Convergence!

Even though the blog url is minimodelgeek, I haven't exactly been posting a lot of model work lately. Let's fix that. Here's a (very) short overview of some of my assembly for the Convergence of Cyriss box from Privateer Press for Warmachine.

There were a lot of parts. I should have photographed them all, but I figured I'd do each model in the box separately. This went well for the Cipher Heavy Vector, but I soon I got absorbed in assembly and the small Vectors and the caster were not photograped. Oops.

The Cipher Heavy Vector parts all laid out. I used my clippers (not shown) to remove the largest mould sites and remove the small pieces from the sprue on the left.

The parts after initial cleaning. I use the Olfa knife to handle large cuts and initial cleaning, as it handles larger injection marks and shaving very well. The Olfa was an anniversary present from my Significant Other a few years back. I got her a matching one. I start test fitting at this stage, and carry through through all future stages.

The parts after secondary cleanup with "normal" knives I use for the task. The black one is the one I use most now, but the one on the left is my first modelling knife, given to me by my father when I was about six or seven years old. I use scalpel-style blades as they give me a point, a rounded edge, and a flat all in one, and are less likely to break than the angled ones. This works well for detailed shaving/cleaning.

The parts after filing. The files were bought from the local hardware surplus store. $2 for a set of model-grade files, rather than the $15+ that most places charge. Same files, exactly.

After filing, I go back over with the knife to remove most of the "fuzz" that accumulates near edges, etc.

The Cipher waiting for the bottom parts to set before I attach the top parts. This type of plastic needs cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. this is essentially Krazy Glue, but without filler. Unfortunately, like a number of people, I have become sensitized to the accelerant used in the glue, and now I have to use "foam safe" CA glue as it is odorless and uses a different accelerant. I use a mixture of thick and thin to ensure a proper bond. Thin sets fast and if I have a part that needs the thicker glue to fit properly, I add a few drops of the thin at contact points. Saves me holding things forever and gluing myself to the minis.

At this point I ended up getting wrapped up in assembling the light Vectors and forgot to take pictres. By the time I had remembered, I had started onto the warcaster, who is one of the more annoying models I've put together. The plastic used allows for great detail, but the tiny parts are a huge pain to glue on and feel exceptionally flimsy.

Here's a WIP of the paintjob. I need to do a silver highlight, then it's brasswork, the glowing magicky bits and basing. For the bases, I added some putty and used the shavings/bits of sprue for texture after doing some rough sculpting. The goal is to make it look like broken ground or something with pipes coming out. We'll see how it works.