WIP: Fixing the RG Sinanju's waist

One thing I was meaning to do after I took out my RG Sinanju from storage (to take a picture for my IG account) is to fix the waist. If you've seen my (or anyone else's ) review on this kit, it's notorious for being a wobbly, floppy mess. So this short WIP is my attempt at resolving it.

Spoilers: It works... so far

Start by pulling the waist off the the lower body and remove all the armor bits on the waist. BE VERY CAREFUL AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!!

Can you spot here the reason for the giant warning?

If you managed to pare it back, you'll spot that the issue is on the mid-torso joint.

Mad paint skillz

 This is suppose to provide Sinanju with excellent torso articulation. On the MG, this is done through several tight peg connections. Here it uses the RG frame... which is fine for a smaller kit in which it was designed to support. The open areas squiggled in red is the area that allows for this movement.

the squiggly line is unnecessary

My 1st attempt on resolving this was immediately after I built it. Which is why you can see a small square plastic plate cemented on the back. This helps... but only if the torso remains in place. Problem is when you start posing it around, it flops everywhere.

At this point, I'll leave it up to you if you want to pursue the fix. Because the solution I went with is to completely freeze this mid-torso joint. It should be no problem since the waist has several tight joints so you can still have some ab crunch... just not in the mid torso. So be careful when separating these 2 joints as the PS plastic is rather soft, but is secured rather tightly. I broke mine... so that means I essentially just have the swivel. Had to cement it in place with a small pla plate to help secure it.

tears were shed that night

So I rolled up a small amount of Tamiya epoxy putty to fix the mid torso in place. You can probably use modelling clay for a non-permanent solution, but I would be handling mine a bit rougher for taking more dynamic pictures of it.

about a gram's worth

Cut it up in several pieces and wedge it on the open spaces. I also placed a little bit of cement onto these spot. I also cemented that extra pla-plate onto the grey bit on the waist armor.

I also added a bit more on the front. Be wary on where you place the putty as there's black armor piece (where the cockpit hatches are) that will slot in here.

I mounted the arms in place to give me a better sense of the angles. The goal is to have it perpendicular relative to the kit. It'll also be the prop that I'l use while the putty/cement cures.

He just wants the torso straight... he wants to feel smart by using geometry terms

Leave it overnight. Don't be tempted to move it. Don't place it on a location where it'll be disturbed. That way it'll solidify without shifting around and you'll end up with a straight standing kit. I also have a bit of leftover epoxy putty.. which I used to fill in the open space exposed on the Grimgerede.

Guess what? He broke a peg here as well. Hahahaha

20 hours later, I reassembled everything. While some bits a bit shaky (due to the broken waist), overall it is now able to stand straight and true. And yes it no longer leans backwards nor side ways even if I mount all the weapons it comes with. I'll have it stand on my shelf for sometime to see if it it slouches but so far, its able to support itself.

I'll update this post if it starts to sag again. And yes, my table is a mess.

Table is just like his life: A giant mess