Lowpro Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 So I have started with Warhammer miniatures and indeed, miniatures completely. Monday was when I bought some Space Marines (I bought the Dark Vengeance set too but they're not the same model types). And because I'm new and dumb I thought I would try to magnetize right now because dammit I can. Warning: What you are about to see may be considered a war crime worthy of being tried at the Hague... http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/chipkimble/photo2_zpscc9b7a0f.jpg http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/chipkimble/photo_zps34b531e3.jpg If beauty had a name it'd be arseface. But hey, that's my first sprue so what are you gonna do... So obviously this is a great opportunity for me to mention what I don't like about it and ask for help as well as get feedback on stuff I've missed out. First thing first, after clipping the sprue my first go-to was the front and back parts of the chest. I took to it with plastic cement (Citadel brand and I need to find another type...Citadel melts the plastic too much and has no brush applicator). After chest was the legs, easy clip and mold line clearing. Oh I also made sure to dry-fit the chest pieces and once cemented, made sure all margins were trued up. Next came the head and I have to say this one was a pisser for me. Clipped it, shaved down the neck hemisphere a bit but the mold lines over the helmet towards to ear and breather I never was able to make perfect and I'm hoping that after priming it'll get "filled over". I don't have to many questions on that. The legs had some severe angle-mold lines along the kneepads and lateral distal part of the legs to the boots; they weren't smooth and had about a 20 degree slant. I tried to file that a little bit. Also on the part where the boots meet the legs there are strange "tubes" that you can see in the second image...should that just be removed? Okay so once I tried to cement the head to the chest in that little hole thingy it looked funky and I realized that there is no way in Khorne's red Earth I'll be able to get any primer sprayed in that teeny tiny area; that might not be an issue BUT the cement melted the plastic and has that glossy look to it so I guess I'm going to have to get a fine tip of primer in there. Also since I hadn't dry fitted the arms I made the head effectively look straight ahead so as you can tell from the pose...our little space marine looks like he's running to his left but looking straight ahead. The action looks AWFUL. But all the legs in the damned sprue have that SAME action with that lean. What are some common poses to keep variety when all the legs are in that same direction? So now let's get to the real crime...the arms. Oh these arms... I'll take my beating now. I planned from the start to magnetize. I had an idea of what it was going to entail but I cocked it up bad. I did his left arm first (Oh when I say left arm I mean anatomical left, I'm a dental student so...) but I dry fitten both arms with the gun using double sided tape to keep the gun on his right arm for the time being; I did sharpie marks from shoulder to torso to keep my angles. I wanted the gun KIND OF like it is in the picture but it's higher than I dry-fitted. Why is it higher than I dry fitted you may ask? Let's look: Left Arm: http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/chipkimble/SMleftarm_zps82c4467c.jpeg Right arm: http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo324/chipkimble/SMright_zps821344bc.jpeg After drilling torso left and right for their magnets (both were pressure fitted in no glue; they're in there pretty damned well and it's easy to pressure the torso since it's flat on that side) I drilled my left arm first. BUT I must have drifted a bit because as you cal tell, the right arm is too high even from my dry-fit and marking. I should have put the left arm magnet a bit higher up the shoulder. My biggest mistake was trying to use plastic cement to get the magnet in place. My thinking was that since my applicator for the cement was a metal tube I'd stick the tube in, let out a drop of the cement, shove the magnet in there and voila...that did NOT work. First the magnet went in cockeyes and as I tried to manipulate it it pushed some cement down the arm as you can tell. I decided our SM's name is now Melty...I will add the Flamer later . I just decided to reset on that arm since the magnet never even attached and instead the drill hole warped. I reexcavated a little for my hole and used Super Glue that had NO applicator or brush because I don't have that. I just have that 99 cent super glue that I've had forever...things went from bad to worse as I was fumbling around with this super glue and immediately regretting some life decisions... But I was able to get the magnet settled in. I tried it and noticed the height was off but also...even though the magnets are flush on each other there's no material in between the joint and it has a gap; it looks weird. I don't know how to fill that gap and keep the magnets flush at the same time. Now the right arm went a "little" better but I was being too conservative. First off the little hole you see below the magnet is a manufacturer's flaw; it was a little screwy already right off the sprue. But I kept my alignment and height pretty well for this one. My goal with the magnets was to allow the shoulders to have some action and he could raise and lower his arms a little bit. I got that but the right arm has an even more exaggerated gap than the left and you can even still see the magnet because the shoulder never got flush to the chest...I think that's because of the manufacturing defect though, there's a little cavity of material where that dimple is that gives the space. Well after the magnet fitting I was already unhappy but then I thought, hey... shoulder pads!!! they'll cover up all this horror on Melty! I put them on using cement...and it didn't work. If the shoulders of the arms aren't flush to the body then neither will the shoulder pads be which even makes it look worse IMO especially on the right arm which has the larger gap. Dammit. Oh well, I knew this first foray would be difficult, but the results are still disheartening. After cementing the gun (again I NEED a cement with a proper brush. The cement flowed over the right wrist and it looks scorched...) Melty was attached to his base with cement and his photo op was performed. I still plan to paint Melty, he's special to me. But I hope all future SM's do not suffer Melty's fate. The TL:DR. Freakin' magnets, how do they work?! No seriously, what's the battle plan on fitting for magnets. If I want contact of the magnets that seems to look as if it means contact of the shoulder plastic to torso is compromised and I get this gap. Is there a way to finesse this or maybe use a filler material? What are some common action poses for