Mending Broken Soldiers (1 Viewer)

[Shannon Reuss]

I was given a tip this week that bayonets can be reaffixed using a small drop of glue from a glue gun. Has anyone else ever tried this? Does anyone else have good ideas for mending broken figures?

 

[Shannon Reuss]

I guess once the guns were mended that would make them "fixed bayonets" now wouldn't it?

 

[binder001]

1) While it's a bad pun, I do admire the cleverness in it. There's just not that much funny about toy soldiers (toy soldier collectors - now THAT'S funny!).

2) For repairs, it depends on the composition of the figure. For some figures it can be also as easy to make a new bayonet and glue it on as a full part. For arms, heads etc, either when customizing plastics, or repairing others, I prefer to "pin and glue". I get the trustry Dremel drill and make a hole in each part, I then insert a short piece of brass wire. Then when I glue the parts together the wire inside adds strength and alignment. Five-minute epoxy is messy but seems about the strongest adhesive readily available to me. Usually I use ACC ("super glue") on most projects and small repairs. Just be sure to clean up any extra cement, first to not have a glob showing and second, to avoid the whitish residue often found with cured ACC.

I touch up paint "by eye" using good old trial and error.

As far as a glue gun, my wife uses one on crafts and our sticks keep leaving "strings" of glue that need to be cleaned up. Further, the craft glues don't seem particularly strong. Maybe there are better, stronger glue sticks out there. A hot glue gun CAN be very useful for attaching scenery, trees, etc to a base, especially if your using styrofoam.

Just a few thoughts from an old model builder.

 

[Leadmen]

I agree 100% with Binder's tips. That is how I repair figures and I only tried a glue gun for scenery and don't like using them. Leadmen

 

[Alexdakar]

Superglue is fine if you are not going to be handling them. If you apply just a little pressure it'll snap right off.

 

[Joey]

Well, I know this will be difficult, but does anyone know here how to fix paint damage on K&C helmets? Two of "my" Germans have a paint chip on their helmets.

 

[Alexdakar]

Well, I know this will be difficult, but does anyone know here how to fix paint damage on K&C helmets? Two of "my" Germans have a paint chip on their helmets.

I use Vallejo paints and if it doesn't exactly match then I mixed paints to get the right color.

 

[Joey]

Alex,

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to give it a try...

 

[Mr Man]

On chipped paint repairs, I have seen super glue used first before repainting to stop the spread of the chipping.

 

[binder001]

Superglue is fine if you are not going to be handling them. If you apply just a little pressure it'll snap right off.

That's where drilling and adding a support pin comes in. You are quite right, ACC has almost no "shear" strength, the joint needs support is at all possible.