Super glue for assembling plastic SM/DE/Kroot infantry?

[The Sovereign]

Can anyone recommend a good super glue for assembling plastic SM/DE/Kroot infantry? I've had one too many bad experiences with GW's plastic glues lately, and I kinda want cleaner assembly anyway. I'm trying Zap-A-Gap right now, but it doesn't look like it's going to work out either.

Much appreciated!

[wittdooley]

Use Testors Plastic glue. I'll never recommend using super glue on a plastic model. The Testor's stuff is quite nice.

[The Sovereign]

Hm might try it. Available at most hobby shops?

[Cpt Codpiece]

i use revel contacta poly cement
http://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/contacta-liquid-poly-cement-revell-rv39601.html?utm_source=googleps

its cheap and easy to use, it has a brush applicator so it is nice and clean. you can get the needle point one too.

GW has now stepped up and made a decent thin poly cement also, and comes in a swet needle applicator pot. very tidy application.

as for CA (superglue) i just use the cheap £1 $1 shop ones since you get like 12 or so tubes in a pack. thankfully i only need that on FW and FC models now.

what types of problems are you having with your glues? if you are getting beading and pulloff strands you are using too much glue. most poly only needs a tiny amount on each part to bond, and remember to let the poly sit for a minute or so to pre melt the plastic, this way there is less beading and the bond is faster and stronger.

with arms and such if you find you cannot apply less poly to the joint, try using a pin drill and making a tiny well in the shoulder/recieving joint, this way excess poly will flow into it and it will fill with the melted part and reduce beading.

[The AKH]

As Cpt Codpiece mentioned, GW's thin plastic glue is actually much more useful than the old ("thick") stuff.

As far as superglue, my favourite so far is the Loctite superglue that comes with a brush applicator.

[pauljc]

I can also recommend the new GW 'thin' plastic glue.

I've been doing a lot of testing recently, because lately I had a lot of problems with the 'thick' version. A few weeks ago, I picked up a squad of new DE warriors, and every single one crumbled to pieces like they had been glued together with sugar/water mix.

After testing various ages of GW plastic models, and different glues, I am slowly coming to the conclusion that - because GW is using a much harder plastic now - the 'thick' superglue simply doesn't work well. It crystallizes on the model joins, and they just fall apart.

Thin glue works just fine though.

[Cpt Codpiece]

the problem with the thicker poly cement is that, the initial 'melt' stage is generally not as fast on smaller models, being designed for larger multi part kits like tanks with more surface area per part so you can get the sides of say a rhino or landraider glued up and prepped ready for assembly so the 'melt' time is longer and the bond time is highre so you can apply decent pressure to your joins (rubber bands are great). people often forget that when working with the thicker stuff that you have to do both sides or it will make a bad bond and like pauljc has found often crumbles.

the newer GW thin with the needle point all you need to do (especially marines) is pop a drop in the recieving socket and leave it for a second then quickly push fit (tap the bit against the cement then pull away) the other part on the glue, this will pull away any spare cement and also apply to the other part (say shoulder and arm, or hips and torso, front torso and back torso). if it looks like you have used too much poly cement do the above steps upside down, say with shoulder facing worktop glue end down, push arm up onto cement this way any pull off bits of poly naturally fall down to the table and can be cleaned off the model without falling onto the legs.

[The Sovereign]

if you are getting beading and pulloff strands you are using too much glue. most poly only needs a tiny amount on each part to bond, and remember to let the poly sit for a minute or so to pre melt the plastic, this way there is less beading and the bond is faster and stronger.

with arms and such if you find you cannot apply less poly to the joint, try using a pin drill and making a tiny well in the shoulder/recieving joint, this way excess poly will flow into it and it will fill with the melted part and reduce beading.

Thank you, I didn't know a fair amount of this. I always assembled the bits immediately after applying the glue.

[Cpt Codpiece]

no problem, glad i could help :)