G.I. Joe Defiant Space Vehicle Restoration: Part 1 - The Shuttle

[@toypolloi]

Thanks for the mention. Lego is always the best answer for things like this. So many colours and pieces to choose from.

[@retroblasting]

Anytime, man.

[@mikeching6374]

8:318Sorry, Michael. I just had a horrible gallows humor moment and thought that"Whoops" is probably not something an Astronaut would want to hear when someone is trying to fix a Space Shuttle...

[@michaelcabrera794]

I came here for the shuttle bay door hinge repair advice and am quite happy with the solution! Thank you!!

[@stevenmabee3232]

Lego antenna trick..amazing

[@pederwise6807]

The satisfaction of restoring a toy to new is a lot of fun! I picked up a couple vintage vehicles this weekend at a flea market to restore the challenges make it worth it! Keep the restoration videos coming because I think it inspires others to do the same! Great job as always!

[@bddellow]

I love how this community borrows from each other but always gives credit! Great video.

[@jeromekennedy330]

I just love that you all are keeping the vintage toys alive and well, they may not be new but you all keep it fresh that

[@VerdunWW1]

Fun fact: the landing gear didnt break until I moved it out of the crawl space to deliver it to you because I forgot about the pull down tabs

[@stevenj6563]

Great Job. Even with perfect technique those hinges break half the time. That lego hack was great.

[@Faben32]

I love these restoration videos because there's no sound more satisfying than the snap of two plastic pieces coming perfectly together.

[@jedipoodoo]

Just the shuttle is a thing of beauty. Always great to see these kind of videos, although I know you rarely have the time for restorations I'm always grateful for them when they pop up. Great ingenuity there with that door as well.

[@cerethpainting6606]

coming back to this series again. Man, Id love to put Tamiya panel liner all over that, So much detail!

[@1dbanner]

I wasn't into G.I. Joe a lot as a kid, so this is a toy I don't remember, but this is a fantastic video; this is what makes Retroblasting phenomenal.

[@batangbatugan]

When I saw the finished restoration with the Defiant Shuttle displayed in its lift-off position, a wave of nostalgia hit me and I am suddenly reminded of movies like Space Camp, The Flight of the Navigator, and the Last Starfighter.

[@cybertronnation9247]

Wilson Tortosa now you've mentioned it , a toy line was planned for The Last Starfighter which was going to be released by Galoob and it was going to be released in two packs with a complete set of all the figures, vehicles and etc. But Galoob thought it was going to be a box office bomb after finding out the production company said it won't do very well at the box office and it did better than expected but they had already cancelled the plans.

[@batangbatugan]

@@cybertronnation9247 Yeah, I saw it on Retroblasting's Dragoncon panel about 80's Toys.

[@cybertronnation9247]

Wilson Tortosa oh ok that's cool mate!

[@vagtav310]

Yes!! Restoration videos are always my favorite!

[@CaptApril123]

My hobbies now are drones, model rockets..but love watching restoration videos as well.

[@tonywilliams6428]

I always enjoy these restoration vids and this project is looking great so far. As a collector, it's nice to find things that are mint or near mint, complete etc., but restoring these toys is an important and rewarding act of preservation, ensuring these bits of pop culture endure.

[@brianw94]

Love the restoration video. Your Millennium Falcon restoration video is what got me hooked on you channel! I had aged out of toys when this came out, but if it had been around a few years earlier, i would have had one!

[@FreedomCompatriots]

Its pretty amazing with the level of intricate engineering that went into these toys. Its no wonder why you don't see toy companies producing things like this any longer. One does wonder what could be accomplished with today's modern plastics which are more heavy duty and could withstand the forces exerted on all those annoying and breakable tabs and hinges!

[@zevadprime]

Holy crap! Payload! I used to have him! Lost him in the move to where I lived in 1994. My brother used to work for Hasbro in Pawtucket when I was a kid. He got me so many GI Joe and Transformers toys. Aw memories!!!!

[@MrLulzbot]

Man this takes me back, I got this for Christmas when I was seven years old I think, the box was as tall as I was and wrapped in two different kinds of wrapping paper. This thing was second only to the Flagg.

[@willieellis7009]

My dad got this on my Christmas and birthday and 87 as well when I was seven years old but it never got wrapped. As soon as we took it home my brother and I put it together. It was for my Christmas and my birthday 25th and 29th.

