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I am doing some space hulk conversions and the hard blue plastic supersized me.
It isn't like our regular grey plastic at all. It really doesn't wants to give in to knives that would normally cut the grey stuff with ease and it seems to react slightly differently to my regular plastic glue.
Has any one else noticed this and what could be the reason for it ?

The fact that it's blue rather than grey should immediately suggest that it's a different material.

Razor saw might work, or modelers tools like that.

Something abut more beafy cutting wise.

I chopped my finger tip off trying to cut up a space crusade marine when I was a kid. I recall the 1st ed space hulk models had the same plastic. Friendly neighbourhood A&E sorted me out nicely, though.

Be careful OP! These things blunt your knives insanely quickly. A jeweller's saw may be a good suggestion.

I just used an other knife ( a sharper one ) for the shoulder pads replacements and the other things. Its wasn't that hard in the end its just that the material supersized me.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

nareik wrote:
. A jeweller's saw may be a good suggestion.

My first alternative to it was using a saw tooted knife that I also use for metal mini's etc. but it got stuck in the viscosity I think. So I do not recommend using any sort of saw on them.

Ah that sucks about the saw. Perhap if you were to try sawing them underneath a tap to keep the cut clean and stop it from getting all hot and melty form the friction?

Might still ruin a good saw though .

What about a circular saw? That won't get stuck.

 mrhappyface wrote:
What about a circular saw? That won't get stuck.

O.o

Wow.

That... I mean...

Maybe they made this material way too god damned durable if you need a circular saw to cut it effectively.

Is it the same as Drastic Plastic or Psycho Styrene?

 Pouncey wrote:

 mrhappyface wrote:
What about a circular saw? That won't get stuck.

O.o

Wow.

That... I mean...

Maybe they made this material way too god damned durable if you need a circular saw to cut it effectively.

Should have been cast green not blue is what your saying.

I'd like to see these SH 1st ed painted in Crimson Fist colours, I don't know why... perhaps just because of the base colour of the plastic!

*to google with me!*

nareik wrote:
Is it the same as Drastic Plastic or Psycho Styrene?

I have no idea what its chemical composition is but is sure a lot sturdier than regular GW plastic.
It kinda reminds me of the plastic used in olskool decent quality board games aimed at kids.

the ancient wrote:

 Pouncey wrote:

 mrhappyface wrote:
What about a circular saw? That won't get stuck.

O.o

Wow.

That... I mean...

Maybe they made this material way too god damned durable if you need a circular saw to cut it effectively.

Should have been cast green not blue is what your saying.

Is there any reason why green plastic would necessarily be easier to cut?

I think use model saw. Cut slower and use tap to clear junk and cool blade.

Should do it. And the water will also clear resdue as ite blade works.

Beat I can think of....

Use WD30 on your saw blade.

Why does the colour make any difference. It's just a dye added to the plastic pellets during the procedure.

GW have had stuff made in Green, Dark blue, beige and 3 shades of grey (at least 3 shades by the time I stopped buying it).

 chromedog wrote:
Use WD30 on your saw blade.

Why does the colour make any difference. It's just a dye added to the plastic pellets during the procedure.

GW have had stuff made in Green, Dark blue, beige and 3 shades of grey (at least 3 shades by the time I stopped buying it).

Why exactly are they adding a dye to the plastic pellets if the color doesn't matter?

I think the reason that it's a different color is because it's a different type of plastic that just happens to be a different color. Because of how chemicals work and stuff.

I mean, they might be dying it, but the only reason to do so would be so that you don't get two different types of plastic confused, so same thing, really.

Green=Nurgle (who get +1 Toughness)

It's a joke folks.

Also, being "supersize(d)" by the plastic instead of surprise had me chuckling.

 oldzoggy wrote:
I am doing some space hulk conversions and the hard blue plastic supersized me.
It isn't like our regular grey plastic at all. It really doesn't wants to give in to knives that would normally cut the grey stuff with ease and it seems to react slightly differently to my regular plastic glue.
Has any one else noticed this and what could be the reason for it ?

I'm confused. Are you talking about the models that come in the Space Hulk boardgame? Those are colored blue (Genestealers) and red (Blood Angels) so that they don't need to be painted. They may be a "harder" plastic compound because they are meant to be "push fit" with no real occasion for conversion. In other words, models a novice can build without gluing, and put right on the board. Obviously, the models are also meant to be painted, etc... Did not realize they are not conversion friendly, but that is not surprising, given their design requirements. Anyway, good luck, and be careful.

The dead blood angel is blue. At least the version that I own.

 Gobbla wrote:

 oldzoggy wrote:
I am doing some space hulk conversions and the hard blue plastic supersized me.
It isn't like our regular grey plastic at all. It really doesn't wants to give in to knives that would normally cut the grey stuff with ease and it seems to react slightly differently to my regular plastic glue.
Has any one else noticed this and what could be the reason for it ?

I'm confused. Are you talking about the models that come in the Space Hulk boardgame? Those are colored blue (Genestealers) and red (Blood Angels) so that they don't need to be painted. They may be a "harder" plastic compound because they are meant to be "push fit" with no real occasion for conversion. In other words, models a novice can build without gluing, and put right on the board. Obviously, the models are also meant to be painted, etc... Did not realize they are not conversion friendly, but that is not surprising, given their design requirements. Anyway, good luck, and be careful.

