Ideas for reinforcing Celestines base

[Rizara]

Hello to all my Fellow Sister players. 

 

I have picked up the new Celestine model (along with the other two characters), and I am trying to figure out some ideas on how to improve her stability on her base.   I honestly don't like the scroll work, it just looks to flimsy, and knowing my luck, it will snap and break.  So to prevent any eventuality I am going to start off with a sturdy support for her.   This may mean she wont be flying up as high as she would balanced on those two scrolls, but I am okay with that.   

 

So for my armies bases I am planning some forested ruins, so I am looking at modeling the tiled floors of an old destroyed monestary once belonging to a sisters order.   I am going to have tiles, chunks of blocks, and will be using fall colored leaves spread sporadically across the bases.    This means I can use pillars and statue pieces (which I will have to design, but thinking of having them modeled after sisters).   So I am trying to figure out a way to create a support that would not look to out of place but yet support the celestine model.   I had thought about making a broken pillar and placing her foot against it, as she is using it to push herself forward or as if she is leaping off it.   I am thinking of using a metal wired in the pillar that I can drill into her leg/foot area to pin her to the base.   However, if I do this, should I model her bodyguard in a similar fashion?   

 

Or should I use a part of a statue for her, and save the pillars for the seraphim bodyguard?   

 

I will see if I can't work out some sketch ideas and see if I can't get a visual of it, but I wanted to get your opinions.   I can probably still use the scrolls perhaps have them trailing across the stature/pillar in some way.   

 

Since this will be the only model currently in my sisters army (I refuse to pay absorbent prices on 2 decade old models), so I will be working on taking my time with painting and building this sisters army.   it helps that they haven't released any of the new plastic models so I can focus on just Celestine and her body guard.  

 

So what ideas do you guys recommend?  Should I go with a statue or pillar support, or something different?   I might have some clear plastic rods left in my bitz box from way back that I could also use to support her, or just add a brass rod pin support like many did on their old metal seraphim.    I am open to suggestions?   

[Arkaniss]

A statue/pillar sounds like a good idea. It serves it's purpose of supporting the model while not standing out since it'll be linked to the bases in the rest of your army. I assembled my new Celestine a couple of days ago and she wobbles around easily, and that's without the wings attached. I thought/hoped it'd be sturdier than it is so maybe I'll have to retrofit support!

 

Some pictures when you are done would be nice to see of course! :)

[Eddie Orlock]

... So what ideas do you guys recommend? ...

A while back I ran across some guys playing Aeronautica with all those fragile expensive planes atop them ever so brittle clear plastic posts. As I talked to them and was given the privilege of inspecting the casualty pile. I discovered they solved this issue not by overbuilding the flying stand, but by planning the failure mode and making repair super easy.

 

They recessed magnets into what had been intended as the peg hole and placed mating magnets atop the base stem. This way if a mishap happened, the geometrically weak joint of peg in hole popped loose with no ill effect and was easily placed together again.

 

Now, the real trick to this method is sizing and selecting your magnets. Too strong and they overpower the kit and you break anyway. Too weak and they don't hang together during ordinary play.

 

As a starting point, Lee Valley sells some 1/8x1/8 rods that I've had some success with in the past. They might be a bit strong and as it's a bit of a feel thing you'll need to test for yourself.

[Rizara]

nice idea with the magnets, but those look to be rather thick in circumfrence for such tiny models.  I mean, the new plastic sisters are nice, I just finished assembling the bodies and backpack of the trio of girls, but they are not really big or bulky at all compared to say space marines or other GW models.   This means the magnets might work for attaching the backpacks, but for making them attach to the base, they will just be to big for their feet/leg areas'  

 

Since I assembled the girls, at least for Celestine, I think I have figured a way to attach her, as behind her leg, between her leg and her cape, I can easily hide a wire or rod there, it wont be invisible from every direction, but being that it would be hidden in the bulk of her cloth and behind her leg, I could easily go with the column ruin bit and have a rod sticking out of it to attach it to her there.   The Gemini on the other hand might be a bit trickier, even though they are not as high up on their scroll work as Celestine, it still feels rather flimsy and a weak point for balance.     I will have to start working on the base work design and green stuffing tonight, now that I have the models assembled I can work out ideas where I can look at them.  

[WarriorFish]

The contact points to the base aren't large, but if you can get a few smaller magnets in and a larger magnet(s) in the base it could work? It'd make transportation a lot easier too, but I'd be concerned about the relatively weaker link of the scrolls up to the heavier body. As Eddie says the trick will be getting the right magnets for the job so some experimentation will be required, but it's worth a shot for such a potentially fragile model.

 

An alternative I've considered is some fallen masonry or some such that just so happens to have the scroll work touching to act as a brace for additional support. You could do some additional scrolls to help add strength closer to Celestine?

[robofish7591]

If you decide to have her feet touching a pillar or statue, perhaps having a couple pins that she could just slot onto coming off the statue might work? You could even be able to taker her off for transportation that way.

[Eddie Orlock]

I also have some 3/32 magnets I've made good use of. If I recall this correctly they're about the same diameter of the top of the tapered section of the old citadel flying stand.

 

I admit this is easier on aircraft where you can just stab into the bottom of the fuselage.

 

perhaps if the cape was thick enough you could counterbore it into that. The flames of war ones might have more favourable geometry. See, it could also be a question of where you support and an unconventional choice might help, especially with plastic rather than metal.

 

Indeed, it might be easier to leave a larger chunk on the end of the rod to improve your torque design. Ugh, I wish I was there 'cause this is much easier to show than to tell.