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Hiyas,

I got a huge army of Karmans (AT-43, which are pre-painted plastic minis) and they're pretty busted up - vehicles & troops. I wasn't sure if I should use CA+ or modeling glue (testors?); any suggestions and/or experience on the topic? I'm concerned about: A) The glue not holding, and B) The glue messing up the paint.

Thanks

Rik

Never never never NEVER Testors. Never.

If you're going to use plastic glue, go Tamiya. It's great.

For the AT-43 stuff, I would go super glue. Easy to use, clear, quick hold. Just don't fingerprint your figs.

Is this the same material that say, Mage Knight or Heroclix uses? If so, I have had LOADS of good bonds with the orange tube of Testors.. I swear by, and never AT the Testors..

Of course, if this is NOT the same plastic as those items, then.. I got nuttin'

porkuslime wrote:I swear by, and never AT the Testors.

Well, you're a better man than me then. Every time I use that stuff, I end up with a string of it slapping my fig, or a small block that then bursts out, over gluing, or a break in the tube, or.... It's the bane of my modeling existence. Worse than GW flying stands!

s_o_r_r_o_w wrote:

porkuslime wrote:I swear by, and never AT the Testors.

Well, you're a better man than me then. Every time I use that stuff, I end up with a string of it slapping my fig, or a small block that then bursts out, over gluing, or a break in the tube, or.... It's the bane of my modeling existence. Worse than GW flying stands!

Liar! NOTHING is worse than GW flying stands. Especially GW flying stands attached to the old metal Tyranid Gargoyles...*shudder*

But, back on topic, I've used CA glue on two broken AT-43 models and it worked without issues.

I have had excellent results with Testors on new plastic (esp. styrene). Building with Testors requires some practice, just like anything else, but Testors gel (in the orange tube) will generally give the strongest and cleanest plastic-to-plastic joins. For current GW plastics, this stuff is the way to go. Cheap and effective.

CA on plastic is more of a mixed bag, and pure fail if you don't pre-wash your minis in detergent water to remove any lingering mold release agents. CA has less shelf life due to the chemical volatility of the compounds, so this factors in as well.

Either way, you use as little glue as possible to "wet" the surfaces to be joined.
____

@HZ - I'll see your metal Gargoyles with BFG minis, and raise you an 28mm 40k Eldar Fire Prism. I believe this may be the heaviest, most unbalanced model that GW has ever made that they pretend goes on one of their little flying stands.

I remember my buddy using testors w/a toothpic - just a teeny-weeny dot and he'd apply it that way - but I dunno such things bout plastic models

Good to know that CA+ works, then I won't have to go buy new glue!

Thanks for all the input

JohnHwangBT wrote: @HZ - I'll see your metal Gargoyles with BFG minis, and raise you an 28mm 40k Eldar Fire Prism. I believe this may be the heaviest, most unbalanced model that GW has ever made that they pretend goes on one of their little flying stands.

I'll admit there are worse models GW has made that they put on their flying stands. My issue with Gargoyles was the fact that since I'd always have a group of like 20 when one fell over it usually started a domino effect. To steal the Lays Potato Chip ad, (I think it was Lays,) "You can never break just one!"

And I agree that if you're going to be re-gluing anything try to clean the joint. I usually use a bit of high grit sand paper to work off old glue and give the join location a little bit of a fresh surface.

I bought and built a Fire Prism, and was like "holy crap, GW is out of their minds if they think this is going on a flying stand..."

HarlequinZero wrote:

JohnHwangBT wrote: @HZ - I'll see your metal Gargoyles with BFG minis, and raise you an 28mm 40k Eldar Fire Prism. I believe this may be the heaviest, most unbalanced model that GW has ever made that they pretend goes on one of their little flying stands.

I'll admit there are worse models GW has made that they put on their flying stands. My issue with Gargoyles was the fact that since I'd always have a group of like 20 when one fell over it usually started a domino effect. To steal the Lays Potato Chip ad, (I think it was Lays,) "You can never break just one!"

And I agree that if you're going to be re-gluing anything try to clean the joint. I usually use a bit of high grit sand paper to work off old glue and give the join location a little bit of a fresh surface.

Especially when you also had some of the old metal hormogaunts too. Those were usually the main culprit behind many a Tyranid domino effect.

OT: I know what your talking about with the Testors bubbling up and stringing, it takes trail and error to use Testor's glue right.

On the fire prism i bought i ended up drilling a new hole in a different spot to balance it better and use the shortest upright they made.