Hello all,
I just found some time going back to my FPW project. I have quite an issue with broken-off rifles (most of them on half/unpaited french i bought on ebay).
What do you guys do with them? Any chance for repairs?
If yes, whats best?
Thank you in advance.
Stay healthy, Brisko
If you have the broken bits then superglue them back on.
If not bin the figures and buy some more direct from the manufacturer.
10mm figures are not exactly expensive.
I have endless problems with bayonets. I know that the Prussians operated with bayonets permanently fixed. However, they're my toys, so I snip the things off. Broken rifles ceases to be a problem.'BYW Old Glory 15mm are even more of a problem. All my 15mm FPW gone to new homes.
If they've broken at a convenient point then you can glue them as Jim suggests. If they've broken closer to the bayonet/barrel end then it's a lot more fiddly. How many broken ones have you got?
I find with broken off bits like that superglue can be a bit brittle to form a good seal and be prone to breaking again, so a little bit of resin works well to give a stronger hold. However, it does take a while to dry so you may need something to hold them all in place, and can risk being a little blobby if you're not careful. I have managed to save the odd sword or spear this way on an already painted figure.
If it's a particularly fiddly repair on an unbased figure, I would tend to convert the figure into a casualty instead.
If they are unpainted I would not bother. They will never be as strong as new ones and I would be really peed off if I "fixed a figure" and it broke just after I painted it
fixing 10mm is very fiddly and as Jim says they are hardly expensive
Thank you all for your replies and the good advice.
I think, I will just try to fix it once - just for the sake of it and because they are mostly broken directly over the holding/supporting hand.
The advice to convert them into casualties is very appealing.
@Leon there are just two on my painting table right now. Since I just returned to the project after years of absence, I did not review the whole collection, and I remember there were a couple more in one of the bags. Never mind, I will have to buy more minis anyway ;-D
Quote from: brisko32312 on 05 November 2020, 10:33:21 PM
@Leon there are just two on my painting table right now. Since I just returned to the project after years of absence, I did not review the whole collection, and I remember there were a couple more in one of the bags. Never mind, I will have to buy more minis anyway ;-D
Chuck me an email and we'll get you some extra figures sent out, no worries.
If the musket and bayonet are beyond repair, and you really want to save the figure, and you have no spare figures from which to 'harvest' a replacement, I remove what is left and replace it with a pin. Snip off the head and with a small pair of pliers bend the point into a bayonet. Use super glue to attach it.
I have used small (very small) strips of cling film to form a 'bandage' to hold the broken piece in place whilst it is being glued using superglue.
Once it is dry I use a small fine file to just file of the extra (blobby) bits of glue & clingfilm. It seems to work well on 15mm - as long as you don't have too many to do or it will drive you mad!
But I'd take up Leon's kind offer of a few replacements and convert the damaged ones to casualties :)