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How to Assemble 03465: Shaerileth, Spider Demon

by Patrick Keith

Legs and bodies and arms, oh my! When opening the pack for the new Spider Demon it may seem a little daunting at first but she is very simple to assemble with a tiny bit of patience. I sculpted this model with pose-ability in mind, so all of the legs can be positioned in a number of ways depending on how the painter would like to assemble it.
I used green stuff putty to assemble the model in this article. But whichever adhesive you use, it is very important to allow each part to completely cure or dry before adding the next part. These instructions also require the use of sharp tools! Please exercise caution and care when using any tool, always point tips and sharp edges away from yourself, particularly fingers.

Supplies

  • Hobby Knife
  • Pliers
  • Cutting surface
  • Pin vise or low speed drill
  • Thin brass wire - 1/32" is good
  • Matching drill bit (same size as wire)
  • Wire cutters
  • Needle files
  • Fine sandpaper (320 & 600 grit)
  • Adhesive (super glue or green stuff)
  • Sculpting tool
It's a good idea to use as thin a wire as possible because the leg parts are rather slender. A lot of folks like to use paper clips to pin their models together. While this generally works with most models it really depends on the size of the parts being pinned. I also recommend a cordless screwdriver for drilling holes as an option. Dremel tools run at too high a speed to be safe for drilling small holes in tiny parts. If the drill bit gets buried it can spin the part out of your hand and cause an injury. Again, caution is the best bet.

Cleaning the parts


I left the legs on the sprues to clean them as it provides a convenient way to grip them while filing down the mold lines.
Then I clipped the legs off and filed the ends smooth. You will notice that the sets of legs are identical, one set for the left side and one set for the right. One leg on each sprue is longer than the others and this is the back leg. All of the other legs can be positioned in any of the other sockets.

Drilling holes


It is then only a matter of drilling holes for the pins in the end of each leg. If you are planning to attach the model to a finished base, you should also drill holes in the tip end of a couple of the legs to allow for pinning to your base. It may be necessary to file a small flat spot on the tip of the leg before drilling a hole to keep the tip of the drill bit from "walking" over the surface. The footprint of the finished spider will be around 3" across, so plan on this size for any base you may be using for it. At this point I also drilled a hole in the lower connection point of the abdomen. You will notice a small dimple sculpted there to allow for your drill bit.
Now you can drill holes in all the other parts where they make their connections. You may also want to dry-fit all of the parts to see how you will pose them and to see how much space you will need for the way they will fit together.

Assembly


To attach the arm to the torso, I clipped a small bit of wire and inserted one end into the hole in the arm with a bit of green stuff. Sometimes when clipping wire it may be necessary to file down the end a bit or pinch it back into shape with pliers to get the wire to fit properly. I then added green stuff to the arm socket and pressed the arm in until the excess splooged out.
Then, I trimmed off the extra green stuff and blended the putty a bit to disguise the seam.
To assemble the abdomen the same process is repeated. By trimming the excess green stuff it is possible to blend the putty to hide the seam in a convincing way. If it is still visible, you can add additional green stuff after the first batch cures. Then you can blend that layer into the shape of the metal. Once this cures you can go over the edges with a file or fine sandpaper to blend any remaining edge. I attached a pin to the bottom of the abdomen and then stuck that in an extra pin vise to make it easier to grip and work with.
Here I attach the abdomen to the thorax after attaching some of the legs. The legs are all added the same way as how the arm was connected - a small wire inserted into the end of the leg with green stuff, trimmed to size and then inserted into the socket of the thorax with more green stuff. To provide stability I started with three primary legs. A front leg was connected first. A middle leg on the opposite side was attached and then an opposing back leg (one of the long ones). If you drilled holes to attach the model to a scenic base, these would be the legs to attach first. Once the putty cures you can test the position of the legs before adding the others. You should have a sort of "tripod" that will have the model sit level. You can bend the tips of the legs carefully to resolve any wobbling if necessary. When bending the legs be sure to grasp only the parts of the legs themselves to keep from breaking them free from the thorax.
After attaching the abdomen to the thorax, the rest of the legs can be attached. That way, they can be positioned to avoid touching the abdomen. When lining up the parts, be sure to test the positions to make sure there is clearance for the other parts. By assembling with green stuff, you should have plenty of time to position the parts before the putty cures. Remember - the legs should radiate out from the center of the thorax, but only six of them are connected to the thorax itself. The other two legs are connected to the front of the torso. So, when positioning the legs on the thorax be sure to allow for adding the legs on the torso next.
Finally I pinned the torso onto the front of the thorax. Once this had completely cured, I connected each front leg one at a time, curing the putty in between. Now the model is ready for primer and that award-winning paint job!

Notes on green stuff


When using green stuff for assembly or patching, you can add twice as much of the yellow part to the blue part when mixing. This will result in a putty that is a little gooier and easier to blend but will also cure a bit harder and create a strong bond. To speed the curing of the putty, place it under a lamp bulb for a few minutes. Heat will cause the putty to cure faster. Do not place cured or uncured putty in an oven.


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