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I hate plastic glue!!!

I was changing all the heads round in my space marine army so that the assault marines all had the 'beakey' helmet, after seeing someone mention that it was a good idea, and I agreed.

Normally, when you use superglue the join is strong but it'l still snap off with a small amount of force... Not with plastic glue!

Apart from taking far too long to set, melting detail and looking noticeably messy; it makes it impossible to make changes to your models poses after its set.

I ruined a few marines by doing this but it should all be at least salvageable.




Rage.

Anyone like plastic glue and want to share theyre reasons? Or any other traumatic stories of the plastic glue horror!?

to be honest, i hate every type of glue there is. in future i will use pin vices and bits, so that you can also interchange parts. i have superglue and it ruins my elysian drop troops. and you cannot separate them easily for some reason- i snapped off one guys leg trying to take apart his torso

I love plastic glue.

Super quick to dry and a stong join. I honestly don't mind that it makes models hard to pull apart. The pros are better than the cons.

I usually use poly cement for bog standard troops or plastic vehicle assembly, It bonds everything sturdily so I dont have to worry about minis falling to pieces.

I don't know how much you are using to get blobs of it or loss of detail a very tiny spread of it does the job just fine.

I use superglue and epoxy for most otherjobs.


@dark6spectre why not go with magnetising your minis?

Not me.

Personally, I much prefer plastic models and plastic glue for the simple reason that I have come to loathe metal models, superglue and the way they break apart.

I'm more of a hobbier than a gamer and I cannot stand how the hours I spend modelling and painting can be wasted by a part breaking off (or even the join cracking while the pin still holds the piece on).

I have no need to modify my models once they are done and, if the rules did change so dramatically that I needed to rework the troops, I'd rather "retire" them whole and buy new than mar the work I put into them the first time around. But that's just me ... I hate working on the same model twice or re-wrking it but I don't mind doing multiple versions of it. Go figure.

I rather like plastic glue, but I also don't attempt to remodel minis after they are done. Between green stuff and thin brass wire, there really isn't a need to do so.

Plastic glue doesn't just stick the pieces together, it is literally fusing the plastic into one piece which is why it removes details. Why are you getting glue on your details? Because it needs so small of a contact point (due to bonding aspect), you really don't need to use much of the glue to do what you want it to. Also, when you use a minimal amount of the glue, it is easier to pull it apart without damaging the mini even if you do want to take it apart and repose.

A sharp hobby knife worked gently into the joint also helps minimize the damage from taking it apart.

i am also a modeller. i have only played something like 3 games in my life and they were utterly boring. i don't want to use magnets as they might cost alot. i hate metal models as they are never perfect when i get them :bent parts, bits morphed into another. i prefer plastic or resin. plastic glue is ok for me but only if i use a small amount. resin requires super glue which is annoying. The parts end up getting dry glue everywhere and you have to break it off with clippers

I find you need to be careful with using plastic glue, I try to use it only on joints I know I dont want to seperate later because it is a pain and then some. For things like heads, I stick to just super glue. In fact, I tend towards the cheaper ones too because they seem to dry more brittle.

I tend to use superglue for everything. I game very minimally so my models are not chucked about that much. Any bits that seem like they might not hold together brilliantly - converted weapon hands etc - are pinned during construction and I can't say it has been an issue. However, to get the problems you seem to have I can only think that you are using too much plastic glue or being too liberal with how you apply it. As others have said, one needs to be careful of overspill with plastic glue due to how it works. Excess superglue can be wiped away with a quick finger (giggedy) whereas plastic glue will melt the detail and stay that way.

I can now fully appreciate that plastic glue has its virtues!

But the models I was working on were not originally built by me (hence why Im remodelling them a bit), and I have basically never used plastic glue as I just prefer super glue.

I share your hatred of metal models! Utterly horrible, badly moulded, horrible to paint, always chip, etc etc. But I use epoxy for sticking really heavy duty stuff too.

I do game all the time, and sometimes somethings break a bit, but theyre easily stuck again.

I find if you want something to stick ultra hardcore and in seconds, (many a case scenario with natural rock and metal), U stick it with the epoxy (araldite Ive been using), then superglue over the top. Very clumbsy and only great with scenery work and the likes, but it goes nearly insane in a chemical reaction then bonds like satans manicles in about 10 seconds.

melting detail and looking noticeably messy

You're doing it wrong.

Plastic glue makes plastic bits hold pretty much forever unless you decide to go in and do orkish surgery on your model. Using the pinpoint applicator that Testors sells, there is no mess or melting of detail because the glue only goes where you want it to.

^What he said.

So, it takes too long, and then you can't change it when it does dry? Simple solution there - blu-tak EVERYTHING.

Seems like someone needs a lesson in "Life". Sometimes in real life, there are decisions made that you can't ctrl-z, that once you make them, they stay that way and you have to live with them. Plastic glue is like that.

Hmmph! Young'uns and their lack of patience these days.

To add to Breotan's point, the pinpoint applicators are fantastic. Unlike superglue, which is constantly clogging (resulting in mess and unpredictability), all you have to do is slide a thin wire down the needle (supplied) and you are good to go in 5 seconds. I don't ever use superglue for plastic.

Plastic glue rocks. Use a hobby knife to cut them instead of trying to pull apart and you'll get better results. I turned a bunch of basecoated, plastic-glued slugga boyz into shoota boyz, came out fine.

Newt-Of-Death wrote:Apart from taking far too long to set, melting detail and looking noticeably messy; it makes it impossible to make changes to your models poses after its set.

