For those who pre-ordered all three of New Age Toys’ Stormtroopers (aka G1 Seekers) the arrival of Leviathan includes replacement parts for Agamenmnon in the form of new hips and legs that resolve the unnatural hip joint in the original design.
Comparisons
At a very quick glance you might not even notice the difference:
But the closer you look, the more obvious the changes become. A side view emphasizes the new, longer, side skirts.
From the back, the new hip is even more obvious, and looks more “gappy” than the original.
The pistol mode is even more similar at first glance.
A close-up of the original pistol handle.
And a close-up of the new pistol handle showing the new joints.
Installation
There are no instructions on how to install the part included in the box (at least there weren’t with mine) so I’ve detailed the steps I took below:
Separate the figure by pushing the hips backwards to slide the mushroom cap out of the torso. This will require a firm hand since the cap is held tightly in place.
Remove the toes from each leg by pushing them in from the outside of the leg to slide the mushroom cap out of the calves. Just like the waist, the cap is tight and will require a bit of pressure to release.
Get a PH01 screwdriver to remove the leg panels (be careful not to strip the screws!). I removed the outer panels first since they’re bulkier but the order doesn’t appear to be important. When removing the leg panels, make sure to keep the correct screw with the correct panel – the inner panel has a shorter screw.
To install the new part, reverse the previous steps:
- Attach the toes to each leg: line up the mushroom cap with the slot then push them out from the inside of the leg until the cap snaps into place.
- Use your PH01 screwdriver to attach the leg panels to the new part.
- Reattach the bottom half of the figure by lining up the mushroom cap at the top of the hips with the slot on the torso then pushing them forward until the cap snaps into place.
The Transformation
The new transformation is more complicated than the original.
Here’s the original design where the hips simply folded down:
The new transformation starts with folding the legs down, similar to how the original hips worked.
Then fold in the flaps at either side of the front hip skirt panel. Here is a view of one of these panels opened in pistol mode:
And a view of the cap that it is meant to cover:
You may also notice that there is another hinge behind this one. That is the connector for the new side skirts which fold flat into the pistol grip. Here it is during the transformation:
And as viewed from the back:
The Hip Joint
The best part of this upgrade is the relocation of the hip joint.
Here’s the original design:
And the new one:
The Waist
The biggest flaw with the new part is the sliding hip panel which does not lock into place. In many poses it drops down leaving a gap at the waist:
Of course, in the alternate position it gives Agamemnon visible underpants:
Update: Correct Transfomation
After posting on TFW2005 I got more information about the official transformation which includes a lot more tucking than I originally realized.
Turns out that the “visible underpants” look is how it is supposed to be. You need to fold in both sides of the front hip skirt then fold up the tips of each side skirt to cover the resulting gap. This will hold the hip assembly in the correct location.
Here’s a comparison with the hips properly transformed:
The Conclusion
I’m not sure that this upgrade was completely necessary but it is just as solid as the original. Each has one large flaw so you can choose your poison. Personally, I’ll keep my original version on display and save the upgraded version for any time that I need a pose that would highlight the hip joint.
According to New Age Toys, the replacement parts for the other repaints might be made available for purchase “at cost price” due to people not wanting to buy another figure just to get the part.
