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questions about resin and metal.

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  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Colorado
questions about resin and metal.
Posted by TacoBuff on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 11:51 PM

I just bought up a bunch of cheap, on sale figures from Squadron, and they are all resin or metal.  The brands are Warrior, verlinden (resin ones) and andrea (metal ones). 

I mostly work with plastic styrene figures, so these guys are a whole different game for me.  Is there anything i need to know before i have at it? 

I assumed the resin figures will come with the parts attached to resin blocks, so i bought an xacto saw.  anything else i need?

Thanks all!

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 4:31 AM
nope, the same basic rules apply. (with the resin). cut off the areas that need removing then glue using ca (super) glue...prime and paint. metal figs...might need to remove flashing with knife but just prime and paint (no exper. with metal). anyway, fill any holes with filler putty (sometimes the resin figs get air trapped in the mold when forming and you get "holes/blemishes" in the resin. so fill the holes, sand, then prime and paint. oh...as for primer...i generally dont use "over the counter primer" on my resin figs...i airbrush an enamal color over them (light color for flesh areas and dark for uniform). that's it.
"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 7:21 AM

Resin is more brittle than traditional plastic, so you'll need to be a bit more careful handling fine parts. The same parts in metal will bend easily, but are also easily bent back into shape. If resin parts are warped, tap hot water and a jig should bring them back to straight. Dipping the heated part in very cold water can help.

Priming is essential.

You'll need to use CA or epoxy as neither will respond to plastic cement.

Despite what you may hear, resin dust is NOT a deadly toxin. The dust, from sanding or sawing, is fine and messy, and, like any fine dust, is an irratant, but it is inert. If these things concern you, a light dust mask is all you need.

Metal clean up can be done with a knife as mentioned, but I generally prefer jewelers' files and sand paper.

Using a drill, make a hole in the supporting leg(s) and insert a piece of brass rod. This will give you someti=hing to hold and to use to secure the figure to a base.

If you're using these figures for individual dislplay, get some sort of decorative base, beyond what may come n the kit. Even a two inch wooden block from Michael's, when stained, makes a good base. Try to extend the ground work to the edge of the base for a more finished appearance.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Kristiansund, Norway
Posted by Huxy on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 9:15 AM

Just what everyone said..

I have done quite some metal for Warhammer figures. A knife and a file is all you need. And priming IS needed. Resin, I've never worked with..

 

Hey, what is the prices for them on Squadron?

 

Also, Andrea makes some of the best figures out there.. No 1/35 tough. But I want some.. My dad got alot Smile [:)] 

"Every War Starts And Ends With An Invasion".

  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Colorado
Posted by TacoBuff on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 5:15 PM

thanks for the help fellas, will a light gray acrylic work for a primer?  I paint with tamiya acrylics if that means anything.

Huxy, Squadron has excellent prices, but you have to go digging for them.  I got a few 1/35 Warrior brand guys for about $3.75 a piece (don't know what that is in Norweigan monetary value).  Yes, I've heard good things about Andrea, I got about a dozen or so 1/55 (32mm) roman soldiers from them for about $20 (that's several packages of figures total, individual sets of figures were about $8 or so).

Go to squadron's website, go to their search feature, and select anyone of their figure categories on one of their drop down menus in the search area, and hundreds of figures will pop up.  I'm really impressed with their speed of delivery (i don't live far from their warehouse) and selection.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 6:06 PM
 TacoBuff wrote:

 I paint with tamiya acrylics if that means anything.

It means you're in for a lot of frustration in painting figures. Taiya's formula is really designed for airbrush use, (though they don't ell you that) unlike their original formula, which I saw guys in the mid 80's use to brush paint cars with good effect. I know there are a few guys who use it for figures, but they are alchemists.

If you're going to get serious about using acrylics for figure painting, consider investing in Vallejo and Andrea colors. The bottles will run out (after several years of use) before they dry out. I have some paints that are 10 years old and they are as fresh as new. The paint is formulated to be thinned with distilled water ($2.00 a gallon at a local CVS store) and to be brushed on. The color range dwarfs Tamiya's colors. When mixing them, they don't dry out like Tamiya's and you can lay down additional or shading layers within a couple minutes of the prior layer with no lifting at all.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Colorado
Posted by TacoBuff on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 10:36 PM
well, I've looked into getting vallejo paints, but they're a bit pricey, and not availiable in my town.
I also use model master acrylics for the faces, are these any better? (they are more readily availiable in it town). I've gotten good results with tamiya paints for a while now, I had to thin them to appropriate brushing thinness, but they work fine now.
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Thursday, March 19, 2009 7:07 AM

Pricey is a relative concept. Tamiya is selling at $3.10 for 23 ml in a bottle that can dry up or have the cap become dried on, costing you a good deal of the paint. Vallejo goes for $2.95 for 17 ml that will not dry up and with proper thinning will give at least twice that amount of paint. With Vallejo, you are only exposing as much paint as you are using to air, while with traditional bottles, the carrier is evaporating as long as the bottle is open and even whne closed, can evaporate due to poorly sealed bottles. Add into the equation the ease of application, no drying while mixing shades and the greater number of colors and Vallejo is a much better but. AS to availability, yes, relatively few stores stock it, but you have the complete range of colors a click away at Colorado Miniatures.

Model Master acrylics are okay, I've used a few in the past, but they don't come even close to the ease of application that Vallejo provides.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Colorado
Posted by TacoBuff on Thursday, March 19, 2009 12:19 PM
well, i'll look into them, and save up some money to buy one of those multipacks. 
  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Thursday, March 19, 2009 12:40 PM
taco...everyone is different. one person is gonna tell ya use this paint and another use this...do what ya can with what ya got and feel comfortable with and use what ya can to paint them however you want. there is no "Best" out there, only preference, style and opinion.
"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Colorado
Posted by TacoBuff on Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:50 PM
Thanks camo junkie. I agree, I'll stick to my 1/35 guns for this project (on which I want everyone's guidance and help, post coming soon) and I'll eventually step up to some better quality stuff.
  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: clinton twp, michigan
Posted by camo junkie on Saturday, March 21, 2009 10:02 PM
n/p. and i understand your desire for "everyone's" help. that's natural and im not meaning to imply dont listen to anyone (kind of defeats the purpose of the forum). just simply saying listen to everyone but ultimately decide for yourself what way best suits you with the resources you have. an artist without the right color will still create a masterpiece if he's/she's a good artist. Thumbs Up [tup]
"An idea is only as good as the person who thought of it...and only as brilliant as the person who makes it!!"
  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Colorado
Posted by TacoBuff on Sunday, March 22, 2009 1:42 PM
Yes, I guess my last post came out funny (I think i confused myself more than anyone else, lol).  I want help on a new project, and I listen to everyone, but work with what suits me best.  I'm posting a new thread about a project i'm starting.
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