[@chrismayer3919]

GOOD OL' TOY PALLOI! He hasn't failed us yet!

[@destro319]

I appreciate these videos, I've been buying and restoring vehicles, and these help out a lot.

[@ernesthodgdons3158]

Restorations! Finally! 👍

[@alejandrorangel1761]

Another great video by RetroBlasting, more restoration video please Michael.

[@Bather12]

Love the vid and love some of the new touches - the background music is great. What a result too - the shuttle looked great. A very satisfying watch!

[@cybertronnation9247]

Great video guys! For something that came out of a crawl space, that GI Joe Defiant is in really good condition!

[@josephzanabriadelgado1210]

Amazing video , I like your dedication ,care , and professionalism you put in to this . 5 stars for you pal.

[@popretro1]

Great video -- always wanted the Defiant! Fun watching it come back together!

[@ezridax5809]

Holy moly this was fun to watch you did a awesome job. And I actually enjoy watching stickers being placed. They can change the entire look of such a Iconic space craft

[@lo1bo2]

Even though this toy came out after my brother and I had kind of strayed from G.I. Joe, I can still appreciate it and the effort put into this video.

[@DeanStrickson]

Wow, my palms got all clammy when you were putting that door back on. It was almost as if you were deactivating a bomb! Well done!

[@robster001]

Damn you did an amazing job at restoring this. Wish I had your skills Michael. Can't wait for the other videos.

[@impossiblepie]

Fantastic job with the Lego piece!!!

[@MichaelJShaffer]

That hinge. It's a thing of night terrors. Son-of-a-b**ch! Great fix with Lego. I've used Toy-Polloi fixes so many times, now. Dave is a true genius. Can't wait to see the rest of this series.

[@drixmcdrixerson]

Wow. This is an amazing toy. Just the thing I didn't know I wanted. I don't remember this when I was a kid; it must have come out during that year or two when I was getting older and phasing out toys. Not by choice mind you. Damn junior high school. LOL

[@jeff3dv]

Nice job on the shuttle! Looking forward on your work to the gantry. These videos are great!!

[@robertadamcik9179]

Another great restoration! Payload's backpack is the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), a jet pack used by NASA during the early days of the Space Shuttle program which allowed astronauts to conduct untethered EVAs. MMUs were mothballed when NASA discovered that the orbiters' maneuverability was way more precise than originally thought, and the need for untethered EVAs went away.

[@hofquarters]

Good to see you are taking your time for this set. Always interesting to hear bits of helpful information. To help the opening and closing of the bay doors, I applied some facial cream on the hinges.

[@TreadwellJay]

I can spot some of the kitbashing done when the pattern was made. Some 1/144 Saturn V parts, and even the MPC Millennium Falcon. Breakage and awkwardness issues aside, that looks like an incredibly cool toy.

[@campbellruleV1kiwiGI]

Outstanding I have a crusader that I’m going to attempt resorting & custom made parts. This video is very helpful.

[@JohnKelly-rz4qi]

Great video, I cant tell you how glad I was to see you fix the hinge instead of replacing it. You may get some hate for that from a few zealots as you call them but Oh Well!!! Defiant parts are hard to come by. If the zealots give you too much hate then just have a SLC blue Snaggletooth fly the thing 😁. Keep the great videos coming.👍🏻👍🏻

[@georgelea4297]

Yes another excellent Restoration video thanks for the upload Retroblasting

[@impossiblepie]

Gi joe in space does sound silly but just the shuttle it self is just awesome looking.

[@CyrusB1]

Hey Michael, don't know a whole lot about GI Joe, but I really love restoration videos, especially when you get into the background of the toy, the trials and tribulations with getting the parts, the gotchas that can happen, how you have to invent a new way to solve problems, all of that. Sure appreciate the video. Thanks [Kudos to your DP, btw :) ]

[@Pau_Pau9]

1:51 Funny how when you did not want to "compromise structural integrity" of the shuttle, bottom panel pops out. Reminds me of that one episode where Destro tries to sell used Cobra arms to seedy arms buyers. 😆

[@marcbrunson6986]

I couldn't help but watch this again. I've seen the vids for Defiant complex and Flagg a few times. It's fun to watch, but I'm sure it wasn't fun to tear down and restore ha ha. I never saw this in stores nor knew anyone that had this. A friend had the Crusader and its bay doors creaked and cracked even after a couple of years.

