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I've been working with 40k models for 6 months now, assembling, painting, etc. My sole experience was with plastics until I started looking at special characters to add to a SM army I was starting to get together. I brought a Chaplain with a Jetpack and Sargeant Telion. I did some research and knew I needed Superglue instead of the usual plastic glue and I did some research on pinning.

By the time I was done with the Chaplain model I was so frustrated that Telion remains in the blister pack until I can get the nerve to try my patience again. Pinning is not difficult nor is many of the things you need to do with metal models but the frustration level of the glue not "taking" or the pieces falling or even priming metal is such a pain. It just seems like all the steps taken together take so much more effort.

The upside is that the Chaplain looks gorgeous.

Unfortunately I have held off buying any of the Chaos models I was interested in acquiring because I discovered that many are some fusion of metal and plastic (Noise Marines, Plague Marines, Thousand Sons) or all metal.

Does anyone have advice for working with metal models to make my life a little easier? Some friends have told me the jump pack Chappie is notorious for being hard to assemble to give the others a shot. I just find plastic soooo much easier to work with but once assembled the metals really do look nice.

Hey, I came from a fully plastic army (orks) and never really dealt with metal minis until recently. I talked my gf into trying out the modeling aspect of the hobby (and in the meantime i get to play with them!) and the model she fell in love with the most was the Keeper of Secrets, a fully pewter model. I tried my standard glues and it was just terrible, nothing was sticking and it was a major pain as I'm sure you know.

What I figured out was, when looking at the joints where the legs/arms meet the torso, the surface area of metal actually touching inside the joint was just not adequate enough. Maybe only 5-10% of the actual joint was making contact with the torso area. What I did to solve this was increase the actual "touching" area of the joint. In order to do this, I used Green Putty. You can find this at a few places online or maybe your local game shop carries it.

I put a small dab where the joints met and smashed in the arm/leg. Then pull away the arm/leg and clean up any of the extra putty that is displaced out. Repeat this process a few times and eventually your joint/meeting areas will have a thin cover of putty that greatly increases your gluing area. Once the putty dries, you can use a file to clean off any of the excess that dispersed out and got in other areas. Once it is completely dried (I waited about 2 hours even though the packaging says 30 mins) you can use super glue to join the pieces.

So far the KoS has held up really well. I can pick him/her up by any limb and give it a decent shaking (a lot more abuse than what it generally would get in play) and it's survived a good 4 ft fall onto carpeting (damn clutz I am sometimes).

Other than that, I recommend washing the model with warm soapy water in case there's any chemical agents/oils left over on it. Good luck!

My annoyance with metal models is depending on the model it can be bend to buggery... My Ethereal staff was a bit bent but nothin too serious, my Pathfinders I got 2day were just awful tho :/

Only gluing the bases onto metal has been annoying for me other than above.

well,what about superglue?

HamHamLunchbox wrote:well,what about superglue?

Even with superglue they can be a pain to glue. My broadside had a railgun fall off twice :S

Are you washing the models in warm soapy water before you start?

orkyben wrote:Are you washing the models in warm soapy water before you start?

Nope, didnt think i needed to as my CSM metals worked fine without washing them, apart from one bloodthirster wing.

Superglue and zip kicker. And a ton of paitence. I used to play slaneesh in 3rd ed with all metal noise marines and all metal termis. A good scrub helps also

A trick I use is to put a small bit of tissue paper in the join. It dries a bit faster and is much harder to break apart.

Also as other people have said, make sure to wash the model before assembling.

Fallenbourne wrote:Superglue and zip kicker.

GEL superglue and zip kicker. The gel stays where you put it and doesnt run, as opposed to the liquid. It also has the added bonus of filling small gaps and increasing the joint contact area.


In the 15 years Ive been building metal miniatures I have never pinned a single one. The only time Ive ever had them come apart has been from a drop or significant impact. I can understand the idea of it for larger/heavier models though.

Wash them first, and the green stuff tip is a really good one. The actual metal pieces are often warped or pitted so increasing the surface area in contact with glue is a huge help.

Used the gs tip on my broadside lol, the damn feet wouldnt stay attached to the legs.

You have just so many tools at your disposal....

I personally do everything.

First, I pin the model, glue the pin in place and then attach some epoxy putty.

Some fiddly bits can't be pinned. if the part your trying to pin can be held between your index and middle fingers, without you moving. it's probably too small to pin.

Also, John, have you considered typing correctly? It's one of our rools

Captain Solon wrote:You have just so many tools at your disposal....

I personally do everything.

First, I pin the model, glue the pin in place and then attach some epoxy putty.

Some fiddly bits can't be pinned. if the part your trying to pin can be held between your index and middle fingers, without you moving. it's probably too small to pin.

Also, John, have you considered typing correctly? It's one of our rools

Yea sorry, i tend to type fast which leads to alot of mispellings lol.

Anyway, im sure most people know what i write. Also for some people even if the word is spelled wrong people read it as if it was spelt correctly for some strange reason lol.

Just be happy you're not working on a Hive Tyrant or something big like that. Pinning takes a bit to get used to, but you can get pretty good at it pretty fast. When I was putting together Canis Wolfborn it was pretty much adapt or die to get that model assembled.

