearasil Maximum Strength vanishing cream. I use both. Some stains seem to respond better to one or the other - I don't know why. Use a toothpick to apply it directly to the area you want to treat. Leave on a sunny window sill if possible for 24-48 hours. Then check and see how it looks. The stain should be fading. If needed, repeat the process as many times as necessary. With patience, the stain will eventually go away, it might just take a while. There's no calling on this. Sometimes it takes one day, sometimes a month. There are some stains that will not respond to this treatment and that's when you might want to try a new product called Remove-Zit. This product is available at doll shows and directly through the manufacturer, Pine Tree Industries in Scarborough, Maine. I have had great results with this stuff on discolored heads. It works amazingly on the mold spots (the Oxy 10 and Clearasil don't seem to work on these). Be aware that the mold has already bleached the pink color out of the vinyl. So, you will be left with a slightly pale area where the spot was-but it beats green! It is very important that you read all the instructions that come with this product. Do not get it on painted areas-you will lose the paint in those areas. I have also found that sealing in a tupperware container and heat (sunny window sill or above a turned on table lamp bulb perched in the shade supports) seems to help speed up the process. Remember that all of these products contain strong chemicals that will react in some way with the vinyl. In the case of the acne creams, peroxide (a bleaching agent) is the active ingredient. The Remove-Zit works to change the chemical properties of the stain itself. Use these products with care and check the results frequently! On most stains, they will work eventually. -- GITrooper

A fellow collector friend of mine uses javex diluted with water and a q-tip. to clean stains off of deep sea diver suits . He has had good results with this method. -- Robert Hall

My 30th anniversary Joe's wet suit headpiece melted where his chain was around his neck. I used nail polish remover to get this black tar goo off. The only problem is that one has be careful not to use it on a painted area as it will take the paint off as well. It worked great on his neck, throat and chest. I am still working on the part on the back of his head (painted area). -- Robert

If you have a Joe with a melted scuba suit adhering to his body, some of the suit may be loose. Peel or flake off as much as you can. Now get out the rubber gloves. Put him in a covered roaster pan or other covered pan and coat him liberally with Easy-Off Oven Cleaning gel or foam. Cover the pan. Leave him for at least 24 hours. The rubber is an organic compound and will be broken down by the oven cleaner. The scuba suit should be easily removed with a little effort. Some of it will practically slide off and other spots may need a little scraping with a dull knife (be careful not to scratch the body plastic). Again, patience is the key here. When you have finished removing all of the old rubber, clean him thoroughly. -- GITrooper

Here is the link we found these ideas: http://www.oocities.org/pentagon/6985/joetips.htm#1

Chinook & Hobby West has not tried some of these methods, they are suggestions only. Chinook & Hobby West is not responsible for items that get damaged using these methods.

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Throwback Thursday 28 CP Winter Action at Galt 1972 2014

The low winter sun illuminates CP C424 #4238 as it is about to pass the depot at Galt with an extra westbound in February 1972. Chuck Begg photo, author's collection.

The same view as above, 42 years later (3 January 2014). The MLW's are long gone, replaced by an ES44AC and a SD40-2 (also now gone). No longer is this location Galt, but now the city of Cambridge - unless you're a railfan, in which case this will always be Galt!

Today’s Throwback Thursday takes us back to the Winter of 1972. We’re at Galt, ON, standing in front of the CP depot that still bears the name of its’ Scottish novelist namesake (John Galt). A year later, the civic merger of Galt, Preston, and Hespeler would result in the city of Cambridge, where the modern counterpart photo was taken (even though I’m standing essentially where photographer Chuck Begg did 42 years earlier, I’m in another city!).

In this view, we see a CP westbound extra lead by three MLW C424’s, with the lead unit #4238 still in it’s as-delivered classic Tuscan and grey paint scheme. The unit is seven years old, built in 1965, and would survive another three years before being repainted to CP’s attractive Action Red paint scheme in early 1975. The engine would serve its original owner for 33 years until a sale in 1998 to New Brunswick East Coast Railway took the unit to the Maritimes. As Alco/MLW technology faded from the shortline scene, the unit was sold for parts to sister railroad Ottawa Central before being scrapped in March 2004.

Not only are the Burlington Route boxcar and the head-end stock cars long gone, but the scene itself has changed substantially as well. Absent in Chuck’s photo is the #8 highway/Dundas St. bridge constructed over the Galt yard and Galt Sub mainline. Auto traffic now dominates activity in the yard with a Toyota manufacturing plant located on the old Grand River Railway line a few miles north of the yard (the line merges into the yard near the Burlington boxcar on the other side of Samuelson street). 

Though the scene has changed, Galt is still a busy place with several through freights and a daily local passing through on the main line. A pair of locals based at Wolverton yard east of Woodstock also call on the yard, heading up the old GRR line (CP Waterloo spur) to serve the Toyota plant. Additionally, the station and freight shed still stand, so it’s still possible to relive the scene in Chuck’s photo – too bad the MLW’s are gone though!

‘Til next time,

Cheers,

Peter.

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Creating Display Dioramas Accessories For Your Action Figures

We regularly ask for tips, article ideas and general info from guys and gals just like you!  Recently, we were send this article. For the full article scroll to the bottom and hit the link.

This is just an opinion post about what you may try to do yourself. We are not responsible for any loss, injury, theft, etc. regarding any of the tips in this post.

Making an Oil Drum

• Take a 14 ounce can and remove the top and label. 
• Use one of the new Euro-Openers that cut from the side for best results. Eat contents and clean can. Dry well. Using a hot glue gun, glue the top back on. 
• Hot glue a 1/4" hex nut to the top near the edge and fill in the hole with glue. 
• Spray the can one of 3 colors: sage green, battleship gray or mint green. 
•  Label drums with rub on letters purchased from your local hobby shop.
• Display!

Making Walls

Here's on way on how to make a stone wall:

1. Items required: gravel, silicone RTV sealer (or caulking, or something similar), piece of wood as long as, and slightly wider than the section of wall you wish to build.
2. Glue the pieces of gravel to the wood using the silicone. Mix and match (like a puzzle) the gravel to give straight lines on the sides and eventually the top. The wall will get heavy enough to cause distortions if you try to do it all at once. Do about an inch or two high along the entire length of the wall and then let the silicone cure. Continue to add an inch or two in height every day until the wall is high enough. 
3. If you need a really thick stone wall, use a piece of Styrofoam and glue the gravel to the sides and top of the Styrofoam. The wall will still get heavy but the Styrofoam will help a bit!
4. If you fit the gravel together tightly, you can make a replica of a mortar-less stone wall. If you prefer to make a replica of a wall with mortar between the rocks, make the wall as noted above and let the silicone cure. After the silicone cures, run a bead of Elmer's or another hobby glue along the joints between the gravel and then sprinkle fine sand over the glue. After that dries brush off the excess sand. You can get fine sand in different colors from a hobby store that carries supplies for sand art.
5. Build the wall up to the end edges of the wood. This will allow you to make several sections of wall that will be smaller, easily stored and allow configuration changes for dioramas, etc. If you need to make a 90 degree corner, you can either make the corner as part of one section of wall, or make the wood ends as wide as the wall instead of a bit wider.
6. To finish off the sections of wall, glue dirt, model railroad ground cover, etc to the wood at the base of the wall. Also glue in a few bits of straw to simulate taller growing grasses, etc. -- Rob S.