[@tntsk868]

This is how Awesome begins!

[@chrismayer3919]

BTW, use white/Elmers glue to reinforce loose or wiggly pieces; its strong, fully breakable and because its water-based, it WON'T hurt the plastic!

[@cerethpainting6606]

Love your videos. Thank you for keeping everything fresh!

[@Peter_Morris]

Whew looks like my brothers and I dodged a bullet not getting this thing, even though I really wanted it. We already had the Terror Drome and the big mobile command base. We would have snapped those doors within a week and my parents would’ve been livid.

[@cybertronnation9247]

A GI Joe Defiant... That's a hard restoration challenge right there! Good luck with that!

[@brycevo]

It's looking really good!

[@Pegwarmers]

The Shuttle Doors are such a pain. I broke a good door taking it off a Junker to replace the door on my main shuttle.

[@ArtistAnnex]

Great tip using the Lego antennae

[@GregorySesma]

Great video as always.

[@askbam]

I love a bit of MacGyver-ing in a Retroblasting restoration!

[@Shockwave-ob2tx]

Every time I see a video on GI Joe, it makes me want to start (re)-collecting Joe stuff, but I've been firmly a Transformers collector for years now...

[@justinreilly6619]

I'm always taken by the care and attention you make Michael in these restorations. This was a big fix, but the time and love you put into this vehicle is really inspiring!

[@thedeathreaperofficial8079]

Great video as always

[@texasbeast239]

Even as a kid, I always noticed that these forms of spaceship toys never allocate enough room for the engines and fuel tanks. Specifically, I'm talking about the Defiant, the Millenium Falcon, and the Ark. Look how close the rear (presumably) rubber tires are on this thing to the exhaust nozzles, here. If someone could ever get these nozzles to work, given the absence of any apparent actual engines to power them, then the thermal energy given off from them would surely overheat and over pressurize the main gear tires. But I guess the name of the game with toy vehicles/playsets like this is to get maximum play volume inside the footprint, rather than heeding realistic logistical constraints like what I've mentioned.

[@richardludwig3673]

I had the Crusader but, more often than not, instead of the mini shuttle the cargo area would host the Galoob TNG shuttle and Captain Picard would be sitting in the cockpit with Geordi and Data.

[@TheColane]

Nice job!

[@HerrSchock]

Very nice video. I should get a move on completing the de-yellowing on my shuttle. Sadly that one is missing the middle stablizer. Impossible to find these days. That aside the complete Defiant vehicle is such a legendary item. I could never afford the shipping from US to Germany but managed to buy one from some belgian ebay seller years ago. It arrived in a box as big as my door. I must have stared at it for hours flat.

[@jomama900]

I LOL'd when you said "it's not rocket science! "

[@kdrapertrucker]

The pack is the manned manuvering unit, basically a thruster pack to operate away from the shuttle. They did not in real life use umbilicals IRL with MMUs.

[@thevintagetoykid320]

I miss when Michael would do the restorations in his kitchen.

[@retroblasting]

You and me both. But the wheel of time keeps turning. And change happens for reasons.

[@cerethpainting6606]

Pin vises are amazing!

[@jedi69outcast]

The Crusader Door still pegs in but the doors are a little different hard to explain but if you have it check it out. And for whatever reason the Crusaders are almost always discolored

[@terrortorn]

You should think about a lubricant for some of these plastic fixture reassemblies. A GT 85 silicon spray or something similar.

[@jamespero6803]

Im still trying to find a second control arm for my payload backpack..thats all i need to make my defiant 100% complete..they dont come up often and more often then not super overpriced

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

Great job.

[@thunderrobots1980s]

lamo you say "its not rocket science " as your working on a rocket lol , that's just too funny

[@EvrydayErik]

This is the most difficult set to work with. I wish you luck and I’m looking forward to the be t video! Great peg fix!

[@davidlerner100]

Michael I enjoy Your restoration video nice job keep up the good work

[@nirvanasimp495]

When i saw that jet pack i thought it was the San Andreas jet pack.

[@riderbuzz2606]

great job rb i love your videos

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Yeah, it's so difficult to restore a toy with that quality so it is a good thing I don't have one...though, I really want to have one.

[@emchamberlain]

Damn those creaks.