Well the best glue would be Locktite superglue, I've had a lot of luck with that. For me though it's not so much assembly that turns me off metal, it's the dammed filing.

i really dont get when people have troubles assembling minis.

just get a decent glue and if its really a heavy metal part that could come off easily: pin it

(also works for plastic minis)

Get a spray bottle of "zip kicker" or another type of superglue accelerator. You will still need to pin large parts but a lot of hassle can be saved by gluing parts and spraying them (it immediately hardens) then you can add another drop of glue and spray again. You can build very strong joints this way, but #1 be extra aware not to glue yourself to the model! and #2 be careful of excess glue running and obscuring details


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l33tninj4 wrote:Well the best glue would be Locktite superglue, I've had a lot of luck with that. For me though it's not so much assembly that turns me off metal, it's the dammed filing.

A dremel tool with a sanding drum and a wire wheel is your friend. Use the sanding drum wisely, don't scar things too deeply

yeah zip kicker or adhesive speeder

You can also try scoring the surfaces that are to be bonded together. It increases the Surface Area ratio between the two and make it easier for the glue to bond.

Gluing metals is just patience that's all.

Also Metal/plastic hybrids are quite easy, you still need superglue but I find the metal bonds to plastic much easier.

Just don't get zip kicker on any skin that might also have some fresh superglue on it.

The burn can be quite educational though.

[Superglues give off heat as they cure - as the bond requires heat, and the more heat, the faster it cures. Accelerants allow it to heat up faster. Fast enough that it can cause burns. ]

Try it with some superglue and a cotton ball someday.

I use plain old superglue for just about everything (haven't gotten my hands on any of that fancy plastic welding cement... yet). Whether you're pinning or not, I'd give a hearty +1 to the suggestions about A) maximizing surface contact (either through filing parts flush or using putty in the gap) and B) roughing up the contact area. Depending on the part, I'll give it a crosshatch with either coarse sandpaper or a few scratches with the old hobby knife.

I recommend Gorilla Brand Superglue. This stuff is amazing! It sets faster than most any glue I have yet used (and that's a lot!) and has a bit more flexibility than other glues.

As above, one of the biggest problems people have with superglues is they haven't washed the mold release off first. But THE biggest problem is that people tend to use too much glue! Superglue only needs a tiny amount to work. If you use too much, it will take forever to dry.

Forget superglue....They just fall apart eventually and it's a complete pain to hold a model for 15 minutes while it dries (even with zipper).


1 minute set time epoxy. You can buy at any Lowe's or Home Depot. Squirt a little out, mix with toothpick, little dab. hold for 1 minute TOPS. Will never fall apart.

CicatrizESP33 wrote:In order to do this, I used Green Putty. You can find this at a few places online or maybe your local game shop carries it.

I put a small dab where the joints met and smashed in the arm/leg. Then pull away the arm/leg and clean up any of the extra putty that is displaced out. Repeat this process a few times and eventually your joint/meeting areas will have a thin cover of putty that greatly increases your gluing area. Once the putty dries, you can use a file to clean off any of the excess that dispersed out and got in other areas. Once it is completely dried (I waited about 2 hours even though the packaging says 30 mins) you can use super glue to join the pieces.

Wow, someone else who uses Squadron Green putty.
That stuff is the biz, isn't it. I learned how to use that stuff over 20 years ago, and it still holds true.

Green stuff is a sculpting medium. SG is for filling gaps (unless you use it around a naked flame, in which case, I hope they have models in the other place - it's really flammable).

If you're waiting 15 minutes for superglue to bond, you've used WAAAAY TOO MUCH. A little goes a long way.
A small drop to grab, then you can add a drop or two more. Let the first dry first.

I'm a firm believer in epoxy myself. Have models from 1990 done with it and they are still together.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s when plastic was rare, I always used Araldite epoxy resin, which I never had any problems with. I never pinned anything either. The only downside was its setting time, so the other epoxies mentioned above are probably better. Since returning to painting in the last year or so, I've used superglue on the few metal minis I have left over from those days and it's been terrible (although this may be down to the fact the tube I have is almost as old as the minis - does it denature over time?)... I think it may be time to invest either in some more epoxy or some new super glue...

I used to use Miliput (sp) back then too, but haven't seen it around for a long time... Can someone tell me if it's more comparable to Green Stuff or green putty? I have used nothing but Miliput, so it's my only frame of reference...

i find if you glue in the pin, then put some greenstuff around it then, while the greenstuff is still soft glue the parts together... the green stuff fills up the gaps as you push it on so you have a nice smooth joint.

Miliput, GS and SG are three different kinds of putty. They have nothing chemically in common - it is only the uses they are put to.

The first two are good for sculpting. SG isn't - it's too soft, and cures too quickly.
GS is a two part epoxy putty and miliput isn't. GS is good for softer sculpts (fabric). Miliput is good for solid, chunky sculpts (it can't hold the detail of GS).

SG is a soft putty that uses toluene as a solvent (why you can thin it with liquid poly to fill small gaps or resin bubble imperfections). It comes in a tube like toothpaste. It's been used by plastic and aero-modellers for decades purely as a filler. it sets HARD, hard enough to drill and file. That it's green is the only thing it has in common with GS.

Yes, superglue does denature. It loses efficacy over time.

As for accelerants, they don't work by freezing. Superglue requires heat to cure, and is by its nature, EXOthermic, giving off its own heat to do this. Accelerants shorten the time needed to do this, with a corresponding rise in temperature/time, actually making the bond weaker from a chemical standpoint.
Superglue cures using the heat and atmospheric moisture is encapsulated within the bond (this is why freezing is an effective way of breaking the bonds).

Yes, experiential anecdotal evidence my defy this, but the weakness of superglue is to shear stresses (twisting) and accelerants only exacerbate these issues.