Making Barbed Wire

How to Make Barbed Wire: Items needed: 30 gauge wire (found in hobby stores, Wal-Mart, etc - used for flowers & stuff), twigs (about 1/2 inch diameter), piece of wood (about 1/2 inch thick, plywood OK), glue, locking pliers or forceps, wire cutters, drill & bits, saw, rag.

1. Determine how much distance you want between fence posts. Also determine how high you want the fence to be (about 6 inches for a regular fence, about 16 inches or higher if you want to build a POW stockade).
2. Cut your wood about 2" - 3" wide and 2" - 3" longer than you want the fence section to be.
3. Cut the twigs to length, adding about 1/2 inch (or the thickness of your wood).
4. Drill 1/2 inch holes in the wood where you want the fence posts to be.
5. Glue fence posts into holes in wood. Set aside to dry thoroughly.
6. Cut a piece of the wire two times the distance between the fence posts, plus an extra 12 inches. For a 12 inch length of fence the length will be 36 inches (12 inches times two plus 12 more inches). The extra 12 inches of wire will be used to wrap around the fence post and secure the wire to the post.
7. Place the two ends of the wire together and pull the wire tight to form a doubled piece of wire.
8. Using the vice grip pliers or forceps, grab each end of the doubled wire and twist the wire. Keep twisting the wire until it has about 1/8 inch or less between the places where the wire crosses over itself.
9. Place the rag over the doubled & twisted wire and firmly pinch the wire (I fold the rag several times to give me a thicker pad of protection). Starting at one end of the twisted wire, squeeze and pull the rag along the length of the twisted wire (similar to closing a "zip-lock" bag). Do this a couple of times. What we are doing is setting the twist into the wire so when we remove the pliers/forceps the wire won't untwist by itself. You MUST use a rag or something similar because the wire will cut through skin if you try this with unprotected fingers!!! Set the wire aside.
10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 until you have one strand of wire for every inch to inch-and-a-half of post height.
11. Cut a bunch of 2" lengths of wire. Keep cutting, you'll need a BUNCH of these!
12. Take the 2" pieces of wire and wrap them around the twisted wire sections. Start about 3 inches from one end and wrap them every inch. Make sure you wrap them tightly against the twisted wire, and wrap each one about 4 times around the twisted wire. These will be the "barb" part of your barbed wire fence. Don't worry about how long the ends are, just wrap the entire length of twisted wire. Do this for all pieces of twisted wire you made in steps 6 - 9.
13. Take your wire cutters and snip off the extra length on each end of the barbs. Real barbs are about 1/2 inch long. I make the barbs a bit longer than normal (scale-wise) because they look better (i.e. you can see them!). Play around with the final length of your barbs and make them as long as you think looks good.
14. Wrap the ends of each section of barbed wire around the fence posts and twist the wire back on itself to hold the wire onto the post. BE CAREFUL - the barbs are REAL! ;-) Snip off the extra wire. Do this on both sides of the fence section, starting about 1 inch from the wood and working up about an inch for every piece of wire.
15. The fence section is finished. I make mine about 12 inches long so I can move them around easily. You can make them any length and any height. A good way to finish off the wooden bottom is to glue dirt, flocking, etc to the wood to simulate dirt, grass, etc. Need something besides fences? Make the sections of barbed wire and then coil them up to simulate coiled barbed wire. Use small (about 1 inch tall) pieces of smaller twigs glued into a wider section of wood, string the barbed wire between them and create "tanglefoot." Let your imagination roam wild! Good luck & have fun! -- Rob S

To see the complete article CLICK HERE
GI Joe® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.


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thanks for reading this blog post and we look forward to your sharing with us.

Happy Hobbying!!

Valerie

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Throwback Thursday 9 Passenger Action at Bayview in February 1977

Competitors meet at Bayview on a cold Winter's day in February 1977. Uncredited Kodachrome, author's collection.

Today’s Throwback Thursday takes us back to the winter of 1977, on a cold but sunny day in February of that year. Here we find an interesting scene with a combination of passenger trains from both CN and CP. Westbound CP #181 is heading through the plant (away from photographer, note rear marker lights illuminated) while an eastbound CN Tempo consist holds on the Dundas sub until the CP train clears. We can probably assume that the CP train was delayed for some reason, after all this is CN’s track and they probably wouldn’t intentionally delay one of their own trains to allow a competitor to have priority. Whatever the reason, the result is nonetheless worthy of further consideration.

The equipment on the two trains presents an interesting contrast in Canadian passenger operations – one attempting to economize and shrink passenger train size, and another an attempt to modernize and improve the passenger experience. When the photo was taken, VIA had been formally in existence for about a month, but it would be more than a year (October 29, 1978) that it would officially take over CN and CP passenger operations. Thus, the two trains are still operated at this date by their respective owners and not yet by the crown corporation.

The CP train is the last vestige of the old Toronto-Buffalo connection by way of Hamilton/Fort Erie (over CP/TH&B), a service initiated in 1894 and terminated when the last #181 to Buffalo was run on April 25, 1981. Gone are the days of the torpedo-tube TH&B GP9’s hauling steam-heated passenger cars (with overnight Toronto sleeper connections), and by this date, the train has been reduced to a two-car RDC consist; at least it is sporting the attractive ‘hockey mask’ paint scheme. The trailing RDC (or “Dayliner” to Canadians) is somewhat of an odd duck, being an RDC-4, a baggage-only model with no passenger seating (73’ long, 12’ shorter than other RDC models). The fact that the train only has one car for actually seating passengers probably speaks to its' popularity by this date. The unit was built by Budd in 1955, and subsequently sold to VIA in September 1978. Evidently not fitting into VIA’s operational plans, the unit was sent to CN’s Pointe Ste. Charles shops in Montreal and subsequently stripped of useful parts to keep other RDC’s going. The remains were scrapped at Dominion Metals & Refining Works at St. Constant, Quebec in 1985.

