> Andy Skinner wrote:
:
> just now. :-) Anyway, without doing that obvious solution,
This is probably the aspect I least like about assembling minis. If you mess
it up, your ship can look strange mounted at an angle. One idea I had,
but haven't tried it yet, is use a mini-clip flexible holder. I'm not
sure
of the actual name, but it consists of a two or more mini-clips attached
to flexible rods all mounted to a heavy base. I thought it would be easy to
use the mini-clips to grasp the mini and hold it in position until the
glue drys. I have seem these advertised in several hobby catalogs like
Squadron and Martek mail order. Another source would be the local Radio Shack
or electronics store which might carry something like this for working on
circuit boards.
Jeff S. gave a tip he called Number One. Here's something I thought of, though
I haven't actually used it yet. I'll call it Number Two. (Jeff, if you were
planning on making a series, we'll call mine Tip B and you can take up Number
2.:)
I've got a bunch of Battletech hex-shaped flying stands on
which I am going to mount ships. The pole (whatever) that the ship will be on
is pretty small, smaller than the hole on the bottom of the ships. Well, I
guess it would be easier for me to drill a reall small hole next to the hole
already in the bottom of the ship. But I hadn't thought of that until
just now. :-) Anyway, without doing that obvious solution,
the ships tilt all over while I'm trying to get the glue to
dry. I can't figure out super-glue. Sometimes it catches
immediately, sometimes it stays runny a long time. So I'm going to take a
small chunk of blue foam and impale it on the pole. Then I'll put glue on the
tip of the pole, put it into the ship's hole, and slide the blue foam up so
that it supports the ship in an even position. I can break off the blue foam
later.
But now that I'm aware of the more obvious concept of drilling
another smaller hole, I may not need to do that. :-)
Oh, well.
> Gordon Peterson wrote:
This is basically what I currently use, but every so often I'll bump the table
moving the mini out of position. Using some sort of clamp system would help
keep it from moving out of position.
BTW I use Legos to build container boxes when casting minis. These things are
great for this. They can make custom shapes around the minis with fairly leak
proof results. This helps save time building a mold box as well as reduce
waste of mold material.
> Mike Miserendino wrote:
Using Legos, I build up a supporting column to keep my minis level as the glue
dries. I normally top off the Legos with some layers of cardstock or something
to get the perfect height.
> This is probably the aspect I least like about assembling minis. If
That is what I have used. It can be a bit tricky though to get good pressure
between the parts while the glue is drying. The nice thing is that you can
leave it overnight to allow enough drying time.
> Another source would be the local Radio Shack or
That is where I got mine. While your there buy some shrink tubing and use the
tubing around the jaws of the clips so that they are less likely to make marks
on the minis.
Enjoy,
> Jeff S. gave a tip he called Number One. Here's something
<snipped some of the dialog>
> But now that I'm aware of the more obvious concept of drilling
Another option is to fill the old hole with putty, then drill, using a pin
vise, out a new hole in the hardened fill at the proper width of the
mounting pole/wire.
> On Fri, 25 Jul 1997, Andy Skinner wrote:
Yep -- Knead-a-Tite (in the U.S.) is a non-toxic two-part epoxy putty
that's made in a blue & yellow strip. It looks just like the plumbers' putty
you can find in hardware stores, but it won't poison you. You can also get it
at GenCon from either Reaper or Ral Partha, and I
think Ral Partha also sells it via mail-order, but I'm not 100% sure.
"Bo" from Raven's Forge sells this putty via mail-order for around $10
per 3-foot strip. I don't have his e-mail address right now, but you can
find him on the rec.games.miniatures.misc newsgroup.
> While we're talking tips, I know some people use spray paints from
I use Krylon's "Sandable Primer" spray paint for priming, and I'd swear that
it's exactly the same stuff as Armory or Citadel Primer (in fact, I wouldn't
be surprised if Armory & Citadel simply bought the stuff
wholesale, put on a different label, and re-sold it at a 100% markup!).
