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Post by sirgawain on May 30, 2018 22:39:37 GMT
This question has probably never been asked here, but I'm trying something unusual and wondered if anyone has had previous experience with this type of problem. I purchased a bunch of 1/72 scale miniatures from HaT and The Red Box to begin making armies for Age of Fantasy (have always used other people's miniatures). I noticed that the plastic they use is a soft type of plastic, not hard like WH40K (polystyrene). I think it's some sort of PVC plastic, but their websites are void of further details. They all have their own bases, but not much surface area, so every time I bump my table, they fall down DEAD. Well, enough of that...so I decided to put them on a new base. My idea was to buy a bag of cheap tiddlywinks and just glue them to the bottom of the miniature. Tada! A new base...However, I have Model Master's plastic cement that I use for my WH40K models, which isn't going to work on the soft plastic of these miniatures. I'm getting conflicting information on the internet on how to tackle this problem. So, what type of glue will work putting the soft plastic of the miniature to the hard plastic of a tiddlywink together? Thoughts?  |
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Post by sirgawain on May 31, 2018 11:55:15 GMT
Just bought Gorilla Glue super glue gel and Loctite 2-part activator glue. Time to experiment.
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Post by andyskinner on May 31, 2018 12:03:52 GMT
I recommend a washer for the weight, but your tiddlywinks should work.
I think super glue will be fine. I might put a few scratches on the bottom of the plastic figure's molded on base, maybe on the wink, too.
andy
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Post by sirgawain on May 31, 2018 17:16:39 GMT
You know, I spent WAAAAAAYYYY too much time debating what to use as a base.  My initial game plan involved buying washers for my miniature's bases, but I instead went with tiddlywinks. Less weight (1 gram vs 2.5 grams), cheaper (slightly), and I felt the glue would hold plastic to plastic better than metal to plastic. I don't think the weight matters as much as the surface area for stability. The 'winks are 19.5 mm and give plenty of stability (assuming the glues hold). I also took sandpaper and scuffed the miniature's base and 1 side of the tiddlywink.   (work in the background)*(%%^@#$*&^&&^%).................................. Okay, I currently have 2 Red Box dwarves glued; 1 with Gorilla Glue super glue ultra control gel and the other with Testor's Model Master liquid cement. I also have Loctite plastics Bonding system to try for a 3rd alternative. I think I'll let them cure for at least 12 hours and I'll report back on a couple of tests to see if they hold. Early observation: the liquid cement melted the 'wink easily, but the bottom base of the miniature is putting up quite a resistance (as I expected). |
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Post by sirgawain on Jun 1, 2018 15:55:46 GMT
I just field tested 4 miniatures that I had glued the day before, 2 Red Box dwarves made with a semi-soft plastic and 2 HaT soldiers made with a very soft plastic (2 with super glue and 2 with liquid cement). I dropped them from 6 feet high twice each and the bases stayed on tight. They seem to be attached to their bases firmly, even when I give them a tug. I'm surprised the liquid cement worked...my only conclusion is that if the 'winks were made out of the same soft plastic (instead of hard plastic), they wouldn't have been able to stick together as firmly as they are now. It seems I'll use the super glue for now since it will harden within a month due to being open. It never has a long shelf life anyways. So if anyone was curious, well, there you have it.  |
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Post by sirgawain on Jun 24, 2018 17:52:20 GMT
Update for the 3 people that care: Progress continues...I have multiple batches of dwarves and orcs done, and up next are the humans. The weight I've saved by not using washers has been quite noticeable.
Also, I continue to use Gorilla Glue super glue ultra control gel. I usually have to hold the miniature and base firmly for about 30 seconds to establish a hold.
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Post by sirgawain on Jul 6, 2018 22:11:45 GMT
Update: Olog-Hai problems. The Red Box Dark Alliance War Trolls set 1 is a good set if you want 20mm versions of LotR trolls, but the molds need some work. Flash and uneven bases hamper progress. I'd like to be gluing more bases, but got caught up in this mess. I really need a power sander to even out their bases.  |
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Post by spencer on Jul 20, 2018 15:51:04 GMT
Good to know about the HaT stuff. I have some of their minis for an elven army I'm crafting, and I was wondering how well that soft plastic would take glue. Thanks for the research, sirgawain! Would love to see some pictures of the Red Box Dark Alliance War Trolls, especially with some 25/28mm for scale reference. |
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Post by sirgawain on Jul 21, 2018 20:41:45 GMT
Ugh, those trolls...I like them, but as I mentioned, they need to work on their molding process.
Still working on them. Just got a power sander for a bookshelf I'm working on. Should probably use it on the trolls (just hope they don't sand the entire base off in 3 seconds!).
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Post by sirgawain on Jul 21, 2018 21:13:46 GMT
If I knew how to upload pictures, I'd do it. I go to upload an image and it points to a hyperlink. I have jpeg pictures on my hard drive, but am stuck. I must be getting old.  |
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Post by sirgawain on Jul 22, 2018 2:01:24 GMT
Okay, well that didn't work. I'll try to upload the picture tomorrow. ![]() |
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Post by TabletopBattlezone on Jul 28, 2018 3:29:06 GMT
I swear by that Gorilla Glue gel, it is amazing, I use it on metal, resin, different types of plastics, etc., and it has never failed me. I always leave anything I glued aside for 24 hours before messing with it, I know the glue dries faster, but it seems like sometimes after a couple hours the bond isn't fully secure like it is if I just give it a day.
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Post by sirgawain on Jul 30, 2018 1:26:58 GMT
Okay, so today I just finished a small army (no pun intended). 95 Hat El Cid soldiers have been sanded and based. It took 2 days, but they look outstanding.
Obviouslyderek, yeah, I usually let them sit for a day just to make sure they cure properly. But I have other projects going on so I'm never in a hurry to continue working with them. I believe it all depends on the plastic. The soft plastic of the Hat soldiers was near instantaneous. The figures took about 2 seconds to bond, whereas the Red Box Orcs I glued together needed a little longer to bond.
By long I mean about 10 to 15 seconds, tops.
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Post by sirgawain on Jul 30, 2018 1:37:41 GMT
Another little but of information I forgot to mention...I bought a box of HaT Gothic Cavalry and couldn't get the guys on the horses. Tried both Gorrila Glue gel and Testor's Liquid Cement. I didn't sand them, only gave them a wash in the sink. But the plastic is different from the soldiers; it's a medium hardness plastic (not soft or hard). It has a waxy, almost oily feel to them. I'm setting them aside for now and getting back to my dwarves.
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Post by TabletopBattlezone on Jul 30, 2018 2:38:59 GMT
The Gorilla Glue gel should work on those too, just might take longer for the bond. Literally though, after an overnight sitting time, you can drop them on the floor and that stuff doesn't come apart. I've been building minis since the 80's, and only in the last 2 years or so found the gorilla glue gel and I won't use anything else for most stuff. I do have some super glue brand brush on liquid, sometimes on a super tiny part, the gel might be too much so I use the thin brush on super glue for that.
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