Feeling Khorney part 2

As promised last time in part one, I have started working on an Aspiring Champion and a Banner for my unit of Khorne Berserker World Eater marines. The Aspiring Champion is a metal mini straight from the pack with little modification with exception that he has a plasma pistol from the 2nd edition Space Marine weapons sprue that I have fit to a plastic arm which will have to be pinned for a more secure bound to the metal model.

There are probably a gazillion online tutorials on how to pin a model like this, but in these waning days of GW metal models (and I should also, joyfully declare, Finecast) I don't know how many of these kind of tips are out there anymore, and since I don't think I've ever truly done one, I figured I would make this post about getting a metal/plastic hybrid miniature up to at least base-coated standard (my way). 

The first thing I do when I get a model like this it to seek out the obvious flash, remove it and file it back. This is my least favorite part of the entire hobby to be honest with you, especially as I seem to pour a lot of time and effort into it only to take a pic of the model when it's finished to see a mold-line running across a surface that I somehow missed. It's frustrating but it is a necessary evil. 

When it comes to assembly I quickly recognize which areas will require pinning. Normally in the case of an arm like this, it's two flat surfaces that will be bound together, which is great because superglue loves flat surfaces! Next, pick out the spot you want to put the hole, grab your pin-vice and start screwing away! (No giggles from the peanut gallery please, this next bit is serious...) When working with some metal models I would caution you to be mindful of the shavings as they could be, or contain, lead! Next, add a dot of superglue to the hole once you're satisfied with the depth, and insert whatever you're using as a wire or rod, and clip it down to size ...but not too short. 

Rod has been trimmed!

On the next piece drill a corresponding hole. I will test the depth periodically as I go. 

Both pieces are ready.

 Now that I have it so that both pieces will touch each other and with a rod between them, we're ready for the superglue.

Armed and dangerous! 

 Now, I probably covered this before on this blog to some extent, especially on my terminator-basing-part 1 article, but again, I like to work on the base at this stage to avoid getting brown or whatever color paint on the finished model. Typically with GW models, the slot on the slotta base, which is a uniform size, is usually bigger than the slot/tab on the model. This can leave some seriously annoying holes on either side of the feet that will need to be somehow filled or covered. My solution is fairly straightforward: after I superglue the model to the base I simply place clear tape on the bottom of it, so that the holes now become reservoirs for the PVA glue (I use Elmers, my favorite flavor since Kindergarten!). I fill these holes with as much of the white goop as possible, you can never have too much! (...stop giggling! Jeez...)

Taped and full of glue!

The glue will shrink when dried, and sometimes you might want to add more glue on top of what you've already put in to avoid 'dips' in the final product. It is quite alright to get extra glue on top of the base, as you'll find that this will help disguise the slot of the slottabase even more so.

Also a cheep way to make ice I guess...

I then use the techniques that I discussed in the Terminating Basing posts (Part 2 featuring Sven Axegrinder), which to sum up is to coat the whole surface of the base with slightly watered-down PVA glue, dip in sand or grit, let it try then prime the model. This way I am painting the entire model as I proceed, as opposed to doing the base after the fact.

Based coated and ready for more!

I hope you enjoyed that, it felt like one of those old Blue Peter segments where someone who never cooks is showing you how to make a cake, but has a mixed-up mess he tosses into an oven only to reveal an immaculate "one we did earlier" example of the finished product (here's an example I recall from my youth)...only that I don't have one that I did earlier, except that one guy I showed in the last post! LOL

Now, hopefully by the next post I will get a bit more painting done, but my other, income-related, pursuits have been sucking up my hobby time.