GW Plastics - Liquid Poly or Super Glue? And other newb questions...

[Greg Ellis]

So when you\'re pinning, do you normally use bits of paper clip? Or something more specialized?

What size is that, about 1/32\"? I wonder if I have a bit that small.

I\'ll need to find myself a pin vise, I guess.

Sorry for all the questions. This is a new area for me.

 

[Quiksilver]

Paper clips work fine (1/32\")

Youll be able to find a pin vice for around 10 Canadian Dollars from any model store. But remember to be careful when using one because i slipped when using one and the drill bit when through my bone in my finger and fractured it and the drill bit snapped off in my finder! :cussing: :flame::redface:

Use a knife or have a look at \"red-dotting\" in the articles part of this site!!!!!!

Regards JC

 

[GreenOne]

Next time youre at a hardware store, could be worth to get some brass wire ( 20 and 30 grade) for two buck, a roll should last you a loooong time. It also have many other uses.

 

[marineboy]

Always buy your stuff at the hardware store if you can get it there!

The other day I was hurting for some pinning material, so I went to a local gaming shop and bought some Gale Force 9 brass pinning rod in two sizes with matching sized drill bits...15 bucks! (or the Danish equvalent)

Even worse than the price though was that I forgot to put it in my bag andlet the store without it....

 

[Greg Ellis]

No luck on the pin vise yet - the hardware store only had bits down to 1/16\", nothing smaller. I haven\'t made my way to a hobby store yet.

I got lucky on the glue. Michael\'s Art Store had a Testors section, and I picked up the \"Liquid Cement for Plastic Models\". It was a bit pricey at $7.95, but whatever.

I was disappointed with the brush selection at Michael\'s - very few sables and the ones they had were splayed and raggedy. None for me, thanks.

I found some Liquitex glaze medium, so I\'ll give that a shot.

I also managed to locate a shop here in town that carries the Games Workshop products. It was a bit of a surprise, actually; their main business is sports jerseys, hats and collectibles (like hockey cards, baseball cards, etc.). But they did had a corner full of GW products - nearly everything in the current line-up (boxed sets, blisters, etc.) and a full rack of paints. I grabbed mithril silver, dwarf bronze and shining gold - we\'ll see what I can do with those. I also grabbed a couple of colours I\'ve been struggling with in my current paint set (blazing orange and lich purple).

Overall, a productive shopping trip.

 

[Greg Ellis]

Jeepers, these GW plastic figs are labour-intensive!

I\'m used to metal minis, where there\'s almost no prep work.

I spent three hours last night selecting arms and heads and torsos and legs, clipping them off the sprue, cleaning up the mold lines, mixing and matching parts and then gluing them together.

At the end, I had three figs I liked, and one more that looked so dull and lifeless I would never think of painting him.

That\'s one fig an hour.

Perhaps it gets quicker with practice.

I do like the way that the plastic cleans up with just a sharp blade. I\'m used to hauling out the tiny files when working on metals and I didn\'t need that at all on these plastics.

And I can see how you guys get into conversions - it\'s so easy to work with the materials.

I\'ll drop some pics into my WIP thread once I figure out a way to make them stand up (no pin vice yet).

 

[marineboy]

Greg, here is a link to a shop in Toronto thatlooks like it should have everything you need.

Hornet Hobbies

They\'ve got Humbrol, Model Masters, Milliput, Zap A Gap superglue, Plastruct (profiles and plasticard) plus bunches of other stuff...sounds like you should be able to get whatever you need here.

 

[Gilvan Blight]

Originally posted by Greg Ellis
I also managed to locate a shop here in town that carries the Games Workshop products. It was a bit of a surprise, actually; their main business is sports jerseys, hats and collectibles (like hockey cards, baseball cards, etc.). But they did had a corner full of GW products - nearly everything in the current line-up (boxed sets, blisters, etc.) and a full rack of paints. I grabbed mithril silver, dwarf bronze and shining gold - we\'ll see what I can do with those. I also grabbed a couple of colours I\'ve been struggling with in my current paint set (blazing orange and lich purple).

