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This is a little rant, but ugh, Im tired of the little attennas and things like that just popping off my models. My rvana got take out, and a little tin BLACK bit is missing and impossible to find. It always happens after painting. And know my riptide lost one of its pipes that connect the weapon to the arm.
Its getting frusterating, I feel like im not taking care of my models properly if things fall off.

Though maintenance is important, part of the hobby is learning how to repair. Guess it depends on what specifically you are having problems with. Is the glue not bonding? Attaching different materials to each other? Is pinning or bracing appropriate? Would it be easier to store and transport your model(s) if they break down (pins, magnets, etc) How are you transporting your models? Do they experience temperature extremes?

Don't get too frustrated.

I take care of my minis. They are all carefully packing in foam when I head to my FLGS, I keep stray hands from knocking them around, and am very careful about wobbly model syndrome.

When I return from a game, there are always 2-3 things that need to be re-attached. Always.

Wear and tear, missing fiddly bits, these are all part of the hobby. Unless you are painting a display piece to live under glass, there will be repairs.

It might be irritating, but you are not alone.

^^^^^^This.

I lost Commissar Yarrick's sword so long ago and it bugs me. Not that I ever actually use him, but you know...

That being said, I find it impossible to transport my IG without breaking a guardsman's bayonet or two or having a metal model pick up some chipped paint, and I have to pack my GK super carefully in foam to avoid breaking swords/halberds/servo skulls/etc...

It happens to everyone, nbd.

Edit:

I also have the backpacks on my GKSS magnetized so I can swap them to be interceptor squads, and whenever I drop the one backpack usually goes flying halfway across the room and it takes me 20 minutes to find it...

What a well timed thread! Just last night I had some damage occur to the base of a Revenant titan. While returning the titan to its display case I misaligned the plastic case and sheared off a decorative piece from the model's base. Luckily the actual titan wasn't damaged, and the fix was relatively easy, but still. I about lost it when I realized what happened all because the case was off by an inch when I was sliding it into place.

I also enjoy transporting my Dark Eldar to games. Nothing can go wrong with an army full of delicate, spikey models--nope!

After I got my Cygnar battlegroup, the first day I was on the way to my LGS the ironclad's torso came of the legs and the lancer's arm fell off. It didn't matter cuz I didn't get to play anyway, but it was really annoying. I've also had an arm fall of the B13, and I just remembered Caine's pipe thing on his arm came off yesterday and I need to go glue that back on.

I keep a thing of superglue and an exacto knife in my case for just such emergencies. I think the worst thing that ever happened to me was a dropped my bastion once. all the Heavy Bolters broke, and the comms-Relays flew off the top, I still haven't found the last one of those relays.......

Not sure if this counts, but I had a harlequin that someone dropped their drop pod onto while he was on a display board, needless to say the poor resin clown got demolished, though in the end it was fixed and he lives once again to collect dust.

 Arbiter wrote:
Not sure if this counts, but I had a harlequin that someone dropped their drop pod onto while he was on a display board, needless to say the poor resin clown got demolished, though in the end it was fixed and he lives once again to collect dust.

While I think that is exactly how Drop Pods should work in the setting that isn't how they should be used on the game board.

Its just annoying that my nice models break :(

Had my fair share of repairs too. Marines holding bolters one handed, power swords and my scout snipers are the worst. But think yourself lucky, last battle I had when I got home I placed my box (containing nearly every model I own) on the dining table and went to make a drink. Then..... Scrap, pause, crash!!

I'm still matching bits at the bottom of the box to the model they go on to this day. :(

I took my reaver titan for a spin. Its leg fell off. Turns out that thing needs a lot of bond and glue, a lot. I was just bragging how it took 5 hours to build, then the leg came off. Seriously that titan is bad news. I bet it will fail me when I get to use it.

Antennas on my vox casters are a problem for me too. Other than that (im the most anal player at my club for keeping models safe) im usually ok. Oh and my Vulture Gunship has not made it to the club and back in one piece ever. It always gets knocked over or something. Even with precautions. I now put rubber bands around key areas when it gets deployed.

Just wait until you are carrying one of GW's big cases full of Orks across a parking lot and the back hinge breaks dumping over 130 models onto the pavement. Only 4 survived with no damage. Took me 4 hours to sort reglue and touch up paint. Luckily all I lost was one head.

Part of life really
I now assemble on a white surface as parts tend to vanish and my case has glue and a knife in it, since models always seem to snap when being transported.

Really does not matter how safe you pack them, something will always snap or fall off.

I have noticed though that a nice coat of varnish helps keep things together alot

My IG rarely undergo a game without some kind of damage, usually heads, rifles or backpacks falling off at the slightest provocation. Also, I've re-glued the lever I use to hold my Russ cannons in place so many times I've lost count.

What about spraying the minis with transparent varnish, as Jackal said?

Scratched paint? Eliminated.
Fall damage? Overall integrity is slightly increased.
Falling bits? It helps too

Tiny bits, such as antennas are breaking really easily. Varnish wont really help in this case.

Give it a try.

