1/6 Sideshow 1/6th Scale Star Wars Speeder Bike

[jkno]

Very cool Terminator on speederbike pic

 

[shocktrooper_au]

The difference between the hasbro and ssc version is a lot bigger in person, the hasbro will still work with it though. Or even the ssc scout and hasbro bike as a piece

 

[TaliBane]

The difference between the hasbro and ssc version is a lot bigger in person, the hasbro will still work with it though. Or even the ssc scout and hasbro bike as a piece

From the pics posted earlier, the Hasbro bike doesn't look as large next to the SSC bike as I thought it would.

 

[Corrose]

"Hot Toys Quality"

View attachment 204534

Yeah, don't be an @**hole. I said I wish they had charged MORE MONEY and made it better quality, around $500 retail instead of $300 and up the quality, that's about what Hot Toys might charge for a piece like this. I don't know why people need to be so snarky when my point was very legitimate.

I was not saying for the SAME PRICE this should have been Hot Toys Quality, maybe read a whole post before posting a stupid little image and your emoticons.

 

[Fett73]

I'll add commentary in the morning but here are a few quick snaps in the meantime.

 

[jkno]

Those binoculars look great! I might use mine on the Scout, not screen accurate to ROTJ Scouts, but at least they appeared in SW, unlike the rifle.

 

[Jagjaguwar]

Put mine together last night. Tried posing the scout on the bike carefully. Let go of everything to see how I'd fared.

Whole damn thing, scout, bike and base, topples sideways. somehow nothing breaks, though both scout hands staying attached to the handle bars while the body fell off probably helped that.

What is it with me and SS bases? Looked at the bottom of this one and it's not even flat. Set it down on a table and you can literally rock the damn thing back and forth on its long axis. Seems some round piece of plastic on the bottom isn't flush with everything else, and the whole base is what I'd call "squishy" when pressed to see if it would snap flush with the rest of the bottom. Didn't do anything, and now I'm stuck either using the wider trees/moss/rock rubbery base, or make my own if I want it to stay upright.

Other issues:
-First step in Rubio's directions: plastic rectangular piece from foot pedals didn't fit into body of bike. Hole not nearly wide enough. Fixed with a knife.
-Tie down metal snap for one side of the tarp on the back didn't actually click. Wasn't close. Just didn't snap. Glued this...
-Handlebars are more deformed than other people's appear to be in pics. Did the Rubio way of putting it together. Flush with the body. Just looks like they started melting.
-3 of the 5 controls on the body (little plastic nub things) didn't fit, due to shoddy hole cutting by whoever's job it was to cut holes. Used knife again.
-Brown pieces at the nose that are put on with the metal pins (steering vanes?) are awful. Mine don't stay on well and the pins that go into the holes were bent in such a way that they couldn't both go into their respective holes at once.

That's all I can think of right now, without the bike in front of me. All in all, it looks nice, but feels cheap. Very cheap. Mine went together worse than some $10 plastic model kits I used to put together as a kid (those at least went together flush with tight fitting pieces and no wonky melted-looking bits), and the plastic in most places feels as flimsy as those were. If it didn't look nice at the end, this thing would be going back. As it stands, between my Mythos Obi-Wan debacle and now this, I've seen enough of what possible headaches there can be from SS, and as such this will be my last piece. I know there are issues with all companies, but two consecutive purchases that aren't able to stand up on their own, as designed, without some serious alterations is a bit much for me.

 

[jkno]

Sorry to hear about these problems which seem are not singular. I hope mine will arrive in good condition, but hope is getting lower each day...

 

[Jagjaguwar]

I did want to add a note saying how nice the bike does look, in separate post where it wouldn't get lost. It looks good, and makes the scout look better as well. I always wanted a PF Bike/Scout, but this will do the trip for a fraction of the cost (and space!).

My issues are mostly resolved now and probably aren't typical. I would caution everyone to make extra sure their stand is stable before putting the bike on it though (and especially the scout on that, the weight of which was enough to tip everything I guess). Looking forward to seeing more pics!

 

[rubio95]

Put mine together last night. Tried posing the scout on the bike carefully. Let go of everything to see how I'd fared.

