The Ultimate Guide

to Assembling
Miniatures
A Hobbyist’s Compendium
by
Marcin Golab
All text and illustrations © 2017 by Marcin Golab. All rights reserved.

Permission granted to print out parts or the entirety of this publication for personal use.

Please do not share this file online - it can be downloaded from:

www.phobosfoundry.com/ebook

All copyrights for the miniature designs and company names belong to their respective holders.

I would like to thank Mantic Games and Scibor's Miniatures for their express permission to
work with their models.

Models used:

Deadzone™ Rebs Faction Starter Set by Mantic Games®

Kings of War™ Twilight Kin High Priestess of the Abyss by Mantic Games®

Daemonette by JMD Miniatures™

The Changeling© by Games Workshop®

SF Egyptian Warriors by Scibor’s Miniatures™

Table of Contents
Introduction ____________________________________________________________ 6
Chapter 1—What You Need To Remove From Your Models ________________________ 8
1.1-Metal _______________________________________________________________ 8
1.2-Plastic _____________________________________________________________ 10
1.3-Resin ______________________________________________________________ 11
Chapter 2—The Best Tools for Cleaning Your Minis _____________________________ 15
2.1-Scraper ____________________________________________________________ 16
2.2-Riffler files __________________________________________________________ 17
2.3-Wire cutter _________________________________________________________ 18
2.4-Sandpaper __________________________________________________________ 19
2.5 Dremel _____________________________________________________________ 19
2.6 Steel Wool __________________________________________________________ 21
2.7 Modeling putty _______________________________________________________ 22
2.8 Hobby Saw __________________________________________________________ 24
2.9 Cutting Mat _________________________________________________________ 24
Chapter 3—Removing Imperfections ________________________________________ 25
3.1 Mold lines___________________________________________________________ 25
3.2 Flash and Tabs _______________________________________________________ 26
3.3 Roughen Metal Parts __________________________________________________ 27
3.4 Work in Batches ______________________________________________________ 27
Chapter 4—Prepare Your Models for Assembly ________________________________ 28
4.1 A Word On Creating Joints for Gluing ______________________________________ 28
4.2 Magnetising _________________________________________________________ 30
4.3 Pinning _____________________________________________________________ 32
Chapter 5—Clean Your Parts Before Gluing ___________________________________ 38
Chapter 6—Glue ________________________________________________________ 41
6.1 Cyanoacrylate ________________________________________________________ 41
6.2 Epoxy ______________________________________________________________ 47
6.3 Bases and PVA Glue ___________________________________________________ 49
6.4 Plastic Cement _______________________________________________________ 52
Glue Reference _________________________________________________________ 54
An Overview of the Assembly Process _______________________________________ 55
Chapter 7—What’s Next __________________________________________________ 56
7.1 How to Keep Your Models From Falling Apart ________________________________ 56
7.2 Conventional Methods For Carrying Minis—Foam _____________________________ 57
7.3 A Less Conventional Method—Magnets ____________________________________ 58
7.4 The Best Option—A System Specially Designed for Carrying Miniatures ____________ 60
Conclusion ____________________________________________________________ 62
Introduction

Fellow hobbyist,

This guide combines professional knowledge I gleaned from designing and producing plastic
components with almost 20 years of hobby experience. It took me a while to notice that the two
are actually the same thing (duh!), and that the tools and know-how from one area can be
copied to the other. This revelation made my hobby life so much easier that I decided to write an
entire ebook about it.

On these pages you will find a complete and thorough guide to putting your minis together –
and making them stay in one piece for a long time. You will learn how to apply best practices
used by manufacturing companies that glue plastic products for your models. Whether you're a
hobby veteran or a beginner, I can guarantee that you will learn new tricks that will make your
minis tougher than ever.

In our hobby, there is perhaps nothing as rewarding as seeing a miniature army take shape and
colour. On the other hand, there's almost nothing as frustrating as seeing an assembled model
fall apart, especially if it's painted! Armed with the techniques from this guide, you'll be able to
put minis together that can bear some heavy-duty handling.

Gluing is good enough for airplane parts and the windshields of trains that travel at 300 km/h.
And yet, to many wargamers who've had to deal with broken minis, these facts read like poor
fan fiction, or perhaps high fantasy. If you read this guide, you'll know exactly what to do and

6
what to avoid to squeeze out the full benefits of the adhesives you buy.

In another section of this ebook I will tell you about some handy tools that can make assembly
much quicker. Unfortunately, if you limit yourself to the tool selection offered by your favourite
miniature company you're going to have a harder time. So take advantage of some of these
other cool options I've found.

All of this comes together to give you all the information you need to make your modelling as
easy and effective as possible. I am including pictures and tutorials to illustrate the points
described in each chapter. Due to copyright concerns regarding miniature designs, only a few
companies are represented here. I just want you to know that I'm not particularly biased
towards any of them.

Finally, while miniatures can be made more durable by gluing them properly, they're still fragile
by most standards. Models might break if they fall on the floor (especially metal ones!), or if they
get hit by stray dice. But they also suffer in transport, so choosing an appropriate way of
handling them on the way to the battlefield is crucial to their longevity. I still shudder when
thinking about the models I broke in transport!

Full disclosure: I invented my own system for carrying minis, and I wrote a few paragraphs about
it at the end of this guide. Naturally, I'm biased towards it, so don't be surprised to find my
suggestions for the best way to carry your models. Even if you don't share my opinion, you
should find my overview of carrying methods helpful.

Well, we've finally gotten all the introductions out of the way.

Are you ready to glue some minis? Then let's get started!

7
Chapter 1 – What You Need To Remove From Your
Models

Before you get any glue on your fingers, you'll have to get rid of all the unnecessary junk that
your models came with. Or, speaking more professionally, you must remove the artefacts from
the molding process. There are several such glitches, and they are to some degree dependent on
the material the model is made of. Let's briefly look at all of them.

Metal

In today's market, metal parts are getting rarer as methods of producing plastic and resin minis
have become more affordable and accessible (combined with the fact that wargaming has also
grown enough as a market that some companies can finally afford to use expensive technology).
But, you're still bound to come across metal models from time to time. If you look at metal
minis, they usually have the following issues that need fixing:

Mold lines

Molds for metal are made from vulcanized rubber and usually have two parts. When the mold is
clamped the parts come together, creating a cavity that will be filled with molten metal. The
place where the two mold halves meet produces a visible seam in the cast part which is calle a
mold line. In extreme cases, the two halves can be mismatched, resulting in a misaligned mini.
On the other hand, sometimes mold lines are barely visible as bare metal tends to make details
difficult to see. Be wary of these hidden mold lines, because they will almost certainly show once
you start painting the miniature and they ruin the effect of a finished model.

A “nice” mold line can be seen running along this

murderous elf's dress

8
Flash

Flash is a thin layer of metal between parts of a miniature. You can find flash between the legs
of a model, or between an arm and the torso. Flash is produced when a mold is not clamped
tightly enough and some of the material spills outside of the cavity, into a void that shouldn't
contain any material.

The word flash is also used to describe small pieces of metal connecting a part to a tab (see
below), as well thin bits protruding from models that are actually venting holes in a mold. As
molten metal fills a mold's cavity, it pushes air out through strategically placed holes. When the
metal becomes solid again, it produces spikes shaped like the thin venting channels.

A thin strip of flash produced by a venting

hole

Tabs

Many miniatures have tabs, flat, rectangular blocks of metal attached to a miniature's feet (or
whatever else it has instead of feet), and these tabs fit inside the slot in the base that comes
with the model. Tabs provide extra support when you glue a mini to its base. Don't remove them
if you don't have to.

9
Some tabs are too thick to fit without filing, others fit snugly enough that they create a
mechanical lock between the base and the miniature, without any glue. This can be handy when
you want to use a mini in a game before you assemble it (though that's a bad habbit!). But
remember – there's no point in finishing a base without gluing the model to it first. If you do, the
paint and sand/flock on the base will get damaged when the mini moves.

There are some techniques that are used for display bases where the miniature is not glued to
the base, and I will explain these later when I talk about pinning.

Plastic

Thanks to Games Workshop™, who have switched the majority of their miniature lines to plastic,
injection molded parts have become commonplace in wargaming. They are very economical for
larger production lines since the raw material is dirt cheap (there are many different types of
plastic on the market, but look up the per-kg prices and see for yourself).

On the other hand, they require hard steel tooling, i.e. metal molds machined by high-tech CNC
equipment. In the world of plastic injection molding it's quite normal to pay the price of a mid-
range car for one small, simple mold! That's why plastic models become profitable only in large
quantities (or at very high prices, with some big companies successfully combining both
approaches).

