Working Area

I use the dinning table with layers of newspaper and a small sheet of wood to protected it from cutting implements and spilt paint etc.. This is not ideal but it is the only place where a can get a reasonable amount of space, sit in comfort and have daylight. The best solution is somewhere out of the way of the rest of the family where things can be left to dry, sometimes over night, without being disturbed. You need a flat working surface, the bigger the better, and good lighting. Day light is the best as some colours look different under artificial light. Balanced against this is the fact that you models will mostly be viewed in artificial light so I don't worry to much about this and use an angle poised lamp for my main light source. A fishing tackle type box with many compartments should provide a safe place to keep all your equipment in.

Find a small low box or tin to stand paints etc. in while you use them. One day you are bound to knock one over and this will contain the spill. Have a large box of tissues or paper towels handy as well! If you have a coffee or other drink while you are working be sure to use a distinctive cup, otherwise you will find yourself cleaning your paintbrush in it. It doesn't improve the taste!

Modeling and painting is recommended to help you relax in this busy world, but remember it involves working with sharp blades, glues that bond skin, substances that can cause skin irritations, liquids that can splash in your eyes, dust that can affect the lungs and family who don't understand, so read all the warnings on the packets, take care and tidy up when you've finished for the day.

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Tools

The following will provide a more than adequate basic toolkit and should not cost much. A lot of the items you may already have around the home:

• A knife. I use a Stanley type knife with a heavy duty blade for most work as I find them stronger than most hobby knives but a hobby knife with interchangeable blades can have its uses for getting into difficult areas. Change the blade frequently because if you try to use a blunt edge you will apply more pressure in your effort to make it cut which will make it more prone to braking and causing you an injury.
• A few needle or Swiss files - flat, half round and circular to start off with.
• Fine grain sandpaper will be the most often used but there may be occations when a courser one is needed.
• A razor saw - this is a very thin bladed saw - get one with a metal handle as it will be stronger and less likely to bend than the cheaper plastic handled ones. A hacksaw can be used for cutting thicker metal figures but the width of the saw blade will lose a lot of detail. Like knives don't go overboard with the pressure if its not cutting as quick as you think it should. Saw blades break and make nasty cuts.
• A small finger trist drill with various diameter drill bits of around 1mm.
• Glues : Superglue and remover, epoxy glue, Woodworking white PVA glue, liquid and tube plastic cement.
• Paints, primer and a selection of brushes.
• Milliput, plasticine, self drying clay or other filler.
• Tweezers, paper clips, dressmaking pins, compass, rubber bands, clothes pegs, sticky tape, toothpicks, scissors, wire cutters and anything you find that can be adapted to make things easier to do.
• Steel ruler and set square, pencils, compass and dividers. for measuring and marking out materials that need cutting. the steel ruler is so that you can use to guide your knife without damaging it.
• Magnifying glass
• Pyrogravure - to model plastics. Its like a small electric soldering iron with a needle tip. The voltage can be adjusted to control the heat. You then scribe details into plastics, the heat melts the plastic and aids the modeling. Very good for hair but needs practise.
  Alternatively take an old paint brush, cut the hairs off. Cut the top off a pin and push the shaft into the metal furel of the paintbrush. Super glue if loose. Heat the end over a candle flame. Its just as effective on a small area.

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Scale

For ease of measuring I use a scale 30 mm = 6' which gives a basic 5mm = 1'.

Clarecraft don't advertise a scale for their figures (and may not be to a constant scale - Quoth and DofR are certainly not to the same scale as the rest of the figures). Games Workshop originally made figures to a 25mm scale but over the years they have grown. Both sets of figures are to an approximate height of 28/30 mm which allows them to mix together quite well.

There used to be a standard wargame figure size of 1/58 which used 30 mm as the basic height of a figure. Now Wargame figure manufacturers also confuse matters by measuring the height of figures in different ways. Some measure to the height of a figure's eyes and others to the top of the figures head. With the variety of figure heights it does give more oportunities of finding a figure that looks right to base a character on.

Assembly

Examine the figure or parts if it is a kit to ensure it is all there. It is known for miss-cast figures to go on sale.

Read any instructions the manufacturers has provided carefully before starting.

