It all began with the delivery of a consignment of 6mm Napoleonic hussars. They were neat little chaps, clean-moulded and dynamic but with one glaring fault - the horses had somehow lost their tails. I contemplated these bald posteriors and then had an idea. Not to worry, thinks I, I'll just add prosthetic tails from Green Stuff and all will be well. Hah!
So I set to with two-part putty to rectify (or possibly rectumfy) the situation. Having rolled out a hair-thin snake of the sticky substance, I lopped off a small length and flattened it out so that it was vaguely tail-shaped. Offering it up to the first horse's rear end I discovered the first lesson - everything is smaller than you think. My replacement equine rudder would have been more appropriate to a 747. Trying to shave it down in situ reduced it to a ragged, battle-torn flag, since to have used my sharpest scalpel would have re-modelled my finger and using something duller was as useful as trying to cut a knife with butter.
Nothing loath, I scraped the remains off and cut myself another slice of gooey misery. Chopping it down to a barely visible shred of green seemed to satisfy the dimensional aspects of the task when compared to the relevant horsey derriere, so I attempted to anchor the sharp end to the animal's buttocks. Now, I'll say this for Green Stuff - when you stick it somewhere it does stay stuck. So it really doesn't pay to miss the intended target area. And if you do, and you finally manage to get it off, its adhesive properties will ensure that it remains on the end of your finger, or the scalpel or anything else it comes into contact with. An entertaining half hour can be had, passing the thing from one surface to another, before you remember the answer and reach for the H2O.
Well, I finally got the thing in place, blended the sharp end into the haunches (if that's the right terminology) and managed to arrange the whole thing in a suitably "flowing" manner. At which point the awful realisation hit me that I now had eight more to do. I have to say that practice makes, if not perfect, then a crude approximation thereof. If it has done only one thing it has ratcheted up my already substantial respect for those amongst us who do it for a living. Personally I'd rather train ants to march in step.
ERm - Ants do march in step. Now herding cats !!!!
ianS
;D ;D ;D
Doesn't hurt to be reminded of the skill of Matron, Clib and the gang once in a while does it? Lesson for us all I think. :-\
Question: why didn't you just contact the supplier to send some replacements?
Cats, thank God, don't march in step or take orders. They live eat, sleep, play, and get laid. If only the human race were as rational!
I've never had a Pendraken horse arrive without a tail.
Just saying.
For future reference.
Get what you pay for.
Very firm, the Pendraken tail.
Quote from: fsn on 04 April 2015, 10:34:49 AM
I've never had a Pendraken horse arrive without a tail.
Just saying.
For future reference.
Get what you pay for.
Very firm, the Pendraken tail.
All of your tanks Pendraken, hmm, eh, are they? :D
One mistake and you're tarred forever!
:(
Quote from: fsn on 04 April 2015, 10:47:11 AM
One mistake and you're tarred forever!
:(
Thought it was two mistakes? :D
Not that I'm in any position to comment, ALL of my tanks are 6mm!
One mistake - I just made it twice.
:Ph
Quote from: fsn on 04 April 2015, 11:16:17 AM
One mistake - I just made it twice.
:Ph
;D ;D ;D
"My darling wife, while I was away fighting in The Great War I was unfaithful twice, once with a Belgian girl and once with a French woman, can you forgive me?"
"Dearest husband, I forgive you easily, for I too was unfaithful twice, once with the Argyll's and once with the Brigade of Guards"
;D ;D ;D
So a man walks into a bar, and sits down. He starts a conversation with an old guy next to him. The old guy has obviously had a few. He says to the man:
"You see that dock out there? Built it myself, hand crafted each piece, and it's the best dock in town! But do they call me "McGregor the dock builder"? No! And you see that bridge over there? I built that, took me two months, through rain, sleet and scoarching weather, but do they call me "McGregor the bridge builder"? No! And you see that pier over there, I built that, best pier in the county! But do they call me "McGregor the pier builder"? No!"
The old guy looks around, and makes sure that nobody is listening, and leans to the man, and he says:
"but you S**g one sheep..."
;D ;D ;D
Derby fan then? Or maybe he was Welsh? :D
Was about to suggest some bunched* fuse wire inserted into a suitably positioned hole in the horses rear end then, once secured, could be twisted and snipped to the appropriate shape until I realised you were talking "6mm." Oh, well.
* coincidentally I mistyped that 'bumched' - which somehow seems very apt for the aforementioned process.
Bumched. Bumched. Bumched. :)
Piece of tissue, soak with pva, attach in a 'flowing' pose.
If too big, cut to size with clippers afterwards ;)
Maybe they're supposed to be docked...
I've had more problems with horses tails on 15mm and 28mm than I have had with 6mm or 10mm. I bought a couple of 28mm units for Saga and out of 24 horses, at least 3 had broken tails. A real pain in the horses arse because it's more noticeable on a 28mm figure than it is on a 10mm or 6mm figure.
Good for you for the DIY, Ray. :-bd
Couple of quick tips....
Acetone/Nail varnish remover works a little better than H20 for getting rid of green stuff.....Not perfect, but better.
The more yellow you use proportionally.....The 'stickier' it becomes....Try a little less yellow, or a little more blue....Use too much blue and you'll find the opposite problem !
It won't want to stick ! ;)
If you're right handed....Don't mix the putty with that hand, otherwise you WILL get it everywhere....Especially over your modeling implements.
I'm totally obsessive about this.....Only ever mix putty with my left hand.
I'll even use a surgical glove if I'm mixing one of the really 'messy' putties, and then chuck said glove away.
