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Hey all, I was wondering if anyone has had experience with fixing warped plastic pieces from GW kits.

To be specific I picked up a Carnifex recently and the right half of the torso is poorly formed, so that it refuses to fit properly to the spine piece that gets sandwiched between the two torso halves. The piece itself is rather thick, so simply bending it to fit or forcing it together is out of the question.

As an aside I've e-mailed GW in an attempt to get a replacement. I did however purchase the kit from a FLGS - should I seek a replacement from them or was I correct in contacting GW?

You could try dunking the bit in really hot water for a few minutes and seeing if you can then bend it, but in my experience that tends not to work so well with thick plastic.

Re who's responsible for replacement bits, that depends on consumer law in your country.

If you can't get a replacement bit, cut the warped bit to fit the best it can then fill the gaps with greenstuff (this can also be a good excuse to model soem battle damage)

Ive always used a hair drier for stubborn parts remembering not to bring it too close (you can warp the plastic worse) and less is usually more.....

Green stuff and Battle damage is a great idea as well makes your models more unique....

take your time and be careful whatever you decide

At my local retailer, we're able to return the product to the store - and the store deals with GW. From what I heard, GW is usually really generous about replacing bad parts. Sometimes, they even provide you with another box - while letting you keep the original for extra bits! Though I'm not sure what I'd do with 1/2 a Carnifax.

If all else fails, there's always Green Stuff. Either to help you make the join or even helping you craft an entire replacement part as required.

Good luck!

Actually, call GW directly and explain what is going on, they will most likely send a new one right out. I have had two issues in 19 odd years with GW kits and was left MORE than satisfied with how they handled both issues.

Also, buy a bag of table salt, heat in a small sauce pan, test with an old sprue (to ensure the plastic is absotbing the heat but not so much as to create indentations on the plastic) submerge the plastic piece in the heated salt for a few seconds, pull out, attempt to bend to shape, repeat as needed. It is important to test on a sprue or old bit you don't want to ensure you get a feel for this but I have had great success with this technique.

Thanks for the responses everyone - contacted GW by phone and they're sending a replacement out. Great customer service!

I'm gonna try that salt trick, GoFenris. I can't see myself softening the plastic with a hair dryer without straight up melting the piece into a puddle. What am I looking for in the salt, by the way? Should I put my stove top on high as if I were going to boil water? Is the salt supposed to melt? Just curious.

N1NJ4 wrote:Thanks for the responses everyone - contacted GW by phone and they're sending a replacement out. Great customer service!

I'm gonna try that salt trick, GoFenris. I can't see myself softening the plastic with a hair dryer without straight up melting the piece into a puddle. What am I looking for in the salt, by the way? Should I put my stove top on high as if I were going to boil water? Is the salt supposed to melt? Just curious.

Medium to Low and let it heat up for a few moments to warm the salt. Practice on some old sprues to get a feel for it cause too hot and the salt will put divots where it touches. It is kind of an odd process but has worked wonders on some of those old GW kits as it spreads the heat out evenly. It may take repeated attempts on thick pieces.

Thanks for elaborating. If all goes well I'll be one (free) Carnifex richer!