"How To"
Figure It Out - Assembly
& Prep
Materials and tools needed:
Sanding sticks/sandpaper
Needle files
Hobby knife or scalpel
Razor saw
Pin-vise, Dremel (adjustable speed)
various sized drill bits
5 minute epoxy
super glue
epoxy putty
filler putty
Non-Acetone nail polish remover
Brass rod or paperclips
Now that you have picked out a figure to paint it is time to put
all the pieces together and start painting, right? Well, yes and
no. Let's face it, we are figure painters and that is what we
want to do. However before we can put brush to palette there are
a number of things that have to be done in order to get our kit
ready for paint. Let's start with the raw castings and get them
ready to assemble. In the pictures I have used for this article
I am working on a 54mm white metal figure but I will talk about
both white metal and resin in these articles.
All kit parts come out of molds that
are either multi-part or at the very least split or butterfly
molds. What this means to you is mold seams. These seams can be
anything from a bit of flash like on a plastic kit to simple lines
that need to be sanded or filed smooth. In some cases these seams
can be worse, in the form a "mold slip". This is caused
by dramatic mold misalignment during the casting process. I purchase
most of my figures at shows or in shops. I always attempt to look
at the castings prior to purchase in order to avoid these problems
(as well as missing or malformed parts). Occasionally though these
badly cast parts slip through. I will tell you how to deal with
these as well.
Now that you have all the parts out
and inventoried, take a moment to test fit all the pieces. Some
parts will have to cleaned first in order to fit them together
because of mold sprues but this will help you start to form a
picture in your mind of how it all goes together. White metal
figures won't have big mold pours or sprues but there are still
small nibs that need to be trimmed. I use either a sharp hobby
knife or cutters for this job. From that point you can start to
clean all of the mold seams with needle files or sanding sticks.
Resin kits have the same problems although major components will
most likely have large sprues or mold pours that can be removed
with a razor saw. When doing this I suggest cutting about ¼"
or slightly closer to the final cleaned surface. Razor saws aren't
an exact science and let's face it; removing material is easier
than putting it back. Go slowly and sand the remaining material
off until the parts are free from their sprues. From this point
you can sand the mold seams smooth. Visually inspect all of the
parts to make sure you haven't missed any seams or blemishes.
On white metal figures I use a small brass brush that is designed
for cleaning suede. This gives the surface a bit of tooth and
makes it easier to see areas that need further attention.
Now, like I said before, you will occasionally
be stuck with parts that have suffered a massive mold shift. In
this and other extreme cases I suggest the first course of action
being to contact the manufacturer and ask for a replacement part.
We all stand by our products and we will be more than happy to
replace the component. If that fails you will have to do a bit
of extra work to save the part that has problems. The easiest
way to visualize the problem is to think of a circle divided in
half and shifted or misaligned. If you sand the part until the
two halves become one again you will have an oval which won't
look right. In order to get the part back to a circle again you
will have to use putty and then sand (illus. #1). Let's face it,
this is a pain in the butt so try to get a replacement part first
or check the parts before purchase.
Once you have cleaned all of the mold
seams and plugs you can do a final test fit. Now before we start
gluing things together let's think about pinning the heavy bits
and the legs. I always pin torso attachment points as well as
feet. This guarantees that the figure will not fall apart and
adds strength to joints and where the figure attaches to the ground.
For pinning components I use brass rod or straightened paper clips
(even cheaper). Use a pin vise or an adjustable speed Dremel tool
and the properly sized drill bit to make the holes for your pins.
I always make my holes larger than the pin. This trick gives you
room for adjustment in case the holes don't perfectly line up
and it gives extra space for the epoxy, giving a stronger bond.
Now before gluing the parts together, make sure you wash all of
the components. Mold release is used in all casting processes
and this leaves a thin oily film on castings. This, combined with
the oils from your hands and the fine dust from cleaning, must
be removed for any paint to properly bond with the surface of
the casting. I use PollyS "Plastic-Prep" for resin figures
but most articles say to use warm (not hot) water and a small
bit of dishwashing detergent. This works for white metal figures
as well but I have heard that some people use lacquer thinner.
Due to the fumes involved, I don't recommend the later choice.
Now we can glue the kit together. Take
some time to determine how best to glue the kit, taking into account
how you are to paint the various parts. This is important as some
kits when glued together completely make it very difficult to
get at certain areas with a brush. I usually keep mounted figures
separate from their horse for ease of painting. Sometimes it is
smarter to keep the head separate from the body. In the case of
the Roman shown in the pictures I found it easier to keep the
head and shield separate. For gluing, I use both super-glue and
five minute epoxy. Never use super-glue for anything other than
small components on white metal figures. Super-glue isn't strong
enough to permanently bond major components and eventually your
figure will come apart. Epoxy guarantees a strong, permanent bond.
Once the kit components are glued together you can begin to fill
any gaps that are left between the parts in question. When I use
epoxy I allow the excess to cure slightly and then I use tweezers
to remove it. This will go a long way to filling most gaps, saving
you a lot of putty time. Whatever gaps are left can be filled
with two part epoxy putty or automotive spot filler putty. The
trick with the spot putty is to keep a bottle of "Non Acetone"
nail polish remover. After applying this remover to a soft cloth
you can wipe the putty smooth before or after it dries. This leaves
the putty in the gap and removes any excess. Obviously this saves
a lot of time in sanding. The "Non-Acetone" remover
will not effect resin in any way (bonus!).
At this point your figure should be
ready for basecoating but before we do that, let's take a moment
to think about the base and final presentation of the figure.
This is important and I have always treated this aspect of the
figure as an equal part of the kit. Many painters think about
this after the kit is painted and it looks that way when you see
the finished kit. I prepare my groundwork before painting and
usually prime it along with the figure so that they can be painted
at the same time. In the next articles I will focus on groundwork
and basecoating. Then we can move onto painting. Stay tuned!
Next Time: Groundwork
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