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Author Topic: My first resin miniatures - anything I should know?  (Read 1714 times)

Offline nathan

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My first resin miniatures - anything I should know?
« on: June 11, 2011, 03:23:11 AM »
So I got my first Strange Aeons miniatures and while I've painted/worked with resin for terrain, never for miniatures.

Anything special I need to know?

I'm going to:
- wash them with warm soapy water
- do all filing/sanding/mould line removal with the figure under water in the sink
- prime with krylon white primer
- paint & seal as I normally do

Do I need to pin the wings on the Winged Horror or is the resin such that super glue works really well on it?  For example, Privateer Press's plastic jacks don't need pinning as super glue sticks to it like something crazy.  Do I pin or not pin?

This miniature in question:
http://www.strange-aeons.ca/img/mini/SA-015.jpg

Offline Connectamabob

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Re: My first resin miniatures - anything I should know?
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2011, 08:46:47 AM »
Do pin, I think. Gaming minis in general are too small to get away with not pinning. You can definitely build larger stuff like vehicles or 1:12 and up figures without pinning if you're using epoxy and not superglue, but with wee little gaming minis I wouldn't risk it. Superglue bonds resin better than metal: about equal to plastic, however superglue as a material has really good tensile strength, but relatively poor shear strength. Even if the bond is really good, the the glue itself, and therefore the join, can still break easily if pranged from the right directions. Pinning shores up the join against shear stresses, so it's pretty much always a good idea when you're using superglue with parts that are significantly longer than their mating surfaces are wide.

Epoxy glue is IMO the best for resin parts, but it doesn't perform so well when you've got a mating surface that's only 2mm wide or so, so for gaming minis superglue is usually best. For plastics solvent "glues" are the best, though I don't know what their status is in the UK re: health regulations.

For wet sanding you can just use a dish of water and keep dipping the model and/or sandpaper/file. That's easier to do sitting at a table or bench (standing hunched over the sink gets uncomfy/unhealthy quickly), uses less water, and makes it easier to see what you're doing. You don't need constantly running water, you just need enough to bind up the dust so it doesn't get airborne. If you're using files instead of sandpaper or emery sticks, make sure you dry them very thoroughly when you're done (towel them off and hit 'em with a hair dryer) so they don't rust.

Polyurethane resin has a lot more spring than the metals used for gaming minis, so with figures you'll want to avoid primers and paints that can't flex a little without cracking. I don't know what kind of resin SA figures are made from though, seems like a lot of UK-based gaming mini casters use polyester resin, which is a lot more brittle than polyurethane. Resin that's been properly cast & washed will take both glue and paint/primer better than metal though. Those are the only real differences paint/primer wise, the rest is all general preference.

How agressively you need to wash the parts depends on the rubber and mold release favored by individual casters, so naturally this varies unpredictably between kits/figures. You can use quick scrub with dishwashing soap for some, but for others it won't be enough. IMO since you can't tell before hand, it's better to use a stronger method by default. I soak my resin kits in Simple Green for a couple hours, then scrub with warm water.
History viewed from the inside is always a dark, digestive mess, far different from the easily recognizable cow viewed from afar by historians.

Offline Uncle Mike

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Re: My first resin miniatures - anything I should know?
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2011, 04:20:36 PM »
Sounds like you have everything figured out. As an aside: when I was assembling my Winged Nightmare I drilled out a few holes in the 'head' to accommodate the wings better. Best of luck!

Offline nathan

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Re: My first resin miniatures - anything I should know?
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2011, 05:27:51 PM »
I think drilling out larger holes for the round wing stock ends might be even better than pinning.

Thanks for the idea (and the great miniatures).

@ Connectamabob - I'm not sure what type of resin it is.  It's white and very light.  Also has very crisp details and isn't very soft.  The mould lines are next to non-existent.  I think I only spotted them because of how bright the white resin is.  Thanks for the info.

 

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