The upside of the high tooling costs is that the molds themselves are usually flawless and the
production process can be fully automated. Injection-molded parts can also be very accurate
(one round 20mm plastic base tends to be very much like any other). That is, if the molds are
made by an expert tooling shop, and the machine actually producing the parts has been set up
correctly.

Theoretically, this means that minis produced this way should have almost no casting faults to
speak of apart from mold lines. But in practice, you'll often come across plastic models with a bit
of flash. And, if the mold wasn't designed to account for how hot the plastic gets in various
areas on the sprue, some parts might have a different size than what the designer envisioned
originally…

I won't go into all the details of what might go wrong with plastic injection molding because it's

10
sufficient to say that you'll have to deal with the same issues that come with metal models.

Individual parts of plastic models come on sprues that have to be clipped off before assembly,
and the clipping itself will produce an uneven surface that has to be smoothed out prior to
painting. The sprue is the channel through which plastic flows – on kits with a lot of small parts
the sprue might constitute the majority of the set!

There’s a lot of flash on this sprue

Resin

Most people will live their entire lives without knowing the difference between plastic and resin.
I won't go into tremendous detail to explain it, but despite the outward similarities between the
two materials (plastic), the molding process is very different. Hence, resin parts have different
flaws.

Plastic parts are made from melted pellets that are injected into a heavily clamped mold under
immense pressure. Molds are so expensive because they have to withstand the heat and the
pressure through tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of
injections.

11
On the other hand, resin parts are created through a chemical reaction of two liquids. The two
parts of the resin are mixed, poured into a mold, and after a set period of time they harden to
produce a plastic. The process is so tame that you can cast resin parts by hand. The molds aren't
nearly as pricey. In fact, many hobbyists cast their own parts, and the technology is popular
among people who make fishing lures, their own jewellery or toys.

The downside is that the liquid ingredients of the resin will trap air when they are mixed. This air
produces voids and bubbles in the finished casting. If you get a mini with voids created by air
bubbles, you should probably return it, unless you feel you can sculpt the missing fragment
yourself using modelling putty.

The underside of this particular casting has several bubbles and

an entire part of a ribbon is simply missing. These voids would be
easy to fill with putty, but you can also ask your vendor to
replace such a miniature.

12
Nowadays, resin is used successfully by many manufacturers (especially for KickStarter projects)
who have nailed the casting process. Some boutique miniature makers sell models that require
virtually no preparation—they have almost no mold lines, and their surfaces are perfect. If you
get such a mini, rejoice! And be sure to support that company in the future because they value
your time.

This female demon from JMD

Miniatures had no casting flaws
when I bought it, not even a
mold line!

13
As to other junk you might end up cutting off from a resin mini… Since the resin is liquid, and it's
also most commonly poured into silicone rubber molds, it's prone to have similar glitches to
metal models. Keep an eye out for mold lines and flash, and be sure to smooth out any places
where you cut off a sprue.

That about covers the materials you'll encounter on the market today. Companies also 3d print
prototypes of minis to see them before committing to making a plastic injection mold, but it's
unlikely that you'll be able to buy one. If you're thinking of printing your own minis, beware!
Consumer grade machines leave marks on printed surface (called striations) that are an
incredible pain in the arse to remove, even from flat areas (though it depends on the hardness of
the resin). A printer that doesn't leave marks costs so much money that buying one for 3d
printing minis becomes a purely theoretical problem.

14
Chapter 2 – The Best Tools For Cleaning Your Minis

Let's discuss the quickest ways of removing the various molding artefacts we've seen above.
You will need some tools for that. Miniature companies sell their own tools for working with
models, but I don't recommend most of them. Why? Because they are usually rebranded generic
tools. Many aren't really repurposed for handling miniatures. Perhaps the biggest exception is
the hobby drill, probably because the concept of manually drilling tiny holes in things strikes
most people as strange.

It's quite easy to find online discussions in which hobbyists use some homemade device, such as
sandpaper glued to a toothpick, to remove a mold line. There are also a couple of tools on the
market that were specifically created by hobbyists for painting. But do you really need to craft
your own tools for cleaning models? Thankfully, no.

In today's world of man-made materials there are tools specially made for removing the
undesirable remains of industrial production processes from consumer goods. And they have a
name.

A quick Google search for “deburring tools” will give you a large selection of options. And, in my
opinion, they're much better for working with minis than what's on offer at most hobby stores.
So why aren't these tools commonplace in the miniature world? I have no idea. Maybe it's
because of brand loyalty. It's also likely that no one has given this subject any deeper thought.

15
My humble opinion is that a hobbyist should make the process of assembling their miniatures as
pain-free as possible. You see, I just don't like to work all that much, and extra work is the result
of choosing suboptimal tools for the job.

Pictured: a suboptimal choice.

Below are the hobby tools I use the most. I regret that I didn't find some of them earlier. They
are listed in no particular order, and you probably own some of them already.

Scraper

There is nothing better for removing mold lines than this. The scraper consists of a thick, heavy
handle, with a holder for exchangeable triangular blades. Apart from being very sharp, these
blades are also thick. So, unlike the Xacto-type hobby knives common among wargamers,

16
scrapers don't bend. Hence, they don't tend to dig into your miniature, and they won't deflect to
cut your finger. The blades are well-suited for precision work. It's almost as if someone
intentionally designed them for the manual removal of mold lines from small parts! Which they
did! Incredible, right?

In all seriousness though, standard-shaped knives are a really poor choice for working with
miniatures. Rarely, if ever, will you use them for their intended purpose – cutting. Miniature
parts might be thin, but they're also relatively hard and irregular in shape. These two factors
combined make applying force to a knife really risky in a hobby situation. And you'll need to
apply some force if you're using the knife to do something it wasn't meant for. For removing
sprues or tabs use a string cutter (see below). For actually cutting models, e.g. to convert them,
use a hobby or jeweller's saw.

I use a Noga scraper, which should be easily available online. Any tool with a similar design
should be a good choice though. In hobby stores, there's also the Citadel mold line remover,
which has a thick, curved blade and might be really good for plastic. Its downside is that you
can't replace the blade, so when it gets dull you'll need to sharpen it yourself, or buy a new one.

Curved riffler files

Or simply put, oddly shaped, shorter needle files, rifflers are used in hard-to-reach places and are
perfect for working with miniatures. They are probably less popular because they're not as
readily available (though by no means are they difficult to buy). I don't really need to describe
why I think these are a great choice – just look at the picture. The curves are often just what's
needed to remove a pesky mold line.

17
The shorter working surfaces make them more precise. You're unlikely to find them at hardware
stores because they're speciality tools. They go a bit too far for the average Joe's needs, and
that “bit” is exactly what we need when working with minis.

You can get them online for a similar price as a set of standard needle files. Again, items like
these are more likely to be found when searching for deburring tools. Some files have
descriptions regarding the materials they work with best. With smaller files like these it's easier
to remove just the thing you want to remove, without damaging anything else. You can also
hold them at more comfortable angles than regular files when you're trying to remove an
imperfection from a difficult spot.

In the hobby world I've only seen Mantic selling these.

Wire cutter

This is the tool you want to use to cut parts from sprues. They'll work with clipping metal tabs
as well, since the alloys minis are made from are very soft in comparison to steel. Unfortunately,
even flatheaded wire cutters will leave some unwanted material on the part, which is something
you will want to remove with a file or sandpaper (such blemishes are sometimes called
“scarring” in the plastic industry, since people tend to treat the things they work with as if they
were also people). Still, a string cutter is better than a knife.

18
 Sandpaper

For smoothing out surfaces or rough spots on metal models it's good to have some finer grit
sandpaper on hand. 1000 grit should be enough, but if the surface is really big and prominent
you might want to go finer. If you happen to collect older models you may encounter blades that
are so dull they look more like clubs than swords. In these cases, sharpening the edges with
sandpaper is a good idea for a cosmetic improvement and rarely detracts from the retro look.

Don't overdo it when sanding! Coarse sandpaper will destroy details on models really quickly, so
be careful. Also, finer grit sandpaper often comes in the wet and dry variety, which means you
can soak a piece of paper in water before sanding. Water tends to gather the dust removed
during sanding – it's a nice option to have.

Sandpaper is ubiquitous in paint stores and larger hardware outlets.

