Arena Rex Forums

Arena Rex Forums
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 3:37 am

All times are UTC-05:00




Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:34 am 
Offline
Crudus
User avatar

Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:19 am
Posts: 112
Hello all,

So I finally decided to break down and grab the Zephyri starter set after a long time mulling it over. I currently have many various models (mostly Infinity stuff) waiting to be painted at the moment, that I was hesitant to add even more models to the queue. However, the Adepticon sale force my hand.

As I eagerly await their arrival, I'm curious to know what people's opinions are on the strength of certain parts, and if they should be reinforced when assembling. Specifically Sven's spear. I have worked with resin before, and certain bits can get fiddly and break easily. I'm considering replacing Sven's spear shaft with some brass rod, however I thought I would ask here first to see if I should even bother. Thoughts?


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 3:00 am 
Offline
Viridis
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:38 am
Posts: 1484
Location: Scandinavian Denmark
Welcome to this awesome model range/game/hobby! And excellent question! I have lots to say on the topic of the assembly of Arena Rex models for sure.

For me personally, my AR models have been the most fragile and flimsy models I have ever worked with in the about 25 years I have been building miniatures. This is not a problem for me as such - it's an interesting challenge in some ways - but it means that the models are totally definitely not for beginners, in my view, and they require patience and work to get them to a finished and stable state.

Let's start with your question about Sven's spear. With this particular model, the hand and spear are cast in pewter, and the body is resin. Since the wrist joint is a tiny contact point, pinning the joint is basically mandatory in my view. However, I also found the spear itself thin and flimsy, and so I did what you suggest - replaced the spear haft with brass rod.

This meant that I had to drill into the wrist in order to pin it to the arm, and then I had to drill into the fist in order to fit the brass rod into the hand. So there are two angled drill tunnels into a pretty small piece of pewter. It worked and seems stable on my model so far - but it is also tricky, and there is no way to increase the strength of the connection if it breaks, since there is simply very little material to work with.

However, my biggest issue is actually with the models' feet. Unlike GW models, for example, AR models have no feet slots or tabs. Ever. Their feet just end with the model itself.

This is not an issue with big solid models like Ur-Kek. But it is a challenge with small flimsy models like Sven or Zahra.

Sven, for example, only touches the ground with two body parts - the tip of his right foot, and the heel of his left foot. There is almost no surface there. So it is basically impossible to just glue him to the base. He would just fall over, as there is no surface to bond to the base. So you basically have to pin through both of the contact points on his feet, which are quite small. Steady hands.

Zahra is similar, except that she is standing on just the tip of her left foot. So just one tiny contact point. And then the arc of her foot and her ankle are thin and flimsy. Recipe for disaster. After I played with mine a few times, the arc of her foot broke, because it was thin resin and couldn't stand up to being stored and handled. So I had to take out the original pin and this time pin all the way through the foot and into the leg to support the resin internally. So far that works - but she is still flimsy as hell, especially with her very long and thin pewter weapons sticking out.

_________________
My Arena Rex painting log


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:40 am 
Offline
Crudus
User avatar

Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:19 am
Posts: 112
Thanks for the reply, some very helpful information there. It sounds like pretty much what I expected, and these minis will end up being a labor of love.

I am curious as to what sized bit you used to pin the wrist? I will likely need to run out and grab a new drill bit, and want to make sure I have one small enough.


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 10:32 am 
Offline
Noxius
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 31, 2016 9:46 am
Posts: 68
For some of those really small connections, I've actually used a tiny bit of greenstuff to hold them in place. I don't feel safe drilling into such small pieces.


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 11:12 am 
Offline
Viridis
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2016 4:38 am
Posts: 1484
Location: Scandinavian Denmark
KaptainWalrus wrote:
I am curious as to what sized bit you used to pin the wrist? I will likely need to run out and grab a new drill bit, and want to make sure I have one small enough.


Good question, but I'm not sure. I just have a pack of them and it doesn't say on them what size they are. But I pin all my joints using paper clips as the supporting pin. So basically a bit that is about the width of a paper clip is what I used. :)

Greenstuff as buffer can work, but I find that to not be a very strong bond when the connection point is so tiny, since you're only getting a tiny bit of green stuff in there too. With something like Sven's wrist, the smallest bit of pressure on the tip of the spear during transit is still likely to snap the wrist joint if it isn't pinned, I think.

_________________
My Arena Rex painting log


Last edited by Wishing on Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 9:55 am 
Offline
Noxius
User avatar

Joined: Sat Aug 13, 2016 8:59 am
Posts: 19
Location: Pittsburgh
One guy in my group here in Pittsburgh also replaced Sven's spear with brass rod.

For the feet, I like to cut down the resin sprue to leave a peg under the foot. I drill through the base and secure the peg in place with green stuff and super glue. I leave the foot slightly above the base, then fill in with Elmers/pva glue and sand.


Top
   
PostPosted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:27 pm 
Offline
Crudus
User avatar

Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:19 am
Posts: 112
The starter set has arrived! This was the first time I have seen the miniatures first hand, and they are beautiful. As they are resin, the prep-work and assembly was pretty much as expected. Flash was minimal, and I only had 1 miscast, but boy was it a doozy. The right side of Sven's face, right on top of his mustache, just under his eye, was a big resin glob. About 45 minutes with an exacto knife under my magnifying glass, and I think I have it pretty well cleaned up (will know for sure once I get him primed). In any event, I just want to thank everyone for their suggestions, I appreciate the help.


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 9:17 pm 
Offline
Noxius
User avatar

Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:02 pm
Posts: 11
Agreed ... a lot of pinning on these models. Also, swapping out the spears with brass rods ... Totally worth it.


Top
   
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC-05:00


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited
Theme Created by HOLLYSMOKE
Theme updated to phpBB 3.1.3 by KamijouTouma