40k: Games Workshop has lost its [hive] mind

I should probably not write while I'm angry. I should wait until I've calmed down and assembled an articulate, organized, in-depth study on the topic. I should also quit drinking so much Mtn. Dew and get outside more.

I should do a lot of things.

It's bad enough that Games Workshop raise their prices every year. It's worse that they have decided to cut off half of the planet from ordering their products.

The straw that has broken this camel's back is the new Dark Eldar Haemonculus GW has just put up on Advanced Order.

I don't care about the new line of "Finecast" models replacing metal figures - it's just resin (cheaper for them to make, but they're going to sell them for more).

Okay, fine, whatever. It's a jerky move, but I was willing to see how things turned out ... But to try and sell A SINGLE model with NO OPTIONS WHATSOEVER for almost $20.00 !?!? My kustom Haemonculi looked cooler and cost way less to make.

Screw you, Games Workshop. I'm done.

40k: Paint Stirs for Basecoating Infantry

This is a quick painting tip for applying base coats to batches of infantry models: Tape them to paint stirs (I used duck tape).

 You can get the stirs for free from any paint store; the models can be turned to get at any angle you need, they don't fall over or get pushed around by the pressure released by the can and you won't get as much paint on your wrist/hands. I don't remember where I first heard this tip, but I tried it the other day on two units of Dark Eldar Wyches and I can confirm that it works.

I will undercoating all my infantry using this method in the future.

40K: Removing Super Glue from Models - Epilogue

I tried soaking the model in warm water, as suggested on the super glue manufacturer's website. No luck - either the water couldn't get to the bond, or the magnet was just wedged to tightly into the torso that it would not come out.

At this point, I decided to do something drastic:

Since I had not glued the front of the torso on the model, I was able to use a wire-gauge pin vise and drill in behind the magnet - pushing it out.

It turns out that that particular setting was simply wedged in too tight. Even when I went to re-glue the magnet in correctly, I had to use a bit more pressure to get it back into the hole.

I guess the lesson here is to always give yourself at least a tiny bit of wiggle room. It makes things easier to work with. Well, that and rubbing alcohol seems to work for removing super glue bonds between metal and plastic.

40K: Removing Super Glue From Models - Part 2

If you need to get caught up, check out Part 1.

In this experiment, I will be using the plastic Ork Nobz box set which have had magnets super glued into them using Duro super glue.

Method 1: Rubbing Alcohol

I poured some rubbing alcohol into a old glass baby-food jar that I sometimes use to clean my brushes as I paint. Not sure of the alcohol's affect on the plastic, I broke off a small bit of extra sprue and left it sitting in the liquid for about an hour. It is highly suggested that you cover the container, to keep fumes from spreading. I don't have a lid for this jar, so I used saran wrap and a rubber band.

The test bit of sprue did not seem to have any sort of deformation or softening as a result of being in the alcohol, so I went ahead and dropped in the two arms and Nob torso (already glued to a base) into which the magnets had been glued backwards from the others. The jar was then left to sit out of reach of little hands for about 24 hours.

The next evening, took the bits out of the jar with a pair of tweezers, and dabbed them with a paper towel. I was shocked to discover one of the magnets from the torso just fell right out! The two magnets in the arms came out, but required some work with my Xacto knife. I slid the blade into the narrow gaps around the magnet and wiggled it a bit. Eventually, they too came free.

Unfortunately, the other magnet in the torso was still glued firmly in place. There was no room around this last remaining magnet to slide the blade in without damaging or cutting away at the plastic around it. Since I needed the area to stay intact in order to re-glue the magnet in properly, I opted to move on to the next method.

Result: 3 of 4 magnets removed

Why (I think) it worked

Assuming there were pockets of moisture trapped in and around the super glue bond holding the magnet to the plastic, the alcohol help remove that trapped moisture, leaving behind empty pores in the super glue - weakening it. Thus, less tension was required to break the bond. (I totally pulled that out of my rear, but it sounds good . . . right?)

Method 2: Freezing

Taking the torso into the kitchen, I ran it under the faucet for a couple of minutes, try to ensure that water got into every nook and cranny around the magnet. The model was then placed in the freezer and left for 48 hours - Not because I thought the extra time would matter, I just forgot about it for a day.