While I don’t keep glue in my travel bag, I do include some sticky tac. I figure it can hold things together for the rest of the game/day and formal repairs can wait until I get home.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:
What a well timed thread! Just last night I had some damage occur to the base of a Revenant titan. While returning the titan to its display case I misaligned the plastic case and sheared off a decorative piece from the model's base. Luckily the actual titan wasn't damaged, and the fix was relatively easy, but still. I about lost it when I realized what happened all because the case was off by an inch when I was sliding it into place.

I also enjoy transporting my Dark Eldar to games. Nothing can go wrong with an army full of delicate, spikey models--nope!

I swear dark eldar models have some cruel sentience in them, simply by looking at my brother's I always seem to be bleeding afterwards...

When I was priming my russ in the garage I dropped it and one of the sponsons broke off and I just couldn't find it anywhere. I looked for weeks!

I realize that superglue is in vogue for plastic models because it makes them easier to modify later and supposedly helps with resale value.

However, I've found that switching to plastic solvent glue for most plastic models has drastically cut down on parts popping off of models. Parts can still break, and there are long fiddly antennas and such on some models that I often leave off entirely for this reason. Still, I'd venture that 90% of parts popping off of models are the result of a super glue joint coming loose.

 SilentScreamer wrote:

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:
What a well timed thread! Just last night I had some damage occur to the base of a Revenant titan. While returning the titan to its display case I misaligned the plastic case and sheared off a decorative piece from the model's base. Luckily the actual titan wasn't damaged, and the fix was relatively easy, but still. I about lost it when I realized what happened all because the case was off by an inch when I was sliding it into place.

I also enjoy transporting my Dark Eldar to games. Nothing can go wrong with an army full of delicate, spikey models--nope!

I swear dark eldar models have some cruel sentience in them, simply by looking at my brother's I always seem to be bleeding afterwards...

I think you are right. Every single Dark Eldar vehicle I assembled has left me bleeding from either a spear, or spike or other sharp protrusion jabbing into my flesh. You know what doesn't feel good? A shock prow jammed under your thumb nail until blood squirts out.

Power from Pain takes on a whole new meaning when merely assembling your army leaves you a bloody mess!

The antenna has snapped off my landspeeder storm and been glued back on so many times it has a deposit of old glue in the center so it looks more like my grandpas leg than a nice straight aerial.

In fact feth it, if it snaps off again I'm going to pretend that they have embraced digital communications in the 41st millennium and they no longer require aerials that stand 4 feet tall.

I can call Hong Kong on my aerial free phone, I don't see why the Scouts cant do without a mast.

This!
" I feel like i'm not taking care of my models properly if things fall off."

Pinning! magnetize!

Funny enough, I snapped a flying base tonight after dropping the disc and base from a Herald of Tzeentch, showing off how well the herald magnetically held to the disc and base. Oops... dab of ultra thick super glue already fixed.

No one panic!

 mattyrm wrote:
The antenna has snapped off my landspeeder storm and been glued back on so many times it has a deposit of old glue in the center so it looks more like my grandpas leg than a nice straight aerial.

I luckily saw this one coming, and pinned the antenna mount. I'm dreading the hole expanding, but there's always a way to drill a new hole and patch up the old.

My current issue is Finecast. I have the axe-waving shouty-Libby model. No matter how I pack him, his axe bends in the foam tray.
Last week, the axe snapped off.
. . .
Finecast seems to handle being drilled when left in hot water, and pinning the axe-shaft went quite well.
Try bending now, manky horrid Failcast!

Apart from the dreadnought (Wraithlord, sorry) and Dark Reapers, my Eldar army are all one piece models (so far)

There's the old metal Avatar and two war walkers to put together, but I think I'll be pinning those.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:

 SilentScreamer wrote:

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:
What a well timed thread! Just last night I had some damage occur to the base of a Revenant titan. While returning the titan to its display case I misaligned the plastic case and sheared off a decorative piece from the model's base. Luckily the actual titan wasn't damaged, and the fix was relatively easy, but still. I about lost it when I realized what happened all because the case was off by an inch when I was sliding it into place.

I also enjoy transporting my Dark Eldar to games. Nothing can go wrong with an army full of delicate, spikey models--nope!

I swear dark eldar models have some cruel sentience in them, simply by looking at my brother's I always seem to be bleeding afterwards...

I think you are right. Every single Dark Eldar vehicle I assembled has left me bleeding from either a spear, or spike or other sharp protrusion jabbing into my flesh. You know what doesn't feel good? A shock prow jammed under your thumb nail until blood squirts out.

Power from Pain takes on a whole new meaning when merely assembling your army leaves you a bloody mess!

It just means you're building them too well

Ugh, so do I.

The Bastiladon kit is particularly annoying; those javelins have a nasty habit of snapping. I still can't find a paper clip thin enough to pin them.

Chaos terminators assembled with their back spikes are obnoxious to get in and out of foam, I've noticed. As are any chaos vehicle with their "fencing". I generally assemble them without those bits as I found the first two vehicles I assembled to be annoying.