Plastic glue is great, especially if you have a good tool to apply it like the metal tube on a bottle of Revell contacta. It's not messy at all.. It sounds like you're using too much, you don't need a lot of glue to get a good bond on small items. The strong, neat bond is one of the good things about plastic glue over superglue, and it's much safer to use. Unless you specifically buy gel superglue, it tends to be very runny, it's more toxic and pretty much everyone with some experiance of superglue has managed to stick their fingers together.

Yup
sounds like big blobs are the problem.
I must admit my first attempts with cement was not good on GW plastic, so I adapted my technique. The plastic is a lot harder than what I am used to- obviously needs to withstand the rigours of gameplay.

I apply a sufficient amount but not too much to BOTH surfaces, working it gently with a cocktail stick.
Leave for a few seconds to soften the plastic
Place the parts together and firmly push and hold

this way sets the parts well I find, but can allow some latitude for adjustment. If it requires repositioning it is no problem if the glue has not set fully. And you don't get glue on the details.

If the glue gets where it ought not - best to leave to dry or suck up with the corner of some tissue. Don't try and scrape it off

I love plastic glue, and really hate anything else, although I can see why certain types of modeling operations would be a pain in the ass with it.

I use superglue myself, but as said I blu-tak everything before I apply any type of permanent or semi permanent adhesive, at least till I'm sure that I have the model's pose down.

But really the main reason I use superglue is that it's readily available.

use GW squig super glue, the plastic glue is worthless. That is all.

I like the plastic glue. When I glue something I want it to be steel.

I like the GW Plastic Glue, but I've messed up a lot of models by using too much.

Also, I tried priming the models before gluing like I used to do, which resulted in massive goop wherever the primer was, ended up wrecking a lot of stuff. Never priming before gluing again. If something needs paint before glue, I'll prime by hand.

Anyone have a link to that pinpoint applicator thing? I can't find it on the testors website, if I could fill an applicator with the GW plastic glue, it'd be great. The applicator they have sucks.

No need to
Revell Contacta is good stuff and probably cheaper
or not in USA

http://www.gamingdragon.com.au/p/1058072/revell---contacta-professional-liquid-glue-for-plastics.html

try a model shop they will have it or similar
http://www.thewarstore.com/product33526.html
hth

Plastic cement & super glue, like most things, vary depending on the brand & also what you are using them for.

20 years + of making plastic models still finds me happy to use a standard tube of plastic cement rather than a brush or bottle; you just need to be careful how you apply it.

If you may want to break the joint at a later date, less is best. A small drop spread evenly on 1 side will suffice. Remember that even if something breaks off, it can always be re-attached but make sure you clean both surfaces before gluing to make sure you get a strong joint (glue on top of glue doesn't work well)
For a good strong joint, spread the glue across the entire joint, IMO on 1 side only - spreading on both can cause you to apply excess !.

Always remember that glue will spread as you compress the 2 surfaces together, so putting on excess glue will simply spread out of the sides & cause problems (melted areas with palstic cement / loss of detail or stuck fingers if using superglue). Also for a seem free surface, try using elastic bands to hold your model together while the glue dries (model permitting of course) - but don't end up accidently gluing the ebands on as well . . .

The reason why plastic cement causes problems is that it actually works by locally melting the surfaces which then chemically bond together creating a very strong joint. A good glue joint is strongwer than the surrounding material around it, which is why the model can break.

Out of personal choice, I use Humbrol ploy cement,
http://www.humbrol.com/accessories/glues-and-adhesives/ae4422-poly-cement-large-tube-24ml--adhesivesglues/
& Loctite SuperGlue
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/products/detail.asp%3fcatid=15&subid=34&plid=192

I've not tried the GW plastic cement, but the superglue I have tried I've found to be rubbish (poor adhesion & slow drying)

Thats my two pennies worth

Hi Ford
Personally I would avoid tube cement. It obviously works well for you as you are experienced - on my return to modelling I found stringing to be very annoying Found contacta and Humbrol equivalents easier to handle.

I like to spread thinly on both surfaces as I described because GW plastic is tougher than the kits I usually build and have found it works for me.

personal preferences aside, good advice

Yes, I can definately see where plastic glue works best.

Again tho, 'I' am not using too much, as 'Im' not using it at all! Im remodelling another persons models that I purchased.

I do still prefer superglue overall, but I will take to plastic glue when Im doing something that calls for it more readily than I would have before thanks to your advice.

To Chromedog; Thanks for your lesson in 'life', but Im old enough to know a thing or two myself, and Im lucky enough to have remarkable patience. I do however get rather angry on occasion when your determined to do something and it just isnt working out as you wanted it to.

Im remodelling another persons models that I purchased

beg pardon Newt

FordPrefect wrote:Always remember that glue will spread as you compress the 2 surfaces together, so putting on excess glue will simply spread out of the sides & cause problems (melted areas with palstic cement / loss of detail or stuck fingers if using superglue).

Boy is this true, here's an example from a box of marines I picked up (very) cheaply.

How much glue were you using?

I stopped using that stuff when I last tried using it and it kept flowing out of the top, no matter how I held it. don't really have a problem with it, but lately I use what is at hand, and that is super-glue

Iron Gryphon wrote:I stopped using that stuff when I last tried using it and it kept flowing out of the top, no matter how I held it. don't really have a problem with it, but lately I use what is at hand, and that is super-glue

I think everyone has probably had that problem with tubes of poly cement, you need to put the glue down pointing upwards (prop it up against something), then use some tissue to clean the mess up.

When using glue from a tube, try keep the tube horizon along with the piece you are applying the glue to. That way you can control the pour easier, just be patient with the tube, lift the end of the tube up slightly to let gravity to cause the glue to flow - dont just squeeze the tube or it will end up everywhere

If you hold the tube pointing down with the model piece below, mama gravity will do her thing & again you'll have glue all over.