[@jedi69outcast]

Restoring the Defiant now is almost as expensive as restoring a Legacy Millennium Falcon otherwise known as the Big Millennium Falcon ( with all original parts). I still have my Defiant in almost mint condition. I need to buy another Crusader and Defiant so I can get the connecting metal tab to attach to the Crusader so I can switch out shuttles from time to time

[@wingheads]

Where did you buy the stickers from looking for good repo that are already cut.

[@byteme6620]

They make everything Brittle on Purpose. So you have to spend another small fortune on another and an another, ect. You get the Idea. Cha-ching. P.S. I must watch every second. I'm Addicted.

[@byteme6620]

Toy Polloi would make a great source for repair technics, Advice source and as an expert in toy repair a great source period. Future Collab.?? He said he was just going to put it in the whole, that's what she said.

[@Thehumblecollectoruk]

Wow so cool

[@cybertronnation9247]

Hasbro in 1987: "Well we saved costs with the brittle plastic!" Then in 1989: "They're still buying our products so time GPS (Gold Plastic Syndrome) comes in for our 1989, 1990 Transformers G1 range!

[@kdrapertrucker]

"it's not rocket science" It's mounted on a space shuttle making it literally rocket science.

[@wikkidperson]

It’s very possible no one’s ever said “à la Airwolf” before. (Maybe not “smarter than thou” either.)

[@retroblasting]

Yes they used to say such things, otherwise the phrases wouldn't exist.

[@wikkidperson]

RetroBlasting I mean you’ve taken the classy French borrow term “à la” (king, mode, carte), often used to discuss literature or other hoity toity things, simply meaning “in the style of” and paired it with 80s action television/Ernest Borgnine. It’s possible no one has paired “à la” specifically with Airwolf before. If so, I’ve never heard it. And “holier than thou” morphed to the social media version of that is awesome too. To whit: you English good, even on the fly/off the cuff.

[@wikkidperson]

Timothy Ward Michael. In the video. Fancy turns of phrase. Like. Good.

[@AC-gb7do]

I wanted the Defiant and the Flagg SO bad!

[@RASK1904]

Just need Mr. Rogers to visit. Hi neighbor.

[@GroviteVideo]

Michael, do you think one could you use a solid, styrene rod in place of a Lego antennae to repair the door pin?

[@retroblasting]

I guess. I just saw how turnkey the antenna was. It's a perfect match.

[@adampeckham2478]

I have a defiant in Massachusetts mostly all there needs cleaning and restore I have plenty of pictures

[@robertespley248]

I've got nothing but admiration for the lengths you go to in restoring these "previously loved" toys. One thing keeps bugging me about the Defiant however, I'm sure I've seen its design somewhere before...... Is it me or does it appear to be nearly identical to Steve Austin's shuttle that he had the crash in from The six million dollar man tv series? Keep up the fantastic work

[@HeadCanonUnlimited]

The Defiant was based on the X-33. The ship Steve Austin was testing was based on the late 60 early 70's lifting body design probably the X-24. So it is similar.

[@christopherulichney]

I need a PATREON exclusive video of Michael putting ALL the stickers on in real time.

[@retroblasting]

Done

[@impossiblepie]

Question, when you clean it with luke warm water and a soft brush do you also use soap? What do you use to remove the stickers just the same, luke warm water and brush?

[@retroblasting]

If you watch our other restorations (Snowspeeder for example) you'll see the full cleaning process.

[@impossiblepie]

@@retroblasting thanks I will!

[@angreydoggo4357]

(SMARTER THAN THOU COMMENT) ....sorry Michael lol I couldn't resist.

[@comicbookcrazy]

Great video, Michael but I need to ask you an OT question: What is the t-shirt you're wearing in the video. I watched the video twice. Once for the restoration and once to try to figure out what was on your t-shirt. LOL

[@retroblasting]

Kylie Minogue - Step Back in Time

[@morenicginiusthegreat4227]

What is the background music that plays in the background while you apply all the stickers?

[@retroblasting]

A variation on our theme song used at the onset of some of our videos

[@morenicginiusthegreat4227]

@@retroblasting cool

[@FCastle23]

With the tight fitting pieces, I’ll use a hair dryer to warm up the area for some extra insurance

[@retroblasting]

Hasbro GI Joe plastic doesn't respond to heat the same way other brands do.

[@JesseH76]

Rad!!!

[@marcothommen2484]

Lukewarm? you put it into a tauntaun???

[@ReboottoysEllis]

Were do u get a hand drill like that 1

[@retroblasting]

Amazon