Firstimer Resin Questions

So I just placed an order for the three core boxes, after them being out of stock for ages on Miniaturemarket.com. I have plenty of experience with preassembled plastic pieces, and some with assembling plastic (Star Wars Legion).

I know these will have to be cut from the sprue, and have purchased the Army Painter tool to do so. I wanted to ask if there were any other differences or expectations I should have when it comes to putting them together and painting them?

I guess most importantly, is superglue going to be ok, or do I need something else?

Am I correct in assuming that it’s still the same process of soapy bath, scrub with toothbrush, spray prime, and paint as usual? Like with plastic? (To be honest I have recently begun skipping the bath/scrub steps with no issues, but understand it may be more important with resin)

Thanks in advance for any tips, tricks, and advice you all can offer.

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Superglue is fine.
Wash & scrub might be necessary in some cases, but most times it is not.

The main difference though is this: When trimming flash and sanding down mold lines, I’d recommend doing so in a well-ventilated area - or preferably outside. The fine resin dust you create while sanding the minis should not be inhaled.

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In many cases, the hobby section of your local store that carries a lot of the tools you might need at a better price than most of the big name hobby brands.

As for putting models together, two things that I’ll sear by: The first, Gel style superglue. It helps to keep it where you need it and cuts down on mess just a little bit. It also will hold smaller pieces in place without as much need to hold it as long. The second is an assembly handle, which is arguably one of the best purchases I’ve ever made for the hobby. It can be used to hold pieces in place while they dry which is VERY nice, but they also are good for painting as they give you a bit more control over how and where to paint.

Other than that, I think NoshrokGrimskull covers the rest pretty well.

Best of luck with your models. Take your time and have fun with the new models.

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I always wash resin, just in case. Far easier than trying to fix any problems when you’re half way though painting… I’ve made that mistake before :man_facepalming:

It’s worth noting that you can wash it on the sprue which makes things easier. You’re removing any left over mold release, and that won’t be on any parts that you cut :slight_smile:

I second superglue gel!

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I never used to wash plastic miniatures, but definitely wash resin ones. Some of mine took two wash/scrub sessions before the paint would properly stick to them, though it’s worth it for the quality.

As for cutting them, I just use a sharp hobby knife: http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/cutting-tools/234-profesional-hobby-knife-cutting-carving-etching-tool.html

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Awesome. Thanks, everyone! Sounds like I have all the tools and such I need then. Just have to wait on the shipment.

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You will DEFINITELY need to wash these. I tried to paint a figure with doing that and had extremely poor adhesion.

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It’s worth wearing a mask when sanding or trimming resin as it is definitely not good for your lungs

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I can confirm RobHistory’s experience. I have heard about the “wash your resin figures with soap and water before painting” and tend to neglect that step. However, when I spray-coated my first resin F:WW minis, I had problems with the primer just flaking right off of some of the more recessed areas. After a bit of scrubbing and another round of priming, I had no further problems.

For trimming, I just use a standard “Exacto” type hobby knife – the sort I can pick up at Walmart, etc.

Although it’s not strictly necessary, I also use a hand-held pinning drill (I think the brand I have is from “The Army Painter”) to drill pin holes in the connecting spots and I use wire to reinforce the joining spots. (For wire, I use paperclips, which happen to be just the right thickness, and I’ve got a ton of them.) The resin drills fairly easily, but of course that means you have to be careful not to drill TOO far into a piece and end up breaking out on the other side, etc.

Overall, I love the quality of the resins – great, sharp detail, wonderful little features here and there on the decorative bases, and they fit together nicely. I’ve sometimes used a bit of “brown stuff” (AKA brown/aluminum ribbon epoxy putty) for gap-filling when there are visible seams at the places where the parts join. (I prefer it to the “green stuff,” since the “brown stuff” has a longer shelf-life, and I only use very small amounts of it at a time.)

The only trouble I’ve had so far would be with the resin Super Mutants – specifically, those with sledgehammers and nail boards. Both weapons have a tendency to warp and bend, or even break off entirely.

I’ve replaced a few sledgehammer handles with paperclip wire – snipping off the original sledgehammer handle, drilling a pinning hole through the hand(s) holding the hammer, and a short pinning hole into the base of the hammer head, then running wire through the whole length. If I don’t “skin” the paperclip (i.e., leave the acrylic coating on), it’s pretty close to the original thickness of the sledgehammer handle, and looks decent on the figure.

The nail boards are more problematic, since you can’t just the fragile parts with wire, and the board portion is too thin to be pinned (at least too thin for ME to manage it). For the figures where I’ve had the nail boards break off or bend beyond hope, I’ve just been replacing them with other “scrap” weapons cobbled together from pieces in my “bitz box” – typically plastic medieval weapon spares left over from other miniatures games, that I chip a bit with the hobby knife and use some putty and super glue gel to add bits of “wrapping” or “scrap metal” and “rivets” so it looks more like something that could have been cobbled together out of scrap, rather than a beefy fantasy world weapon.

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Thanks for the additional feedback, everyone. My shipment is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so I’m excited to give them a shot!

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ANY fine dust (other than certain medications) getting into the lungs is a bad idea.

Also, for filling on the cheap, corn starch and cyanoacrilate works great.

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Baking soda works the same as corn starch for this.

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Like AlxRaven, I have a lot of experience of modelling with plastic, mostly from Games Workshop’s figure range, and I have also worked with metal models. I’ve never worked with resin though, so this information is very useful.

I am concerned about the safety aspect of resin though. I keep reading contradictory information about how carcinogenic it is and when protection is needed. For example, if I am using a modelling knife just to cut or trim, does this create dusk and do I need to wear a mask? For filing or sanding, the answer to this would be yes, but is eye protection also necessary? Do any of you have any suggestions about good quality masks and/or eye protection should the answers to these questions be in the affirmative.

As an aside, making the models using more sophisticated mould injected plastic would have been better than resin, in my opinion, but I imagine that this would have been expensive, and this is why resin was chosen. I am very worried about working with it though, as I don’t want to damage my lungs and eyes.

The dust from resin is a danger to lungs, so mask is needed eye maybe not though if there is a chance of anything pining off then i would

Second or third that you definitely need to wash and scrub these minis. Because of the large number of undercuts and fine detail, Mophidius (or whomever does the casting) seems to use an extremely generous amount of release agent.

As fare as removing mold lines and whatnot, I just use a sharp x-acto, as I find that, similar to plastic, filing tends to leave burrs.

Lol, just noticed this topic is two years old. Carry on…

Totally agree with regards to an assembly handle, great investment and a really useful piece of kit, especially if you suffer from occasional shakes.

Professional cleaning of Rein models. Need help.

Hello, I have big problems with cleaning the resin models. The usual procedure such as using lukewarm water and washing-up liquid does not help at all. I just can’t get this oily film on the models to wash off. The usual priming sprays therefore do not stick. Therefore I would like to ask you which cleaning agents you use to get rid of the oily film on the resin models. Thank you very much for your tips.

I also have great problems washing this release agent off the resin models. Do you have any helpful ideas? Water with washing-up liquid doesn’t really help. And I would rather not use a toxic silicone remover or acetone. I have tried normal vinegar. That only helps to a certain extent.

Hi Matze,

I found no problems with any household detergent and warm water.

The key is to scrub the minis carefully and thoroughly in the warm water using a soft bristle toothbrush. I then follow up with a cold water rinse and then leave to drip dry on a towel.

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Hi Maxam, Thank you for your feedback. I had success with it today because I scrubbed the figures for a very long time. Best regards Matze

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