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I have an ork dakka jet and one of the fins on the tail keep failing off at the slightest bump, no matter how much i glue it back on... Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this?

Pin it.

so, nub question. Pin it?

In my OP, i meant i can glue it back on, and it stays there... till i accidently touch that part of the model and it just falls off :(

Pinning a model is drilling out two holes (or more) at a join, inserting a piece of wire (I use paperclips) and then gluing the part. The wire adds strength to the join.

Pinning is still a pretty good idea, it helps the parts stay in place. If you've glued it several times, the glue itself may be interfering with the join. Did you use plastic glue, super glue or something else? You may need to scrape the area of the join until the plastic is bare, pin the model, then use a little (very little) plastic glue on the join. I usually wait a few seconds after applying the glue to allow the plastic to soften before actually pressing the parts together. you then hold the parts together, applying gentle pressure for 20 seconds, and allow it to dry a minimum of two hours before touching it for the strongest possible bond. I hope this helps.

hmm, ive never heard of this. Will have to try!

Yeah, i used plastic glue. Also, theres only like 5mm (maximum..) in the tail of the plane itself, so not much can really be drilled into...

I've seen some pretty small stuff drilled into so 5 mm should be ok to do. Just use patience and something to keep it steady and you should be ok.

I tend to dig a small divot in the plastic with my hobby knife where i want the drill bit to go. It helps keep the bit from slipping along the surface of the plastic.

With pinning i usually daub a small bit of super glue to the wire in the hole, and a dot of plastic glue to the join itself. The super glue holds the part to the wire (inside the hole) and the plastic glue holds the actual part together.

Dragonzord wrote:
Yeah, i used plastic glue. Also, theres only like 5mm (maximum..) in the tail of the plane itself, so not much can really be drilled into...

Frankly, then, you've got to be doing something wrong. Either you're using substandard plastic glue, or your technique's off.

Are you applying the plastic glue to both sides? Are you waiting about 30 seconds for the glue to melt the plastic before pushing the pieces together? Are you seeing melted plastic squeeze out from the join when you push the 2 pieces together?


Honestly, if you do the gluing properly, you really won't have to pin it.


Eric

5 mm? Dang, that a lot to drill into!! Try drilling into a piece a little over a mm wide!!

But seriously, pinning works real well. It also lets you do some dramatic poses with stuff!

I never pinned until I got into WM/H. Now I have seen the light and pin everything. It adds strength to the joints, and it eliminates those times where you grab a model on the table and an arm or a backpack or a cape or something similar falls off.

I frequently pin 1mm thick pieces. Just get a 0.5mm drill and same thickness pianowire.

But, since it's a ork flyer.... why not glue it in place and reinforce with an armor plate or two from 0.5 or 1mm plasticard, slap on some rivets for show. Or even a piece of sprue, can thin it down with a knife/sandpaper if you feel it's too unsightly. Other than that, heaps of plastic glue as mentioned... you can't break a chemical bond like that just by nudging it. And 5mm is plenty. Unless you mean 0.5mm.

5mm? I dream of 5mm pinning surfaces. I'm happy with 3... or even 2. At 1mm I start paying attention.

Super Glue + Activator for the win!

Activator can actually make the super glue brittle because it forces it to dry to fast.


I agree with Johnno on this. If you cant get a pin in there, either add some "plates" to the outside and one on the inside for that extra bit of hold. Make sure your ALWAYS CLEANING THE AREA OF OLD GLUE before gluing though.

 Vincentz0r wrote:
Super Glue + Activator for the win!

(IMO) Ignore the above advice.

When you use superglue by itself, the glue has time to sure and form a lasting bond. Using an accelerator simply causes the superglue to solidify, but not cure properly. This leads to a fragile bond that is more susceptible to easy breakage.

There are (rare few) times when it's appropriate to use an accelerator but, most times, it's not.

Eric

Have you cleaned off the surfaces that are making contact? If you are trying to re glue dried glue to dried glue, it will never hold. Completely clean any old glue residue and be sure the contact surfaces have NO paint on them. Use Testor's Model Master's polystyrene cement and you will have no problems. If you are using GW plastic glue....throw it out.

Steer clear of accelerators where possible imo.

What kind of plastic glue are you using? I've heard bad things about the new GW stuff, so if it's that, that could be your problem.