Whole damn thing, scout, bike and base, topples sideways. somehow nothing breaks, though both scout hands staying attached to the handle bars while the body fell off probably helped that.

What is it with me and SS bases? Looked at the bottom of this one and it's not even flat. Set it down on a table and you can literally rock the damn thing back and forth on its long axis. Seems some round piece of plastic on the bottom isn't flush with everything else, and the whole base is what I'd call "squishy" when pressed to see if it would snap flush with the rest of the bottom. Didn't do anything, and now I'm stuck either using the wider trees/moss/rock rubbery base, or make my own if I want it to stay upright.

Other issues:
-First step in Rubio's directions: plastic rectangular piece from foot pedals didn't fit into body of bike. Hole not nearly wide enough. Fixed with a knife.
-Tie down metal snap for one side of the tarp on the back didn't actually click. Wasn't close. Just didn't snap. Glued this...
-Handlebars are more deformed than other people's appear to be in pics. Did the Rubio way of putting it together. Flush with the body. Just looks like they started melting.
-3 of the 5 controls on the body (little plastic nub things) didn't fit, due to shoddy hole cutting by whoever's job it was to cut holes. Used knife again.
-Brown pieces at the nose that are put on with the metal pins (steering vanes?) are awful. Mine don't stay on well and the pins that go into the holes were bent in such a way that they couldn't both go into their respective holes at once.

I totally agree with you on all points. I'm sorry you had a rough go of it, and I assure you, I did, as well.

The foot pedals were particularly troublesome. I ended up putting in one side of the rectangular tab, then removing it and doing the same thing with the opposite side several times, until I had effectively 'widened' the slot enough for it to go straight in.

The steering levers were also a pain, as were the controls. The little 'half circle' tabs were quite confusing, and I had to push them in harder than I felt comfortable doing.

It seems like it would've been nigh impossible to assemble everything in the order Sideshow laid out in the instructions. I hope my recommendations made sense, in that regard. I cant imagine assembling the more difficult parts with all of the other bits in the way.

I didn't comment on the stand, but mine is like yours. That circular piece isn't flush on mine either. My trooper took a spill and the handles broke off (replacements already on their way). The screw on the top of the rod wasn't tightened properly, and the whole thing just fell over. Unfortunately, the hands stayed firmly attached to the trooper.

Anyways, take some pics!

And like you said, very pretty piece, just a bit rough around the edges.

 

[Jagjaguwar]

The recommendations did make sense, and were a lifesaver I think, so thanks! I agree, going in the order they numbered them would only magnify the difficulty and, as a result, frustration.

I've been wondering about the screw on my stand as well. It seemed when I was tightening it that the side that was supposed to be gripped in place with the wrench wasn't actually doing anything, as it seemed to spin freely seemingly without relation to how tight or loose the screw side was. It seemed also that tilting the angle ever so slightly would loosen up the screw my a large degree, more than I would have thought it should for this sort of connection.

 

[phobicsquirrel]

Neither am I, but if you go back a page or two, this question/concern has been voiced and answered.

Yeah I saw that... I just wish more people wouldn't pay for this type of thing. I mean charge so much for an item that is clearly defected. If we as collectors want this to change we should really stop accepting this sort of thing.

 

[Fett73]

I decided to follow the instructions to see for myself what the challenges were:

Everything went smoothly up to the anticipated 'rectangular tab' for the foot pedals. My opinion is that a screwdriver or similar tool is wholly unnecessary to fit this. Like previous images shown, one side is very narrow on the slot. If you hold the rectangular tab firmly in your hand you can push the very corner into the most narrow part of the slot and it will go in, then simply push the rest of the tab into the wider section to fit.

I'm surmising this (narrow sided slot) may have been done to secure the foot pedals to withstand the downward pressure of the trooper. Widening with a tool may make the slot too loose and 'possibly' result in foot pedals dropping off. Something for everyone to bear in mind when deciding what they are going to do.

Every step continued unimpeded up until the handlebars, I concur with I believe rubio? who recommended changing the order of the steps. It was awkward fitting the tightly snug handlebars flush with the body with the hindrance of the undercarriage being concealed. I had to literally slip a finger under the main body to provide enough support to push them in.

Although this was fiddly it still only took me a minute or so, but I would likewise suggest doing it at a much earlier stag to allow easier access for your finger to support the body underneath.

