edonil Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 So, I've been working on assembling my Lady Justice and Rasputina sets tonight. Also built a Void Wretch, but that box I don't have a lot of experience with yet. First off, I love the new plastics. Even with the stipulations I'm about to list, I've found them much easier to work with than metal models, no matter the company. They are wonderful kits, with beautiful detail. That being said, I've noticed some things that I felt people should know before jumping into building this stuff. And, because I'm on a Cracked kick, it's going to be in the form of a list. Sorry for the lack of photos, too much stuff is built at this point. 1. Everything is keyed. Now, for people who don't know the term, keying is a technique that means every kit will build the same way every time. In a lot of ways, it's awesome. Personally, I love things being keyed, makes life easier. For those of you who like converting, don't worry, the keys tend to be pretty easy to get rid of. But, the previous sentence also highlights a problem- since everything is keyed, if you break the key, it can make assembly tricky. A good example of this is The Judge. His head has a key to connect it to the body, which creates a consistent angle. If you have the key, the model will be looking the same direction everytime. But, since that particular key looks like a bit of sprue, it's easy to decide that you need to cut it off at that point...which means that you get to guess how to glue his head on there. Another issue with things being keyed is order of operations. Rasputina is a really easy piece to put together. Torso, two legs, two arms and a head. All of it is keyed, so there's really no way aside from converting to not end up with what's on the box. What's not immediately evident though, is that you're supposed to glue the two legs (which are keyed) to each other before gluing that mini-assembly to the torso. Luckily, I just barely managed to dodge that bullet, so I didn't have to deal with the frustration of messing that up and ripping the leg out to get it fixed. Still, just pay attention to those kinds of things. Dry-fit as much as you can before gluing, and pay attention to your keys. 2. Proportions are accurate. Now, I'm sure this seems kinda odd on a list of tricks for assembly, but it does need to be said. I love the fact that Wyrd got the proportions right on all these guys. They look real, they look great next to each other...but there's a catch. The catch is that correct proportions make for some interesting areas for gluing. Oh, and in point #1, I lied. Sorry all, but I forgot about the little Gamin. So, if you haven't seen the new Ice Gamin, there's a couple things you need to know. First off, they are awesome. Second, is they are tiny. Just about half an inch tall. And their arms are proportionate to that height...so that means that when you're gluing the arms to their shoulders, you've got a space that's less than an eighth of an inch (approximately. No, I didn't measure it). And since they aren't keyed, that means you have an incredibly tiny spot to put on a dab of glue, and they will want to shift around a lot, getting glue all over your fingers. Not any real advice on this one, other than possibly tweezers. And a lot of patience. 3. Order of Operations. I mentioned this early, but it needs to be said again. While you're building the model, be thinking about the next steps in the process. This isn't really related to keying, but it is about painting. So, Lady J's sword is two parts, the blade, which is separate, and the hilt, attached to her two arms which are keyed. (they won't look like they're keyed, but they are, trust me.) At first, I thought this was crazy...until I realized that her blade, when built correctly, blocks her face. So, my advice is to not glue the blade onto the sword until after you've gotten her painted. Not that it makes me any more happy about having to pin something that thin...but coming from the perspective of wanting to paint her right, I think it's some kind of genius. 4. Clean the mold lines! I don't know if there's any more repeated bit of advice with assembling a model, but with the way Wyrd has made these models, it isn't advice. Seriously, if you neglect this, you're going to have gaps you wouldn't believe. Just have an x-acto and a file on hand and constantly dry-fit the pieces before gluing. The nice thing about keys is that if it doesn't fit right the first time, you can file down the male half of the key (insert gutter joke here... :-P) to get a better fit with a smaller gap. Just be careful, or you might end up reducing it so it's no longer keyed. Alright, that's all my tips and tricks. I managed to work any specific instances into the above, but if anyone is building a different kit than what I'm tackling, please add it below. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try to get some pictures into the thread at some point if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mythicFOX Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Good tips. Anyone tried Miss Step yet? I want to start on her over the long weekend, but I don't want to mess her up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbird Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Sounds similar to the Ten Thunders stuff from last wave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zFiend Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 It sure does. Which isnt a good thing.. :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbird Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Not that I like Warhammer much, but perhaps Wyrd could take a page from GW's books on how to tackle plastic model design. They seem to have nailed the dynamic poses with great detail, and yet still go together very easily. All the tiny extra bits that look great in the 3d models don't always translate so well to the physical