Remove the flash lines with a knife and files/sandpaper. Flash is the raised line which is evident on all figures where the moulds were joined for casting and if not removed will spoil the look of even the best painted figures. The main one will run vertically around the figure but there may be others i.e. under the chin and between limbs. Use a knife to carefully cut away any large amounts of flash first. Cut off small pieces at a time rather than try to do it in one go - you'll break the blade and your skin. Then use the knife to scrape away the line and finish with a fine file. Use the files for intricate and none flat areas. Take care not to damage the surrounding details. Work over a scrap piece of flat wood and ALWAYS CUT AWAY FROM YOUR BODY AND FINGERS -YOU'VE ONLY GOT 10 OF THEM.

If the parts are attached to a sprue cut them off carefully with a saw, pinchers or sharp blade. You may find it easier to paint parts while they are still attached to their sprue as this will give you something to hold while working on it. Try not to get paint on any surfaces that will be glued.

Test fit pieces together without gluing first to ensure they fit correctly using Blue-tac to hold if necessary. Trim edges with your knife or file and drill or file to enlarge location holes until a snug fit is made.

If it is a large model with many pieces follow the manufacturers instructions, painting any parts that will be obscured or difficult to get at as you proceed.

Multi-part figures that are to be gaming pieces and therefore handled a lot, and large models like dragons require support to their joints. Use a small finger drill with a 1mm dia. drill bit to make a hole in the center of each of the areas to be joined. Drill as deep as you can without coming out the other side. Cut a length of wire to fit. Any stiff wire of approximate 1mm diameter will do. I use paper clips or dressmaking pins but you can buy lengths of brass rod from hobby shops if you wish.

Some figures, like Clarecrafts come with bases attached. These bases often have bits of flash on them and don't sit flat. Use medium grade sandpaper to create a flat base by placing onto a flat surface (a worktop with a few thickness of newspaper to protect it) and polishing the base smooth with a light, circular motion. Periodically check the process until the figure sits flat on the ground.

Resin which is becoming increasingly used for figures and accessories. It is a hard material but can be cut and worked as most hard plastics, you just need a stronger blade and a bit more effort. It can be glued with super glue or a two-part epoxy but because of the additional weight you should pin the joints. The manufacturing process occasionally leaves small air bubbles or surface marks. Fill any bubble holes, caused by air trapped in the mould, with Milliput. When the putty is dry clean it up any surface marks with a knife or sandpaper. When cutting and sanding these items a fine dust is produced which can be unpleasant. Depending on the size of the seams and mould marks you may need to use a number of different grades of sandpaper. Try to use wet-and-dry types of sandpaper wet to avoid filling the air with dust. This will keep your work area cleaner and reduces the risk of inhaling the harmful dust particles. If you are doing a large sanding or cutting job work outside if you can. Resin items need to be washed with a detergent and stiff bristled brush to remove the moulding release fluid before being primed and painted. Resin can bend if subjected to heat. If this happens to a part warm the area with a hair drier and bend back into shape. Either hold it in place until it cools and sets or dip into a handy bowl of iced water.

Vinyl kits are of a bigger scale than this but a couple of tips for them. Parts like legs benefit from internal support which can be done by filling the interior with plaster or expanding foam. The excess of foam can be cut away when set. Glue parts together with super glue. If you heat one half of the join with a hair drier it will become soft and conform to the shape of the colder half and reduce gaps in the join and the need for filler.

Soft pastic figures, like those made by Airfix, are a pain to clean up because the plastic thens to fray, for want of a better word. Flash can only be removed with a very sharp blade, any other method leaves a very rough finish to the surface. Even when you have managed to clean them paint refuses to stick. Wash in washing up liquid and when dry coat fully in thinned PVA glue. Once painted, as aany other type of figure try not to handle as the plastic will bend and your paint will peel off.

What ever medium you are using remember to clean up your working area when you've finished.

Gluing

Super glue (cyanoacrylate adhesive) is suitable for joining most metal based figures but may require a small amount of filling to the joint when dry. As well as the liquid there is a gel type that takes a little longer to set. This is easier to apply to difficult spots as it doesn't run away like the liguid glue and also give you time to repossition joints to get a perfect match. Don't forget to buy a tube of Superglue remover as well. Hospitals are not amused at having to remove figures from fingers.

