Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I got a good idea after screwing around with a solder iron I found.

after burning myself several times, and destroying 6 army men, I got this idea

Put holes in broken tanks to show melta damage.

I tried it, and made a really good bit of scenery out of a broken dreadnought.

Thoughts?

Pictures to come.

(AOBR dreadnought, missing both legs, couldn't fight with it.)

Just be careful not to breathe the fumes that the polystrene gives off when it is melted or when it burns.

I did my first time and it gave me the wierdest and hardest head cold I've ever had.

Melting plastic indoors generally isn't a good idea. Make sure wherever you are is VERY well ventilated, and you're wearing something over your face.

Use xacto knife to drill holes , there are no reason to melt it not to talk about bad for health.

LunaHound wrote:Use xacto knife to drill holes , there are no reason to melt it not to talk about bad for health.

As an EMT, I would tend to agree...but I also realize that if done with proper precautions (face/hand protection, preferably outdoors) then a better looking "melta damage" can be created.

Even better is, using the same methods of protection as using a soldering iron and using a knife/triangular file on an area that was 'painted' with polystyrene cement.

The polystyrene cement will allow you to basically burrow your way in, and provided a rougher outside to the pockmarks/battle damage.

hmmmm. I had no intention of using polystyrene.

The dreadnougt is based on another ones 60mm base and I like the effect that it gave for the smashed hull.

Also, I had no intention of simply going -in- to the dread, the idea was one or two really bad hits (full penetration) that smashed through it's engine and another maybe through it's multimelta. while there would be others that simply glanced or even did real pene but no damage (seared holes through the top of dreadnought, holes that don't go out the other end, skimmed 'longshots')

Ventilation is no problem, I alway work with glues/plastics outside, and I use breathing guards.

I'm not really going to be trying out things with tools I don't have, but I like where I'm going with this and I might have images to show.

be on the lookout.

Another problem with burning plastic is that... plastic burns. In other words, it may ignite and melt a lot more than you want. Deformation and warping also happen when plastic is superheated.

Good Creative idea! You can probably get some good droopy metal looks with heat. Cool!

I never thought to do that, and I might have to try at some point.

I want to try using a dremel, as I think the effect might be much the same.

Have you tried using some solder to give a melted metal sort of look? Or so the plastic pull that off nicely.

It's a great idea and looks really effective as you are effectively doing what melta weapons are supposed to do. I've used it a few times (example below).

The fumes are pretty nasty, but I don't see how they're worse than an extended session with liquid poly or cycling in busy traffic. As long as you're not deliberately huffing the smoke

Polystyrene does ignite, but as you're using a hot, non-flaming source the chances of you actually setting fire to stuff are slim. Just take it carefully and use some common sense. I found that the worst bit was trying to clean the plastic off the end of the iron.

Flinty wrote:
The fumes are pretty nasty, but I don't see how they're worse than an extended session with liquid poly or cycling in busy traffic. As long as you're not deliberately huffing the smoke

I strongly suggest doing this outdoors or somewhere well ventilated, taking anything into our bodies that is not intended, has side affects. Small though they may be, better to mitigate any problem before it starts.

As to the modeling, it looks fantastic! I'd love to see more shots of painted scenery as such.