Dremel

This is a miniature drill/mill, and Dremel is simply the most popular brand name. Multi-purpose
power tools like it are used by jewelers, dentists (though theirs are far more expensive) as well

19
as various craftsmen and professionals. You'll find that it's a great alternative to a hobby drill for
pinning, although it costs far more and requires some precautions when using it on metal
models (metal transfers heat very quickly).

Pinning is by far the most time-consuming hobby activity when it comes to assembling minis (if
you're new to the hobby and don't know what pinning is, I explain it in detail in a later chapter).
If you insist on doing it by hand, that is. Long ago I decided that I didn't want to waste hours
putting together units that had to be pinned and bought a Dremel. I leave that choice to you,
because a power tool is many times more expensive than a simple hobby drill. On the other
hand, it's probably way cheaper than some of your models anyway.

However, apart from speeding up work, it also allows you to do some cool things you wouldn't
be able to do at all without it. For example—insanely small pins. Speciality hardware stores sell
drill bits for metal in sizes such as 0,5 or 0,3mm. They are so thin that you wouldn't be able to
use them by hand without breaking them, but a power tool allows you to pin things you might
never have thought were possible. Sometimes, it's the only way to strengthen a joint that was
so carelessly designed that glue alone has no hope of holding it together.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't include one more argument for purchasing a Dremel-like
power tool: fast drilling of miniature gun barrels, in any size! If you're new to the hobby, you
might want to know that the insides of gun barrels can be drilled, rather than just painted black.
I can't imagine doing it by hand, but I know that's just what many people do.

Drilling Holes With a Dremel

If you've never used a power tool to work with your miniatures, here are a couple of points to
remember:

1. Hold your model firmly. If you don't, the drill might deflect from the surface and cut your hand.
Consider attaching the miniature to a small vice, especially if your model has a tab.

2. If you're drilling in metal, wear oven mitts. The part you're working on might get hot pretty
quickly. Oven mitts will also protect you from the rotating drill bit (of minor lacerations +2) if
your hand slips.

3. Drill straight in one direction with a steady hand. If the bit moves sideways, you risk breaking

20
it. Note that very thin bits will eventually break anyway, no matter what you do. That's why
they're sold in packages of 10 or so.

4. If you overheat any material, the shavings might melt and stick to your drill bit. Avoid drilling
for too long in one place. If you're not making fast progress, it means your bit is dull or got
bogged down by melted material. Attach a new bit to prevent overheating or clean the bit you're
working with. Also, wait for the mini and bit to cool before continuing.

5. You might notice that there are several interesting end bits available for small tools like the
dremel – cutting discs, mills, sanding stones, and others. As long as you use common sense
before applying any of these tools to your miniatures you can benefit greatly on saved time and
effort. I've used mills and sanding tips to remove mold lines, magnetise parts and make
conversions.

6. Dremel cutting discs can cut through steel and they're more than enough to cut models. If you
can use a vice to clamp a mini you want to cut they will handily replace a hobby saw. Delicate
parts will get damaged in a vice though. When you're dealing with those use a hobby saw
instead. Never hold a miniature with your hand to cut it with one of those discs! If you ever find
yourself thinking about it, for example because you don't have a small vice, pause, take a deep
breath and DON'T DO IT.

Steel wool

I don't really use this all that often, but some people enjoy making their metal models shiny and
smooth. Steel wool will get the job done, but it's messy. Essentially, it can polish a surface if
you're not happy with the results your sandpaper produced. The steel wool falls apart in your
hands as you're working, and it leaves your fingers dirty. On the upside, it takes far more effort
to accidentally remove details with it than with sandpaper or a file. Don't use it on plastic or
resin models.

21
 Modeling putty

It is used for gap filling when joints on a miniature don't match well, and it can also smooth out
metal models that have small holes left in them from the casting process (which is sometimes
called “pitting”). You can also fix pinning mistakes in cases when you've drilled too far and left a
hole on the other side of a part. Most putty is epoxy, and different brands have various
properties, but working with them all is similar. I've used ProCreate, Milliput and Green Stuff
with success.

You combine the two ingredients (a resin and a hardener) in proportions that will give you
enough time to work, and the end properties you want (e.g. bendy vs. stiff, which can also
impact whether you'll be able to sand your part easily). The information on specific ratios should
be provided with the product.

Do note that it's very easy to overestimate the amount of putty required for a given task. That's
why it's a good idea to always mix a little less than you think you need. After you mix the two
ingredients, all you have to do is make sure that the putty goes where you want it to go instead
of sticking to your fingers and tools.

To achieve this keep the tools you're working with wet. The putty will not stick to them as much
as it will stick to the dry model. Get a bowl of water when you're gap filling. After a few sessions,
unless you're a sculptor and use your putty a lot, you'll notice that you have way more product
than you'll ever need in one package.

This is where storage comes in. Theoretically, the putty only hardens when you combine its two

22
components, but if you just let it sit in your cabinet for an extended period of time it'll eventually
become useless. In order to keep the putty fresh, store it in the freezer in its original packaging.
You can put it in a labelled freezer box if you're afraid someone's going to throw it out. I've had a
package of ProCreate in the freezer for several years (!) and it still works without a problem.
That's because low temperatures slow down all reactions. Also, since I'm not a sculptor, I still
haven't even used half of the stuff.

You can have a go at sculpting odd pieces with your putty, such as stones for a base, or a new
arm or head for a miniature, but this is not really the place to discuss sculpting. You can find
plenty of resources teaching you that online.

Note: You can store glue in the freezer to extend its shelf life as well.

Tip – Milliput “cement”

Sometimes, models have uneven, “pitted” surfaces in areas that are supposed to be smooth.
This is most common on metal and resin pieces. Smoothing out such a surface with putty is not
as easy as it might seem (you have to match the original texture), especially if the area is in a
place that you won't be able to sand down when your putty sets.

An interesting way to deal with this problem is by making a sort of cement from Milliput mixed
with water. Take a small amount of Milliput and mix it with some water (you can use a plastic
blister pack if you have one laying around, or make an indentation in a small blob of putty and fill
it with water). There should be more Milliput than water in your mix. The result will be a slurry
that you can use to paint over uneven surfaces with a brush (maybe not your Windsor & Newton
Series 7; it's always a good idea to have some cheap, disposable brushes around).

Of course, there are ready-made liquid putties available on the market if you don't want to make
your own. I prefer to make Milliput cement myself because I can control the end consistency. If
you're buying, you'll need to test various products and find one you like the most.

If you make your own batch of cement, heed the common wisdom of hobbyists and only mix a
little. You'll probably end up with more Milliput goo than you can use. That's why it's a good idea
to have batches of minis that need repairs when you're working with putty. It helps to minimize
waste.

23
 Hobby saw

If you want to cut a model in half, remove a leg or an arm, a hobby or jeweler's saw is the best
solution. The hobby saw is also called a razor saw, and exists as an extension for “Xacto”-type
hobby knives. A jeweler's saw is a thin wire saw, and I think it's better than a razor saw for most
hobby uses. Why? Because razor saws are broad, generate a lot of friction and can make cutting
thicker parts harder than it has to be. In a world dominated by plastic and resin models you
shouldn't have problems either way, but for bulky metal models a jeweller's saw will make a
difference.

Cutting mat

Having a cutting mat is really nice. For one, it protects your desk (duh!). Another advantage of
the cutting mat is that it protects your blades. Sharp blades get dull when you hit them against
hard surfaces and cutting mats are designed to provide you with a nice soft layer protecting your
knives. Some mats are sold as self-healing, meaning you won't see cuts on them. You might
want to protect your mat while gluing, because aggressive chemicals will damage it. A good way
to shield your expensive mat from splashes of glue is laying out a sheet of aluminium foil on top.
After you're done working you can just throw the foil away.

24
Chapter 3 How To Clean Your Minis – Removing
Imperfections

Now that you have an overview of the most useful tools for cleaning your models, and you know
what problems to expect, let's look at how best to prepare your models for gluing.

Mold lines

I think I gave you a good idea of what the best way to remove mold lines is. Grab a scraping tool
and have at 'em. It doesn't matter if the mini is plastic, resin or metal, since the blade will handle
all of these. Scrape along the mold line and watch it disappear.

Some people also use files to remove mold lines. This is a good approach in hard-to-reach, yet
visible areas where you don't have enough room to scrape. Take care though! Files can destroy
plastic and resin models pretty quickly. New rifflers will tear through many plastics, unless
they're very hard.

When working with a scraper, use the triangular shape of the blade to your advantage – align it
in a way that will prevent notching the mini. Also, be careful when handling the tool since you
can't grab it like you would a normal blade. My Noga tool came with really sharp edges, and I'm
pretty sure that whatever you end up ordering won't be dull either.

