G.I. Joe Night Raven Cobra Vehicle Restoration Part 2/3 - Hasbro 1986 ARAH

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RetroBlasting continues the restoration of the Cobra Night Raven from Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series from 1986! Can the landing gear be salvaged?
#RetroBlasting #NightRaven #toyrestoration #Cobra #GIJoe

[@aaronforrester436]

Pretty impressive fix there on the landing gear. Not all people would look at the available scrap pieces and see a solution. Most would over think the problem and end up making it worse. kudos on the restoration. So far it's been stellar.

[@retroblasting]

Thanks!

[@crazywonder7197]

I had no idea when I sent the package what you could or couldn't use as the total was not in the best of shape, but I knew you would do what retroblasting does best in restoring what you could. My dad fixed a couple of my Transformers when I partially broke them with extra parts just like you did with the Raven as well. So Glad you are finding a way to fix it.

[@retroblasting]

+Dan Geister It's a challenge, but there's so much satisfaction in finding a repair solution and seeing it work. That tail-cone fix for example - Sure, superglue would have been easier, but it would have been an ugly shortcut and would always have looked temporary and sloppy. Seeing a better, durable and function solution is a great thing.

[@Geoffimus]

Brings back some memories. The Night Raven was one of only two GI Joe Vehicles I ever owned, the other one being the H.A.V.O.C.. For the life of me I do not know what happened to either vehicle.

[@retroblasting]

+Geoffimus Ah yes, the HAVOC. Aptly named due to all the fiddly and brittle bits on it.

[@randallace]

i just got a lot of vintage gi joe toys for the original owner , they were stored in a barn for 20 + years . one is a night raven that is missing alot of parts. it was super filthy, and the inside was full of dirt, hay , spider nests, mud , ect.... this was obviously a well loved toy and i simply must help it out ! the plan is a complete restoration , and you videos will help greatly , thanks so much !!

[@randallace]

Here is mine i150.photobucket.com/albums/s109/rknightandkarr/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsopc2va7j.jpg

[@retroblasting]

+randallace You're very welcome!

[@JD_Colton]

I just love alternative methods of fixing old toys. Good Job!

[@retroblasting]

+Joseph Colton

[@JD_Colton]

+RetroBlasting - At ease soldier...

[@trekjedi]

Nice fix Michael. Plane looks great and very creative solution on the tail cone.

[@retroblasting]

+Donald Lawson Thanks man!

[@drawingbyhand]

great restoration I enjoy how you restore toys planes etc

[@crimsonhawk3030]

The front landing gear idea is brilliant. I have 2 Sky Patrol Raven shells, both with snapped tabs. Will be tearing in to them tonight to see if I can finally make some progress on my restore project.

[@crimsonhawk3030]

Here's my results: forums.yojoe.com/showthread.php?t=88092

[@CaptWesStarwind]

"We don't give up at Retroblasting" Armless Vader stares in contempt. Great video and I am going to try out that scratch polish you showed in your last video for polishing up some of my old childhood toys.

[@SteveNigglechunks]

Such resourcefulness! Another amazing restoration!

[@retroblasting]

Thanks Eric!

[@DarthIllusive1]

Nice Job, Mike. That was a tough fix. Also, nice job making parts to shore up the toy and especially the front landing gear.

[@retroblasting]

+DarthIllusive1 Thanks! These are the fixes that make a person feel confident.

[@DarthIllusive1]

Pretty creative Mike!

[@derrickhollis7104]

You sir, are the B. A. Barracus of the action figure vehicle parts making resto world. (roaring round of applause) P.S. And no, we cant wait for part 3, because we want to get ahead of of ourselves. ;-)

[@retroblasting]

Haha! I pity the foo' that can't wait! (J/k)

[@rictusmetallicus]

great video. makes me wanting my own night raven even without being into GI Joe

[@Sturmdude]

Very innovative fixes!

[@retroblasting]

+Sturmdude Appreciate that Sturm', wasn't sure they would work.

