Base Tweaking Help

[warriorman]

Ok guys , I'm new at this and I may not be doing something right. I have been trying to tweak some miggles TTC bases and having problems with them. I read a couple post on here that said that a whole lot of guys was having same problem because of the quality of plastic they were made from. I also have tweaked a could of buzzballs bases and they have worked out. I may also have a problem as I am using an older board with a single motor. Any ideas ? Thanks for any/all help !

[Shabby J]

Be more specific, what type of problem are you having, what color TTC do you have? The polo green, orange and yellow TTCs are great. If you want to tweak them for strength toss the white dials and put Miggle Proline dials in the TTC shells.

If you want to tweak them for speed they can be suprisingly fast with the white dial.

Tell us more about the type of trouble you are having.

If you are a beginning tweaker, to me it would be doubtful you would be able to tell the difference between Miggles plastics, as you would not have much experience to gauge them against one another. More than likely it's your tools and/or technique.

Give us some specifics.

There are a lot of coaches here who will see that you get going in the proper direction.

[warriorman]

Originally Posted by Shabby J

Be more specific, what type of problem are you having, what color TTC do you have? The polo green, orange and yellow TTCs are great. If you want to tweak them for strength toss the white dials and put Miggle Proline dials in the TTC shells.

If you want to tweak them for speed they can be suprisingly fast with the white dial.

Tell us more about the type of trouble you are having.

If you are a beginning tweaker, to me it would be doubtful you would be able to tell the difference between Miggles plastics, as you would not have much experience to gauge them against one another. More than likely it's your tools and/or technique.

Give us some specifics.

There are a lot of coaches here who will see that you get going in the proper direction.

I have been using the green miggle bases. I have made a test run first. For example , during my test run the base turns right. Well , then I follow directions that I have gotten from a couple guys by pulling prongs on right side out more to give the base ballance. I have toyed/tweaked a couple orange bases so far and they have worked good. I also have tweaked a couple of buzzball clear bases and they have done good also.

I'll admit I'm new and probaly don't know what I'm doing right now but I'm really working hard on this. When you mentioned miggle's " Pro-Line " , which bases are you refering too ? Thanks for all your help !

Hey Tim,

Check your pm.

- Don Smith

[Michigan Joe]

If your having to pull prongs then your in for a long road of tweaking...

Here is my recommendation for tweaking Miggle TTCs. Smash the back prongs (prefereably with heated pliers..using a candle warmer to heat the flat nose pliers is my recommendation). Then angle the back prongs back about 30 degrees. Take the heated pliers and set the angle of the front prongs to be closer to vertical (without squeezing thme). If you squeeze the front prongs too much they will come to weak to support the weight of the figures. This technique will yield great running bases. The reason bases usually pull to one side or another is not necessarily a variation in the length of the prongs but usually because of the angle that the prongs rest at. The heated pliers allow you to easily "set" the angle of the prongs. For straight running TTCs check to see that the angle of the prongs are nearly identical before you start trimming or pulling on the prongs. Let me know if you need a few tweaked TTCs for reference.
Joe

[Shabby J]

Miggle's Proline TTC bases, you use the dial from these bases in the standard TTC shell, they have prongs designed for strength tweaking.

Of all the possible base and dial combinations out there, I have yet to find anything that tweaks up better for strength.


As Michigan Joe mentioned, if it's a definite hard pull to the right or left this can be overcome by adjusting the prong length. He mentions something very important, if you have a base where the prong itself is "crooked" or coming out from the base at an angle, this can also cause left or right movement, usually it's a lot less severe left or right, but it's still there.

When I tweak a base and it runs fairly straight but the back or front end is kicking out to the left or right, I will check it and it's usually because the prong is crooked where it attaches to the base. I have a base that runs beautifully and in between the hash marks end to end on my big board, but due to the misaligned prong angle he almost runs in complete sideways fashion.

Lots of stuff to look at and consider when working with these things.

It's fun though and you have a great support network right here.

[Michigan Joe]

Here is a picture of what I was talking about for tweaking the Miggle TTC back prongs. You gotta thin them out and angle them back. I do this by taking the pliers and setting them on a candle warmer for 5-10 minutes to heat them up first. In the picture you can see that both back prongs are on the same identical backward angle (you can angle back more or add a slight backward "curl" for additional strength). You want the front prongs to be more vertical. Getting the prongs to be identical in the way they are angled seems to be a critical success factor for getting a TTC to run staight (and to be able to arc both ways consistently when you turn the dial). To run smooth you need those back prongs smashed and angled back as shown. The rear prongs will become dominant and provide drag (to eliminate the bounce for strength and stability) while the front prongs provide the horse power to move the base, but only if they are more vertical. Many people like to place the Proline TTC dials in the regular Miggle TTCs because they have more oomph (springier prongs)than the regular dials.

[Coach K-LO]

great photo Joe!!!!

but to add, slightly squeeze the front pronts on a ttc and then push them forward for more speed or backwards for more 'drag'