Though we can’t make out the number of the CN Tempo RS18, it was nonetheless representative of a concerted effort to modernize and improve CN’s passenger operations along the Toronto-Windsor corridor. Rebuilt from a standard RS18 in 1967 with a new-for-the-time HEP system, the six converted RS18’s powered Tempo operated with cars from a group of 25 purpose-built aluminum coaches built by Hawker-Siddely in Thunder Bay, ON. CN 3150-3155 (MRE-18g) featured 92 MPH gearing, a unique paint scheme, and a 575-volt HEP system. The coaches featured outboard disk brakes, electric doors, microwaves, and improved snack service. Delivery of the LRC equipment in the mid-1980’s ultimately rendered the Tempo trains obsolete, with the locomotives and cars being retired by 1983/1986 respectively; their unorthodox 575-volt HEP system didn’t jive with the new Amtrak/VIA standard of 480 volts, greatly limiting the equipments’ usefulness in combination with other car types. Interestingly though, like a cat with nine lives, several of the coaches were subsequently resold to the Rio Grande for use on their Colorado Ski Train operation; the cars were then re-sold some of the cars to the CN/ACR Agawa Canyon tourist train operation, returning the cars to Ontario, albeit much farther north than they were initially accustomed to! Approaching their 47^th birthday, it is indeed remarkable that these cars – especially given their aluminum construction – are still polishing the rails!

‘Til next time,

Cheers,

Peter.

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Tips on Removing Action Figure Heads Limbs

A short dip in boiling water and the head will soften and pop right off. Repeat the process to put it on another neck. The head will harden back up." -- Don Thompson

"On the question of hard heads, a hair dryer also will work and doesn't get the figure wet." -- bcsnaare@pinn.net

Here's how to take off the head of an action man snow board raider (IAM). Simply grab the head and pull upward until it comes off. Putting another head on works the same way, only you push. Sometimes, if the head is hard, warming it with a hair dryer makes it soft and easier to put on/take off. I have done this four or five times and never damaged anything. Don't worry about the little pin. -- Bob S.

 I have used the unorthodox method of heating hard heads in the microwave starting at about 10 seconds on high and increasing the time in 2-3 second increments on stubborn heads. You do have to be careful or you will melt them. -- RRG-Zach-La

If you want to trade the heads with someone, do it with the posts. It is easy to change the post. Simply lift it up and slip a small screw driver or ice pick into the elastic hole to hold it in place, then just slip the post off the hook. If you insist on taking the head off the post, then use some warm (hot) water to soften the head. -- Matthew

For more of this article CLICK HERE
GI Joe® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.

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Throwback Thursday 15 CN M420W Action

Somewhere, an MLW salesman must be smiling!

Tonight's Throwback Thursday features a piece by guest author, my dad Keith. As a die-hard Alco (and MLW) fan myself, the M420W is one of my favourite models of locomotive, and a distinctly Canadian prototype. Without further ado, you're up Keith.

Cheers,
Peter.

In a scene that would have pleased an MLW salesman, three M-420 (W)’s (3530/3551/3515) single handedly (triple handedly?) head up a manifest freight with a book ended, albeit grimy, paint scheme configuration. Even 3551 is begrimed despite having been repainted. Unfortunately the date and location of the photo are unknown though a logical guess would be the early to mid-1990’s somewhere in Southern Ontario. Originally delivered in the 2500 number series, the four axle MLW’s enjoyment of the mainline was relatively brief as they were diverted at an early age to secondary service by the incoming hordes of higher horsepower GMD GP40-2 (W)’s. Reduced in weight for their new role by limiting the amount of onboard fuel and sand beginning in 1986, the modified M-420 (W)’s were renumbered into the 3500’s. Note the smaller sized fuel tank on 3530/3551 delivered in the second build group. As part of the MLW purge, all were off the roster by 1998.However, given their bullet proof Alco origin 251 prime mover, many found second homes with several continuing in service to the present.

Trailing unit 3515 was from the initial pioneering build (CN 2500 – 2529 in early 1973), the first series of North American locomotives to be equipped with the so called ‘Crew Comfort Cab’ (Canadian competitor GMD followed MLW’s lead with their version of what ultimately would become the ‘North American’ Cab on GP38-2 (W)5560 later in the year). Continuing the innovation theme, MLW developed a two axle version of their ‘Zero Weight Transfer’ truck. Designated as the ‘ZWT-2’ truck, conventional centerplate/bolster type geometry wasreplaced by a downward (from the frame) yoke and Metalastik pad combination. Unfortunately the lack of traditional springs resulted in the unit’s having a reputation for being rough riders. Unlike the preceding six axle MLW’s, and much more disturbingly, the units also gained a reputation over the years as being somewhat weak pullers. The M420 (W)’s were also noteworthy for launching the so called ‘Zebra Stripe’ paint scheme that would be applied to new power and repaints for almost 20 years. Still far and away my favourite modern era CN locomotive system of locomotive decoration.

- Keith.

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Removing Touching Up Hair From Your Action Figures

Painted Heads

"You can use acetone to remove paint from figures. I used it on some cheap Frontieer Hero dolls with really fakey looking facial hair and it worked well." -- JM

Pine Sol will normally remove paint, try that first. If that fails, bring out the big gun - oven cleaner. Don't try this on the visor though, it will ruin it. Test in a inconspicuous place first. -- Meerk

Here's a good paint removal tip. Automotive brake fluid, it's cheap and works well. I build scale models and have used it many, many times. You can soak or apply heavily with a tooth brush, be careful not to get it on any other painted surfaces though, it can work pretty quickly on light coats. You can also use it on spots with a Q-tip. Be sure to rinse in water to remove all residue. The brake fluid is water soluble so it will clean up nicely. -- Richard and Denise Pelletier

I decided to removed the paint from the lips of my brown hair-green eyed 30th Aniversary Joe I started out with a bottle of nail polish remover and a Q-Tip. Nail polish remover is a diluted form of acetone so I reasoned that it wouldn't do any damage to the vinyl of the head. And I was right! I just swabbed over the lips with the nail polish remover laden Q-Tip until the paint started to come off. The trick is, when the Q-Tip becomes saturated with paint to go to a fresh one. Also, don't put so much nail polish remover on it that it drips or disaster could loom. The only problem was the deep crevice between the lips, the Q-Tip wouldn't touch it. Fortunately, the paint was softened from the remover, and my trusty pen knife was able to scrape it all out, with absolutely no damage to the head at all! I doubt you could tell that there was ever paint there now. My friend couldn't. Don't forget the wash off any remaining nail polish remover residue, as it could corrode the head as time goes on.. Soaking a head in this stuff would probably be a bad idea. -- Bob SS.

