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So I just started building and painting the warhammer 40k models. I only have 5 finished and 1 in progress (I'll probably post a picture for suggestions at another time) but I've had some issues with bits breaking off. Twice the backpack on my Chaplain + jumppack has snapped off and the arm flamer on my venerable dreadnought just broke off too. I'm using the GW glue that comes in the hobby starter set (plastic glue thick). Am I not using enough glue or is there a better glue I should be using? Should I sand all the contact points before I glue them to provide a better hold?

I finally fixed the chaplain backpack problem using 5 minute epoxy which seems a bit overkill and it is hard to use it on multiple pieces since it wont hold at all until it is almost set.

Thats PVA glue which is only good for basing, use plastic glue instead, youll see mush better results with it

Step one, throw out all GW glue and never buy it again.

Step two, for plastic models, get Testor's Model Master polycement.

For metal, use Gorilla Brand Superglue.

Todosi's post is a tad extreme, but there's a good message in there, somewhere.

Everyone has their brand of choice, if they've played the field enough, but it mostly boils down to using the right type of glue for the job, after which particular brands and formulations are mostly a matter of taste.

I'm not all that familiar with GW hobby supplies - what exactly is their definition of "plastic glue?" For many, that would suggest polystyrene cement, which is a solvent that melts the plastic that GW kits are made out of and subsequently evaporates, letting the plastic harden again, physically welding the pieces together. It's a very strong bond and it's also permanent (which isn't always the best thing). Plastic kits can also be assembled with CA (cyano acrylate, or "super-") glues, which come in both fluid and gel varieties and form a very strong but brittle bond.

Since metals and resins don't react to solvents the same way as plastics, CA glues are the only way to secure those types of parts without resorting to 2-part epoxies which, while very strong and usually slightly flexible (and therefore more resilient), are rather messy and almost always caustic.

The final considerations concerning gluing models together are torsion and contact area. As mentioned, CA glue joins are rather brittle, so if a piece has a small contact area and is likely to experience stress, either due to gravity or handling, extra help is needed to mechanically assist the glue. For these joins, pinning is necessary. In this process, a short length of wire/rod is inserted into matching holes drilled into either side of the join and glued into place, providing physical resistance to any torsion applied to the pieces. Pinning is more common on joins involving metal or resin components, as plastic-plastic joins can be welded into a single piece using polystyrene cement.

So, regarding your specific issue, what materials are the pieces in question made of and what type of glue are you using (the latter question may require a third party to chime in)?

[edit:] Whew! Get a few drinks in me and man, can I ramble. And gloss over posts... If Khorne Flakes is correct in his estimation of the adhesives in question, that whole spiel, while informative, was entirely unnecessary!

I tried using GWs glue. It worked for about one second.

I use Loctite Gel Control supgerglue. The kind in that nifty blue squeeze container thing.

It works like a charm, and you barely need any of it. Seriously, sometimes the bonds it creates are stronger than the plastic it's attached to.

GW's glue works just fine for me when I work with plastic. But if you can find something cheaper go for it. If you're working woth metal models then you will need superglue from GW. If it still doesn't work as well as it should try putting a little baking soda on the glue then putting the pieces together.

Plastic Glue is only for Plastics

Super Glue is for everything

With both glues, less is more. You don't need alot of it to make it work. My guess is that your useing to much plastic glue which makes it take much longer to try.

There is nothing wrong with GW glues, in fact their thin super glue is one of the stronger on the market. Next time your building something try using less of it.

A good thing to the super glue is that it's more brittle and if you ever want to re-do a pose on a model the model will come apart easier.

Zap a gap ca+ ftw!

I use Zap medium (green) and plastizap myself, araldite and Revell contacta polystyrene cement. Different glues for different jobs.

There is no "one size fits all" glue. ALL have strengths and weaknesses with various materials.

Polycements won't touch ABS, for example (the toluene active ingredient isn't aggressive enough as a solvent to get into it).
They also won't touch this "restic" crap that they are all using these days (a resin with plasticiser filler).

