Assembling the Dragon Titan of Aarklash

[Alchemist]

I\'ve got this beautiful resin model, the Dragon Titan of Aarklash, that I probably won\'t get around to painting for a couple years simply because I want to be good enough to do the thing justice. But I would love to assemble it, to have it glaring over my office on top of a bookshelf, but I\'m a bit nervous and don\'t want to blow it (it is rather expensive, after all).

Any tips on assembling this monstrosity? This thread is kind of useful, but the blog it links to is in Chinese. But one thing that stands out is that he adds green stuff to the little \"resin bubbles\". I\'ve also read elsewhere on this site that it is good to wash resin in warm soapy water with a soft toothbrush. I assume I should do that before assembling it?

What about pinning? I\'ve never pinned a resin model--is it a lot different from pinning metal?

A short step-by-step guide would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by Alchemist
What about pinning? I\'ve never pinned a resin model--is it a lot different from pinning metal?

Easier to drill through. That\'s about all, I\'d say.

Wouldn\'t it be pretty straightforward to assemble a kit like this? Clean parts, dry-fit to ensure they fit as well as possible, pin where possible, glue parts together (use two-part epoxy for the main parts if possible, as it will give a stronger joint), fill gaps with putty and re-sculpt surface texture where necessary.

 

[Alchemist]

Yes, it SEEMS like it should be really easy, which is why I\'m a bit worried! But thanks, I\'m going to go for it. And I do have two-part epoxy but it is a 5-8 minute set, which makes it a bit of a hassle, but I suppose with pinning it should be doable.

P.S. Congrats on making the top 100...or is that not new to you?

 

[Ritual]

I was in the top 100 a few years ago, but went down as I kept scoring in the same range. Now, it seems I\'ve started to drop again. lol Doesn\'t matter, though...

Just go slowly with the assembly and I\'m sure it will work out fine. Do all the checking and pinning before starting to glue the parts together. Then, do one joint at the time. The setting time of the epoxy can cause problems, yes. But if you prepare stuff that you can lean the parts against while the glue sets you should be fine.

 

[Amazon warrior]

Rubber bands are also useful for holding parts together while they set. And you can use superglue as well for a bit of \"instant stick\". My small cynwall dragon was assembled like this, and is held together by pins, 2-part epoxy, superglue and gs. He\'s solid as a rock!