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Suggestions to better balance a fire prism on its base?
So I finished painting a fire prism and when I put it on its flying base it leans pretty far back and is not level from font-back as it should be. This is because the prism part is metal and weighs the back half down (the rest of the model is plastic). Any suggestions on how to better balance the thing without gluing/green stuffing it into place (I'd like to be able to remove it from the base when it gets immobilized)?

First off, ditch the GW bases, replace with a metal rod. Then counterweigh the model so that the opposite sides are weighed down. You can put some lead shot or fishing weights in the hull to do so.

I personally have used a metal tube with a magnet in it that goes all the way up to the top of the hull, with another magnet glued to the top of the hull.

You could also (for your next one) look at making replacement bits for the metal ones out of a lighter substance.

Recast it in lightweight resin (and then immediately destroy both the original and the mold).

My brother is actually gonna magnetize the base of his.

make the mounting hole bigger then push the model on to the main stem instead of the brittle little peg at the top. It will also lower the model's centre of gravity help to make it more stable.

NO_SUCH_LUCK wrote:Recast it in lightweight resin (and then immediately destroy both the original and the mold).

I dunno why youd want to destroy the mold, but thats a pretty decent idea really.

bubber wrote:make the mounting hole bigger then push the model on to the main stem instead of the brittle little peg at the top. It will also lower the model's centre of gravity help to make it more stable.

^ that's what I do.

3mm mounting hole instead of 1mm.

Makes it maybe 4mm "lower" on the stand than otherwise and a whole crapload more stable.

The simple solution is to use bits of metal to rebalance it.

The not-so-simple-but-more-effective solution is to beef up the base a whole load. A metal rod as suggested would work, but a wooden dowel might work in a pinch.

bubber wrote:make the mounting hole bigger then push the model on to the main stem instead of the brittle little peg at the top. It will also lower the model's centre of gravity help to make it more stable.

I completley agree, i was gonna suggest the same. you can also move the mounting hole, and make it bigger