Yes this would leech out all the plastisizers in the head and cause it to become brittle and crack. Just use a good acrylic like liquitex and paint over it. -- Wolfman

Use Remove-zit. You can get it from Cotswolds. It removes the paint with only one application. -- Snoserpent

I've used oven cleaner to remove the "chrome" from plastic model kits and the engine on the HOF Strike Cycle. I'm not sure how it works on paint, but it does an immediate job on the chrome! -- Rob

Try Easy-Off Oven Cleaner. It removes paint pretty well, usually leaves the plastic alone. Check it on a part that doesn't show to make sure it won't damage the surface. -- Trent

Want to remove the painted-on stars from the General's helmet? Buff them off with a little 600 grit sandpaper. Follow with polishing compound, or toothpaste and it'll look like they were never there. -- Meerk

Flocked hair

One way to remove the flocking is to soak the head for a couple of days in ordinary rubbing alcohol. Then the fuzz can be scraped off very easily with a blunt edged knife. Be careful not to scrape or cut into the actual vinyl of Joe's head. Also-you will be left with a yellow glue stain from the flocking process that can not be removed. Not such a problem on the head section because your paint job will cover it-but it can be a problem in the former bearded areas. I usually dry the hair out on a paper towel and save it for reflocking problem AT guys who need the Hair Club for -- Johnn Medeiros

"Boil the head and then soak it in alcohol." -- Conddor

"Be cautious when scraping off flocked hair because sometimes the heads are painted underneath and you may louse up an opportunity to get a clean painted head out of the deal." -- Don Thompson

Unable to dissolve the remaining glue residue, from a fuzz head, I picked up some automotive sandpaper (3M Imperial Wetordry, 1500 grit) and was able to sand the stuff off. I kept the paper wet, and by folding it, was able to get in the tricky areas -- behind the ears, around the scar, etc. I was even able to remove the residue in his mouth, sanding carefully so as not to take the paint off. -- Rob Leigh

I want to add another tip to Rob Leigh's procedure to removing the yellow glue residue. After using the super-fine grit sandpaper, I have found that two or three mild applications of baby oil to the sanded areas will help hide any abrasions to the plastic skin. You should apply one coat a day, allowing the plastic to soak up the oil. The oil seems to have no detrimental effects on the plastic. -- Steve Stanton

After removing the flocking, I repaint them with acrylic paints from the hobby shop. You can get them almost original with a little practice. I have even messed around with leaving mustaches, goatees, long sideburns, etc. when I remove the hair from the face. I use a little dixie cup to set the heads in overnight in the alcohol - its fits great. -- Conddor

Here's what I've found works best for repairing "Bald Spots": Removing & Repairing "Life-like Hair". The secret is....Paint remover! By using one of the slow acting paint strippers (for example:Safest Stripper) you can remove the hair from almost any fuzz head completely.

Just apply to the hair/beard and allow to sit (at least 2 hours), then using the BACK of an Exacto-knife blade scrape the hair off. Be careful when you do this as the plastic of the head gets slightly soft and the blade can dig in to the surface. It won`t all come off in one try,you will have have to reapply and do it again, but eventually you will get nearly all of it off.

The next step is the most Important, In the areas that didn`t come clean, you must apply regular paint stripper. WARNING: This stuff is very CAUSTIC, IT WILL BURN YOUR EYES AND SKIN, ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION. And I mean that.

Anyway, apply to the remaining hair/glue, wait a minute then scrape the area clean. I have never had one that would not come clean, and I've done over 30.

Sometimes, the area where the beard is will be slightly discoloured. If the stain is bad, add a "5 o`clock shadow" to hide it. You can either paint one on or "Tattoo" one on. The tattoo method is as follows: Using a fine needle,poke the beard area of the head, about a million times (or at least it seems like a million !;>} ) Then apply acrylic paint in the correct colour, and wipe off almost immediately, don't try to do the whole area at once, apply to a small area then wipe and so on until you cover the whole beard area.

Another Warning: don`t get the regular stripper on the painted areas of the face (unless you want to remove them too,) and use the smallest amount of stripper you can - it really softens the plastic of the head. Put much of this stuff on or leave it too long, and you'll scrape off chunks of Joe`s face! (makes for interesting Horror effects!)

The safe stripper will not remove the paint generally. If you find a fuzz head that is a painted hair underneath, use only the safe stripper and you`ll gain a painted hair figure. I've never had the safe stripper damage the paint on a head. -- Kevin Merklley

TOUCHING UP HAIR RUBS

Painted Heads

Most paints (model, spray, etc.) never dry on the toy-type plastic. One paint that does is automotive touch-up paint. I use it to touch up paint on my old Star Wars figures. -- Mark Bradley

I retouch some of my vintage painted heads because it makes them look better. I always use acrylic paint like Liquitex. This way, it can be removed down the line if one prefers the original state. -- John Medeiros

I have seen people use Sharpie brand markers to touch up black painted heads. -- Don Thompson

I hate to admit it, but sharpie markers work pretty well for very small spots. They'll come off with acetone if you want to "unrestore" it. -- Richard Knepper

The only painted head I've touched up was a black-haired foreign soldier. I just used black acrylic paint from a tube, spread thinly on a wadded-up kleenex, and rubbed it lightly around the head as if I was applying polish. It fixed the bald spots right up, and the result is close to indistinguishable to the original paint in terms of gloss. It dried right nicely, too. -- Benjamin Adams

Repainting a figure might cause it to come out too shiny. You can make the appearance more like the original by using some dull coat spray on the head. I use this to take the sheen off the plastic on the model RR kits. I think it'll work well on a painted head. -- C Cabrera

The one part I seem to have trouble on is right around the base of the neck-- this is the part that has to flex to put the head back on the torso. Regular acrylic doesn't have enough flex to it, so it peels a bit. You can help this by sanding the rubber-- it gives the surface more "tooth" for the paint to grab onto. I've mixed acrylic silicone caulking (available at hardware stores) to acrylic paint before-- this improves its adhesion and flexibility-- but it leaves a slightly glossy sheen. It's worth playing with if you're having big problems when you paint on flexible materials. And it's a lot cheaper than buying those specialty Hollywood mask paints. Jimbob
I've found that Testor's acrylic paints work well (water wash up too). A splash of tan and the Nick heads from Cotswold began to look better (also, some eye reduction with flesh tones, etc). -- Bruce Wilhite

Flocked Heads

"I've repaired flocked hair rubs using spirit gum and hair scrapped off an old head. Spirit gum is a theatrical adhesive used for attaching fake beards and such. Its nice because it goes on thin, but stays where you put it. After applying the adhesive to the bald spot just pat on some of the scrapped off hair and your joe looks good as new. I'm not sure about the long term holding power, that remains to be seen." -- Porter

"I usually have luck by using another donor head, that's in worse shape of course, and using tweezers to pull out small spots of hair to transplant. Super glue usually works good. It will look ok as long as it's not a huge amount of hair loss." -- Dr. Quest

I saw a cool picture of a fuzz head that had been "mohawked" and was dressed as a D-Day paratrooper. If the bare area is on the sides, just give him a mohawk! -- Rob Sorrels

If the bald area is larger than a pencil,don`t waste your time. You probably won`t be happy with the result. You have to have a "donor" head. It must have the same colour hair. Apply the Safe stripper to the donor head as above. Quite often, when using the the stripper the hair will come off in sheets. Save these for repairs. Cut the hair to fit the bald spot or glue several small pieces into the area. Try to fill the area completely. Now, use fine point magic markers to colour in the area around and on the bald spot. Just dot the marker against the head. If you haven't noticed, the hair has 3 colours of hair strands (except black) and you should try to match these colours. If you are careful,this will work perfectly. -- Kevin Merkley

The biggest problem is lint. Get the lint out before you remove the fuzz otherwise it is a chore to pick out. -- Mark Redmond

There are two ways to go on reflocking a head.

