Painting and putting together minis

[Red Viper]

I have two quick questions about minis.

First. What kind of glue or cement do you use to put minis together, like when their weapons come seperate.

Second. Does it matter what type of paint you use? Do some model paints hold to the metal better than others?

 

[megamania]

glue depends on metal or plastic. Metal I stick with superglue.

As for paint. The thing is thickness vs fluid. The watery the paint the harder it is to paint especially metal.

I started with Citedel paints but after rebuying dried paints regularly I tried Model Color which seems good. I have heard good thiungs about Valejeo paints also.

 

[Kanegrundar]

1. I tend to use regular Super Glue Gel. For larger pieces (like WotC's Black Dragon) I will use a dremel set to drill small holes into the pieces and then put small wires into the holes to give it a bit more support along with the glue.

2. I use acrylics that you can find at Wal-Mart. They're cheap, and it holds up pretty well once you add a clear, dull sealer.

3. For primer, I've found that Krylon flat grey primer is just as good as the expensive stuff from Games Workshop.

Kane

 

[JoeGKushner]

For paints, I tend to use Vallejo Game Color and Reaper Master Paint. They're both pretty solid.

In terms of learning about painting, I suggest heading over to the Reaper web site. They have a great forum with very friendly people and some great painted photos to droll over.

 

[The_Universe]

I use Citadel's super glue - whatever it is.

I've used regular superglue in the past, as well - and for particularly large miniatures, I'll occaisonally use something like JB weld or an epoxy.

For paints, I use a mix of Citadel/Warhammer paints and Reaper's Pro-Paints. I find that if they're well cared for, they both can last a number of years. For the most part, I like Citadel paints better, but there are a few great Reaper paints (their maroon, for instance, is infinitely better than either "scab" or "gore" red).

 

[kenobi65]

Gap-filling cyanoacrilyate (superglue).

For paints, I'd advise against model paints (most of which are oil-based). Go with water-based, like Reaper or Citadel. Vallejo's supposed to be excellent, but not inexpensive. I've even read that budget-minded painters like the inexpensive craft paints (Apple Barrel) that you can get at Wal-Mart.

Biggest single tip for painting: clean and prime the mini first! Paint will stick *so* much better.

 

[GlassJaw]

I won't use anything but the Vallejo paints. They are kewlest. I have a complete set of the Game Colors. I can pretty much get any color I need from those or via mixing.

I use acrylics that you can find at Wal-Mart. They're cheap, and it holds up pretty well once you add a clear, dull sealer.

Any once you start using something like the Vallejo's, you'll realize how inferior and difficult to work with they are.

Glue? Any ole superglue will do.

For finishes, I use one coat of Testor's gloss finish and two coats of Testor's dull coat on top of that.

 

[Kanegrundar]

Any once you start using something like the Vallejo's, you'll realize how inferior and difficult to work with they are.

Eh. For the price they work fine, and my figs turn out just as well as some of my friends that use the more expensive paints. Vallejo's colors are more vibrant, but I don't see much difference in the ease of use.

Plus, I'm a cheap sucker!

Kane

 

[Red Viper]

Thanks that helps alot.

 

[Desdichado]

For metal on metal, just your everyday superglue. Same with metal on plastic. Plastic on plastic gets plastic "cement" which is really a compound that crazes the plastic slightly and causes it to bond together quite well as if the separate pieces were from a single piece of plastic. Any gaps can be strengthed with pins drilled through both pieces and superglued if the parts are large, and should also be strengthened and disquised with Kneadatite.

I'm also in favor of cleaning miniatures and filing any casting flash or other anomolies. I then prime all my minis with black spray primer. You can get mini stuff, but I don't see the point, I use auto primer and it's cheaper. I also don't like to paint with mini paints; I have yet to find a brand that has much of a shelf life after opening; they all dry out without constant use. I use your typical (and much cheaper) craft store paints with brand names like FolkArt, Apple Barrell and Ceramcoat.