It's excellent stuff, and I've used it for Full Thrust spaceships and
Future Wars (Dirtside II) micro-armor, as well as 25mm scale fantasy &
science-fiction figures. I've also used Rustoleum spray primer with good
results, but it goes on a little thicker than Krylon does, and you have to
be more careful not to over-spray the figure.
> Kevin Walker wrote:
I had a tube of putty that I finally threw away. It smelled terrible, and had
warnings all over it to not breathe it. It was hard to form, mostly because I
didn't want to touch it with my fingers because of all the warnings. Is there
a putty that is easy to use and doesn't produce toxic fumes?
I've seen the suggestions made about using baking soda and super-glue
(not that I want to breathe that, either) for filling. Would that be
drillable? I'll need to do some filling, since the ships I'll be basing are
Renegade Legion tanks, with a hole in the top for a turret.
While we're talking tips, I know some people use spray paints from hardware
stores instead of paints specifically for miniatures. I ran out of white
primer and want some more, and I'd like to save some bucks by going to Home
Depot or something. On the other hand, I want it to not cover any details, to
spray nicely, to cover the surface nicely, and to do whatever other things are
good for priming miniatures. I could experiment, but I'd like to do it to save
money, and if I buy one that doesn't work well, I'll have to buy another can
of something else.
Thanks,
> Jeff Shoffner wrote:
Obsession with collecting sci-fi miniatures, of course! ;) I've always
wanted to produce my own. I've been involved in miniatures gaming and model
building for years, created 3D computer models and original artwork, spend a
lot time at airbases, aerospace museums, etc., designed a
Get-Away-Special
project for the Space Shuttle(well, at least it was connected with a "real"
spacecraft), started college in aerospace engineering, so casting my own minis
was the next logical step.;)
If you want more information on casting tips and whatnot I could email you
this as well. Also, I will be posting some sources for the material next week
as some members have already requested this.
> Jeff Shoffner wrote:
Heh, heh... ;)
> Hmmm, maybe we can have a "tip of the week" symposium here.... Hadn't
We need to keep some of these items in the FAQ or at least in a separate file
as they are common questions for this hobby. Suggestions for running
convention games and sources for minis also are quite popular.
> Andy Skinner wrote:
All of my base coats and most of the large spray areas are createt with cheap
paint cans I purchased at the local dollar general or super store. They work
great as long as you remember to shake the can thoroughly before use and clean
the tip after each use. I try to save money for buying more minis!;)
> I've got a bunch of Battletech hex-shaped flying stands on
But that's the best part of typing this stuff out; now you know! Probably
wouldn't have thought of it until you voiced your first solution to
someone....
> One idea I had, but haven't tried it yet, is use a mini-clip flexible
Yeah, these can work pretty good, but I suggest CA glueing some soft material,
like a piece of wide rubber band, to the clips to prevent the teeth from
ruining the surface of your model.
I tend to cant the ships on purpose, to give them that dynamic, "evasive
manuever" look to them.
> BTW I use Legos to build container boxes when casting minis....
You cast your own minis? Wow! How do you get into THAT type of hobby?
I've found a quick, simple way to glue ships onto stands and have
them stay nice and straight. After first dry-fitting the post, just to
make sure that it will fit into the hole, I put a generous amount of superglue
into the hole, and then spray Accelerator onto the post. The CA dries
virtually instantly when it comes into contact with the accelerator, but if
you do it this way, you have enough time to make sure that the miniature is
properly seated before it fully sets. Once it is on and secure, you can add a
bit more glue just to keep it in place. Accelerator is wonderful
stuff....
When I fix FT (or other) ships to stands for displays or demos, my usual
procedure is to drill and/or fill the hole to suit the stand post as
required, then sit the ship upside down - stuck into a blob of blutack
or
plasticene if necessary to keep it level - and stick just the POST of
the stand to the ship; using either the plastic (UK) or metal (US) posts, it
is much easier to keep the post vertical until the glue dries (usually
gel-type superglue) than if you try to "balance" the model on top of the
post while gluing. When the post is firmly stuck to the miniature, THEN push
or glue the post gently into the stand base.