25
 You can see in the picture that the triangular blade is
small enough to deal with the vast majority of parts

Flash and tabs

This is one area where you might actually use a normal hobby knife to remove the excess
material, but a scraper will work just as well. Note that the scraper has a thick and sharp point
that will easily pierce through the flash, and the blade is small enough to allow you to cut away
the material. Again, work carefully to avoid notching the model.

Flash occurs where the two halves of a mold meet, so once you cut it away you'll be left with
something that's basically a mold line. Simply scrape it away and you're done. As with any job
you're using a scraper for, it doesn't matter if the mini is plastic, resin or metal.

If you're cutting away tabs, or cutting the parts of a miniature off a sprue, use a string cutter
with a flat head. This process might leave a big visible blemish – like the one you see on most
plastic-injection molded objects when a part is cut off from the gate through which melted
plastic flows into the mold. Clean this spot with a file if it's big, and even the surface out with
fine grit sandpaper. If it's small you can once again use the scraper.

26
 A scar left from cutting a part from its sprue

Roughen metal parts

If your model is metal then roughing up the surfaces that are going to be glued with sandpaper
will strengthen the joint. Usually you'll file the areas to make the parts fit anyway so it might not
be a necessary step. Contrary to what many people believe, filing won't help plastic or resin
elements stay glued. Instead, you will want to wipe those parts with an appropriate solvent (see
Clean Your Parts Before Gluing).

Work in batches

When you're working on cleaning up a model for wargaming, you'll often have a unit to
assemble, or many parts from a large kit. It's useful to arrange your work flow so that you do
one thing to all the parts in one pass.

For example, you might clip off all the parts from a sprue, use a file and sandpaper to smooth
out the spots that were clipped, and then scrape away all the mold lines with a scraper. Since
you're only working with one tool at a time, you'll get more efficient with each step as you go on.
Good work flow will make things go faster.

27
Chapter 4 – Prepare Your Models For Assembly

You should now have all the relevant parts cleaned up and waiting to be glued. This is the time
to check if the parts fits together well, and see what kind of joints the manufacturer expects you
to make (inevitably, those expectations will exceed your enthusiasm).

You might notice that some of the parts don't really go together that well, and that they need to
be filed down to fit snugly. For plastic models, it can be sufficient to just sand the joints down.
At this point, you should also decide whether it's necessary to pin the miniature, or if you'd like
to magnetise some parts.

A Word On Creating Joints For Gluing

Glue works best in certain planes, and will perform poorly if you apply it in a connection that
wasn't designed for it. Theoretically, this shouldn't be your problem because the designer
making the minis should have prepared connections that are easy to glue. But in practice…Well,
let's just say it doesn't always work that way.

That's why I'm including a set of pictures to help you decide whether it's a good idea to
strengthen a joint with pins. Below are the dos and don'ts of designing joints for gluing. Some
models just won't stay together if you simply glue them the way you're expected to. This
illustrated explanation should help you decide if you're dealing with such a mini. In other cases
the parts will fit well and pinning will be a waste of time.

Glue works best when the forces applied to the joint work in the two directions you see below:

1. Shearing 2. Compression

28
On the other hand, it has the lowest possible strength when you're prying or tearing away one
element from the other, like so:

3. Tearing

In the world of miniature models, the destructive force pictured above most commonly results
from a lever-style design, usually with a very small connecting surface:

4. Bad news

The way to deal with this horrible design is to replace it with a tongue and groove connection
used by carpenters for centuries. This transforms the prying and tearing forces into shearing
and compression, which most kinds of glue handle very well. It looks like this:

29
 Tearing is transformed into shearing and
compression

This is essentially what pinning does for your mini. It took years, nay, decades for the hobby
industry to adopt this solution in miniature designs on a larger scale…And yet, to this day lever-
style connections continue to plague the wargaming community.

Magnetising

Using rare-earth magnets, it's possible to create detachable parts on painted minis. This can
help with transportation if you're using foam, but its biggest benefit is allowing models that
take up a lot of space outside of their base to align with other miniatures, especially when they
engage in awesome, dice-driven combat.

Some gamers will argue that it also has an economical application, e.g. some Privateer Press
sets have one torso and a pair of legs, but different arms and heads to represent sub-types of
units; instead of buying, assembling and painting, say, three models, a crafty hobbyist can buy
one, magnetise the parts and switch them on the fly. But we're hobbyists, you and I, and we
both know that the majority of gamers will buy the three models anyway…

When magnetising a model, you must attach two rare-earth magnets of an appropriate size to
each part you'll be joining. Today, independent hobby stores are likely to have such magnets in
stock. If they don't, you'll find what you need online, but you'll have to use good judgement and

30
spatial imagination to see if the magnets will fit. As a person lacking in both departments, I
recommend measuring stuff with callipers or, at worst, a tape measure. You'll get a pretty good
idea of which magnet will fit your needs.

Magnetising might make it necessary to file down a portion of each joint. That's because the
magnets are usually flat. Also, you might have to get creative in order to conceal them – good
places to put magnets in are undersides of big pauldrons. Take advantage of the round shape of
many rare earth magnets and drill a hole of the appropriate diameter to create a custom slot for
your magnet. You can use a regular drill or a dremel.

Here’s a quick demo of the process:

I used a mill to create a spot for the magnet,

starting with a low speed and adjusting up when
necessary

31
 I glued the magnet in the resulting cavity with epoxy glue, and I glued a
small piece of aluminum sheet (cut with a Dremel cutting disc) to the arm
itself, again with epoxy for maximum strength

I recommend using epoxy glue when attaching magnets. Epoxy will create a strong bond and
can fill gaps, unlike CA glue. I will go into extensive detail about choosing the right kind of glue
for each task in a later chapter. Hardened epoxy is stronger than CA glue, and it's less likely to
snap off when you manipulate the joint.

Rare earth magnets create significant forces. In order to separate an arm that's attached by two
magnets you'll need to use some elbow grease, and that force can break the glue holding the
magnet in place. To make it easier on the glue, you can rotate the magnets and use leverage to
separate the parts. I heard stories of magnets snapping off from bases on their own because of
the forces they generate, but this is far less likely when you magnetise joints.

Pinning

When you see that the connection between two parts will be fragile, and you have doubts
whether it'll hold, you might want to strengthen the connection with a pin. The process requires
you to drill a hole in each part and then cut an appropriate length of wire that will fit into the
holes. Then you glue the pin to one part and after it dries you glue the other part.

It goes without saying that whether you use a hand-operated drill or a power tool, you'll need

32
matching drill bits and wire. Wire can be made from paper clips. Small diameter wire can be
easily obtained by buying guitar strings. But you can also just go on Amazon and buy rolls of wire
of the appropriate size – the length of one roll will be more than enough for your pinning needs
for the rest of time.

If you're not British or American, pay attention to what you’re buying. Some wire diameters on
English-language websites are provided in fractions of inches. If you're confused about imperial
vs metric wire gauges, consult the information below to see how diameters in inches correspond
to metric sizes.

Inches to metric diameters

Wires are often measured in fractions of inches, which can present a problem when you want to
get a piece matching your metric drill bit, or vice versa. Here are some imperial wire
measurements converted to metric for your convenience:

• For a 0,3mm bit: 0,0116 in = 0,295mm

• For a 0,5mm bit: 0.018 in = 0.457mm

• For a 1mm bit: 0.036 in = 0,914mm

If you need more, you can easily find calculators and charts online. Consult the resource section
for more info.

I already explained why my preferred tool for drilling holes is a Dremel. But before you drill you
have to make sure that the holes on each part align with each other. A good method for
ensuring that they do is drilling a hole in one part, inserting a short piece of wire that barely
extends outside the hole, dipping the wire in paint and then aligning the parts. The fresh paint
will transfer to the exact spot where the wire touched the second part, marking where you have
to drill. I strongly recommend using two-part epoxy glue for pinning (check out Chapter 6 - Glue,
to learn why).

In these illustrations you can see the process of pinning on the example of a metal elf witch:

33
 The mini has no chance of staying in one piece if it's just
glued like that. The connecting surfaces are tiny while the
hair and the arm holding the dagger create unfavourable
leverage if they're accidentally pulled. This model is just
begging to get pinned.

