Miniature Ball Joints......??

[JiMEE]

Hi fellow Warmachiners,

Has anyone come across miniature ball joints that can be uses for our models?

What I mean is as an alternative to magnetizing. For example, I am currently building a Spriggan and want the left arm, which is holding a shield, to be able to rotate left and right, and even up and down.

Any thougts or ideas?

thanks,
Jim

[@ndreas]

... not really an alternative to magnetizing, but you could use ball bearing balls on the one side of the limb and a couple of magnets (at least three) on the opposing surface, you would be able to rotate then.

Some other guy showed some micro-ball-joint-pieces months ago, but I don't find the thread right now.

[solkan]

Revoltech is a line of mostly giant robot action figures with lots of ball joints, and they produce the obligatory ball joint packs as well. The part in question would be the "revolver joint". It seems they make them in 4mm size, too.

http://privateerpressforums.com/show...tech-kit-build
The tiny black things next to the grey model parts are the revoltech joints.

[@ndreas]

... exactly what i tried to refer to, these are they.

[JiMEE]

Thanks to everyone for their advice/input.

Those ball joints in the link don't seem to be actual moveable ball joints though. Unless i'm missing something.

I"m just going to drill and tap a 2-56 bolt into the arm socket and through the arm to make the shield on my Spriggan open and close.

[solkan]

The revoltech joints aren't supposed to be glued in place, relying on friction to hold in place when used in the action figures.

If you can get them as standard model part replacements, you'd be looking at the polycap joints that Bandai and others use for their giant robot model kits. Those are more of plastic to rubber style joints, although those are generally a lot bigger parts so you'd have to carve more out of the model, and I'm not sure how small you can get those parts.

[JiMEE]

I think what i'm really looking for can be found at a hobby shop that specializes in radio controlled models.
They should have actual metal ball joints that rotate and can be glued in.

THe model I want to use these in is a metal Spriggan. The shield is big and heavy.

[JiMEE]

Double post, sorry.

What is wrong with this site? It runs slow and double posts constantly.

[PG_kakita]

Are the revoltech joints firm enough to not loosen with time, and to support metal/colossal parts?

[PG_Agamemnon]

The larger ones are pretty firm from what I have seen. They could also be slightly different when compared to each other. I imagine if you picked up 4 of them it would be farily easy to line them up according to stiffness of movement.

Not to sure those joints would do well on the Devestator though. The movement needed is not just a one way move but a shoulder lift and arm swing.

[Mifsuud]

spherical magnets

The RC parts could work to make a movable arm, but I doubt it would hold the arm in place. Those joints are meant to move so they wont allow multiple positions to hold still. You could build one default position with the joint at maximum travel no problem, but that's just one position. Maybe something like blue Loktite could "gum up" the joint a little? It would make moving the arm difficult and could hold it in place.