Help with Mech Ankle Joints!

[aadder]

Hello everyone, 

i'm trying my best to build a giant mecha, specifically a Gundam. I am HIGHLY intimidated by the incredible Gundam MOCs out there, so i'm doing my best not to look at them. 

However, i do need some advice. The ankle joint of any mecha is so important because it keeps the entire thing upright. Large feet can help offset it, but ultimately a weak ankle joint will make the whole thing come crashing down. 

I'm trying to build a Gundam that will be largely in-scale with lego minifigs, so i'm shooting for 16-17" tall (40-43 cm) to align with the mechas from my preferred series. To that end I'm copying the hip construction to a large extent from Lloyd's Titan Mech, which you can see here: 

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/lloyd-s-titan-mech-70676

I'm VERY worried about the ankles, however. My mech is looking to be about 3-4" (7-10 cm) taller than theirs, and i am not confident in the joint they use for the ankle. It's one of those larger ball-and-socket joints that are present in the link i posted at the elbow. I am worried that it won't be able to bear the weight with my extra 3-4" added on, and in addition, my build calls for knees, so the ankle will be extra important. 

What pieces do you all use for joints on large mechas that might help? I've seen many amazing mecha builds, but i can rarely make out their ankles. Any and all help would be very appreciated. 

Edited October 2, 2020 by aadder

[TeriXeri]

Maybe look at the Monkie King Mech as well, it uses those ratcheted joints for the arms/legs/ankles, for the legs and arms it uses multiple of them for extra strength.

[aadder]

I think they use the same small ball joint. The shins of the mech narrow to only 2 rows wide and two bricks deep at the ankle; i can't see what else could possible be there; check out the 9th image in the gallery. 

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/monkey-king-warrior-mech-80012?gclid=CjwKCAjwn9v7BRBqEiwAbq1EywpYmV0zTm3oTPr-RWwxyMNQ0kXQNrqyjY4iJuUrZ0LX3P2Miq_1zxoCI2EQAvD_BwE&ef_id=CjwKCAjwn9v7BRBqEiwAbq1EywpYmV0zTm3oTPr-RWwxyMNQ0kXQNrqyjY4iJuUrZ0LX3P2Miq_1zxoCI2EQAvD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!790!3!436398733364!e!!g!!monkey king warrior mech&Buffer&cmp=KAC-INI-GOOGUS-GO-US-EN-RE-PS-BUY-CREATE-MONKIE_KID-SHOP-GP-EX-RN-PRODUCT_NONBRAND

[TeriXeri]

Demon Bull King mech uses  in the foot, and then plugged into a  + in the leg.

Monkey King mech uses  + in the foot, and then put into a  on the leg.

Lloyd's Titan mech uses + in the foot, and then put into a  on the leg.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by TeriXeri

[aadder]

That's what i thought, yeah. The ratchet joints are -marginally- more stable, i guess. I can work with that, but it feels unlikely to support something that tall. 

I may have to get rid of the knee joints to make it work, unfortunately. 

Edited October 2, 2020 by aadder