Strange screw on JDM reel

[Pro Reel]

I'm working on a Yukon Ito special edition M-ITO 103 JDM reel. The screws behind the spool that hold the front cover on are something I've never seen. Looks like a torx with 12 points but also tapered. Very similar to a 12 spline but tapered. Has anyone seen these or know what they're called? Need to know the exact tool bit I need for these and where to get it.

[Wompus Cat]

I believe you have the notorious nobody uses  AW Drive Bit head screw. They are Tapered 6 ,8,10 and 12 point Torx BUT a good regular torx Might work .

WURTH makes a set .
Yours may be something entirely diff but I think thats what you got.

[Pro Reel]

If this wasn't a rare and very expensive reel, I would use a drill bit on them and be done with it.

[oc1]

Maybe they are trying to suggest that you should not disassemble it at home.  How do they handle their repair services?

[Tiddlerbasher]

I would try a regular torx bit before anything else.

[philaroman]

the risk of sounding stupid, could it just be a way to use

large, robust JIS bits w/ comparatively small screw heads?

[Tiddlerbasher]

That could work

[SteveL]

Sometimes when dealing with a partly stripped screw head or a bit that doesn't quite fit the screw, I stretch a wide rubber band over the screw, press the bit on the rubber band into the screw and release the rubber band.  Seems to help grab the screw while protecting it at the same time.

When I searched 12 point star bit driver the other day, I came up with "triple square" which was close but didn't seem to taper much.

[oldmanjoe]

    IT is the blinds  mans version of the square drive [ square drive spaced 30 degrees apart]

[SteveL]

On the photo above, if you look at the points, they don't line up like squares, so it can't be a triple square.

[philaroman]

could it be a 3-position...  blind-man...  whatever...  "triple" JIS ?

[alantani]

is there any chance that this is a rivet???

[oldmanjoe]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives

[thrasher]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives

So a JIS double hex 12(point)-spline flange....squared

Just playing around but I would love to hear what is actually going on here

[Pro Reel]

Turns out that those were rivets. That reel had me baffled because there wasn't any exterior screws anywhere except for the handle. The left side cover bezel comes off by unscrewing it, similar to a Luna. That's how I got the spool out where I expected to see the right sideplate screws and found these rivets. No other obvious screws anywhere. I tried twisting the bezel of of the right side plate but it wouldn't budge. Now, keep in mind, this wasn't some cheap riveted together reel. It's a very expensive and rare limited edition from Japan. My first step was to contact a reel tech at Tackle trap, who is known for dealing with JDM reels. When I asked them about it, i was told that there is a tool to remove those 12 point torx screws and he has one but doesn't know the name of it, just that they had to order it. Now I think he was full of it and was just stringing me along. I contacted Lin at Japan Tackle in Japan. He actually sold a few of these reels back when they were released. He was able to get me a schematic and told me to look for two very small holes under the outer ring of the bezel I unscrewed, then use a  straight head screwdriver small enough to fit in the hole and long enough to reach the other side of the reel. The tiny holes were actually tubes in the frame to access the hidden sideplate screws. After that I was able to finish taking apart the reel and it's already back with it's owner.