[@Casimir1100]

Another great video. Thank you again for posting. I keep finding little GI JOE pieces at my local value village. Got some Night Raven parts. I think if I keep looking I will eventually have enough parts to start to put one together. Keep up the videos I love watching them!!!

[@retroblasting]

Will do! Thanks!

[@batangbatugan]

I was wondering when will MacGyver be mentioned on your videos and there it is! That is indeed a very simple and clever solution, it uses its own parts, its much more durable, and you can barely notice it. Keep this up and people might start calling you MikeGyver. ;)

[@retroblasting]

Ha!!! That would be amazing!

[@popculturepalace6361]

Awesome video can't wait for the next one.

[@lostboy710]

Great restro as always. Love ur channel so much.

[@retroblasting]

+Joshua Grigg Thanks Joshua!

[@LaughItupFuzzball70]

Really instructive informative restoration vid which future restorers of the Night Raven will use for reference. Great work Guys! Cheers, Fuzz.

[@retroblasting]

+LaughItupFuzzball70 Let's just hope they're able to fashion a wire brace instead of cannibalizing a Raven part like I did, otherwise RetroBlasting will be blamed for a shortage of brake flap rods!

[@Jedi3671]

Michael you are seriously a restoration wizard! Well done! Great video

[@retroblasting]

+Jedi Council Thanks!

[@leeprice2849]

The best part of the repair of the front landing gear is you used a Night Raven part to do it.

[@artpercy5944]

Great Job On the Repairs !!!! Well Done!!!!

[@retroblasting]

+Art Percy Appreciate that man

[@toy_room_of_insanity]

Really great job on this vehicle. Your solutions of repair are perfect!

[@retroblasting]

+Count Stankus Thanks Count! Means a lot coming from you.

[@impossiblepie]

Hasbro needs to re-issue or remold this thing and release it today!

[@tonyjackson7610]

Old Joe vehicles have those thin plastic connections, they're more like snap-tite models from the 80's. The Raven at least has a few screw mounts.

[@retroblasting]

+tony jackson Yep. So frustrating.

[@titanusdaconus3842]

Pretty good work here man! great work, very resourceful! you've defenantly been taking cues from the McGuyver.

[@retroblasting]

+Titanus Daconus (High-Teck87) He's certainly one of my heroes!

[@missionpassed4584]

love your vids keep up the good work

[@thrasher6499]

mike ftw long live the night raven

[@retroblasting]

+thrasher6499 Thanks Thrasher!

[@thrasher6499]

yw man

[@sgf129]

I really wish I knew you needed a nightraven to restore, I would have loved to send you my nightraven my grandmother bought me the year before she died. when I sold most of my old gi joes I held onto the nightraven because I could still see her walk around in roses and asking me what I wanted for Christmas and I pointed at the nightraven and said that mama, that's what I want for Christmas. it was my last Christmas with her and that was the last present she ever bought me.

[@retroblasting]

+sgf129 We didn't know we'd be restoring one. It fell in our lap.

[@dreadnok320]

Awesome made me pull out my night raven and see if I can get my landing gear working. Mine is comp blue prints even a super mint box thanks mom for saving the boxes and blue prints . Smart women she new when I had no clue boxes mean so much to Toys. But for some reason I took my NR Part ?? Well thanks for the tips . Keep the Great content coming

[@toypolloi]

Hey Guys. What do you do with your donor ships when you are done? I try to pass mine on to other collectors are there are always useful bits left at the end of any project.

[@retroblasting]

+Toy Polloi We donate the leftover parts if at all possible. I've sent out B-Wing pieces recently (cockpit assembly and one wing). I have a pile of Night Raven parts I will have to donate soon as well.

[@Badgers0710]

I had a mild jump as you reassembled the landing gear...

[@retroblasting]

+Ben Elgar Yeah, just hearing that snap of the mechanism made me wince when I was *editing*!