1. The "low expence" way is to get some heads to sacrifice. These need not be Joes, but they should be a good color match. What you do is pluck a patch out with a tweezers, then carefully dip one end into a little pool of superglue and place it on the head to be patched. Take your time and use minimal glue or you will just end up with a tweezer with the tips glued together.
2. The expensive way is to reproduce what they did in the factory. You build an electro-static gun. This puts a small electric charge on the little "hair" fibers and uses an electrode to shoot them out a nozzle on to a preglued Joe head. This may sound insane! But other hobbiests do it. Look though model railroad books for articles about "Static-Grass". They will tell you how to build it all. The main hang-up is no good source for a good color match on the fibers. If you want bright green haired Joes, you are set. I did collect some purple, either for punk Joes, or if you look close at the dark hair, you will see little purple fibers in there. -- Bryan Broocks

I use the easy but less professional method of reflocking Joe. I got really fed up with picking up a piece of hair, touching it to glue, and then putting it on Joe's head carefully. Instead, I separate all the little Joe hairs, scrape them together in a little pile, apply thin layer of glue to bald spot with toothpick, and sprinkle hair on bald spot. Wait a moment, and scrape off excess with clean toothpick. The hair looks fine doesn't have the smooth characteristics of the other way. I don't rub Joe heads, so it looks good enough to me. -- Aaron

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GI Joe® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.

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Maintaining Your Action Figures

Moisturizing

Use Armor All to remoisturize and revitalize an old Joe. It can replace quite a bit of the lost plastisizers from the vinyl. Don't soak the Joe. Just apply several applications. -- Wolfman 

Check it about every 3 months or so. -- Scott

Armor All deteriorates rubber faster than air alone can. Use Meguiars protectant on rubber. -- Brant Rusch

When I displayed my first 30th Anniversary diver, I sprinkled the body and suit with diver talcum powder. It made it a little white but who cares. That didn't do the trick, so my next plan was Scubaro regulator silicon. It works well but the dust is a bitch. Now it is tough stopping this guy from becoming a Gillie suit diver! -- Barry W Middleton

The best way to preserve the vintage scuba suits is to dust them with a little bit of talcum powder - inside and out. If you are going to put it on Joe, powder him lightly as well. If you handle him, repowder where your fingers touched the suit. Your body's natural oils can break down the rubber. Also, if he is displayed in a case by himself you can put a small dish of water in the case with him to keep the air humid. Don't do this if fabric uniforms are in the same case. -- GITrooper

Avoid using any lubricant on your models that is petroleum based! It will eventually react with the plastic and degrade it. Use lithium or graphite based lubes instead. -- Richard A. Lewis

---

Stress Cracks

To repair stress cracks you need something that will bond to the plastic. Most of these types of plastics are hard to actually bond something to. Unfortunately, this usually means a solvent-based cement that may or may-not fully bond. I have had success bonding to similar plastics using a urethane adhesive. It cures relatively hard, but not brittle like many epoxies. These should be available at most hardware stores - 3M Co's 3549 is a good version. -- Trent

Shoe Goo is great for repair of vinyl if you work from the inside It has a good bond but will show. For hard plastic dolls super glue works well and acetone works and is our glue of choice as if sort of melts the hard plastic and fuses it back together. -- D Maltz

If the stress cracks are in a Masterpiece Edition Joe, contact Chronicle Books and let them know about it. You can email them at frontdesk@chronbooks.com. Let them know if you too are having this problem so they can figure out a solution for these and possible future editions. -- Rick Murray

Try our Speed Glue line. The medium is a gap filler and you can sand it down before you repaint if needed.

~ Valerie, Chinook & Hobby West

GI Joe® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.

These are opinions of what has worked for others. Chinook & Hobby West is not responsible for any damage to your items.

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Customizing Action Figure Accesories

GEAR

Sunglasses

You know what's really cool about the transparent colors? When you paint them over a solid color, you can create some fantastic effects. Want to cool up your sunglasses for your Joes? Paint the lenses silver, then paint over them with either blue or smoke transparent paint. Suddenly, you have gargoyles! -- Steve Harrison

Boots

There are different sizes of feet and that means different sizes of boots! It's easy to put a smaller foot into a bigger boot. If you want to go the other way, see the tips below. If you can help me the IAM measurements, I'd appreciate it. -- JM

You can use a soldering gun to mend split boots. The trick is to melt only the inside of the boot, and not all the way through to the outside. However, it has to be melted enough that both sides of the seam will bond with the other. I was able to then place the boots on and take them off my Joes, with repairs still intact afterwards. From the outside, you cannot tell the boots had been repaired. Note: The splits were either in front at the laces or in the back, but not at the soles. -- Kevin

The Arctic Mission Gear, if good for nothing else, is good for the white boots that come with the set. At a time when Joe currently has no athletic shoes, these can easily be transformed into them. The boots are easily "cuttable." My one word of advice is to cut slowly and evenly. I actually have a pair of athletic shoes right in front of me as I cut, in order to get the cut just right. You can then use the shoes like that, or if you have a thing for exactling detail (and a steady hand), some paints and a small-tip paintbrush should allow you to add some detail. -- Bidz

Figure	Footprint
HOF/HOFA/USSM	1 3/8"
SLU	1 7/16"
Elite	1 11/16"
Vintage/ME/CC	1 13/16"
AM/IAM	-

Getting the Classic Collection (CC) GI Joe boots off the old-style feet was a bit of a job, so I dusted the boots before putting them back on. -- Rob Dean

I found out that by heating a HOF boot in the microwave oven for two minutes it will slip on a masterpiece joe foot as easy as Cinderella's slipper, and does not damage either the boot or the foot! -- Caemson

The US Serviceman Memorial Collection boots will fit if you put a dab of vegetable oil on the heel of your CC or HOFA Joe. I used the black boots as dress shoes (pants over top). -- Matthew Mehlich

Some HOF boots will fit CC figures. Some are too tight. The hair dryer technique with the boots will help. Warning: To take off a tight HOF boot from a CC Joe will require lots of pulling. I used the hair dryer technique and the heating action also made the CC's ankle joint very soft. When I finally pulled the boot off the ankle was slightly stretched. This CC Joe now has a leg slightly longer than the other. My advice is to buy Cotswolds boots for the CC Joes. -- Thor Sadler

Also, the foam rubber boots for CC Joes, though looks alot better than the thick HOF boots, they resist attempts to make the CC Joe stand. The hard plastic boots of vintage Joe and Cotwolds boots make CC Joe stand easier. -- Thor Sadler

