Material for Mechadrite/tendril cables

[Kaiju Soze]

I'm working on converting Iron Father Feiros into a Warpsmith for my CSM Renegades army, with the idea of replacing the servo arms with cable-tentacle dendrites.  Green stuff for the cables, then adding the claw and cutting torch from the plastic kit.  Unfortunately for me, the first attempt to assemble one of the mechatendrils resulted in the green stuff portion drooping and the cutting torch touching the miniature's foot.  So that isn't ideal.

 

I'm using the Greenstuffworld Roll Maker for texture, so sculpting around a wire doesn't seem like it would work.  I have read that Milliput sets harder than greenstuff, which makes me think it would be better suited for what I'm currently trying.  Does this seem right to anyone?  And can anyone suggest which type of Milliput would be best (if any) for this?

 

TLDR: Greenstuff cables won't hold weight (even light weight), would Milliput work better?

[Marshal Loss]

You can get products like these as well; not used any, but heard good things about them

[Jolemai]

That would have been my recommendation too. Need some myself...

[pawl]

I'm working on converting Iron Father Feiros into a Warpsmith for my CSM Renegades army, with the idea of replacing the servo arms with cable-tentacle dendrites. Green stuff for the cables, then adding the claw and cutting torch from the plastic kit. Unfortunately for me, the first attempt to assemble one of the mechatendrils resulted in the green stuff portion drooping and the cutting torch touching the miniature's foot. So that isn't ideal.

 

I'm using the Greenstuffworld Roll Maker for texture, so sculpting around a wire doesn't seem like it would work. I have read that Milliput sets harder than greenstuff, which makes me think it would be better suited for what I'm currently trying. Does this seem right to anyone? And can anyone suggest which type of Milliput would be best (if any) for this?

 

TLDR: Greenstuff cables won't hold weight (even light weight), would Milliput work better?

You can actually mix Milliput and Green Stuff to get the best of both worlds - the Milliput allows for fine sculpting, rock hard finish and the ability to sand, while the GS stops the Milliput from being brittle or crumbly.

Aside from that I wouldn't consider myself experienced enough to offer any solid advice, I'm afraid.

[Firedrake Cordova]

Slightly left-field, but have you considered using a wound guitar string (E, A, or D)?  It would obviously still be a bit flexible, but it's not going to break on you.

[Brother_Angelus]

I used the power cables from the link below to give Inquisitor 54mm figure some additional mechandrites. They're soft enough to bend and shape, but hold weight without snapping or drooping. 

http://www.dragonforge.com/Painting%20service/for%20sale/sculpting_supplies.htm

[apologist]

You can get products like these as well; not used any, but heard good things about them

I can attest to these – Zinge make good product, and their flexible materials are brilliant. It's essentially a wire embedded in some sort of resin. It's flexible, but the material's not rubbery or soft, so the details remain crisp.

[sbarnby71]

https://www.zinge.co.uk/collections/poseable-wrapped-wire/products/poseable-wire-wrapped-cable-power-cable-6-various-diameters-1mm-1-3mm-1-5mm-1-7mm-1-9mm-2-4mm

Go for these from Zinge, they are wrapped wire, very posable and look like real power cables, I use them to make servo skull attachments.

 

They also sell connector plugs to fit on the ends:

Edited January 13, 2021 by sbarnby71