[@Badgers0710]

+RetroBlasting Both times I had my stomach drop... I imagine it'll stay landed for the rest of it's days :p

[@hofquarters]

I love your practical and durable repair solutions, I do this sort of thing myself as well. A suggestion: when taking apart a G.I. Joe vehicle, use the opportunity to grease any parts that slide or rotate, like axles on a Ferret or the landing gear mechanism of the Night Raven. I use Nivea cream for this. Just smear it out thinly (leave no white residue). In the case of the Night Raven the mechanism will work more smoothly and for vehicles you will find the wheels don't squeek anymore. I also use this method for my vintage G.I. Joe figures, it also conceals some of the wear. Did you notice btw you are missing the middle tire from each aft landing gear? There are supposed to be 3 tires on each.

[@retroblasting]

+hofquarters Three tires?! Aww man!!!!

[@hofquarters]

+RetroBlasting Lol, and to make things worse, these tires tend to get 'glued' to the axle wheels (some sort of chemical reaction between the rubber tire and the plastic axle wheel). You would need to pry one tire loose in order to be able to get the middle tire in place.

[@retroblasting]

What if I just replaced the entire wheel set - unclipped the wheels and clipped in intact sets?

[@retroblasting]

On top of that - how come the middle wheel is the one that comes off? I've got two sets of rear landing gears - all four of them don't have the middle wheels!

[@hofquarters]

+RetroBlasting I think when the original owner put it together, he or she just forgot to add the 3rd tire. I once bought a Night Raven with these last 2 tires still on the tree in the baggie. Perhaps the owner thought they were spares or something.

[@Tr0nzoid]

Ah this just reminded me of that rubber tail cone.

[@95rman]

Have you tried lazer bond for repairs? I repaired beechheads satchel, and my bazooka straps. So far so good.

[@garthblack8330]

You do great work and I am enjoying learning. Question, would using a hairdryer and heating the plastic slightly help reduce the chance of breakage?

[@hateyou2]

I would take it even with its main problems ^^ iam searching for one for some years now. We germans are not so stuffed with GI Joe toys like you americans XD But i love them! TY for that awesome restoration! GI Joe is not the best thing to restore but if you manage it, it is woth it!

[@retroblasting]

+hateyou2 I hope you are able to find one someday!

[@RobertReno1]

I am wondering if using heat, like putting it in the oven for a while, would help keep things from snapping during disassembly/reassembly?

[@Nicopelli]

got to hand it to you that was a cleaver fix to the front landing gear, barely noticeable. Question for you; after taking the time to fix the scratches and scuffs, why did you leave the original stickers on it and not use brand new repoduction stickers?

[@retroblasting]

Wait for Part 3...let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[@rogueplanet7776]

Would heating the plastic with hot water for about 25 minutes solve the brittleness issue when trying to push the landing gear back in? I've had some luck with that on some plastics that tend to snap. Heated, they bend when you force it, and you just kind of bend it back while it's still warm, or use pressure to make it stay in place while it cools. Once cooled, it's rigid again. I can't speak to the Night Raven, but I'm just putting it out there.

[@retroblasting]

I would try that in the future. This time I was past that option.

[@austinsmith2010]

Great job so far! Was that lever action on the landing gear after reassembly as terrifying for you as it was for me? lol

[@retroblasting]

Yes - It - Was. The Raven mechanism is simply brutal.

[@D2SProductions]

Unfortunately the landing gear is not installed at the factory. I had a Night Raven, I remember having to install the landing gear myself; I just had to put the lever into the down position, then popped in the rear landing gear cover, then the rear landing gear. That would be why you had such a difficult time with putting the lever back in, because landing gear was already installed, but I understand trying to remove the landing gear would likely have damaged the tabs that hold them in position.

[@billlumburg7594]

Is there a penetrating lubricant that is good for making brittle parts more pliable and make repairs less risky?

[@mdhammad69]

You should look into using a 3D printer in creating the parts you need.

[@retroblasting]

Wouldn't have helped in this case because these are pieces broken off the fuselage.