Taking the model out, I worked at it a little bit with the X-acto knife and also tried holding other magnets on either side of the embedded magnet. Unfortunately, all I managed to do was hack up the area around the magnet a little and leave a scratch on the magnet itself.

Result: 0 magnets removed

Why it was supposed to work

I actually read this on the messageboard (sorry, don't have the link) where I learned about this method - again, this assume moisture is trapped in an around the super glue bond: When water freezes, it expands. The expanding moisture in and around the super glue creates tiny cracks in the bond, weakening it and allowing the bond to be easily broken.

Why it didn't work

Not sure really. Perhaps the alcohol effectively removed what moisture may have been trapped, so there was nothing to expand upon freezing. Perhaps the magnet is set in such a way that there is no space for either liquid - alcohol or water - to penetrate.

What's Next?

According to Loctite's poorly designed website (the makers of the super glue I was using), soaking the bond in warm water might work. There also exists super glue remover, but I'm really only interested in cheap, non-hazardous alternatives.

I would also like to get a new digital camera - one with a working LCD screen, exports directly to my laptop, and doesn't try to cram a ton of noise-producing megapixels through an undersized processor - but that's another rant-er . . . story for another time.

40K: Removing Super Glue from Models - Part 1

Bear With Me* for a minute.

It happens to the best of us at some point - and trust me, I am far from the best at any part of this hobby - modelers' regret. You put something together, permanently, in a manner that you wish you could undo. Unfortunately, the nature of modeling almost always means that the parts you stick together are not intended to come apart . . . Well, almost always.

Not so long ago, as I was just getting into this whole blogging 'thang' for myself, I stumbled across an excellent article about magnetizing your models by Master Darksol of All Things 40K.

Months later, I won a box of Ork Nobz on eBay and realized that the time had come. I purchased the same magnets from amazon that Master Darksol used, and eagerly set to work magnetizing my Nobz (which I was hoping to get written up before now, but life has a way of dictating what gets posted and when).

It didn't take long to realize I screwed up.

I started putting magnets in the torsos, then the arms. Unfortunately, despite my efforts to prevent just such an occurrence from . . . occurring . . . one of the torsos and a set of arms were glued in backwards from the others.

So, after offering the requisite amount of cursing and lamentation to Anoia**, I started Googling ways to dissolve super glue. I came across two fairly simple methods: Rubbing Alcohol and Freezing.

Stay tuned as I try both methods and analyze, in my own special*** way, the results.


* Pretty sure I'm 1/64th Cherokee.
** Everyone is a follower, whether you know it or not.
*** IE: completely subjective and uninformed
**** I'm really jonesing for some Pratchett

40K: Glue Then Paint or Paint Then Glue?

I am so close to having all my Black Reach Slugga Boyz painted, I can taste it! That's 36 Boyz, plus a Warboss, plus a Big Mek.

Well, when I say 'painted,' I'm really just talking about the Scorched Brown I'm using for the leather parts. And when I refer to a 'Slugga Boy,' it's really just the torso and base - the gun arm and heads are not attached. They're not even primed yet. I still have to clean the flashing and bore the barrels on 8 or 9 arms . . .

Y'see, I've gotten into this habit of painting nearly all my models before I glue them together. Since I'm so hung up on details, I find that I can reach nearly every nook and cranny of the model much easier before I glue everything together. My poor Blood Angels have been wondering around without guns and backpacks for years now (I keep meaning to get back to them, honest).

The problem, especially with horde armies like the Orks, is that this approach is taking much longer to finish. Sure the end result will look better, but on those odd occasions where someone wants to actually pick up and inspect one of my models, it's almost always one of the conversions or an HQ. So, is this extra time really worth it? (That's rhetorical, you don't have to answer)

And I haven't even address the matter of excess glue can mess up or completely wreck a part of the model that's already been painted.

My mantra has been "just the flats," meaning that I just want to get the base layer of paint on - maybe a wash, then I'll glue them together and finish up with any drybrushing and highlights that need to be done. But should the rank-and-file need much more than a basecoat and a wash? I noted in the Games Workshop painting article for the Black Reach Box Set, that was about all they did with their Orks.

Am I the only one crazy enough to take this approach? Does everyone else glue everything together before slapping on the paint? I know those 40k-ers only interested in playing will glue first and ask questions later, but what about those of you who won't play until a model (or even a whole army) is 'table-top presentable.'