As a side note, these handlebars don't slide in perpendicular, they actually slide up into the body.

Where my real trouble began was with the silver hosing on the red handlebar - it literally has been made too short to reach the body and I'll be asking for a replacement from sideshow for this part.

The final pieces of the construction were also faulty, as the holes for the steering vanes do not take the silver rods. I have placed a needle inside the holes to see how deep they are, and they are only two millimetres deep. A slight tap or movement of the speeder and they both fall off. Likewise I'll be asking for a replacement of the 'sensor' that the steering vanes go into.

 

[Wah]

the way they are out of the box isn't set up right. That black L-shaped bar: that has to be pulled out first. Try this:
1. rotate the silver bar until the bend is perpendicular to the flap.
2. Carefully slip the black L-shaped bar out, towards the direction of the L. Pull it almost all the way out leaving only about an eighth of an inch of it still sticking out the other side. And then rotate it so that the L bend is also perpendicular to the flap.
(Is this making any sense? I'm almost confusing myself.)
3. Line up the silver pole to the hole it should go into and then just look to see if black pole is lined up with hole it's supposed to go into. You MUST adjust that so that everything lines up first or it will just fall apart while you try to attach it.
4. After it looks like it lines up, put the silver post in first, but not all the way, then put the black pole in it's hole. Make sure the black one goes in all the way until the plastic from the bike hits the bend in it. Then push the silver in the rest of the way. Note, it doesn't go all the way in and seems like it's meant to be loose, sort of like a piston.

That sounded like a whole bunch of 'huh?'. My main point is that you pull the black pole out a little first before trying.
And be careful not to pull too hard (since it's in snug) or you may mess up the bend. (I almost did that.)

Thanks john, but yeah I tried that already. my problem isn't how to do it, but that I don't think they made the slot big enough for the silver portion of the forward steering vane. it will not go in. just not large enough.I just got home so will give it a try again now.

 

[rubio95]

Thanks john, but yeah I tried that already. my problem isn't how to do it, but that I don't think they made the slot big enough for the silver portion of the forward steering vane. it will not go in. just not large enough.I just got home so will give it a try again now.

That's really odd. I also had problems with the vanes, but having the metal rod slide into the sleeve was not one of them. If it doesn't physically fit into the sleeve, then you definitely need replacement parts. Sorry for your troubles.

I was genuinely surprised that the bike requires as much assembly as it does. I had read that it came packaged as a few pieces, but I figured it would be 1.) front end, 2.) main body, 3.) pedals.

Please keep us updated as to your results.

 

[Wah]

That's really odd. I also had problems with the vanes, but having the metal rod slide into the sleeve was not one of them. If it doesn't physically fit into the sleeve, then you definitely need replacement parts. Sorry for your troubles.

I was genuinely surprised that the bike requires as much assembly as it does. I had read that it came packaged as a few pieces, but I figured it would be 1.) front end, 2.) main body, 3.) pedals.

Please keep us updated as to your results.

you really think i should call ss and get a replacement for the steering vane? i never even considered that. wasn't sure it was something they would replace for that. hmm. i'll try to call them tomorrow and see what they say

 

[rubio95]

you really think i should call ss and get a replacement for the steering vane? i never even considered that. wasn't sure it was something they would replace for that. hmm. i'll try to call them tomorrow and see what they say

If it doesn't PHYSICALLY fit, then hell yes. That's a manufacturing defect, not anything you did. And not acceptable.

 

[Fett73]

you really think i should call ss and get a replacement for the steering vane? i never even considered that. wasn't sture it was something they would replace for that. hmm. i'll try to call them tomorrow and see what they say

See my post above, I have the same issue with the vanes and one of the hoses on the handlebars doesn't even reach the hole. I'm asking for a replacement of those parts too.

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

Sideshow has made a video for assembling the bike. I'll be using it when I put it together.

Watch us assemble the Star Wars Sixth Scale Speeder Bike | Sideshow Collectibles

 

[Wah]

See my post above, I have the same issue with the vanes and one of the hoses on the handlebars doesn't even reach the hole. I'm asking for a replacement of those parts too.

ok then. i'll call them tomorrow and see what they will do.