[@stevenmabee3232]

Hey there, love your vid's :) do you have any tips on repairing the large outer doors and their connections to the body from the Terror Drome? I found my old one and most of the outer doors are busted ;(

[@retroblasting]

You'd have to rebuild and reattach the posts.

[@stevenmabee3232]

ever thought about doing a resto vid on the Terror Drome?

[@SamuraiXGray]

Nice Storm Shadow shirt! Where did you get it from?

[@retroblasting]

Got it years ago. Early 2000s. Hard to recall.

[@SamuraiXGray]

+RetroBlasting Oh well, thanks! Still awesome!

[@SoloFalcon1138]

did anyone else notice that neither set of rear landing gear had the center tire installed?

[@MarkDemeo]

i would say the functionality outweighs the aesthetics,seems like you can barley notice them,and wouldn't know they were there if it wasn't shown in the video. i will look forward to part 3,but i have a question. you mentioned getting the figure for the raven,if you didn't have the figure would yo u still consider the vehicle to be 100% complete,in your opinion?

[@retroblasting]

Yes...and no since Joe vehicles came with figures

[@FreedomCompatriots]

With all the trouble of getting one of those things put back together, I have to think it must have been a nightmare for the factory workers back in the days. Just think of being a lowly sweatshop worker trying to meet a certain quota of these things per hour with supervisors screaming at you as you try to wrangle these parts together without breaking them. The Chinese workers were probably cursing us Americans for buying these over-complicated contraptions!

[@cerethpainting6606]

How much do you charge to repair a vehicle? I have an imperial shuttle that needs work.

[@brett8481]

+RetroBlasting So in part 3 the Night Raven will get a crew. FormBX257 noted in his review how the Strato Viper pilot came in the original "Made in Hong Kong" figure that was included. And later "Made in China" figure that could be ordered mail away with a couple other figures, or later on its own so that a full crew of 3 Strato Vipers was possible. But looking at the box art, they had a Cobra Viper in the gunner seat, and a pilot in the drone that I can not figure out what figure it is. Anyone look at the drone pilot art and recognize who it is?

[@retroblasting]

Oh man...there are three different ones?

[@brett8481]

Two different ones, one that came with the Night Raven, and then the China made one that you could get mail-order, according to FormBX257 on his KZbin review. But the China made one was available in a set with a couple other figures or by itself. FormBX257 said that aside from the butt printing of where it was made, the China one was a more rubbery plastic that is easier to rub the paint off of.

[@foghorn1213]

Hi, I have the body of the GI Joe Night Raven. The body is in acceptable condition. I know it is NOT complete. I wanted to attempt to restore it, but I have no idea of what parts I may need. Therefore, that is my question for you. Can you direct me to: [A] a source where I can get a written / list of all the separate parts for the toy and [B] Is there a source [other than eBay to purchase parts that I may need after I have identified what I need? Plus, If there is any additional information your can provide, it would be well appreciated. Thank you.

[@retroblasting]

www.3djoes.com/cobra-night-raven-ssup3p.html might help. A seller we've done a lot of business with... is on ebay. www.ebay.com/str/yojoeoutletcenter

[@maxbrandt6]

Hasn't this toy been re-released a couple of times already?

[@retroblasting]

+Max Brandt Not sure.

[@maxbrandt6]

***** I'm sure I've seen the Night Raven offered when that craptastic live-action G.I. Joe movie came out but it must have been very limited release. Keep up the fine work.

[@Thor13332]

They ARE fragile. I have another old Joe jet,the Phantom X-19. It's nice but when I pick it up I feel that if I dropped it would shatter.

[@retroblasting]

+Thor13332 Yeah, feels like glass, right?

[@Thor13332]

***** Exactly!

[@zachary_attackery]

I followed your directions and somehow glued my pee-hole shut

[@retroblasting]

Your dick has a landing gear? You've got bigger problems...

[@Thor13332]

+ZachAttack84 Go to the hospital man!

[@CaptainXobrine]

Hi

[@retroblasting]

+That Guy Hi

[@missionpassed4584]

love your vids keep up the good work