Resin miniatures for noobs.

[Beatnik cryptek]

Ok guys I might buy a resin model or two for my necrons since the codex and FAQs ream us hard.

 

Now I hear little good about FW. I hear the prices are astronomical and the quality is execrable.

 

If this is true and I decided to go with a resin model I may not get it from forgeworld. If they're going to charge top dollar and give brand x quality, hell with them. If i'm gonna get low quality i'm going to pay low price.

 

That aside what are the pitfalls of resin models? Do they really melt in a hot car? Are they shatter prone? I've never owned a resin model before so assume I don't know and am asking people who do.

[Imren]

No 1 pitfall is the mould release agent and bad alignment of the moulds causing slippage edges along the seam.

 

Make sure you bath the parts in hot water with dishwashing detergent (washing up liquid) and brush them clean throughly with a toothbrush with the detergent solution and then rinse clean and leave to dry.

 

For the bad seams/mould slippage there is not much to do except return them and ask for replacement.

 

Those are the two main issues with resin.

 

I also recommend to pin the parts together (use 1 mm drill and 1 mm brass rod) so they don't break as easliy as they do with just superglue.

[sarabando]

Imren is spot on just a clean and a bend is usually needed. They are fantastic at replacing any major casting faults here in the UK they will not ally simply send.you another kit, but I've heard abroad it's mostly.the specific part.

[Subtle Discord]

There's some truth to the hit-and-miss nature of Forge World resin kits but I would say completely avoiding FW is an overreaction. While there are some legitimate horror stories I also think some people are expecting too much and/or don't understand that resin casting comes with some production issues that are nearly impossible to completely avoid. They wouldn't be selling product still if they were complete crap and a vocal minority online can quickly slant the perspective on a subject; people tend to complain loudly when they feel they've been wronged in some way but when they're happy with a result they quietly go about their business. I have several FW kits and while there have been a few issues I haven't had any problems so large that it compelled me to contact FW for a replacement. Resin kits in general are 'advanced' model kits that will require at least a bit more modeling skill to build in general and many times thet require even more advanced skills if you need to deal with common issues that can crop up from almost any manufacturer. I won't say FW is perfect but I have several wonderful models that can attest to the fact that they're far from junk.

 

Biggest issues with resin manufacturing that you'll likely need to deal with are bubbles/voids, moulds slips, and warping. Steps can be taken to reduce these things but resin casting is simply prone to them and it's very hard to get 100% flawless casts. If the bubbles are small they should be easy enough to deal with but they can be real pain if they are large and/or they have destroyed some hard-to-repair detail/s; bubbles are all but impossible to completely eliminate but good casts should have them down to a minimum.

 

Moulds slips are completely unavoidable moulds lines that have become very pronounced because the soft rubber mould was badly out of alignment during the cast; mould lines are inevitable but quickly clean up with a file or sanding stick, but mould slips are so bad that you need to file/grind off lots of material away and/or fill the resulting crack with putty/greestuff. Bad mould slips suck and this is something that FW kits are guilty of more than I like but it's a side effect of trying to cast as quickly as possible to be efficient.

 

Warping is also something that is very hard to avoid with resin since even packing models tightly for shipping can slowly warp them in transit, and the parts are usually a bit soft when they're being pulled form the mould so it can be introduced from the get go. However, the good thing is that it's very simple to give a part a hot water soak and adjust the component back to the correct shape.

 

During assembly you won't be able to use standard solvent plastic glue due to the nature of polyurethane so it requires that you use Super Glue or an Epoxy of some sort. While Epoxy is a bit more involved and takes more time to cure I prefer it in many cases because you'll get stronger joins and it provides you with a bit of working time to ensure correct assembly/alignment. Super Glue works well, but be sure to pin things to ensure the strength of the assembly (good resin isn't particularly brittle, but Super Glue is brittle) and be ready to get the part into good alignment quickly because Super Glue sets so fast.

[Exilyth]

Resin dust is highly carcinogenic, so sand under water or wear a filter mask.

[MegaVolt87]

You can keep sanding to a minimum by using a sharp hobby knife to clean up most of the resin model. Don't use blunt blades, you will increase the likely-hood of cutting yourself. Slippage is bad, but can be corrected with cutting/trimming + filing if its on an inward facing part of the model. Get a replacement if it will be highly visible, otherwise you will lose detail correcting it. 

[Jolemai]

Resin dust is highly carcinogenic, so sand under water or wear a filter mask.

... and yet FW never mention this. Have you a source for us to read?

[Beatnik cryptek]

Resin dust is highly carcinogenic, so sand under water or wear a filter mask.

 Wow,  thanks for that! 

[Arkhanist]

 

Resin dust is highly carcinogenic, so sand under water or wear a filter mask.

... and yet FW never mention this. Have you a source for us to read?

 

 

Aye, toxicity of resin depends upon what type of resin it is. I've seen claims for forgeworld being all types, but nothing concrete. According to forgeworld's own instructions for working with resin it's non-toxic but the dust can be an irritant. I can't find evidence of an SDS sheet which would be a requirement if it was toxic.

 

Some types of resin dust is pretty toxic, which people assume also applies to all resins, like forgeworld resin. But even chalk dust can cause lung problems from irritation. You should use a dust/filter mask when generating any significant quantity of dust e.g. sawing and sanding regardless of the material - you only get one pair of lungs even if it won't give you cancer! N95 standard are widely available and cheap, usually disposable. They won't protect you from organic vapours, but will stop you getting most particles like resin dust in your lungs. 

 

To help stop dust getting into the air in the first place, you can damp the resin with water which will help dust clump up and stay put. You should also wipe down the direct work area after with a damp cloth which will help prevent dust floating about afterwards - if like many of us, you work in in a normal living area of the house. Or do major sanding outside. If you do get any skin irritation - some people are allergic to the dust - just wear latex-style gloves.

 

If you're planning on using stuff with harmful or significant amounts of organic vapours such as some paint strippers/cleaners elsewhere in your hobby, then you can get a half-face respirator with cartridges that will protect you against both organic vapours and dust for not much more than a pack of the disposable dust masks.

 

I don't want to oversell it, the risks with resin and organic chemicals are much more important when you're doing production and/or working with it in large quantities, neither of which apply in the usual home hobby environment, but just like when you're sawing wood for DIY, a dust mask means you won't be coughing up crap for a day or two.

[Marshal Rohr]

Forge World uses Smooth On 66D or something approximating it, to the best of my knowledge. The sheet can be found online.