Thunderfire Cannon Assembly/Glue

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

As part of my Firstborn I am adding a Thunderfire Cannon. Has anyone got any tips on putting this resin beast together?

 

Also, what glue is good to use on resin?

 

Any and all help is appreciated. 

[Grotsmasha]

Glue: any super glue that isn't from GW, they add retarder to slow it's setting speed so kids don't glue their fingers. Personally I prefer the ones with a brush applicator. For larger models gel-like superglue can be handy too.

Assenbly: Definitely drill and pin it together, do plenty of test fits to ensure a snug fit prior to any gluing.

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

@Grotsmasha Thanks, cool name btw. Any specific brand of superglue you'd recommend?

[Grotsmasha]

Honestly, I just go to the dollar store and get the cheapest they have.

[nilsh]

I remember trying to put the old metal one together, it was an absolute pain, hard to pin and fell apart from looking at it more or less.

 

As for superglue, any kind should work. I usually use Loctite, but that's only because I can get it at the grocery store close to where I live.

[Cleon]

Personally I like to have two superglues on the go - A normal cheap 'any brand' for most work and a quick drying gel for larger more awkward pieces.

[Sky Potato]

I've had good results with Gorilla Glue Super Glue Gel when assembling Forge World resin. The gel stuff though, green cap. Usually available in most supermarkets and hardware stores, and comes in a pack of two 3ml tubes and I think theres also a slightly bigger bottle with a precision applicator. I only ever use the 3ml tubes.

 

The gel is tacky enough that it holds parts in place while the glue actually sets and dries - acting a little like plastic glue in that you can attach parts, and put the model down to one side while the bit you've just attached dries fully. I've used some superglues where you need to hold the part in place until the glue is fully dry, which gets a little tedious.

 

If this is your first time working with superglue - you don't get the working time that you get with plastic glue, where you can fine tune the positioning of the parts once attached. Superglue definitely prefers a one and done attachment, attaching two parts and then twisting the parts against each other etc to fine tune positioning breaks the bond of the glue and generally creates a weaker bond. This is because superglue is a contact adhesive (an imperfect analogy would be how blue-tack holds things together) and can be defeated by generally twisting the join or moving the two parts in opposite directions. Plastic glue is a solvent adhesive and "melts" the two parts together.

 

I'd also second the pinning advice - I generally pin anything bigger than generic Space Marine body parts now when I'm assembling resin models. Small bit of brass rod drilled into the join of two parts. It basically acts a physical reinforcement to the glue, and generally stops the two parts from moving relative to each other.

[Bouargh]

Neoprene (Gel) glue is also useful as a complementary glue, especially for the large parts, the ones with extended flat areas that are anything but flat if you see what I mean. 

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I appreciate all the help.