Oddly Specific Question About Glueing After Painting.

[Schurge]

So, a long time ago, maybe in 2008 I was finally able to afford to buy some units in Warhammer Fantasy... Back then you were supposed to glue everything together before applying the base coat in a cardboard box... something about parts falling off otherwise. Anyways, my interest in table top Warhammer was renewed recently after donating money to Eternal Crusade and I bought the Dark Vengeance set and the Hobby Starter Set (because my brother lost and / or ruined all my tools).

 

Watching tutorials online like this one...

 

 

... I see that now you paint most individual pieces first (which makes sense considering how much more detail there is now compared to six years ago and a lot of it can't be reached once assembled) and then glue them together. My question is, do parts now stay together fine when you paint them first before you glue them together or is the author of the video doing something special to make it work that he isn't showing us, or using special glue (I am using whatever it is that comes with the starter kit)? Tonight I am going to be making the rounds at the local 40k shop to pick up more paint and Hobby Lobby to get that crack pipe the author is using to apply the base coat (right now I just have a six year old spray can of Chaos Black... would be very messy) and tools to mount the parts.

[LongGone]

The plastic glue (I'm assuming that's what's in the starter kit) should work just fine. My one word of caution is to avoid painting the joins as much as possible. One or two layers of paint may not be a problem, but multiple layers will be. From what I understand, plastic glue works by basically melting to two pieces together with some chemical wizardry. Layers of paint will cause a weaker join. You can avoid painting those areas, file the paint off a smidgen (be careful not to jack the visible part of your paint job up), or get yourself some super glue. 

[Firepower]

There is plastic glue, and there is super glue. In either case, it's best to scrape the paint off the join before gluing, to get a proper seal. For plastic models, anyway. I just scrape my exacto knife sideways over the connection a few times. It's not good for the blade, but it's more precise than using a file.

Don't know about you, but I've been painting like that since before 2008. It's just a lot more important now that there's detail to make it worth the extra effort

[Schurge]

Thank you for your quick responses to what probably seems like a stupid question.

 

I am at work right now but I think what came with the starter kit was thick plastic glue (comparing the images on the Games Workshop website). I'll follow your recommendations.

[Ovidius Incertus]

Just mask off the areas you don't want to be painted with a very small piece of blue tack or silly putty (both of which are reusable after removal) so you'll have bare surface to glue to when you're finished.

 

I almost always paint heads and weapons separately and on extremely detailed models like the FW apothecaries, everything is painted separately so it's easier to get to all the gubbins.

 

I also would avoid using thick plastic cement (i.e. anything that's not a liquid) because it is waaaaay too easy to use too much and have it squeeze out of the joints.  If the dispenser has a fine enough nozzle that you can get total control of how much you use (or you go the extra step of applying it with a toothpick, etc.), that'll work if you don't have other glues.

[SW1]

+1 on the bluetac.