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Ever since I got back into the hobby 2 years ago I've been in love with the Elspeth Von Draken on a Carmine Dragon. I finally got it, just arrived today.

I've worked with smaller FW pieces, so I know how brittle their resin is. I'm thinking I will probably need to pin the wings, and was wondering if anyone has advice on how to drill and pin FW, like, what size drills (I have something like a dozen bits for my pin vice), best glue, is it just better to green stuff ans super glue, things like that.

Thanks in advance

Resin can be treated like any other plastic one works with, albeit plastic glue doesn't work. Pinning is always advisable, it all depends on the size of the join required.

All the other miniature prep things apply - wash with soap, gently dab dry, greenstuff troublesome joints and gaps, superglue, etc.

Just be careful when you're drilling - resin dust can be toxic in high quantities, so it is best to wear a proper dust mask.

gohkm wrote:
Just be careful when you're drilling - resin dust can be toxic in high quantities, so it is best to wear a proper dust mask.

You can pretty much ignore this. Truthfully the amount of resin dust that is going to be generated from using a hand pin vice is minimal, and really not enough to cause any harm unless you have a known allergy.

A well ventilated area will do fine and don't sniff the stuff.

With the pinning, on large pieces I find that more often than not multiple pins work better than a single larger one, so maybe you could try that route with the wing etc.

Depending on where/how the wings are connected to the body, you may want to magnetized them if you can get a large enough magnet in there. Otherwise, some thicker brass rods might just do the trick, you'll just need to get a little deeper with your initial holes. I'd suggest a few 3mm rods in the wings, like Winter said.

One pin will hold the wing to the body, but may start to swivel over time. Two will prevent it from swiveling, but I think three may be what you might want to do just in case. Using larger diameter brass rods will also help out, as they'll be harder to bend should the model topple over.

As far as putting a large model together, its best to pin, glue and green stuff as necessary. GS does also help secure the joint a little more. A good trick I found for larger models that may get banged around is to mix a little more of the yellow into your green stuff, as this will make the final product a bit spongier. This helps absorb shock a bit more so that you don't have pieces coming off if you carry the model in a bag or it happens to fall.

No need to pin the wings IMO. The sockets for them are fine and if you were so inclined could easily be magnetised. I. Fact, I don't think there's anything on the model that needs pinning other than basing, which is a bit of a hassle and needs sanding down (where you WILL want a dust mask).

Definatley dont skip washing, there can be remaining areas of release spray that paint doesnt adhere to. Also if any parts look warped or out of shape, try leaving the part on hot water (how long depends on the thickness of the part) quite often this softens it enough to get it bac to the shape you want.

I have one without the rider and nothing has needed pinning. Greenstuffing the gaps yes but nothing is in any danger of falling off.

Thanks all. The last time I put together a dragon, it was lead. I didn't realize until I was handling it last night how light this thing is. The wings are almost diaphanous. I think glue and GS on the gaps should do it

Thanks again

One thing I'd like to add is that superglue cures incredibly quickly on resin, and unlike metal, it's really difficult to pry apart once you've attached the parts together due to how brittle they are. So be really careful when gluing, and test fit everything.

Makaber wrote:
One thing I'd like to add is that superglue cures incredibly quickly on resin, and unlike metal, it's really difficult to pry apart once you've attached the parts together due to how brittle they are. So be really careful when gluing, and test fit everything.

QFT. Dry fit, dry fit, dry fit. Also make sure you have a pair of claws, I got two left (or maybe right) with mine... Either way they sent me a pair.

Winter wrote:

gohkm wrote:
Just be careful when you're drilling - resin dust can be toxic in high quantities, so it is best to wear a proper dust mask.

You can pretty much ignore this. Truthfully the amount of resin dust that is going to be generated from using a hand pin vice is minimal, and really not enough to cause any harm unless you have a known allergy.

A well ventilated area will do fine and don't sniff the stuff.

With the pinning, on large pieces I find that more often than not multiple pins work better than a single larger one, so maybe you could try that route with the wing etc.

I think you're understating this a bit.

Any model from FW is going to need prepping and cleaning. Clearing mold lines, sanding surfaces smooth, etc is going to generate some resin dust. I tried it just on 32mm terminators and ended up with a weeklong cough. The next models I did I used a dust mask and had much better results.

IMO, when working with resin always:

1) wear a dust mask when cutting/sanding/drilling.
2) Clean your work area thoroughly afterwards (dust it off, then sweep/vacuum, lay newspaper over your work table and then dispose of it)
3) Work in a well ventilated area with a window open
4) Keep pets/children out until cleanup has completed

The masks are cheap and the cleanup takes 10-15 minutes afterwards. You may not react to it, but others in your home may. It's worth it to be careful.

I'm going to recommend two part epoxy over super glue for parts that are in greater danger of falling off such as wings. Epoxy forms a stronger bond that is also less brittle. You WILL need to hold the pieces together for longer while it cures. But I used epoxy on my warhound with great results. Just make sure you mix the two parts thoroughly