I believe he is talking about the 1st ed space hulk from years (decades?) ago. The plastic is really very tough!

I believe it is a different formula to the modern plastic. It is blue because of dye though. My experience suggests the same plastic was used in Space Crusade, and those models came in yellow, red, blue (Imperial fists, blood angels, ultra marines), dark blue (genestealers and chaos marines... these chaos marines were super cool for the time), green (orks and gretchin, the orks had cool shootas for the era) and grey (chaos android/dreadnought).

So note, while the plastic is a different formula, that is not the reason for the colour change (evidenced by the androids)... you were both right / wrong! :p

link to blog showing the space hulk models. Note the Power Sword on the Sergeant is a conversion; in this set all terminators came with storm bolter and powerfist with a snap fit heavy flamer upgrade option).

 oldzoggy wrote:
The dead blood angel is blue. At least the version that I own.

"The Blood Angel is blue" reminds me of that movie with Jim Carrey where he can't tell a lie, and he tries to force himself to lie about the color of a pen, something simple and harmless, and he's simply unable to do so in any way.

No real point, it's just that if you pretend you don't know the context of this thread, the concept of a blue-armored Blood Angel is just, like, weird and stuff.

Most styrene plastic has additives to change its physical properties - in the case of model kits, something to make the plastic less brittle. Differences is the precise mix will have an effect on the final product. I've had noticeable differences in hardness even with "ordinary" grey plastic kits. It's possible the Space Hulk sprues are deliberately made from a harder plastic, or you just got a batch that's harder than normal.

Oooh I thought we were talking about the 1st ed space hulk (which was blue plastic).


Are we talking about the newest space hulk, but just the blue sprues? Seems odd they would be difficult compared to the red sprues!

The common element I see here is the plastic being blue; perhaps the dye additive also effects the softness, a mixture of Pouncey's and Andrew's suggestions?

nareik wrote:
Oooh I thought we were talking about the 1st ed space hulk (which was blue plastic).


Are we talking about the newest space hulk, but just the blue sprues? Seems odd they would be difficult compared to the red sprues!

The common element I see here is the plastic being blue; perhaps the dye additive also effects the softness, a mixture of Pouncey's and Andrew's suggestions?

Sure.

Let's go with that.

 Pouncey wrote:

 chromedog wrote:
Use WD30 on your saw blade.

Why does the colour make any difference. It's just a dye added to the plastic pellets during the procedure.

GW have had stuff made in Green, Dark blue, beige and 3 shades of grey (at least 3 shades by the time I stopped buying it).

Why exactly are they adding a dye to the plastic pellets if the color doesn't matter?

I think the reason that it's a different color is because it's a different type of plastic that just happens to be a different color. Because of how chemicals work and stuff.

I mean, they might be dying it, but the only reason to do so would be so that you don't get two different types of plastic confused, so same thing, really.

They colour it because it's for a board game and you can play it straight away without painting it that way.

 ImAGeek wrote:

 Pouncey wrote:

 chromedog wrote:
Use WD30 on your saw blade.

Why does the colour make any difference. It's just a dye added to the plastic pellets during the procedure.

GW have had stuff made in Green, Dark blue, beige and 3 shades of grey (at least 3 shades by the time I stopped buying it).

Why exactly are they adding a dye to the plastic pellets if the color doesn't matter?

I think the reason that it's a different color is because it's a different type of plastic that just happens to be a different color. Because of how chemicals work and stuff.

I mean, they might be dying it, but the only reason to do so would be so that you don't get two different types of plastic confused, so same thing, really.

They colour it because it's for a board game and you can play it straight away without painting it that way.

Why couldn't you do that without dyeing the plastic?

 Gobbla wrote:

They may be a "harder" plastic compound because they are meant to be "push fit" with no real occasion for conversion. In other words, models a novice can build without gluing, and put right on the board. Obviously, the models are also meant to be painted, etc... Did not realize they are not conversion friendly, but that is not surprising, given their design requirements.

I hope that's not the case with all GW snap-fits -I acquired quite a few Dark Vengeance cultists with considerable conversion in mind...

Nope those are made of regular he plastic and easy to convert. Almost all of my henchmen contain some of their parts.

Dremal tool best hobby investment I made.

 Pouncey wrote:

 ImAGeek wrote:

 Pouncey wrote:

 chromedog wrote:
Use WD30 on your saw blade.

Why does the colour make any difference. It's just a dye added to the plastic pellets during the procedure.

GW have had stuff made in Green, Dark blue, beige and 3 shades of grey (at least 3 shades by the time I stopped buying it).

Why exactly are they adding a dye to the plastic pellets if the color doesn't matter?

I think the reason that it's a different color is because it's a different type of plastic that just happens to be a different color. Because of how chemicals work and stuff.

I mean, they might be dying it, but the only reason to do so would be so that you don't get two different types of plastic confused, so same thing, really.

They colour it because it's for a board game and you can play it straight away without painting it that way.

Why couldn't you do that without dyeing the plastic?

Because then everything would be the same grey colour on the board.