product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mythicFOX Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I think this is something that will come on more and more as Wyrd get the hang of plastic. The sculpts are already good, I'm looking forward to seeing them get better and better as Wyrd get more confidence and experience with plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clement Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Anyone put together the book 4 plastics and now one of the new boxes? I was hoping for more sensible piece layouts and cut choices (as opposed to Yan Lo's beard). I suppose getting them on their own sprue is already huge progress there though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewomie Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I put Miss Step together Monday night. She actually went together like a dream. I was very pleased. She is spindly though, and she is a lot smaller than I expected. She almost looks silly next to the Metal Steam Executioner. haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetid Strumpet Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I put together the Seamus box, and while the sheer number of pieces was a little annoying, there wasn't anything on par with Yan Lo's beard in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Probably best not to look at Taelor then... I'm going to be very very careful with one or two of those pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clement Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I put together the Seamus box, and while the sheer number of pieces was a little annoying, there wasn't anything on par with Yan Lo's beard in the box. You just made my day sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nayte Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Tara's box wasn't bad, but just remember that the little voidies have 3 legs, not 4. I thought my box was messed up at first, haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phetish Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 So far I have put together Miss Step, The Hired Swords box, The University of Transmortis box, and the Shadows of Redchapel box. Out of all of them, my only complaint is that chest of Madame Sybelle REALLY shouldn't have been a separate piece. It is a nightmare to get seated correctly without any gaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Caroland Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Remember, plastic cement, not super glue - you'll be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edonil Posted August 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Yeah, chiming in on a point- even with how finicky the Ice Gamin were, they were nowhere near the Ten Thunders Archers or Yan Lo's beard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rancor709 Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Remember, plastic cement, not super glue - you'll be happy. This:+fate Plastic cement is your best friend with the new wyrd plastic as its specifically formulated to be usable with it. Word of caution less is more as it actually chemically bonds the two so too much and you could have a small burning issue as your model melts more than you'd like at the point of contact but the seals are amazingly strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgraz Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Remember, plastic cement, not super glue - you'll be happy. For real! Testor's Model Master has never let me down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewomie Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 Yeah, chiming in on a point- even with how finicky the Ice Gamin were, they were nowhere near the Ten Thunders Archers or Yan Lo's beard. Yan Lo's beard didn't actually give me too much trouble.. now those archers... that was a whole new kind of headache. haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadilon Posted August 21, 2013 Report Share Posted August 21, 2013 I put together the Seamus box, and while the sheer number of pieces was a little annoying, there wasn't anything on par with Yan Lo's beard in the box. What I did to address the small parts issue was to buy a couple of 9x12 cake pans from the dollar store. I always cut and assemble on a workbench over the pans, just in case I drop something. Presumably the pan will catch it before the carpet eats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyboy22 Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 I think I'm going nuts here. For those that have assembled the Hired Swords, specifically Ronin #2, there is a separate piece for the skirt right? I believe mine is missing that part but if that piece doesn't exist I'm going crazy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 There is a skirt piece that the body and legs slot into, its basically a lumpy disc that's on the sprue next to the upper body. I spent a few minutes wondering what it was, had to laugh when I realised! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyboy22 Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 Bummer, that piece is definitely MIA. At least I know I'm not going crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 I reckon it's that fun moment of checking the box and the space around you to see if it escaped, then sending in a missing bit report to the lads (and lasses too of course)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
entropolous Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 Wait Wait Wait.... Yan Lo had a beard?!?!?! :-P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mako Posted August 23, 2013 Report Share Posted August 23, 2013 He did til I sneezed while handling it with tweezers. There wasn't a tray in the world that was going to catch that piece when it flew... I like to pretend I learned something from that little accident. But I probably didn't *grin* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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