A two part epoxy glue can also be used with metal figures. It will fill any gaps in the joint itself and will need to be filed down when dry. I myself don't like this type of glue because it needs to be mixed exacty in the right proportions to get it to set correctly and I don't think the join is as strong as super glue. (This may just be the way I use it.)

There are an increasing number of plastic figures in this scale for which there are tube and liquid type cements available. Cement must be used with care as it works by dissolving the plastic to weld the joint together. If you get any on other parts of your figure it can dissolve and spoil the surface. The liquid cement is reckoned to be the best to use and is brushed along the line of the join. It then works its way into the joint by capillary action.

PVA, White glue, woodworks glue, school glue. all names for the same material. A basic glue that will stick various substances. Best for paper, card, foamboard and all woods. Add to decorating fillers like Polyfilla to give extra strength and then to stick in the many types of landscaping texturing itemswhen creating bases. It drys clear.

If pinning a join glue the pin/wire into one part and let the glue dry. Test fit and make any necessary adjustments to the position of the hole in the other part before finally gluing the two parts together.

Parts need to be supported while the glue dries. If you don't want to hold them use rubber bands, tape, clothes pegs etc. to keep them together. Small parts should be held in tweezers and glue applied with a toothpick, especially if using super glue. It is advisable to leave all joints to dry overnight.

If the figure is to be a gaming piece, i.e. it will be on its own base, glue it on now. If it is to be part of a diorama it can wait until it is painted although you may find it easier to work on if you put it on a temporary base.

Leave shields and weapons, etc off and paint them separately adding them to the finished figure later. You will also be able to paint those parts that would not be accessable if the sheilds were in place. Carefully remove a little paint on the areas where your shield or weapon contact the figure so that you get a good bond.

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Fillers

When the figure is dry most joints need a small amount of filling. I use milliput or plasticine.

Modern plasticine never goes hard and should not be used for modeling details but is adequate for filling very small gaps if varnished over before painting.

Milliput is a two part product that has to be mixed together in equal quantities before use. To get the best from it continue to mix for at least a minute after it has become a uniformed colour. Apply it to the join with a narrow bladed screw driver, compass point or toothpick and push well into the gap. Before it dries it can be worked with the applicators or pins and toothpicks to sculpt the required shape and so mask the join. Dipping your tools in water can help to make a smooth finish. Unlike a number of model fillers it does not shrink as it dries. Once set Milliput can be sanded, drilled and cut.

There are other fillers that can be used. Squadron Green Stuff is used by many plastic modelers as it contains a solvent which helps it bond with plastic. I have known normal car fillers and the gel type super glue to be used but have not used them myself.

Leave joints to dry overnight.

When dry paint the join with a light coat of paint primer. This will show any blemishes still in the joint area which you can cut, file or sand to the correct shape.

When the figure is finished it should be primed before being painted.

Some epoxy puttys and similar fillers may cause skin irritation. If they do wash your hands before and during work to keep your model clean and to reduce any irritating effects.

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Priming

If the figure contains any plastic parts wash it in warm, soapy water to remove the grease put on by the manufacturer to release it from the moulds and any transferred from your fingers when handling it.

Use a primer suitable for the paints you intend to use. Apply a light coat with a brush or if you have a lot to do use a spray can. White is best as it provides a good under coat for light colours and will show up any flash lines or imperfections you may have missed. A black primer is also useful for large areas of metal, i.e. Knights in armour. Some painters only use black as a primer as they feel it gives deeper shading to a figure but I find it dulls bright colours.

If you spray primer do the job outdoors or in a shed or garage. Put the figure(s) on a small piece of flat wood and place inside a large cardboard box resting on its side. The spray of paint will go everywhere and leave a fine cover on a large surrounding area even if it is a wind less day. The box will help contain some of the over spray. Spray paints must be shaken thoroughly before use. You can hear the agitator ball in the can moving around. Follow the instructions on the can and apply in light coats turning the figure to cover all sides and top and bottom. Allow a few minutes for each coat to dry.

Although the paint is white once you have an even light grey coloured cover your figure is ready for painting.

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