Looking at your profile, I see you are in TO. There shouldn\'t be any issue finding GW stuff up there. The best suggestion for mini related stuff would be the Hairy Tarantual on Younge and 401 Convenience just across the street (and up about half a block). Hairy T is great for Non GW stuff, and even carry imported Rackham stuff from France. 401 is great as they host Warhammer tournies and sell a ton of GW. Both have regular monthly Sales. Also both are close to the Eaton center which features a GW store.

As for glue. The testors stuff in the orange tube. I love that stuff for GW plastics as it takes a bit of time to set firmly, giving you some wiggle time that is very useful when trying to build guys holding things with two hands and getting poses just right.

As for bases, I glued all my Empre and Orcs right to the base. When using slotta\'s I also have done the tape trick.

 

[benjers2]

Originally posted by Greg Ellis
Thanks guys, lots of great advice.

Another question - how do you fill the gaps in your slotta bases?

I\'ve done it with green stuff before, but that\'s time-consuming, messy and eventually rather expensive.

I\'d love to fill the bottom of the base as well as the holes in the top.

Anybody got a cheaper, quicker, cleaner alternative?

If you are going to fill the bottom of the base too consider not using the bas at all; instead you can use plasticard (available from most good art shops) and cut it to the rquired size. Your models will sit lower and balance better, and they\'ll actually look like they are on the ground. Of course, this only really helps if you are going to use the miniatures yourself. Some people won\'t want them if they aren\'t on the issued base.

 

[Greg Ellis]

Thanks guys.

When I wrote \"Toronto\" I guess I was oversimplifying a bit. I figured most folks would know where that is.

I used to live in Toronto, in the east end (yummy Greek food!).

Last May we moved to Newmarket (about 40 mins north), although I work in Markham, so that\'s closer.

Hairy T is awesome. A little strange, but a great selection. I\'ve been into 401 a few times, but never bought anything.

And of course I\'ve been to the GW shops at the Eaton Centre and Scarborough Town Centre too, but both of those are a bit out of the way for me now.

I\'ve never been to Hornet, although it\'s very close to where I used to live. Looks like a great shop. There\'s another one called Crossed Swords on Annette (near Jane) which is a great shop - lots of historicals on top of the regular stuff.

One thing I\'ve missed since moving north of Toronto is easy access to hobby stores. There\'s one RC Car place I know of, and I recently found the Sports Memorobilia shop that stocks Citadel stuff (no pin vise though).

I might try a store at Yonge and Sheppard that I found on the internet.

BTW, I\'m drilling holes right now with a sharpened paperclip. Pretty sloppy, but it\'s working. I\'m guessing I don\'t need more than 1/16\" penetration, so this should be ok.

 

[War Paint]

Hi Gregg

Totally agree with War Griffon on the Liquid Poly - The brush allows much more control, also when you get mould lines across fine detail a very thin application will melt lines, leaving detail that knife would remove (Try a test fig first)

For gaming purposes also do the sand/gravel and PVA. Also use Coral sand which gives a coarser grain and good for filling base gaps

Brass rod definitely the best for pinning, use 1.5mm for mine and buy it in metre lengths

 

[Greg Ellis]

Ha ha! I found a pin vice!

It\'s the Testors kit - a double ended handle with a reversible colette in each end for a total of 4 different grips (three bit diameters and a fourth which is a slot-type grip, perfect for a blade). And it comes with a range of drill bits, all well under 1/16\".

The Testor\'s Site shows it at $16, but I paid quite a bit more than that.

Whatever, I\'m glad to have it. Drilling holes with a sharpened paper clip sure isn\'t much fun.

I found it in a store called RC Advance (mostly RC helicopters and cars) on Hwy 7 not far from where I work.

Woohoo!