Hope that might help. ;)
Cheers - Phil
Left handed mixing, that would certainly solve a few problems I've had. :-\
Thanks Matron. :)
Quote from: toxicpixie on 04 April 2015, 08:50:54 PM
Maybe they're supposed to be docked...
That did occur to me. But the dragoons' and cuirassiers' horses have full tails.
Quote from: petercooman on 04 April 2015, 07:49:50 PM
Piece of tissue, soak with pva, attach in a 'flowing' pose.
If too big, cut to size with clippers afterwards ;)
Thanks for that, Peter. I might give that a try if I come across the problem again
Quote from: Techno on 05 April 2015, 07:33:53 AM
Good for you for the DIY, Ray. :-bd
Couple of quick tips....
Acetone/Nail varnish remover works a little better than H20 for getting rid of green stuff.....Not perfect, but better.
The more yellow you use proportionally.....The 'stickier' it becomes....Try a little less yellow, or a little more blue....Use too much blue and you'll find the opposite problem !
It won't want to stick ! ;)
If you're right handed....Don't mix the putty with that hand, otherwise you WILL get it everywhere....Especially over your modeling implements.
I'm totally obsessive about this.....Only ever mix putty with my left hand.
I'll even use a surgical glove if I'm mixing one of the really 'messy' putties, and then chuck said glove away.
Hope that might help. ;)
Cheers - Phil
Thanks, Phil. Straight from the other end of the horse!
Shouldn't it be 'Tails of Woe!'?
Quote from: Hertsblue on 05 April 2015, 06:18:55 PM
Thanks for that, Peter. I might give that a try if I come across the problem again
'Welcome!
Quote from: mad lemmey on 05 April 2015, 06:21:45 PM
Shouldn't it be 'Tails of Woe!'?
Bad. You'd better hoof it quick or we'll clip-clop your ears for that!
I'll get my horse blanket coat!
Quote from: mad lemmey on 05 April 2015, 06:21:45 PM
Shouldn't it be 'Tails of Woe!'?
It
is (except for the exclamation mark). :-\
Coincidence!
I was prepping confedarate cavalry just now, and one of the command figures was missing half a tail. patched it up with my tissue method and thought i'd snap a pic for you to show the result. I did it with superglue though, as i was in a hurry and needed something that dries fast!
(http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff441/petercooman123/DSC03371_zpsyf48bntf.jpg) (http://s1236.photobucket.com/user/petercooman123/media/DSC03371_zpsyf48bntf.jpg.html)
The superglue makes it glossy so a bit hard to see, but it works ;) and it only took a minute, just tear off a piece of tissue, apply small dot to where you want to attach, glue it in place, when dry (with superglue almost instantly) give it a twist between your fingertops to get some texture and clip to size.
Then just put superglue on it, goes in the paper right away and finished!
Nice little tip, Peter. :)
The only thing I'd say, is to be careful if you use a 'super thin' superglue and any material (like tissue) that's 'ultra absorbent'.
There's an almost unbelievable amount of heat generated.....Don't bring the combination together near/touching your fingers...It burns, as though someone's stubbed out a cigarette on your skin.
I managed to drop a spot of this particular type of glue on the back of my hand on one occasion.
"I'll just use a piece of tissue to soak that up, " I thought.
BAD idea !! ;D ;D ;D ;D.....Burned like hell, and of course the tissue instantly stuck to my skin keeping the 'heat' firmly in place.
I've also seen smoke rising from balsa wood dowel, when trying to fix a fuse wire frame (for making a dolly) securely in place...Again, with the super thin glue
Some sort of exothermic reaction, I believe. :-\
Cheers - Phil
Only once :-\
IanS
Quote from: Techno on 12 April 2015, 05:00:19 AM
Nice little tip, Peter. :)
The only thing I'd say, is to be careful if you use a 'super thin' superglue and any material (like tissue) that's 'ultra absorbent'.
There's an almost unbelievable amount of heat generated.....Don't bring the combination together near/touching your fingers...It burns, as though someone's stubbed out a cigarette on your skin.
I managed to drop a spot of this particular type of glue on the back of my hand on one occasion.
"I'll just use a piece of tissue to soak that up, " I thought.
BAD idea !! ;D ;D ;D ;D.....Burned like hell, and of course the tissue instantly stuck to my skin keeping the 'heat' firmly in place.
I've also seen smoke rising from balsa wood dowel, when trying to fix a fuse wire frame (for making a dolly) securely in place...Again, with the super thin glue
Some sort of exothermic reaction, I believe. :-\
Cheers - Phil
Yupthat's whyyou have to fix it in place first with a small dot of glue, that way you can hold on to the model when you soak it, and you don't need to ge near the tissue when you do that!
from past experiences, 'wet' baby wipes get superglue on your skin very easily when it's still wet, and thay make your skin soft ;D ;D ;D
I use them too when i spill superglue on the table, just a quick wipe and everythings gone!
I use acetone/nail varnish remover to get the stuff off my hands......Definitely NOT off the table. (Though that's in such a state no-one would notice, if I did. :D)
Yes, Ian......Only the once !! :)
Cheers - Phil
Is it true you started this when Mrs T caught you in her makeup drawer again?
Quote from: Techno on 12 April 2015, 11:45:21 AM
I use acetone/nail varnish remover to get the stuff off my hands......Definitely NOT off the table. (Though that's in such a state no-one would notice, if I did. :D)
Yes, Ian......Only the once !! :)
Cheers - Phil
The superglue manufacturers always recommend warm soapy water for spills on skin, so wet-wipes would be the next best thing, I guess.
;D ;D ;D ;D
You OIK !!
Cheers - Phil
;D ;D ;D
Superglue will also torch material, tried to glue part of my trainers once. >:(