285 replies to this topic

[recruittons]

oooOOO!! Thanks for that link! I have it on watch . She may just be mine, Muhahahah!

You are quite welcome! I'm happy someone found the link useful

[buglips*the*goblin]

I went to paint the underside membranes ruddy flesh to see how it looked. Looks okay to me, it'll look better with some extra coats. I don't have a way to temporarily mount them, but if I figure one out I'll take a pic. If not I'll let them sit until there's real work to show. I just did a quickie to see how it roughly looked.

But while I was at the table, I took the time to dab some white paint down her back to rough out my colour boundaries and get an idea of how I want the blending to go. This should also save a little work, since I won't be painting red and then painting over it.

Prolly shoulda thought of that sooner, really.

[buglips*the*goblin]

oooOOO!! Thanks for that link! I have it on watch . She may just be mine, Muhahahah!

You are quite welcome! I'm happy someone found the link useful

It's US-only shipping as listed, and without confirmation from the seller beforehand I'm locked out from it anyway.

Besides, no need for me to be greedy about Takhisises. Takhisi. Tiamatses. Whatever.

[recruittons]

No worries, I just wasn't sure what you were looking to get. I know you love your Ral Partha, and you love your T-lettered dragon beast goddesses, so I wasn't sure if you'd be interested in a lower number. I'm just happy someone could use the link!

[buglips*the*goblin]

Oh, hey, never hurts to share info. Every Takky deserves a good home and a decent paintjob.

[Tranquil Ape]

you should take a small sword from one of the reaper blisters or a few arrows, and place them strategically on Tia's rump... or maybe one out of a head's jaw. Or possibly a skeletal fore arm sticking out between a couple teeth...

[buglips*the*goblin]

*pfft* As if any puny adventurer would get so far.


"Oh, hello. Come to visit the Nine Hells, eh?"

*zap*
*acid blast*
*gas*
*ohmygoditburns*
*freeze*
*bad spell*
*bad spell*
*bad spell*
*REALLY bad spell*
*She Can Do Whatnow?*

"I hope you've enjoyed your stay, the locals shall be along to finish off your corpses any time. Good day."

[buglips*the*goblin]

Okay, so I managed to cobble together a mock-up of her with the ruddy flesh inner wing membrane. I used a combination of guile, sweet-talking, some greenstuff blobs, and a couple of strong paint pots. Plus I promised her a whole cart of hobbitses to eat come christmas if she's good.

Opinions if you got 'em. So long as they're not about the heads not being on straight.

Also, this should illustrate what I mentioned earlier about how the weight of the wings makes her stability problematic. With the way they're swept, and their sheer size, she's got an awful lot hanging out over the back.

[Sanael]

Oi. I hadn't even LOOKED at the wings on this. Did you manage to pin those ankles, or are they just shallow like you thought you'd have to do? What pinning material are you using?

Normally, I'd use the brass rod for the ankle joints, but the angle on it and the thickness (by which I mean, non-thick) of her ankles makes that hard. I suspect the wife will get to her within the next year, so I'll need to figure out how to support those wings soonish.

And yes, I know you're going for that other Dragon-goddess, but your colors look all wrong to me.

[buglips*the*goblin]

Anybody see the end price of that linked 688 Takky? $207.50 + shipping!

I lurves my 99 dolla Takhisamat!

Nothing's been pinned yet, she was resting on her tail. When I do pin, I have very thick paperclips to chop up for the job. My main concern is figuring out how to drill deep enough to get the pins to set in nice and solid.

[chaosscorpion]

Buglips,

For pinning I use a 1/32" drill bit in a Dremel tool, and have a cap full of WD40 that I wet the bit in between applying it to the fig to drill the holes. It is simillar to what is done for drilling structural steel. As long as the bit is well wetted with WD40 it will not seize fast and will cut clean holes as deep as you need.

[Sanael]

Chaosscorpion: The WD40 is a good plan for the drilling... but how does it affect the subsequent gluing? Since it doesn't evaporate (and I usually epoxy shortly after I drill, anyway), you've got to clean out the hole, somehow. Or do you just not worry about it?