Horst wrote:Zap a gap ca+ ftw!

whats CA?

CyanoAcrylate.

The type of adhesive that "superglues" belong to.

They used to be known simply as CA or ACC adhesives back in the 80s.

Revell Contacta Professional for plastics and Gorilla Glue Superglue for metals and resin is what I use.

Just started building my Ol'Rowdy with the Gorilla Glue and so far im really impressed. It takes a few seconds to get a hold, but after that you can put the pieces down no problem - even the big heavy ones.

I'm still considering pinning for the arms, as the contact points to the torso are very small, but for most of the assembly, no pinning was necessary.

Cheers,


IK-Painter

I don't have a problem with GW superglue on Resin (I like the applicator brush so sue me) but it is pretty useless on metal unless you want to pin.

GW plastic glue seems come in bottles designed for overkill but all plastic glue is effectively only acetone (the key is in the pear drop smell guys). Get a nice bottle of plastic glue with a good fine applicator, use the glue and save youself £2.00 everytime you want more by refilling it with acetone from the pharmacy.

Be careful with it and only use small ammounts as overkill will kill your model or at least produce a mutant.

chromedog wrote:CyanoAcrylate.

The type of adhesive that "superglues" belong to.

They used to be known simply as CA or ACC adhesives back in the 80s.

Is it super glue + zap a gap then?

Or it not super glue where can i buy them? I have half of a bottle of zap a gap left but the strength seems to be fading ( its 3 years old )
is it expiring? If yes, next time I'll go for smaller bottles :x

I have used many glues during my time painting and building models (i do much work outside even wargaming, like scale models)

For plastics, I have used with much success, Tamiya model cement (it has a decently nice brush applicator, though has a tendency to over-glue at the beginning of a bottle), Revell Contacta (which used to be my go to when I couldnt find Tamiya, but they may have changed the recipe because i cant get a good bottle anymore), and Testors Liquid Cement for plastics (it has a super tiny spout, for precision control application of the glue, which is super nice, though needs to be used fairly regularly so you wont have to trim more spout down to unblock it).. I had a bottle of GWs plastic cement, and it was pure rubbish, after shaking the stuff up, mixing it with toothpicks, and putting a tiny bit on model joins, and holding for around 5 minutes nothing had changed, it turned into a gooey white gunky substance that wouldn't stick to a Gecko's front paw.

For metal, I generally have used Loctite. For me, this stuff is amazing, about the only thing capable of breaking a loctite join is gravity from 5+ feet above the ground, and days upon days of Simple Green baths.

I had tried a Testors gel "super glue" (this is what the label said, came in a metallic tube), but it had a tendency to push out from the join, and create a messy model, which was a royal pain to paint afterwards (this was after a tiny dab, and cleaning excess off mind you)


Most "Super Glue" can be found (in the US) at any major hardware store (Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, ACE, etc.), and the occasional grocery store (on the West Coast, Fred Meyer's tends to carry it, because they are more a 'superstore'), or the Walmart type stores usually as well.

I actually like GW's AC glue. For plastics, I swear by Revell Contacta, with it's awesome little nozzle bottle.

LunaHound wrote:

Is it super glue + zap a gap then?

Or it not super glue where can i buy them? I have half of a bottle of zap a gap left but the strength seems to be fading ( its 3 years old )
is it expiring? If yes, next time I'll go for smaller bottles :x

No, superglue = zap-a-gap. The original was just a gap filling superglue (hence the name) and was basically a thin gel.
Since then, they have come out with thick, and ultra thin (which will run everywhere and you only know it's on your skin when it goes off - by the heat of it).

Yes, Superglues go "off" over time. Is the lid on? Yes, you can recap Zap. You need to find the twisty-off bit and remove the nozzle, wipe it clean - not with a tissue - (that nozzle usually comes with the bottle) and (turning the twisty-off bit upside down) push it onto the nub. Then the big cylindrical cap.