CC Joes can wear both HOF and vintage Joe uniforms. Hats and boots are a hit and miss subject. -- Thor Sadler

There are different sizes of feet from HOFA vs. CC or ME as a result there are different sizes of boot too. The CC boot will go on a HOF/HOFA foot with no problem. The reverse is not true, unless there is some secret handshake involved, you won't get a boot from HOF/HOFA onto a CC/ME/Vintage figure. If you force the issue, the boot may go on but you'll probably end up cutting the boot off or traumatically amputating the foot. -- Joe Shipley

I've put the HOF boots on both my Elite and CC Joes with no real problems. The green HOF boots are stiffer than the black and they are the only HOF boots I have not been able to get the "Big Foot" into. The HOF boots also come off without any real problems. Use lots of powder to help them slide on & off. -- Rob Sorrels

HOF boots don't fit CC joes well, except for Major Bludd's, whose boots fit well. -- Blair

The Target WWII boots are too big, but if you simply paint the boot black or dark brown (using something like Liquitex), and either paint the spats tan or leave them as is, you get a decent looking boot. -- gijoe1964

Head Gear

Here's what I did to make the FAO pilot helmet look a little more realistic. First, I painted the visor Black. I then I removed the original elastic and installed 2 wider pieces measuring 1 1/2" long. I bought a couple of black sew on snaps and sewed the male end to the ends of the elastic and on the helmet I made a template and using a high speed dremel press drilled small holes and sewed the female end to the helmet. -- Michael Venture

Here's how to smoke the lens without making them pitch black? Try clear red Chart-Pak tape, like you use on overheads and briefing slides. Similar products are available in art and office supply stores. Failing that, try window tint. -- Mark Walsh

I've always wanted to try this helicopter pilot helmet modification for myself but I haven't gotten around to it:

1. Snip the elastic 1/2 way.
2. Take screws from an old pair of ray bans.
3. Hold visor on helmet to "eye-ball" where the straps fall. They should be at about 4 and 8 o'clock as you look down from the top and about 1/3 the way from the bottom.
4. Drill a tiny hole in the helmet
5. Attach with tiny screws. -- Joe Shipley

To smoke a helmet lens, go to any well stocked hobby shop, and look for Tamiya Acrilyc model paint. They have a line oftransparent paints, designed for wind shields, canopies, and other places that a transparent color is useful. It comes in red, blue, green, amber, and smoke. Cleanup with water, rubbing alcohol, or you can go ahead and buy a bottle of thinner for it. Figure around $2.25 a bottle, but you'll get a lot of use out of it.

It air brushes very nicely. You can also brush paint it. If you are careful, it dries clean and streakless. Remember, less is more. So build up layers to get the darkness you need.

As always, you would be wise to practice a bit before committing to your one-of-a-kind helmet It might be a good use for all those CC goggles you've got laying around.

Now, there may be some other brands of transparent model paint. I know Gunze Sangyo makes some, and I have used it, but I think you want to make sure you've got water based acrylic. It's safer on you and the plastic. -- Steve Harrison

I made an Apollo "fish bowl" type helmet out of a plastic x-mass ornament mold, vinyl, metal foil and a hot glue gun. -- Wolfman

After opening a few of the new WWII US Service mans uniforms I noticed that the fabric covered helmets are to small for your Hasbro-produced GI Joes. There are a couple of things that I found that you can do to make these helmets to fit a little better.

1. Use a pliers and remove the inner helmet liner.
2. With a sharp knife remove the 4 plastic posts that the plastic liner attached.
3. If needed use glue to tack down any of the loose fabric.

Unfortunately, the size is still not perfect, but its a lot closer. -- Mad Dog

Try removing the cloth cover from a WWII US Service Man's helmet and fitting the cloth on to a Joe/AM M1 helmet, takes a little work but gives and even better result. -- Winch (Alan Dawson)

I used a dremel tool on a USSM WWII Infantry Helmet. I pried the inside black piece out and then used the rounded cone shaped attachment to grind down the little plastic posts that were left. The helmet now fits on an Action Man perfectly. -- JM

I used pliers to rip out the posts inside the USSM WWII helmets. They rip right out just fine. -- Robert

I don't know of any way to repair a vintage "shrunken head" Joe. but I put a small wad of cotton under the helmet/hat so that it sits correctly. -- Greg Buck

I tried to put a 21st century helmet on my fuzzy head action man figure and it wouldn't stay on for anything. I decided to ameliorate the situation by taking velcro with adhesive backing (not the fuzzy side, the prickly side if that's any way to describe it) and cutting four small 1/2" strips and placing them about halfway in the helmet all the way around. If you fuzzy guy has anough hair it'll hold quite well. It worked for me anyway. -- Denny

I found a way to make the Wool cap that comes with the WWII figures wearable. Take a sweater shaver and shave down that big stub on the top inside of the cap. Now put it on under the helmet, and it doesn't look so ridiculous. -- Rob

Packs

The original Halo CC Joe was short on equipment because he's missing his ALICE pack. Here's the solution. Grab the backpack (sans the web belt) from the Aussie ODF Joe. Put it on the front of the Halo Joe and then use the hook on each side of the ODF backpack, and hook it over the shoulders to the straps on the parachute in back of the Halo Joe. Voila, an accurate 'airborne ranger'! The ODF pack is the same color as the parachute pack. -- Rebonitz

Put about 1/4 inch airplane glue on the 21st Century Toys pack straps and let dry. They will then feed easily. -- Oz

Use tweezers or foreceps to buckle a 21st Century Toys pack. I use foreceps and can do a pack in about 5 minutes now. -- Rob

Here's how to "assemble" a 21st century ruck sack:

1. First get a large safety pin and a lighter.
2. Use the lighter on the ends of the straps only for a second and squeeze it together this will keep the ends from fraying.
3. Use the pin to fish the straps though the buckels.
4. The shoulder straps go to the bottom corner straps
5. The pocket straps are easy.
6. The top straps go through the loops on ruck cover.
7. Then, on three pocket pack, connect to the bottom inside straps, and travel on either side of the middle pocket.
8. On the two pocket ruck sack, they travel under the pockets one strap under each pocket and then connect to the bottom straps. -- Black Dog

Parachutes

If you can get a hold of a T-10 reserve PILOT Chute and take out the spring, the remaining midget parachute is the perfect size for joe. The one I have fits perfectly into the CC HALO pack tray. I have not modified the parachute yet but when I finish, it will look like the MC-3 Free Fall Parachute as recently seen in Disney's "Operation Dumbo Drop". It is not a square RAM AIR parachute, but I'm not that motivated yet and these pilot chutes are regularly discarded by DRMO. -- Katy Jeeb

I finally got my hands on a pilot chute. It looks pretty cool with the Airborne Ranger. It was kind funny that a rigger came in needing stitches and I asked him if he could hook me up. A direct supply line to a expendable item. The only thing that I had to do was cut the stiches and take out the spring thing. The chutes look great green and about the right size. Now all I need is the proper way to pack it. Any Riggers know how thanks. Remember I jump a pack and don't actually pack my own chute. -- Daniel Weiske (Dan the Airborne Man)

Dan, go to the rigger's shed and watch them speed pack the chute. If you can make the pack tray, the deployment bag and the harness you'll be in business. You can cut corners on certain items such as cotton webbing ties and break lines (in real life wedon't cut corners).

