New Young Nephalim Sculpt, Stability Issues

[Nephalumps]

The new Young Nephalim look fantastic, and they went together pretty easily. Even the one "mounted" on the human head was relatively easy to assemble, which was a surprise.

However, I'm having a lot of trouble getting it to feel "solid" in terms of stability. The model is together and on it's base, but I'm worried that any bump will break the neck stump right off. I've reinforced it with a back layer of putty, though I don't know how effective that will be in the long run.

For anyone else that put together the new Nephalim box set: how did you stabilize that grisly Young?

[ehren37]

I don't own the box, but noticed it appeared to be yet another Wyrd sculpt meant to live exclusively in a glass case. Is the entire thing actually balanced on the spine? If so, stick him on a rock or tombstone or something by the feet and let the head dangle over the edge.

[Nephalumps]

Is the entire thing actually balanced on the spine?

Yep, pretty much. The assembly of the Young itself and the head fit together really nicely, but the whole thing then seats onto the back of the gore pile using the base of the spine. It's....really unstable.

My backup plan for when it inevitably breaks is to chop the spine down and basically just glue the head onto the gore pile. I'm hoping that will be more stable, which retaining the general "ick" effect.

[Nicodem]

could you not just cairfully put a pin up through the spine?

[zFiend]

could you not just cairfully put a pin up through the spine?

Somehow I tend to think that shouldn't be needed when paying for a product.

[decker_cky]

Somehow I tend to think that shouldn't be needed when paying for a product.

Pinning has always been an essential hobby skill, and it's easier to pin plastic than it is to pin metals.

[Nicodem]

true, i've not seen them in the flesh yet but i have got some on order. i think there is this problem because of wanting them to be as close to true scale as pos. if you think about the bows on the 10 thunder archers they look thickness right to work but are fragile as hell

[dgraz]

Pinning has always been an essential hobby skill, and it's easier to pin plastic than it is to pin metals.

True dat!

And that's what I would do. If I know something is going to break, I beat it to the punch....instead of waiting for the break then having to straighten/clean it up......give it a nice clean cut with a razor or jeweler's saw...then pin.

if you think about the bows on the 10 thunder archers they look thickness right to work but are fragile as hell

Yeah, one of mine snapped just sitting in my transport case.

[Nephalumps]

could you not just cairfully put a pin up through the spine?

I think you could, though it'd be a little tricky since it's thin. But I've dealth with worse in the past.

Thinking about it more, I think a nice solution would be to put a hole in the middle of the gore pile, then stick the spine into that and pin the whole sucker in place that way (so pin through the bottom and some support on the sides.) That should be about as solid as it's going to get, though I am still very tempted to just mount the head right onto the gore. The spine is the biggest potential weak spot, so if you get around that the model should be fine.

[Parker Barrows]

I don't own the box, but noticed it appeared to be yet another Wyrd sculpt meant to live exclusively in a glass case. Is the entire thing actually balanced on the spine? If so, stick him on a rock or tombstone or something by the feet and let the head dangle over the edge.

Sticking him on something should work. His feet and loincloth all end at the same points which gives it a nice contact point to balance the model.

Pinning has always been an essential hobby skill, and it's easier to pin plastic than it is to pin metals.

I'm still fairly new to miniatures, so I'll ask: what is pinning?

[decker_cky]

I'm still fairly new to miniatures, so I'll ask: what is pinning?

It's a skill that you generally get forced to learn with fragile metal models (either big, like a warhammer giant, or tiny joints, like either of the metal Vik sets).

http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?29444-Pinning-Tutorial

Basically, you add support to joints with a pin. A nice product to get you started is the P3 Modelling Drill and Pinning Set.

http://privateerpress.com/content/modeling-drill-pinning-set

It's pretty cheap, and comes with both the drill, and perfectly sized 'pins' for the holes it makes.

[Nephalumps]

decker_cky nailed (pinned it.)

Pinning is one of those things that you may not do very often, but it's a really useful option to have. Any time you have a model where you ask yourself "how the hell is that supposed to stay together?", pinning is probably your answer.

The other thing I'll add is to not be scared to try it. When I first started out putting models together I was intimidated by pinning because I was sure that it would be hard to get right, and screwing it up would be a big pain.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that, so long as you're patient, pinning is usually very easy, and even if you screw it up somehow it's not too hard to fix/start over.

It's also one of those things that is a little less crucial when working with plastic models; they're lighter so its usually pretty easy to just glue them together. But the lighter models also can lead to more exotic poses (as with the Young Nepahlim in the new box,) and it never hurts to pin something for a little extra reinforcement.

[decker_cky]

BTW, not directly relevant to the OP, but another hobby skill I'd recommend is working with greenstuff, if only to fill/smooth over gaps. Not often an issue with Wyrd minis in my experience, but I do have a gap to fill in the neck of the RSR.

[dgraz]

but I do have a gap to fill in the neck of the RSR.

The part where the body fits into the hood? I had that issue when I dry-fit it, but I filed the body part down a little and it went in snug as a glove. I do however have a small gap at the back of Cojo's neck that I need to fix.

[Grim]

BTW, not directly relevant to the OP, but another hobby skill I'd recommend is working with greenstuff, if only to fill/smooth over gaps. Not often an issue with Wyrd minis in my experience, but I do have a gap to fill in the neck of the RSR.

Oh me too on the RSR. I suspect it's the same area.

[Mako]

I pin anything that is attached to the base and looks remotely flimsy, if I'm honest. I pinned misaki's leg up past the knee, the metal standing coryphee's leg, new seamus...

Once you get the hang of it, pinning through the ankles into the thicker leg area and down through the plastic of the base makes it all much less wobbly.

[i_was_like_you]

Somehow I tend to think that shouldn't be needed when paying for a product.

Some preparation and assembly required is standard, for any models, whether it's tabletop miniatures, model trains, or model cars...Pinning is par for the course with a lot of models, regardless of company. All it takes is a pin vise / hand drill and a paper clip.