Hot Toys Back to the Future II - DeLorean - Mods

[jaysmusicman]

Thank you @cdx008 your guide really helped a lot ! my first time to mess with electronics of Hot toys! and I did it! bypass done i guess now to read thru all the rest of other modifications i can do

 

[jaysmusicman]

Been meaning to sign up and post my findings in this thread but just have been busy. I started down that path a few weeks ago but I gave up on going all the way. I used the photos from the guy in the thread for the first Delorean to help me, but I can try to grab some better photos this weekend to post here.

The rear bumper is really easy to remove, easier than the front end. Behind the bumper are 2 more circuit boards, I think one for each mode, and they had empty ports so @MDLAV8R you could use it to get rid of the exterior wiring.

The exhaust vents are just clipped in with big tabs on each side, it feels a bit scary to just pop them off because they need a little force but they should come off without any problems. Underneath the vents are screws. There are also hidden screws along the backside of the rear wheel wells, they are covered by plastic tabs that you have to remove first. I think they pull up from bottom but I will need to check. The first one gave me a little trouble but the second one came out pretty easy, you will just need a really thin pry tool or maybe a good adhesive. After that I think there was just 2 screws on the underside of the bumper.

I don't recommend going any further. When you look inside you can see 2 screw posts, one is under the green tubes and one is under the silver and black things in front of the red capacitors. I was able to pop off the green tubes, they had some adhesive underneath to help hold them down so it wasn't easy. The other side was a total fight and it ended up with me breaking off the whole side of the silver platform, so that was the end of that for me. I was able to make a pretty solid repair so I am not too bummed about it. That's as as far as I got so after those 2 screws I have no idea what comes next.

I now have an Alexa-enabled Delorean. I managed to not screw up the vehicle, injure myself, or wind up with “extra” parts on the table when I put it back together again. As a bonus, there was minimal use of my always nearby box of expletives.

Ground Mode. Flight Mode. Flight Mode Only. Stealth Mode (off).
I removed me saying, “Alexa” to avoid aggravation and possibly activating these functions in your home.
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Like it never happened:
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Running a line to light up Mr. Fusion that will turn on in Flight Mode. I didn’t want to risk any more surgery so I am just running the wires along the existing wire harnesses until someone else comes up with a better idea. The section under the door doesn’t have any room so I will tuck my wires behind the insulation. I had to drill a very tiny hole under the hood while I had it apart.

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There’s actually some space to the left in the wheel well where I can hide the wires with some black tape.
The paint that unintentionally acted as glue has some very minor damage. It looks 1000x worse on pic with flash. I didn’t even notice until I looked at the pic.

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Holding up the wires but I think it will look fine once I secure them in place.

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Looks like there’s an opening to run the wires through to get to Mr. Fusion. He’ll need a little cutting to fit the LED in. Maybe I’ll just mount the LED underneath and just cut a small opening to let the light bleed in from the bottom.

Any chance could get to see on the mod you did to Mr. fusion ?

 

[MDLAV8R]

Any chance could get to see on the mod you did to Mr. fusion ?

Here is my hack job. It’s ugly on the inside but I don’t ever look in there. Someone with skills and patience could do this right but it works for me. Doc Brown tossed garbage in there so I could probably find some 1/6 scale trash for added effect lol. I just drilled a hole in the base - I originally was going to mount the led below the surface but couldn’t get the angle right - and hot glued the led in just the right place to get the glow effect I wanted. Hot glue let me slide it around until it was just right. At first I drilled several small pilot holes in the bottom of Mr. Fusion up through the plastic window piece but that didn’t let in enough light so I just kept enlarging the hole until it worked right. I also tried putting a little LED inside the window but it didn’t diffuse and you could see the LED. I used red because that’s what I had laying around and it looked cool. Not sure what color (if any) was shown in the movies. Once you choose your method to light it up, make sure you move the light source around and test until you’re happy. In some positions the LED didn’t reflect at all inside and you could barely tell it was on.

Have fun!!!

 

[jaysmusicman]

Here is my hack job. It’s ugly on the inside but I don’t ever look in there. Someone with skills and patience could do this right but it works for me. Doc Brown tossed garbage in there so I could probably find some 1/6 scale trash for added effect lol. I just drilled a hole in the base - I originally was going to mount the led below the surface but couldn’t get the angle right - and hot glued the led in just the right place to get the glow effect I wanted. Hot glue let me slide it around until it was just right. At first I drilled several small pilot holes in the bottom of Mr. Fusion up through the plastic window piece but that didn’t let in enough light so I just kept enlarging the hole until it worked right. I also tried putting a little LED inside the window but it didn’t diffuse and you could see the LED. I used red because that’s what I had laying around and it looked cool. Not sure what color (if any) was shown in the movies. Once you choose your method to light it up, make sure you move the light source around and test until you’re happy. In some positions the LED didn’t reflect at all inside and you could barely tell it was on.

Have fun!!!