Here are the steps I remember from way back when:

1. Get parachute in proper layout. Stretch on table with apex tied to end of table. Separate suspension lines according to left/right risers, get rid of twists and turns.
2. Dress the parachute by making two sets of triangle flaps from apex to skirt. It'll look like a elongated triangle that is intersected through the center. (I'm using layman terms here so bear with me)
3. Fold one triangle over on top of the other. Be sure to keep your suspension lines separated! In real life you would place break ties along the chute to keep it neat and controllable. It'll be a b*tch to stuff in the D-bag other wise. Sorry Amy did I say a bad word? 8-)
4. Now "thread" the apex of chute to the deployment bag (make sure there is a static line or a mini pilot chute attached). Use a slip knot to secure the apex to the D-bag.
5. Slowly and carefully, stuff the D-bag left to right then right to left in a zig-zag pattern until you are out of silk.
6. With the "separated" suspension lines (my memory goes fuzzy here), carefully bring the lines to the top of the D-bag in the center of the suspension lines loops TOGETHER (you'll lose separation at this point BUT keep them separated as long as possible until you "loop the lines" through.
7. The opening flaps of the D-bag have locking loops. Pull the male flap to the female flap and tug the loop through the female flap's hole.
8. With the suspension line you take a bite of line through the flap loops. Now carefully use a paper clip as your "hook" to pull a "loop" or a small "bite" of lines through the locking loops of the D-bag, do not get the lines tangled or twisted.
9. Take the lines to the top left loops of the D-bag. Now carefully use a paper clip as your "hook" to pull a "loop" or a small "bite" of lines through the top loop of the D-bag, do not get the lines tangled or twisted. (Clear as mud huh?) Then crisscross the lines from Left loop one to right loop one to left loop two to right loop two....until you reach the end of the D-bag. The lines through the loops should not look like Amy's pasta dinner. It must be neat and clean looking.
10. Now the D-bag is ready. Attach the risers to the harness. Lay the D-bag ontop of the Pack tray and close the pack tray flaps around the D-bag. Eand P-tray flap has a hole or loop to draw the cotton webbing through, in our case use the "guts" strands of 550 cord. Take one strand and "thread" it through the P-tray flaps to form a circle. BTW - make sure the static line is outside of the P-tray at the "TOP" of the tray.
11. Try to make the pack as tight as possible by drawing the flaps as close as possible. It may require you to use a little palm action to "flatten" the D-bag to a manageable size.
12. When 11 is done, tighten the "strand" of the P-tray and tie another slip knot.
13. Since there will not be enough force to break the last slip knot, you will have to tie the other end of the strand to the static line so as when the static line is "pulled" it will also pull the slip knot out.
14. Using small and thin rubber bands, make the loops for your static line down your P-tray. You know you should crisscross these as well.
15. Attach static line hook to the P-tray for storage purposes.

Now sign the rigger's inspection book with your name.

The Rigger's motto is I will be sure always. Do the same by double checking my instructions. You'll learn alot from this process. And a Paratrooper, it is good for a soldier to be familiar with his/her equipment even beyond their training.

The chute should work like this:

1. Static line attached to an anchor point at a height that will permit the chute to deploy.
2. When Joe is released, his weight will pull taunt the static line thus pulling the slip knot at the P-tray's flap closures.
3. The tray now open, pulls the D-bag out and away from the jumper.
4. The suspension lines now slip through the loops until the locking loops of the D-bag are pulled.
5. Thus the silk is drawn out, skirt first, filling with air.
6. Until the last slip knot connecting the apex to the D-bag is pulled.
7. Thereby freeing the chute from the D-bag and the jumper drives on with his descent.
8. Mission Complete.

BTW - For those who can't get a military pilot chute, here's a POC:

PAI Parachute Equipment Corp.

1-800-526-2822

Parachute.equip@prodigy.com

Some pilot chutes run for $70.00 -- Thor Sadler

I went to the Fabric area in Wal MArt and bought a Dritz Plier Kit which will enable me to put 1/8 inch eyelets into the Nylon material. I then bought #18 twisted nylon twine for the ropes. If you open the HALO Rangers chute pack there is a strap that you can use to attach the chute. The Pliers were about 6 bucks but I can use them on other plans and the eyelets were about a buck. I still haven't figured out how to open the chute. It will probably not be packed when he "Jumps" and I will only pack it for display. -- Robert

T-10 Reserve Pilot Chutes are the only way to go! They fit Joes pack-tray and they are military issue. -- Jeb

Here's how to pack a parachute: Square parachutes are packed sort of like an accordion. If you hold the entire left side of your Joe chute, it should be folded so that it will collapse down on the right side (accordion style). The individual cells should be open. The nose and tail of the chute are then folded down, kind of like folding the coner of a dollar bill (the amount of fold varies for desired chute opening speed), but roughly, have the upper corner of the (accordion folded) chute touch the bottom of the chute. Then neatly fold the thing so it will fit into the pack. The lines go in last and are held in place by rubber bands. -- Torch

We did a little experimentation last night with a new material - a 45 inch diameter chute out of a lightweight ripstop material that is a pretty good approximation of a "silk chute." It's got a grid-looking pattern like ripstop, but it feels like parachute fabric. The material was in the remnant bin at a fabric store. OD green, too! Cost less than a buck, I think. I hemmed it and added 8 lines using yellow rope like the ice pick and AT accessories sometimes used. The kids and I tested it last night. This chute is too large for ME guys. It has to drop a long way before it opens, and is a slow descender with a CC Joe attached. With the ME guys, I had to leave a length of line unwrapped so it'd kinda "yank" on descent and open the 'chute. We did a tandem jump with a CCand an ME Joe and it looked about right. Lesson #1 learned: 45" is too big. Lesson #2: Arm gets tired a lot faster when heaving 2 Joes instead of 1. -- Opie

Need a parachute for your joe? Check out the local hobby store where ESTES rockets are sold. They usually have chutes in all sizes, shapes and colors. Prices average about $15.00 for the good ones and they are tuff! Uh, oh. No harness to attach the chute to? Go to the local pet store and buy 2 chihuahua size black nylon adjustable collars with plastic connectors. Run these between joes legs and over his shoulders. Attach chute lines to leash snaps on collars. Your joe is ready to go! -- Oz

Looking to get someone else to make you a parachute? Go to your nearest paraloft. Parachute riggers have all the canopy material and sewing machine expertise required. I was a marine rigger and I made a few different canopy/harness combos for my joe collecting compadres. I only charged a 12 pack. -- Delaney

I think to pack the AT parachute this way, 25+ years ago...