Buglips: yeah, I figured it'd be the paperclip route. Usually for this weight, I'd use the brass "coathanger" rod I have, but it's just a little to thick for me to feel comfortable putting it in her ankles. Either way, this model definitely won't hold up with my usual guitar-string pins!

Yeah, if your pin vise is off-kilter and you don't have a Dremel, this is a tough pin-job. My pin vise is a teensy bit off center, too, but it doesn't do too badly most of the time. It's best if I clip the surface down to make it flat first, and sometimes I'll even start a divot with the tip of an xacto to prevent the bit from slipping when I start drilling. I also bought a large number of the same size bit (Micro-Mark had a sale!), so I'm able, when one bit starts jamming and catching, to switch it into the "spare metal whoozits" bitzbin and replace it with a new, sharp bit. A clean, sharp bit makes a world of difference.

[Random Anecdote]
I knew a guy at the FLGS who'd had the same bit in his pinvise for about five years. He was a WH40K player, and the bit was basically a nail at that point, and you shoulda heard the blue streak every time he had to pin something. One day I brought a new bit (and my pliers; the chuck hadn't moved in ages) and switched it for him. He loved it, until he drilled straight through a mini into his thumb. Blue streak again.
[/Random Anecdote]

[Doug Sundseth]

WD-40 is primarily intended to penetrate and displace water, not to lubricate. For drill bits, I'd recommend a simple light machine oil like 3-in-1 or else soap (dish soap works pretty well). To remove oils, alcohol or high-volatility hydrocarbons like lighter fluid work pretty well. For soap, water is fine.

For reference, I've replaced the pikes in two full armies of 15mm miniatures (several hundred figures) and I haven't had too many problems even at that size when I use the right size drill bit.

For pinning, if you need strength, use music wire (not guitar strings). You can find it at most hobby stores. Be careful what tool you use to cut it, though, as it will notch most diagonal cutters. Plus it tends to depart the vicinity of the cutter at high speed when the cut is complete, so watch out for that, too. (And wear safety glasses.)

[chaosscorpion]

Chaosscorpion: The WD40 is a good plan for the drilling... but how does it affect the subsequent gluing? Since it doesn't evaporate (and I usually epoxy shortly after I drill, anyway), you've got to clean out the hole, somehow. Or do you just not worry about it.

I dip the bit, like dipping a paint brush in paint. I don't saturate the mini. Just a quick dip of the bit into the WD40 for a cooling and a new coat of lubrication on the drill bit.

As I am lubricating the bit and not the surface that I am drilling; I have had no issuses with gluing the pins in place with either superglues or epoxies. I also feel that any of the oils transfered to the hole are "cooked off" during the heat that is still developed during the drilling process.

WD-40 is primarily intended to penetrate and displace water, not to lubricate.

from WD40's website.


Known as "the can with thousands of uses," WD-40 protects metal from rust and corrosion, penetrates stuck parts, displaces moisture, and lubricates just about anything.

For pinning, if you need strength, use music wire (not guitar strings). You can find it at most hobby stores. Be careful what tool you use to cut it, though, as it will notch most diagonal cutters. Plus it tends to depart the vicinity of the cutter at high speed when the cut is complete, so watch out for that, too. (And wear safety glasses.)

This is the very material I use for pinning. It is very strong and pay attention to Doug's warnings.

[Doug Sundseth]

WD-40 is primarily intended to penetrate and displace water, not to lubricate.

from WD40's website.


Known as "the can with thousands of uses," WD-40 protects metal from rust and corrosion, penetrates stuck parts, displaces moisture, and lubricates just about anything.

My emphasis added.

If you look at the ingredients (MSDS), it is about 20% lubricant and the rest is thinning agents to get it into narrow places and drive off water. (FWIW, the "WD" part of the name stands for "Water Displacement".) Real oils work better for lubrication if you don't need that penetration.