34
 After drilling holes in the head and arm with a 0,5mm bit mounted on my Dremel I
cut two pieces of a guitar string with the appropriate diameter to insert them in the
holes. I mixed a small batch of a fast two-part epoxy glue (sets in 10 minutes) and
scooped up the mixture with the string bits. I used the pins to get as much glue as I
could inside the holes. I then placed the pins in the holes and set the parts against
my scraper to let the glue cure (always prepare an area that supports curing parts
without your involvement).

35
 After the parts were ready, I used the pins to
mark the spots for drilling holes in the body. Once
the holes were drilled I used the pins to fill them
with the same two-part glue and attached the
head. To prevent the model from tipping over, I
mounted it on a blob of adhesive putty (stuff that
works like Blu-Tac).

36
 Fortunately, the arm didn't require special
support to stay in place while the glue was
curing so I just left it there. Voila! This
psychotic harpy is now about as tough as a
miniature can be.

Before you do this yourself, here are two super-important points about pinning. Firstly, I
recommend two-part epoxy glue over CA glue. Epoxy fills small gaps quite well, and the hole you
drill will often have a larger diameter than the wire you insert in it. CA glue is not designed to fill
gaps (see the glue chapter for more information about that). Secondly, you will want to wipe the
wire you're using with a solvent and use the same solvent on all the surfaces in contact with the
glue, prior to gluing. I will discuss how and why you should clean the surfaces you glue in the
next chapter.

37
Chapter 5 – Clean Your Parts Before Gluing

If you could see a part in extreme close up, you'd notice that the material a miniature is made of
– plastic, metal or resin – is covered by several layers of various substances. The first might be
microscopic traces of water. The second substance you might find is called a release agent. It is
a greasy agent that ensures parts won't stick to a mold in production. It's a vital part of plastic
injection molding. It's often used in resin casting as well, even though the molds are usually
made of silicone rubber which technically doesn't need releasing (release agent makes
demolding easier and prolongs the lifetime of a silicone mold).

You don't want your glue (or paint for that matter) to be
attached to a layer of grime resting atop a dab of release
agent and water

Finally, the very top of the surface might be oils from your hands, filings, dust, and all manners
of residue left from your preparation process. Here's the reason why you should clean these
layers – each and every one of them will make your connection weaker. Quite often, a miniature
seems fine after gluing but then it falls apart when you touch it! Some problems are caused by
mishandling the glue (too much CA glue added) or the connection (moving the parts before the
glue has set).

But at other times, the glue has no chance of creating a strong bond. It sticks to the grime or the
release agent and falls off along with a part when put under stress. Cleaning models with a
solvent before gluing is an easy, sure-fire way of strengthening the joints you make, and it
requires very little work. If there's only one piece of advice from this entire guide that you're
willing to apply, let it be this. You'd be crazy not to do it now that you know the details!

38
So how should you go about cleaning your parts? For large, even surfaces you can use a paper
towel – preferably one that doesn't leave particles behind as you work with it. But for the
majority of miniatures use a toothbrush to get into every nook and cranny. Wet your towel or
toothbrush with isopropyl alcohol – it's a great solvent for removing grease that evaporates
leaving almost no trace – and get to work. While you're at it, wipe the whole mini, not just the
joints. Why? Because the solvent will also make it easier for paint to adhere to the surface.

You know how sometimes paint just kind of peels off from the miniature after it bumps into
something? Literally all the layers, from the primer and basecoat up to the varnish can simply
fall off. That's a sure sign that the primer you applied didn't actually stick to the surface of the
model. As with glue, it latched onto a greasy spot or a microscopically thin patch of mold
release, and didn't need much outside force to peel away.

Cleaning the mini will make all these potentially infuriating problems go away. But you'll have to
use rubber gloves while you're working. It's best to go with one-use-only gloves because unlike
the thicker rubber gloves for household purposes they wrap tightly around the fingers and don't
impair your fine motor control. You can get a big box of latex or nitrile gloves online for cheap,
and they'll last you a long time, since you can reuse a pair for as long as they don't tear. By using
gloves you make sure that the oils from your hands won't make the mini greasy again, plus you
gain a layer of protection between the solvent and your skin.

A pair of nitrile gloves

But what about pins and pin-holes? How would you clean those? Pins are easy, you can just
wipe them with a towel. Pin holes don't require cleaning with solvents. The material inside is

39
“fresh” – it didn't have the chance to get stained with grease during molding or your work on the
model.

The most dangerous stuff for your pins that can be found inside the hole are shavings from
drilling. But there shouldn't be too many shavings in a small pin hole. If you're worried about
them, just tap the drilled part against your table and see if any fall out.

To recap, make sure that you clean the miniature with solvent as the last step before applying
glue. By doing so you'll remove all the dust, grease and grime. You'll be left with clean, matching
surfaces that are ready for gluing.

40
Chapter 6 – Glue

I don't know about you, but I used to think that messages on glue packages were complete
hogwash. Glue manufacturers often claim that the bond created by their product is “stronger
than steel” or other such nonsense, but then you buy a pot and anything you put together falls
apart faster than you can say ‘antidisestablishmentarianism (yes, that's a real word). There are a
few reasons for this.

The first one should be clear from the last section. Straight out of the box, miniatures are
coated with thin layers of stuff that's going to prevent the glue from sticking to the surface.
That, right there, can spell the doom of your modelling efforts. Then there are poorly designed
connections. But there are also other problems, like choosing the right glue for the job and
applying it properly, as well as handling parts while the glue sets.

In this chapter we'll take a look at the various types of glue that can be used in our hobby. I'm
not an advocate for any specific brand, and this is not the type of guide that'll tell you to just use
x brand of glue for everything. See what's easily available to you. When I get excited about a new
project I want to start working on it ASAP, so I'll often buy what's immediately available. If
you're anything like me, you'd be poorly served by a guide of products that can't be bought
where you live.

Cyanoacrylate, or CA glue

Let's start with the most popular option out there. Sometimes known as super glue, CA is a

41
staple adhesive in the hobby. When it works, you can just apply it and forget about it for years.
This makes CA a great option in many uses, but not all.

Many hobbyists default to some brand of CA glue as their “go to” option for most work.
Cyanoacrylate is great for bonding surfaces with very small gaps between them. Did you know
that electronic chips on credit cards are attached with CA glue? When have you ever seen one
fall off? And when's the last time you saw a miniature put together with the same glue fall
apart?

Your answer to the first question is probably “never”. But the second question might just be
why you're reading this guide. Here's the difference. The layer of glue between a chip on a credit
card and the plastic surface can be as thin as 0,02mm. Do you or any of your buddies work with
such tight tolerances when putting together your models?

If you're planning to use CA on miniatures, make sure that the parts fit together tightly. Only use
a small amount in one spot, such as a small bead of glue that will spread evenly to all the right
places when you join the parts. Use the glue only on one part, and make sure there is no excess.
CA will create a strong bond in a layer up to about 0,2mm (it varies depending on the
formulation).

On the other hand, too much CA glue won't work. You've probably had the experience of joining
two parts with glue, waiting 10 seconds or more only to see them fall off as if you had applied
water instead of adhesive. Why does this happen? CA reacts with moisture from the air to cure.
If you put too much glue in one spot, both the part you're trying to attach and the excess glue
will prevent any air from reaching the joint. The cyanoacrylate will set around the edges of the
connection you're making, but it will remain wet where you want your bond the most. If you
really overdo it, it might not cure around the edges either.

That's why applying more CA to fill a gap is never a good idea. The glue will either cure poorly or
won't cure at all. The outcome will be crap in either case because CA is not designed to work
well in thick globs.

It's up to you to decide if you want to use CA for a given joint. In many situations it will be an
excellent choice. For example, plastic injection molded minis designed with robust joints should
fit together very tightly and are a great match for cyanoacrylate. Unless you end up sanding or
filing off too much plastic, you'll generally have a joint that's perfectly suited for CA. Just clean

42
the parts as per the previous chapter, apply a small drop of glue on one side, and then hold the
parts together. You don't have to squeeze them if they fit well.

On the other hand, if the parts don't fit that well, which very often happens with metal models,
consider using a different kind of glue. I recommend two-part epoxy for reasons we will talk
about later.

CA also doesn't have very good shear strength in comparison to epoxy. This makes it a worse
choice for pinning.

CA Tip

Cyanoacrylate often comes in 2 ml containers that are absolutely useless. They make applying a
small drop of glue almost impossible. Tips get glued to the rest of the container and cured CA
prevents the contents of a package from flowing out. You may end up with a tub that has a lot
of glue inside but you can't get any of it out. In these situations applying force will destroy the
fragile packaging and make a mess.

