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i was recently advised to use 2 totally diffrent styles of model assembling, one being use model glue only because it melts and bonds the plastics, and another friend involved in the same game told me to NOT use plastic bonding glues, for the intention of reassembly or soemthing to that extent(fixing posture, adding/removing weapons/items)


any advice or ideas on the topic?
How do you feel about these points of view?

For me the pro's of model glue don't outweigh the cons.

Its one and only pro: it is a strong bond (the strongest bond, really). This isn't much of a pro to me, super glue is more than strong enough for a mini. I suspect that is true for most people. It isn't like mini's are under lots of physical stress, except when they are dropped. And you know what, when they are dropped I would rather they break along glue lines.

cons:
* It will permanently ruin any part of the model it touches. It's stringy nature makes this a constant threat. And if any of it oozes out, better be careful wiping it up.
* The permanent bond means dropped models won't necessarily break along glue lines, it could break anywhere, making repairs more difficult. I WANT glue lines to be slightly weaker than the rest of the model.
* Changing things after the fact is a pain. Sometimes I want to rip off an arm or a weapon. With plastic glue I need to use a hobby saw, which is actually removing portions of the model.

So for one pro I don't care about I get a lot of cons I REALLY care about. If integrity was ever a concern I would go with plastic glue. For my mini's I'll stick with super glue.

It depends entirely if you are one of those people who likes to tear apart models after you have finished painting them. I don't understand that mindset myself. Not a judgement, just doesn't make sense for me and my hobby.

So for me, when building plastic models, plastic glue is the only way to go. Plastic glue is not stringy unless you get crappy plastic glue. Revell Contacta Professional and Testor's Model Masters are my two favorite brands. The needle applicators keep the glue where you want it. DO NOT use GW glue or polystyrene cement that is in a metal squeeze tube. You will regret it.

I use Gorilla Brand Superglue when gluing light metal pieces or non plastic models. This glue has a bit more "give" and results in less breakage.

If you are a gamer that likes to tear stuff off and reassemble, then superglue probably makes more sense. If you are like me, and want to build things once and are unlikely to tear a model apart, then a quality plastic glue is the way to go.

riplikash wrote:For me the pro's of model glue don't outweigh the cons.

Spoiler:

Its one and only pro: it is a strong bond (the strongest bond, really). This isn't much of a pro to me, super glue is more than strong enough for a mini. I suspect that is true for most people. It isn't like mini's are under lots of physical stress, except when they are dropped. And you know what, when they are dropped I would rather they break along glue lines.

cons:
* It will permanently ruin any part of the model it touches. It's stringy nature makes this a constant threat. And if any of it oozes out, better be careful wiping it up.
* The permanent bond means dropped models won't necessarily break along glue lines, it could break anywhere, making repairs more difficult. I WANT glue lines to be slightly weaker than the rest of the model.
* Changing things after the fact is a pain. Sometimes I want to rip off an arm or a weapon. With plastic glue I need to use a hobby saw, which is actually removing portions of the model.

So for one pro I don't care about I get a lot of cons I REALLY care about. If integrity was ever a concern I would go with plastic glue. For my mini's I'll stick with super glue.

+1. I HATE plastic glue. Got a battleforce from a buddy that didn't want his SW anymore, and I wanted to change the loadout, but found it nigh impossible. Superglue is the way I go.

Super glue all the way. Why fuse models together forever. Rules change, weapons adjust. It only makes sense to make them somewhat changeable. Superglue works just fine, holds in seconds and you use so little one bottle can last for years.
I've had the same bottle going on 6 years and I have 4 armies of over 1250 pts.

skycapt44 wrote:Super glue all the way. Why fuse models together forever. Rules change, weapons adjust. It only makes sense to make them somewhat changeable. Superglue works just fine, holds in seconds and you use so little one bottle can last for years.
I've had the same bottle going on 6 years and I have 4 armies of over 1250 pts.

Lucky. I go through super glue like water.

I completely agree though, Super Glue all the way. I only use modelling glue in exceptional circumstances for models that just will not stay together otherwise.

This is a conversation that really only applies to 40k games whose plastic figures are so expenensive and whose rules change so often that rearming and reselling is an important consideration.

Use superglue if.
1) You think you might need to modify their armament later.
2) You think you might want to resell.
3) You are using metal or resin,
4) You are doing conversions with non-standard plastics.

If you're using standard GW-ish model plastics and are not going to modify or resell, use plastic glue. It gives a better bond (won't break apart every time it falls off the table), is cheaper, won't stick your fingers and parts together. These are some of the reasons that plastic model makers use plastic glue for almost all applications.

Note, do not use the sticky, stringy glue you find in a metal squeeze tube. Get the thin stuff that either comes with a very fine pointed container, or (my prefference) the stuff that comes in a bottle with a brush appilcator that allows extremely controled application.

That said, I do use superglue alot for metal figs, conversions and custom vehicles and terrain where different materials are in use. If you do use superglue, be aware that there are different types that are best for different uses. Here's a post I put up a while back explaining the different types.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/385642.page#3119811

If it's plastic to plastic, I use plastic glue. The strong bond is great. Like somebody said before me, use a brush type applicator. The Testors plastic glue is EXCELLENT.

Metal to Metal or Metal to plastic gets super glue. If something breaks later on, I pin it.

If it's a spot where I think I'll want new armaments, I magnetize. I've magnetized tons of models now, from Stormravens to Preds to Terminators to Space Marines. This gives me infinite changability if something comes out in the future as well.

skycapt44 wrote:Super glue all the way. Why fuse models together forever. Rules change, weapons adjust. It only makes sense to make them somewhat changeable. Superglue works just fine, holds in seconds and you use so little one bottle can last for years.
I've had the same bottle going on 6 years and I have 4 armies of over 1250 pts.

Rules might change, but marines with bolters and sgts with pistol and CCW have been a part of the game since 2nd edition.

TROOP units with pistol/ccw apart from Assault units might change - but only for around 5 years, when they are brought back in - so you are modifying your stuff 3 times for the same net result.
MY SM are the way they were assembled in 3rd ed. They are all still usable.
My metal ones from RT and 2nd ed are likewise still usable as they were put together back in those times.

It's only the teens with likes that change like the wind and no stick-to-it-iveness that seem to like the impermanence of superglue on plastic kits (I'm not a teen and I'm not particularly interested if you disagree if you are). It is good when you get the stuff second hand, though. Drop it on concrete, scrape of the gunge and it's easy to reglue it properly.