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Hey,

I probably should have looked it up, but I was wondering if anyone here had advice for working with resin. I've been thinking about getting a Forgeworld Mk.IV Dreadnought for some time now, but the problem is that I'm not sure I'll be buying a product that suits my needs. Basically I'm not into the 'wedding-cake' Dreadnoughts that have all sorts of pointless decoration spoiling a perfectly good sci-fi model, and I've scraped that kind of stuff off all the GW plastic/metal models I've gotten in the past. The Dreadnought I'm interested in isn't quite a wedding cake, but I want to get rid of stuff like the wings on the sarcophagus. That's where the problem of resin comes in. Forgeworld resin tends to be brittle and poorly cast, and the dust is toxic, so cutting and grinding off superfluous details seems fraught with problems.

Any suggestions for working with Forgeworld resin, or links to instructional sites?

Thanks!

Resin dust can be a problem. Unfortunatly I don't take the precautions that I should when working with it. At the very least get yourself a dust mask, any hardware store carries them. However, I know guys who do a lot of resin work and they went with full masks with replaceable canisters.

As for quality precautions, brittle resin is brittle resin there is little you can do prep wise to keep it from breaking. The best advice I have is get yourself some good quality two part resin (like greenstuff) and be prepaired to fill gaps and pin holes. Lots of gap and pinholes. Unlike plastic kits if the resin is of low quality there will be air bubbles in it that will show up once you take the top layer off. The only thing you can do about them is fill them with filler. I know guys who use bondo automobile filler because its easy to work with and very sandable.

Even when working with brittle resin a dremil multitool works just fine. Just remember to take small areas off at a time with the sanding/grinding tool.

you will need a very sharp knife and GS, as jayden has said, once the top layer has been removed it will show air bubbles.

and also like jayden, i never used a mask when cutting a squiggoth in half (old project), but i would reccomend one, as i spent the rest of the day coughing and feeling like i had something stuck in my throat.
(this was down to stupidity of not wearing a mask, and working in a small room with no ventilation)

a small file will also work very well.

So, modelling putty, the usual cutting implements, and breathing protection.

Sounds good. Thanks!

TBH, I think you'll do better working with a plastic Dread and FW arms.

To keep the dust down, keep a bowl of water nearby, and periodically dunk it - wet dust doesn't fly about.

I use a linisher (floor mounted belt sander) to remove superfluous detail on resin, and it can kick up a frightening amount of dust. Wetting it down every now and then keeps the dust down.

It's also good for levelling out simple castings (one side moulds) as the surface tension leaves a raised meniscus-like edge (like the water in a glass, it has sides higher than the middle).

Dust mask, tools, putty. Squadron green + some liquid poly (jar) makes a handy thin putty to fill holes/bubbles and dries hard enough to sand, but can be painted on like a thick, but still runny paste

Keep the dust down with wet sandpaper. I've never worn a mask when working with resin but I've not done any heavy work with it, I probably would if I was sawing up large amounts.

FACEMASK
FACEMASK
FACEMASK
FACEMASK

15 yard personal foul, automatic first down!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

40k Radio put out a great program with 10+ minutes on working with resin. Very very helpful, and I believe that you can just get the old programs off of iTunes.

You could get the "naked" one that doesn't have any embellishments on it.

search "Ref: IA-ISM-D-004" on http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/acatalog/SPACE_MARINE_DREADNOUGHTS.html or go about 3/4 down. Last dread before weapons.

ConditionOfMan:

Yes, that is the Dreadnought I linked to, and am talking about scraping off the eagle wing insignia on the sarcophagus, right below the helmet.

Edit: 'tolding'? wtf? fixed...

i second JohnHwangDD's remark sounds like you could save some coin and go with the plastic dread and build it up to suit

I've seen MkV Dreadnoughts built up with a Crusader Helmet and the front of a Terminator's torso modeled onto the front of a sarcophagus, but I think I'd prefer the Forgeworld one.

Something I've noticed recently it that the MkV Dreadnought, with some judicious cutting and plasticard, strongly resembles the old Rogue Trader Dreadnoughts with extra armour plating. If I was going to chop a Dreadnought, I'd remodel it like that. With the Forgeworld one I'm looking to capture that Space Marine 2nd edition look.

I think we've covered it. Get a dust mask, probably some goggles, wet the mini and fill it in with green stuff at the end. I would recommend Grey Stuff instead of green- it works better for flat armored surfaces (especially if you use more white than black in the mix.

Nurglitch wrote:I've seen MkV Dreadnoughts built up with a Crusader Helmet and the front of a Terminator's torso modeled onto the front of a sarcophagus, but I think I'd prefer the Forgeworld one.

Something I've noticed recently it that the MkV Dreadnought, with some judicious cutting and plasticard, strongly resembles the old Rogue Trader Dreadnoughts with extra armour plating. If I was going to chop a Dreadnought, I'd remodel it like that. With the Forgeworld one I'm looking to capture that Space Marine 2nd edition look.

Ok, so we're saying that the plastic dread looks like This:




But the Forge World dread looks like the 2nd ed dreadnought:


I'm inclined to disagree. I think that the current plastic dreads look a lot like the 2nd ed version, but I also don't think that any of the current batch looks much like the Rogue Trader Dread.

Some things not yet mentioned:

Wash everything with a little bit of soap or detergent first. Mold-release chemicals will make both glue and paint come off far too easily if you don't do this.

For warped pieces, a hot hairdryer or bowl of hot water will make the resin bendable, and you can get it back into shape.

Pin absolutely everything that looks like a structural connection.

The Mk.V looks nothing like an Eddy or Fury.

odinsgrandson:

I did say "judicious cutting and plasticard". Given that I'm saying the Warhammer 40k 2nd edition (aka 'modern') design resembles the RT design with some judicious cutting and plasticard, I should probably explain what needs cutting and was needs plasticard.

Take the shoulders of the RT Dreadnought, for example. When you take the torso plating off the modern Dreadnought, the flat plates on either side of the sarcophagus, you find similarly round structures where the arms attach.

Same with the sarcophagus/torso. There's a face painted on the RT Dreadnought where the 'snout' of the modern Dreadnought is lengthened, flattened, and extended.

I should also clarify what I mean by the MkIV Dreadnought resembling a Space Marine 2nd edition Dreadnought. I am referring to the game: "Epic: Space Marine". Here's a picture of the Dreadnought I am referencing.