1. Hold on to the center of the chute, and pull it out straight so the chute and cords are relatively straight. It's also useful to untangle and seperate the cords so all the cords that attach on the left side of the chute pack are on the left side of Joe, etc.
2. Fold the chute down from the top using about 4" folds. It's almost like rolling the chute up.
3. Wrap the cords around the folded chute, not too tightly.
4. Don't put the chute in the pack, it isn't going to work. You should have the chute rolled up against the top of the pack. I don't think the rip cord ever really did anything.
5. Find a nice deck with a nice soft landing surface below.
   Chuck Joe up in the air as hard and as far as you can. If you do it properly, the chute will unroll, inflate, and bring Joe down to a soft landing.

I remember having a 60-70% success rate with this method, which is why that soft landing surface is important! -- Jim

I remember some quite succesful AT parachute launches. Here's how I did it:

1. If the chords are tangled, I always found it easier to slide the knotted end out of the slots at the top of the pack for unraveling.
2. Lay the 'chute down and make sure there are no tangles.
3. Fold a quarter of the 'chute in on the left and right to meet in the middle just like when you make the center fold on a paper airplane.
4. Fold the two halve together and again as necessary to fit in the pack.
5. Once the width is right roll/fold it to the correct height for the pack.
6. Place it in the pack, close the clam shell, place the string over the closed clamshell from the top back down to his crotch and around to the belly area.
7. The ring on the rip-chord should be where you thumb would be on the abdomen when holding the figure with your fingers on the pack. He' ready to toss!
8. Throw him up, underhand and head first. What you have to watch out for is that his legs are not so close together that he snags the ring in his crotch.
9. Anyways, the upward motion opens the clamshell and deploys the shoot.
10. Its always a good idea to have a soft landing. Accidents do happen. -- E J Harsh

For those of you with vintage fighter pilots, 9 out of 10 times the lid from the parachute has become detached. I went to Home Depot, picked up some green colored caulking called "Color Rite Cauling Spectrum), and laid a very thin bead of caulk down on the lid and pack. It matched perfectly, stayed flexible and is removeable. This is just FYI if you want to attach the lid to the pack for display purposes. -- LogOffsys

Rifles

Here's how to make a more realistic AR15 shorty from a Hasbro HOF M-16-like rifle (the one with the goofy looking scope on the carry handle, fixed bayonet, and telescoping stock):

1. Using a sharp pocket knife, carefully remove the scope.
2. Again using the knife, remove the bayonet at the lug and sever the barrel at the flash suppressor and behind the handguard of the bayonet.
3. "Eyeball" the length of the barrel and remove a piece to approximate a 16" barrel.
4. With a Leatherman tool, clip a section of a straight pin. which I used in the manner of the "finger repair" trick,
5. Heat the pin and shove one end into the shortened barrel and one end into the flash supressor. -- Rhino

Rifle Slings

To make your own rifle sling, go to your local craft, fabric or sewing store and get some olive drab elastic, 3/16" wide. Then look for some brass wire thin enough to fit through the holes on the rifle where the sling rings go. -- Dr. Paul Brothers

You can find rings already formed to the correct size as the Joe rifle rings at craft stores. -- Mad Dog

You can find close to the correct elastic (1/8") in a good sewing supplies store. They come in white and black. Black seems harder to find but, I'm sure a good store could order it for you. You can dye the white with permanent art markers. I use Pantone #5767-T for the olive drab rifle slings and #361-T for the brighter green helmet straps. Many crafts centers also carry gold-tone little metal rings for the slings as well. -- John Medeiros

To make a hasbro look-alike rifle sling, you can pick up the rings at most craft/jewelry sections. Can use 1/8th " black or white elastic and sew or carefully super glue. If you want them realistic, use Skiver leather, dyed to correct tone. Smooth side for leather slings and "rough" side for webbing slings. Web slings can be acrylic painted skiver too. You may be able to get realistic loops for the slings (oval rather than round) from "Toys'n Stuff", or from Cotswold. US WW2 slings are very complicated, having a couple of adjustment buckles with teeth. German ones also have a sliding adjustment buckle. -- Paul Walmsley

Rifle Scopes

On the scope, drill it out a little, and put a plexiglass lens in place. It looks cool. -- Wolfman

More tips from this article can be found HERE
GI Joe® is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.

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Time Link Thursday Early GO Transit Action

A bit of a variation on the Throwback Thursday theme here; tonight's article is another one written by my dad Keith. Hopefully soon my brother Mark will have some material to contribute to the blog as well (he's currently working on a couple very interesting HO projects; more on this in upcoming weeks). Anyway, onto the feature story. Cheers, Peter.

Time-Link Thursday

GO 104 was built as C754 by HST in 1967. Renumbered 9854 in 1970, 104 in 1975, the pioneering cab car would be sold to AMT in Montreal in 1990 and removed from service in 2010.

Some time ago Peter acquired a sizeable collection of B&W negatives at a local train show. Unfortunately, the seller did not have any background on the photographer and no companion information as to date and location, etc. Fortunately though, a number of views have stations in the frame and some of the locations are familiar. However, many remain unknown to us. If any reader recognizes locations of photos in this or upcoming posts, please drop me a line and let me know the location.

I have always been fascinated by photos showing equipment from different eras. To me they form a connection between generations, often spanning decades. As example, an early CNR Northern coupled to a boxcar built in 1960. Hence, the title ‘TIME LINK’. Time-wise, the span could be seventy three years: a U-2-a built in 1927 coupled to a boxcar that could have lasted until 2000 (freight cars built prior to 7/1/1974 were eligible to continue in service for forty years). If the boxcar was subject to AAR ‘Rebuilt’ status (+ ten years) and coupled to one of CNR’s long lasting E-10-a 2-6-0’s, the span would be a century!

This month’s examples connect early generation GO Transit cab cars to still contemporary bi-level commuter coaches. As to date and location, the following is what we know about each:

GOT 104

-    The F40PH on the opposite end was delivered in 1978 and would serve GO Transit for a decade prior to being sold to Amtrak in 1990.

-        There are a number of high rise towers in the background.

-        The train is passing under a very distinctive design bridge (road or rail?).

GOT 901

-        Bi-level coaches were introduced in 1978.

-        901 would be removed from service in 1995.

-        A distinctive (public?) building can be seen in the background.

Built by GMD in 1951 as ONR FP7 1505, the veteran ‘covered wagon’ would be converted into an APCU (Auxiliary Power Control Unit) for GO in 1974 and numbered 9859. Renumbered in 1975, 901 would soldier on until 1995 when she was removed from service and scrapped.

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