torso, head, and arms if all the legs have the same leaning stance? Why aren't the shoulder pads larger so they can cover more of the arms?!?!? Is it common practice to remove some plastic of the shoulders of each arm to allow the shoulder pads to go "over and onto the torso? An afterthought...I think I might was to also magnetize the head for funsies to get more action...I know these are miniatures and purists may scoff but I like the idea of (A) having modular weapons on my armies since I have the bits and interest in it and ( I really like having some action in them. I plan to do a robust paint job so the modularization of the magnets allows for that already after all. Thank you all, wish me and Melty some luck and I appreciate all criticisms but please don't show these pics to your friends to mock Melty. He was the first into battle after all. EDIT: One realization I have is that on the inner arms I really don't have to be minimalistic on my drilling to keep the magnets in; I can make a wider hole than the magnet so long as I still am able to get the positioning and angle of the magnet right. But my drill bits aren't "flat" which means they make a bit of a dome hole rather than a bore so I have to be patient and refit a bunch of times for the depth. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/278884-learning-from-a-ton-of-mistakes-pics-included/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkMark Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Very quickly. You need to buy some green stuff, gel type super glue, and simply practice. You should put the shoulder pad on after the arm is fitted so you can choose the correct position. For more variation check FW, other marine ranges like BA, GK, SW etc, and of course the new stuff about to be released. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/278884-learning-from-a-ton-of-mistakes-pics-included/#findComment-3433657 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowpro Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 Very quickly. You need to buy some green stuff, gel type super glue, and simply practice. You should put the shoulder pad on after the arm is fitted so you can choose the correct position. For more variation check FW, other marine ranges like BA, GK, SW etc, and of course the new stuff about to be released. I know you were being quick but I don't know what green stuff is (I'll ask Dr. Google after this) or how it'll help. As for the pauldron my concern is that it doesn't cover more than "just" the shoulder and I was hoping it'd extend towards the chest more and cover the gap. And actually when I "fitted" the arm with the magnets I could manipulate the pauldron just fine. Do people not keep it flush to the arm or something and give it more angle? Also I have no idea what most of those acronyms are =( EDIT: oh they're chapters. Go figure. These were ultramarines and they're I think the only 10 piece SM's my local GW sells. I'll ask for more about that tomorrow. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/278884-learning-from-a-ton-of-mistakes-pics-included/#findComment-3433716 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkMark Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Sorry about that! Green Stuff is a 2-part putty that you use to fill holes or even sculpt small parts, it'll help when you over drill or need to fill gaps. The gel type super glue will help fill small gaps/ holes. It's a matter of taste really for the 'pads, but sometimes you'll need to be mindful as occasionally bits get in the way e.g large decorations etc. So, fit the arms then check the best angle to place the pad on. The standard tactical, often referred to as vanilla, squad is what you have. Other chapters such as Blood Angels (BA), Grey Knights(GK) etc have their own special boxes to better represent them. By carefully removing blood drips and other obvious chapter specific icons you'll have loads more options for legs, torsos etc. If your Local Gaming Store (LGS) is a Games Workshop don't expect them to tell you or confirm that there's a ton of new Space Marine kits on the way! It'll just put the employee in an awkward position. Be aware that extra bling means extra work when painting: it takes far more effort to work on and can be soul destroying after a while! Personally, I'd only magnetise the special choices or sergeant in a tactical unit. If you've just entered the hobby and chosen Ultras you couldn't have joined at a better time for them. They're getting a new codex and tons of new models very, very soon. Expect to be called Smurf and whatnot for obvious reasons. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/278884-learning-from-a-ton-of-mistakes-pics-included/#findComment-3433759 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digitalsyndrome Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 I love this. Not that I'm laughing at your misfortune, you understand, but you paint a funny picture. (Which, I should point out, is not a sleight on your miniature-painting skills.) I'll stop now, before I dig a bigger hole. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/278884-learning-from-a-ton-of-mistakes-pics-included/#findComment-3440353 Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamJacksUserName Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 As an avid converter of minis myself, I applaud your decision to try magnetizing right off the bat, but you might want to rethink magnetizing everything. Most space marine armies need at least 20 to 30 basic bolter wielding marines. You would probably be better off just getting the practice in assembling the 7 basic marines in a tactical squad, and like Darkmark said, save the magnets for things like sergeants, heavy weapons or special weapons. As for magnetizing, green stuff is an invaluable aid. Once mixed the putty takes about 20 to 30 minutes to harden, which allows for a lot of correction on things like arm position and pose. So, if you drill out a larger hole and then press in some green stuff, you can then press the magnet into the green stuff and adjust the position up, down, left, right, etc until you can create a more natural looking position for the arms. Then you let it dry and it should be good to go. And in the worse case scenario, you don't like how it came out, an exacto knife will cut the green stuff right out. **edit for clarification** Don't let the green stuffed arm dry on the mini. Gravity will undo all your work while it drys. Made that mistake more than once myself. Take the arm off when the magnet is in the desired position and let it dry. That way it should still be where you want it when the green stuff has cured. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/278884-learning-from-a-ton-of-mistakes-pics-included/#findComment-3441074 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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