> From: John Crimmins <johncrim@voicenet.com>
> I've found a quick, simple way to glue ships onto stands and
I do something very similar to this. I use a very small amount of superglue to
get the post attached to the miniatures (using accelerator along the way),
then, once the ship is attached to the post, I use either goop or epoxy to get
a really strong connection. Works really well!
> If you want more information on casting tips and whatnot I could email
Sure, but just some basic stuff at first; sounds like something I might have a
passing interest in. Besides, I've been toying with the idea of "casting" my
Kitchen Fleet. Man, I wish I could show you what my wicked mind has come up
with! The only problem is that they are built out of balsa; can you cast
balsa? (And in case you haven't been following, I decided to make a
mini-fig fleet based on the Flying Toasters theme; toasters are
carriers, toast are fighters; frying pans, dreadnoughts; various kitchen
gadets being different types of ships. I think my cruiser fleet has turn out
to be the best!)
As for minis tips, I've been holding onto the relevant ones; dupes I usually
throw away. As for primer, I haven't hade much luck with them; the primer
tends to show through the paint.... I'd like to learn more about this silver
nitrate "polish" I've been hearing about.....
> Peggy & Jeff Shoffner wrote:
Molding and casting in resin is one of the things on my own web page, but
there are lots and lots of pages on it already. What I haven't gone into is
making bubble free molds.... that is more art than sceince. BTW, casting in
white metal is pretty much the same thing, you just need RTV that can handle
the high temperature. You also use baby powder as a release agent instead of
silicon spray or whatever.... but *REAL* industrial strength casting requires
vacuum chambers for resin casting and centrifigal mold rotating machines to
cast in white metal. Without it, not all of your castings will be perfect.. (
actually it seems that some manufactures only use what a hobbiest would
anyway!). Injection molded resin is also being done, Saves the money on metal
mold tooling.... this is something worth doing if you really wanted home made
6mm infantry in quantity ( something I've thought about, but I believe
sculpting that stuff will make you blind 8^). Toy makers usually do there
pattern masters much bigger than the final product and reduce them with a
panograph.... again not something a hobbiest would do).
> As for minis tips, I've been holding onto the relevant ones; dupes I
You can put a white as an undercoat over the surface primer before putting on
the color coats to fix with problem.
> Sure, but just some basic stuff at first; sounds like something I might
Someone here has been watching to much "Hardware Wars". I really wish I could
find another copy of that video, I haven't seen it in nearly five years.
I use folkart acrylic spray paint available in any craft store for
$2-3 US a can. does a good job of coverage without obscuring detail.
I tend to prime in black.
> On Fri, 25 Jul 1997, Andy Skinner wrote:
> Kevin Walker wrote:
Knead-a-tite is the way to go (details on a previous post). Milliput
also works, but is also toxic via absorption in the skin and a little harder
to
work with -- it has a more grainy feel.
> While we're talking tips, I know some people use spray paints from
Auto primer works very well -- I use Krylon brand. I wouldn't use any
of
the spray _paints_ as they tend to go on a bit thick and glossy. I've
never had any problems with obscuring detail. You do need to be careful as it
comes out faster than the hobby primers, so you're passes across the figs
should be quicker and you need to pay attention on how close to the
figs you spray; 10-12 inches is about perfect. And shake the Dickens
out of the can to homogenize the primer. 3 minutes when you first get the can;
2 minutes before a spraying session; 30 seconds if you don't leave the can
more than 30 min. before spraying again.
To more elaborate on the subject, Krylon also makes good fixatives. I do
a layer of Crystal-Clear (which is a semi-gloss), let it dry then do a
layer of their Matte. The Matte is harder to find outside the art and craft
stores, but I've found it at Fred Meyer here in the US.