View attachment 733755View attachment 733756
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Here is my hack job. It’s ugly on the inside but I don’t ever look in there. Someone with skills and patience could do this right but it works for me. Doc Brown tossed garbage in there so I could probably find some 1/6 scale trash for added effect lol. I just drilled a hole in the base - I originally was going to mount the led below the surface but couldn’t get the angle right - and hot glued the led in just the right place to get the glow effect I wanted. Hot glue let me slide it around until it was just right. At first I drilled several small pilot holes in the bottom of Mr. Fusion up through the plastic window piece but that didn’t let in enough light so I just kept enlarging the hole until it worked right. I also tried putting a little LED inside the window but it didn’t diffuse and you could see the LED. I used red because that’s what I had laying around and it looked cool. Not sure what color (if any) was shown in the movies. Once you choose your method to light it up, make sure you move the light source around and test until you’re happy. In some positions the LED didn’t reflect at all inside and you could barely tell it was on.

Have fun!!!

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Thank you so much! I did a dif route (got too excited) was gonna try to drill at the same spot but realized the fusion was hollow went from the top then a friend gave me a small acrylic diffuser but you’re right about it being to bright hehe at some point might chance this hehe

 

[Plex7]

Need help! My instrument cluster looks dim. I think it might be related to the circuit board, loose connection. Where is the circuit board located for the instrument cluster AND time circuit display?

When I move around this blue/black wire just below the steering wheel, the LED flickers. Tries to stay fully lit but then it dims down again. I want to see if it's the circuit board before determining it's the LED itself. That would suck. 1 year old and already a failed LED? The good thing is that it's on, just dimmed.

 

[cdx008]

Need help! My instrument cluster looks dim. I think it might be related to the circuit board, loose connection. Where is the circuit board located for the instrument cluster AND time circuit display?

When I move around this blue/black wire just below the steering wheel, the LED flickers. Tries to stay fully lit but then it dims down again. I want to see if it's the circuit board before determining it's the LED itself. That would suck. 1 year old and already a failed LED? The good thing is that it's on, just dimmed.

It’s most likely a bad connection. If you’ve noticed, they use incredibly thin/fragile wiring for some parts. What’s likely happening is that the connector to the board may be loose. One of the headlights on the one in have had that issue. It was the wire that wasn’t crimped very well to the metal connector.

 

[Plex7]

It’s most likely a bad connection. If you’ve noticed, they use incredibly thin/fragile wiring for some parts. What’s likely happening is that the connector to the board may be loose. One of the headlights on the one in have had that issue. It was the wire that wasn’t crimped very well to the metal connector.
View attachment 736738

I located the board for instrument cluster LED and it's impossible to remove or to visually see clearly. It's under the glove box. I did wiggle it a bit and it helped brighten it but it is definitely not the same as before. It still looks decent nevertheless. Honestly, my delorean was on 24/7 since October 2023, no more though. I am currently waiting on the wires/switch for the mod and I'll hook it up to a smart plug to turn on 4-5 hours in the evening. Going to have it on hovermode only (wheels on only, cabin off) and alternate from time to time.

The cabin lights are going to be a major, major issue to repair when they eventually burn out. It's impossible to take it all apart clean. I already stripped 1 of the 4 windshield screws! I mistakenly started to remove them then realized it was no need to lift the hood, ****! But fortunately, it did not prevent me from lifting the hood. Also, per Sideshow, there is no replacement parts available.

Maybe someone will create a 100% revamping kit for when the LEDs do go out with detailed instructions. I researched a bit, and these cheap LEDs hot toys uses last about 30,000 hours which is about 3-4 years if left on 24/7.

 

[cdx008]

I located the board for instrument cluster LED and it's impossible to remove or to visually see clearly. It's under the glove box. I did wiggle it a bit and it helped brighten it but it is definitely not the same as before. It still looks decent nevertheless. Honestly, my delorean was on 24/7 since October 2023, no more though. I am currently waiting on the wires/switch for the mod and I'll hook it up to a smart plug to turn on 4-5 hours in the evening. Going to have it on hovermode only (wheels on only, cabin off) and alternate from time to time.

The cabin lights are going to be a major, major issue to repair when they eventually burn out. It's impossible to take it all apart clean. I already stripped 1 of the 4 windshield screws! I mistakenly started to remove them then realized it was no need to lift the hood, ****! But fortunately, it did not prevent me from lifting the hood. Also, per Sideshow, there is no replacement parts available.

Maybe someone will create a 100% revamping kit for when the LEDs do go out with detailed instructions. I researched a bit, and these cheap LEDs hot toys uses last about 30,000 hours which is about 3-4 years if left on 24/7.

My goodness. 24/7 for a year! I’d say it is doing well! I have mine hooked up to a motion sensor so it only lights up when I walk up to admire it. Maybe just a few times a day, lol

 

[Plex7]

My goodness. 24/7 for a year! I’d say it is doing well! I have mine hooked up to a motion sensor so it only lights up when I walk up to admire it. Maybe just a few times a day, lol

More info on the motion sensor?

 

[cdx008]

More info on the motion sensor?

These are the exact ones I bought. I connected them to my Blitzway Ecto and Deloreans.

https://a.co/d/8NxzyOA