Whenever possible, buy glue in bigger plastic pots, such as 20 ml or 50 ml (you can see what I'm
talking about in the picture at the beginning of this chapter). Hobby stores should have them, as
well as adhesive stores that sell glue to manufacturers. They come with screw-on lids. I'll show
you how you can use the good containers to store you glue without making it hard to actually
apply the stuff on small parts.

Buy small syringes with tiny needles. The syringes need to be plastic, without rubber parts.
Plastics such as PP or PE won't react with the glue and are 100% safe for this purpose. Open
your container and get some of the CA inside the syringe.

See how I do it in the picture on the following page:

43
 Inevitably, some air will get in there as well and form
a bubble that'll rise to the top. When working,
position your syringe in a way that keeps the bubble
away from the needle, otherwise you'll be pushing out
glue with air, creating splashes instead of pouring out
in a steady stream.

Voila! You now have a neat way of controlling the flow of CA to your parts. Transfer the unused
glue back to the pot when you're done. You can also seal the tip of the needle with a soft eraser,
or some other piece of airtight rubber to store the glue directly in the syringe.

Not a perfect solution, but it will keep your glue inside the syringe

The CA will usually set inside the needle but remain liquid in the syringe. That's because the
rubber seal you use is not fully airtight. You have a few options when that happens. The easiest
one is to just replace the needle. The second alternative is to clip a fair portion of the sealed
needle off with your string cutter.

44
The third, “heavy metal” variant, is heating up the needle with a lighter. I won't take any
responsibility if you do it and get hurt. So treat this more like you would the know-it-all fat guy
at the game store when he's spreading rumours about new releases. It might seem crazy but it's
mostly safe if you work in a well ventilated area (which you should be when using glue anyway).
You'll have to watch out for a small burst of flame and glue dripping out of the needle after the
procedure though – some of it is bound to flow out, and it can ruin your trousers or work area. If
you have any doubts at all about following this tip then just ignore it. Aside from the Dremel
stuff mentioned in previous chapters this is probably the most dangerous technique described
in this entire guide.

In any case, syringes are a dirt cheap, DIY solution for applying CA glue that makes life just a bit
easier. They'll make it possible for you to get a small dab of glue in a tight spot without gluing
your fingers together. You can even bend the needles slightly for easier application in corners. If
you're afraid of pricking your fingers with the needle, simply cut off the sharp end with your
string cutter – but do remember that you're using the syringe not to have glue near your fingers.

A crooked shape might prove useful for some

projects

One word of warning about CA glue. You already know it reacts with moisture in the air – it
won't work that quickly in a very dry environment. The bond will be weaker and your job will be
more unpleasant. The strong smell of the glue is an indicator of the fumes reacting with the
moisture in your nostrils! That's not very healthy, and it means that your work might be
compromised by poor curing.

45
But, despite its unpleasant smell, CA glue is not very toxic. It's used for medical purposes to seal
wounds. If you get any on your fingers it will fall off after a few hours all on its own
(understandably, most people don't have the patience to wait that long after a hobby cock-up).

Don't waste time after applying glue to one part. Act quickly and put the two elements
together. As I already said, you don't have to keep squeezing the parts tightly if they fit snugly. If
they don't you're better off using a different kind of glue for that joint.

Each CA formulation might have a slightly different cure time, so it's best to let the pieces stay
together for a bit longer than the packaging says. I'm assuming that you'll be holding the parts
in your hands, because the quick set time of CA glue doesn't give you the opportunity to position
minis so that they stand in the desired position by themselves.

I hope that with the tips in this chapter you will be able to avoid creating poor joints and getting
CA on your fingers. This is the type of adhesive that works best in very thin layers, so if it flows
out to attack your hands when you join the two parts you want to glue, you're using too much.
Also, use the gloves you bought for cleaning your minis when working with any type of glue, it
might save you from undesirable hobby accidents, such as skin allergies.

Scenic Tip

CA works great for adding patches of static grass to your bases. Just apply a drop of glue in the
place where you want your grass tuft to stand, sprinkle the static grass on top, and quickly
position the base upside down. Tap the edges of the base to make the excess static grass fall
off. With this method the grass will stand upwards.

Pro Tip

While the content of this guide should make your hobby life easier and more civilised, consider
wearing disposable clothes when you're working with glue. There are guides on removing CA
stains from clothes, but the procedure requires additional effort (no good), takes time (ghastly!)
and might not restore your favourite trousers or novelty t-shirt to their original glory. This might
end with your second half taking you to the store to choose new pants, which is a completely
unacceptable result of spending your free time on hobby stuff. On the off chance that you're a
female, or that you simply care about your apparel, spilling glue on your clothes might actually
ruin your day.

46
An option to protect yourself from these horrible eventualities is purchasing a lab coat. This has
the following advantages: 1) ego boost by false association with science 2) inadvertent increase
of others' opinions of you 3) possession of a lab coat 4) it also works when you're painting 5)
washable. I will grudgingly admit that a lab coat is only one choice of working overalls, but I will
not suggest any other options in this Pro Tip.

Epoxy glue

Epoxy is another popular choice of glue that will work well with all types of miniatures: plastic,
metal and resin. It's not used as often as CA because it comes in two parts that need to be
mixed, and because its cure time is much longer than CA. The first reason is also why I
recommend epoxy where CA is a poor match.

The two components of the glue start curing after they're combined, which means a thicker
layer will cure completely given time. Hence, epoxy is more lenient than CA in the type of joints
you can use it for. Remember, CA glue cures in contact with air moisture and shouldn't be relied
on for gap filling.

Epoxy is great for pinning because the pins will hold the pieces together while the glue sets. It
also has a higher shear strength than CA. If you're used to holding parts in your hands while glue
sets then you probably don't like the idea of using epoxy because of its long cure time. But
neither CA nor epoxy require you to be squeezing parts while the glue cures! You don't have to
hold them tightly, they'll cure just fine on their own.

It's enough to align your parts and ensure they won't move – that's all you really need to do with
glue. An initial squeeze in the case of CA and epoxy has different purposes. For CA, you're
ensuring that the parts fit tightly and spreading the glue along the joined surfaces. For epoxy,
you're squeezing out air out of the joint. Since air bubbles aren't known for making tough

47
connections, it's a good idea to make sure that the joint actually contains mostly glue. The EP
should push out most of the air as it spreads throughout the joint.

An immense advantage that a proper epoxy bond has over CA is its toughness. Objectively
speaking, both glues are rather brittle (they're not elastic and will snap if you bend them), but in
the hobby world we want stiff connections. The tougher they are, the better, and epoxy will
create stronger bonds than CA.

The sufficient thickness of a layer of epoxy for holding two parts together is a few tenths of a
millimeter, and that starts to be noticeable on miniatures. Hence epoxy can fill small gaps, but it
can also leave a visible seam, unlike CA. Use it where small seams of glue won't ruin the
aesthetics of the model. Remember that you can also file the excess glue down and smooth the
joint. After painting, EP won't be any more visible than CA.

Overall, I recommend using two-part EP glue in cases where the joined surfaces don't fit
together tightly, or when you're pinning and magnetising. EP creates stronger bonds than CA, so
it's also better when you're gluing metal parts.

A word on safety:

EP doesn't smell as bad as CA, but it is harmful. Use your gloves when handling it to avoid any
contact with your skin, and mix the two ingredients with the little plastic tools you get with each
package. Ignoring safety precautions for EP glue might lead to allergies and poisoning!

Aligning Parts When Using Long-Curing EP Glue:

Perhaps the biggest drawback of EP is the cure time. Miniature parts are small and finicky, and
there are usually lots of them to glue in one session. Manually holding two parts for 10-15
minutes sucks and is very impractical. It's good to develop some way of keeping the pieces
together that doesn't require your attention. Pinning takes care of the problem, but there will be
connections you don't want to pin.

What to do when you're gluing two parts that don't stay together on their own? I think a great
solution is adhesive putty, such as Blu-Tac. You can use it to create a support under the part
that might fall off. This can be combined with laying the miniature on its side or back to make
the joint less likely to move.

48
Do a dry run with adhesive putty before applying the glue to see if the joint will hold. Then add
the glue, align the parts and use your makeshift support to hold everything in place. It might still
be impractical to glue more than two parts on the same mini in one go, but such is life. You can
go do something else while it cures.

Fully Cured

EP will have an initial curing time that might seem long, but it will take much more time than
that for it to reach its maximum strength (usually a day or more, it will depend on the glue). Be
careful when handling your freshly-glued models – don't “test” the joint immediately or you
might break it. The mini should be good for careful transportation and gaming, just go easy on it
for a day or so. After that you will be able to enjoy the full benefits of the superior strength of
epoxy glue.

Bases and PVA Glue

PVA is not really a choice when gluing minis, but I felt that it should be included in this guide
because it does get a lot of use in basing. Preparing bases can also be considered a part of
assembling minis, since you have to get all the elements on the base before you paint them. And
if you do the base wrong, the mini might fall off!

PVA can be bought in many varieties, and it's often used for gluing wood. For miniatures, PVA
diluted with water works great for attaching sand or flock to a base. When you're shopping for a
bottle of PVA make sure that the container won't cause problems for you later on.

If there is a plastic cap screwed on to a tub of glue, tooth-paste style, then you might run into
problems. It often happens that when you don't use the glue for a longer period of time the cap
sticks to the tub and opening the container might rip the tub apart. I'd avoid these types of
containers.

When you spread the glue on the base after mixing it with water you might be tempted to use

49
an old paintbrush. I advise against this – the paintbrush will be ruined unless you clean it with
water. Once the bristles are glued together you might as well apply your glue with a stick. It's
better to just use a small plastic spatula (like the ones you get with two-part EP glue). After the
remaining glue dries on the end of the spatula you'll be able to peel off the residue without any
trouble.

This brings us to the next important point – if your model doesn't have a tab, and the base isn't
slotted, be careful not to attach the miniature on top of sand or flock glued with PVA. It's far
better if the mini is glued to the plastic surface of the base first, e.g. with EP, after wiping the
base with isopropyl alcohol. Then you can carefully apply the PVA around the mini and attach
the flock.

Why? Because PVA isn't very strong, it can chip off, and if your model is standing on top of it, it
will fall off along with the glue. It's just risky, and not worth your time to fix the eventual
mishaps.

If you want the model to visibly stand on top of a thicker layer of sand or flock, pin it to the base.
Drill holes in the feet of the model, drill holes in the base after attaching the flock. Glue the pins
to the feet of the mini, insert them in the holes in the base, and instead of cutting the excess
wire bend it and glue it to the base's underside (with epoxy, not CA). See the pictures below for
a tutorial.

I used the same guitar string, 0,5mm drill bit and EP glue
to attach these pins as I did for the elf. Naturally, I used
my dremel to bore the holes.

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 Then it was a simple matter of drilling holes in the
correct spots

By bending the excess length of wire instead of

cutting it off, you gain extra contact surface for
glue

It's also wise to pin minis to scenic bases, such as resin-cast tiles. When there is no slot in the
base, you should create your own. This tip is well-known among expert painters who often
create large scenic bases with spaces to attach models to them in competitions. The miniature
and the base are often transported separately because it's safer that way.

Hardcore miniature painters also glue pins to the feet of their models and then insert the
extending wire into corks, thus creating convenient holders that allow them superior access to
every area on a miniature – all without touching the model with their hand. It's a neat trick that

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even gamers can use when painting centerpieces. Why go through the extra trouble? The oils
from your hand can rub off the paint from a mini, destroying your own work during painting.
Best not to touch a painted mini until it's varnished.

Plastic Cement

Here's a category of glue that is widely used in assembling scale models, such as airplanes and
tanks. Plastic cement is a common name for butanone, a chemical compound that is capable of
melting polystyrene, the material often used to make scale models. So, it's actually a solvent – it
melts the surfaces of two plastic parts and chemically welds them together. That's pretty cool.

But there's a catch – there are many types of plastics, and there are many types of plastic
cement. Not all of these solvents will work for your particular models, especially if you have
minis from more than one manufacturer! Even within one brand, a cement that works for plastic
minis might not do so well when applied to resin parts (both are completely different polymers
with different chemical compositions, and the melting effect of plastic cement is a chemical
reaction).

I cannot in good conscience recommend any type of plastic cement without going into
manufacturer specifics. On the other hand, there are solvents such as acetone that are likely to
weld most plastic minis – but you'd be risking damaging other surfaces if you're not careful
when applying it.

In industrial use, there's a whole category of glues used for welding specific plastics (MA –
methacrylate adhesives), and they work great for the majority of applications. But they're
applied using special equipment that precludes them from being used in our hobby. Unless
you're a factory owner with a metering-dispensing machine who accesses the hall at midnight
to assemble your miniatures…

In conclusion to this section, you can safely use plastic cement for plastic injection molded
miniatures if you bought the adhesive and the models from the same manufacturer. If they
recommend a product for their minis, it's on them if it fails. You'll probably pay a premium for it,
but the bond should be really strong.

If there's a downside to this choice it's that if you're not careful when applying the glue, you
might melt some details. So unless you're working to recreate the face melting scene from

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Raiders of the Lost Ark for a diorama, look out!

Antitrust Tip

Want to use plastic cement but you don't want to be limited in your choice? Check the markings
on the sprues of your minis. Usually there's text molded onto the sprue which indicates what
kind of plastic the models are made of (this can be ABS, polystyrene, or some blend of
materials).

These markings are important for recycling thermoplastics, so you just might find the necessary
information on the sprue, the box, or in some attached brochure or booklet (I didn't find it on
the last Games Workshop product I inspected though, and they're the biggest manufacturer of
plastic minis by far). Once you determine the material your minis are made of, you're free to
peruse your Internet search engine of choice to find a brand of plastic cement that's advertised
to work with your plastic.

Since no manufacturer of miniatures is limited in their choice of materials I don't want to give
general recommendations here. Let's just say that CA and EP should cover your needs without
the addition of plastic cement, but the latter offers better results if it's matched with your
particular minis. It's never a substitute for pinning a poorly designed joint, though!

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Glue reference

• Use CA in tight spots when the joints you're gluing are well-matched. Apply only a small
amount on one side. Avoid working in very dry environments and consider using cheap medical
syringes as applicators.

• Use two-part EP for metal models and in places where the joints don't align perfectly. Use EP
for pinning and magnetising for superior bond strength. Prepare the parts so that they can
remain aligned without your help to save time.

• Use PVA for basing. Dilute the glue with water and spread it on the base, then add sand or
flock. Avoid gluing miniatures to this decorative layer – make a connection with the base, or pin
the model through its feet (or whatever it has instead of feet).

• Use plastic cement according to its manufacturer's directions. If you want to use a different
cement, check the sprue for the type of plastic your models are made of and find another brand
of adhesive online. Unless the glue manufacturer explicitly states otherwise, don't use plastic
cement on resin (most casting resins are polyurethanes, or PU for short).

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An overview of the assembly process

Here's an overview of the whole process, summarising the key info found in this guide.

1. Remove all casting artifacts with your tools and make sure your joints match.

2. Determine which glue you're going to use and whether you need pinning or magnetising.

3. Drill pin holes and spots for attaching magnets (if using).

4. Clean all the parts with a toothbrush or a piece of paper towel wetted with isopropyl alcohol.
Wear gloves.

5. Before gluing put on a lab coat or some shabby clothes you don't mind ruining.

6. If using a glue with longer cure time, prepare your models so that you don't have to hold the
parts yourself (e.g. with Blue-Tack).

7. Apply glue. Beware of destroying your favourite apparel.

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Chapter 7 – What's Next?

With the info I've given you so far you should be able to create strong connections with a
minimum of fuss. Handled with care, your models will be able to withstand the stresses of
gaming. Best of all, you'll be able to avoid the common pitfalls of assembling miniatures – the
kind of stuff that makes you want to scream silently, pull out your hair, or post angry videos and
comments online.

Your assembled minis will also require painting. If you take them to some games beforehand,
which you most likely will, I encourage you to give your models a wipe with isopropyl alcohol
again before applying primer. This way you'll remove all greasy substances that might
compromise your paint job, and you'll make use of that bottle of solvent that's likely way too big
for the assembly job you bought it for.

Note: isopropyl alcohol is great for degreasing a lot of things, such as computer parts and
cosmetic surfaces around the house. Don't be afraid to use it outside of the hobby – unlike
acetone, it won't ruin plastic, metal or glass. E.g. you can wipe displays or keyboards with it.

In the remainder of this guide I want to talk to you about the most important aspect of keeping
your models glued – carrying them to games.

How To Keep Your Models From Falling Apart

A good connection can outlast the parts it's holding. Especially in small plastic or resin parts,
there's a risk that a thin spear, sword or banner will break, while the glue attaching the arm to
the torso remains defiant (and probably arrogant or aloof at the same time, perhaps making
derisive comments about the flimsiness of thin plastic, or shoddy injection molding technique).
In this guide, you have all the knowledge you need to make masterful connections – but it won't
mean squat if you're careless when carrying your minis around.

Glue can withstand a fair share of abuse, but the miniatures we use it on are fragile. A great
danger for your modelling efforts comes from the multiple points of leverage on a mini. If a
spear or a spike gets stuck in foam, for example, you might break it off when taking the model
out of its case. Or maybe your model doesn't quite fit the compartment you're putting it in. Let's
take a look at the best ways you can protect your work in transport and in normal use.

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Conventional Methods For Carrying Minis – Foam

The traditional way of lugging your miniature collection around is foam, usually packed in a
carrying case, or maybe a fancy bag. Foam dampens shocks, which is its chief virtue, but it also
has a couple of drawbacks that can make it a poor choice for hobbyists.

First of all, foam works best if it's specifically cut to fit your models. Otherwise you might have
problems with fitting miniatures into their compartments, which can result in broken joints. In
addition, if the model is allowed to bounce around in its space—especially if it has metal parts—
the heavier part might exert pressure on a fragile connection and break it. A small, sharp
element might get stuck in the foam and the weight of the rest of the mini might combine with
leverage to destroy the joint.

I've had it happen with many miniatures and it pisses me off. I'm slow to paint my models, and
seeing one ruined through no fault of my own shatters my enthusiasm and motivation for
further work. This is also a big issue for hobbyists who convert their minis. One of my friends is a
bit paranoid about breaking his intricate additions to Battletech models, and needless to say, he
can't really buy custom foam for his conversions (unless he gets a CNC plotter and cuts it
himself; if you're reading this, and you're offering custom-cut foam for conversions let me know
and I'll update this paragraph).

The second issue with foam, regardless of whether it's been cut especially for you or not, is that
when parts get stuck in it it's very easy to break a model yourself. That's because most sharp
bits are protrusions that create natural points of leverage. If you unintentionally pull on such a
lever it won't take much force to break a joint.

Unfortunately, harder foam that's not susceptible to having sharp parts stick to it is also not a
good match for miniatures. It won't perform the same function as the softer foam does. I won't
go into such details as getting new models that don't fit the foam you have, and having to wait
weeks for new foam trays.

Foam was great when miniatures were compact and sturdy, and the industry didn't know how
to make spectacular models in unusual shapes and poses. Now it still protects minis, but often
doesn’t fit. You either settle for a few one-size-fits-all trays, or you buy custom trays to fit your
collection. The latter option is superior, but it means you'll keep buying foam for every new

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release you buy.

An upside is that many companies offer foam, so you're bound to get a good product and
excellent service if you go that route.

If you're adamant about getting foam trays the best option is to buy ones that are cut to fit the
shapes of your minis. It will limit your creativity in terms of conversions, but it's safer than
“standard” slots. In any case, storing your minis in foam defeats the purpose of assembling and
painting them in the first place. No one's going to see them, and you probably don't want to
constantly handle them just to show off your newest projects.

A Less Conventional Method – Magnets

Many people who grow frustrated with the limitations of foam switch to magnetising bases.
What's the upside of that? The miniature doesn't touch anything in transportation. Therefore,
the connections and paint job are safer. All the problems I've described with foam are waved
away.

In addition, you can magnetise anything you like, so it's easy to carry oversized, or oddly shaped
models. But this comes at a price. For one, you'll have to build or convert your own case, lined
with sheet metal, or carry a heavy metal toolbox (the easiest ready-made option to buy).

Another problem is attaching the rare-earth magnets. These things are really strong! If there's
any space between the magnet and the metal attracting it, you'll need a heavy duty bond to
prevent your precious alloy from snapping off. This is problematic, to say the least, because the
undersides of bases will be either too shallow, or too deep for most standard-sized magnets. It
just takes a fraction of a millimetre of space between magnet and metal to exert continuous
force on you connection.

Scenic bases from smaller companies are cast in resin and are a solid block of plastic (you need
to drill a hole for a magnet yourself). And I have no idea how to go about magnetising the bases
which came with the Mantic models I purchased for this guide.

So you'll spend a goodly amount of time covering the magnet in epoxy, or following some guide
on the Internet, to make sure that the thing sticks and doesn't break off. On every single base.
It's not an attractive way of spending your Saturday afternoon, that's for sure.

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The third reason I don't use magnets (which I used to) is that the magnetic forces work best in
one direction: perpendicular to the surface the magnet is drawn to. It isn't nearly as strong
parallel to the surface. What does this mean? It means your magnetised minis will slide around
in your case if you're not careful.

I don't need to tell you what might happen when two models smash together in transport
without you even noticing (you can just hear the classic Ghostbusters line: “don't cross the
streams!”). If any part breaks as a result of such a collision it will continue to bounce around
inside the case, possibly damaging other miniatures.

The magnetic forces holding your models in place will also work against you when you're trying
to take a mini out of the case, and the metal tip of your tape measure might stick to the model's
base during games.

If you decide to go with magnets, make sure you limit the amount of forces that might cause
your minis to slide around when you're on your way to a game. One way of achieving this is by
orienting your models horizontally in relation to the ground. Don't attach the sheet metal to the
sides of a plastic carrying case – the miniatures will be pulled downwards by the force of gravity,
which might combine with the movement of the case as you swing your arm while walking.
These conditions will almost certainly displace heavier miniatures and cause nasty accidents (in
my case it was a metal fiend of a certain chaotically aligned entity whose name is protected by
arcane sigils crafted by attorneys).

Build a case in which the sheet metal is parallel to the ground when you're carrying it. It's far less
convenient to carry than a regular case, but it's safer and it'll probably do fine in a car.

Apart from rare-earth magnets, there's also self-adhesive magnetic sheet that consists of the
same type of magnet you might find on a fridge. It's too weak to hold metal models, and I
wouldn't risk it for plastics either – at least in transport. They do a great job for a unit's
movement tray, though (despite the fact that few popular games have blocks of units like
Games Workshop's no longer supported game system had).

Magnets are an ambitious hobby project, provided you can be extra careful when carrying your
minis. It's a versatile solution that will surely provide you with some bragging rights if you're
successful. You'll also be able to attach models to your refrigerator, so there's that as well.

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The Best Option – A System Specially Designed For Carrying
Miniatures

Hello

By now you should be able to guess that I'm a fan of using tools that are designed for a given
job. It saves time, headaches and sometimes even money to go with a tool that was tailored to
do a specific task. Carrying miniatures is not an exception.

Many of the problems with traditional carrying methods that I described above come from the
fact that they're adaptations of existing solutions. And these solutions weren't created for a
super-niche application such as transporting miniatures.

Just like with tools designed for deburring parts, preparing a connection for gluing and applying
the right type of glue, you will do yourself a favour if you choose a system that was custom
made for miniatures. What would such a system look like? It would have all the benefits of
magnets, but without any of the drawbacks or added work. Here's what such a solution should
provide:

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• The models don't touch anything, so glued joints and paint jobs are 100% safe

• You can fit any mini you like, since the system adjusts to your needs

• Everything is provided in one package and works without any effort on your behalf

• Your minis can stay on display and be ready for transport at the same time (like with magnets)

• No risk of models bouncing around when you carry them

• The bag is reinforced to protect its contents from outside shocks, like a laptop bag

• The whole system is modular, so you only ever need one smaller case and a bigger bag for
moving bigger collections

Wouldn't that be great? You wouldn't have to worry about transporting new models. You'd be
able to conveniently display your painted minis without the hassle of repacking. You'd be free to
convert your miniatures however you like. You could buy a new faction or a new game system
and you'd be able to carry the minis around at no extra cost or effort.

Well, this isn't just some nerdy wishlist of features. You don't have to invent or build such a
system, because it already exists. It's called ShapeShift, and you've seen it in the picture above.
If you'd like a modular, adaptable, one-stop solution for transporting, storing and displaying
your miniatures, go to www.phobosfoundry.com and see how it works!

It's a great option for gamers and collectors who value their time, modelling efforts and money.
It's also a saving throw against problems with managing your collection.

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Conclusion

Thank you for reading this guide. I hope it will serve you well in your hobby, and make life at least
a little bit easier! Assembling and painting minis is really a labour-intensive project. I did my best
to show you the tools and techniques I use to minimize unnecessary effort and eliminate
common frustrations.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions on improving this guide, send them to me
at: marcingolab@phobosfoundry.com.

Good luck with your miniature projects and have fun!

Marcin Golab

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