Side Projects

February has been a slow month in the hobby front for me. Sometimes it’s work, other times it’s procrastination getting the best of me but in the end the result is the same: little time spent on substantial things and increasing the number of WIP projects. This weekend has been no different – I put off a lot of my backlog in favor of another kit out of whim. Check out some visuals of this new endeavor after the jump.

Right, this time I got some Spirit Hosts on my work space. The kit is very detailed and looks great when assembled even without paint on it. However, putting it together is a real pain especially since the connecting parts are really fragile and the connection buds aren’t obvious at all times. Thus I recommend sticking to the manual given with the models.

The kit works from the base upwards. I recommend checking the next pages at all times since the GW assembly can be a little weird at times.

I am not sure what the aim was with the skeletons but the extra jaw pieces are quite fiddly and unnecessary as a separate assembly step. Why not simply cast it together?

The first set of Spirits assembled, after about 30min of cleaning and fiddling around. The rest worked a lot faster.

Unlike other models I wanted to finish the bases as well. Since these are for display for the moment I opted for a scene that stands a little higher than usual. In case I ever decide to put them on auction I thought of the players too and designed the base so that the edges can touch each other.

The extra elements in this kit aren’t too many but you can fit gravestones for each of the hosts.

Classic cork base with two layers of 2.5mm cork sheets, plucked at with a plier to make it look irregular. The white glue didn’t adhere as well as I expected so let’s see what happens after 24 hours of curing time.

Apparently I didn’t take pictures of the first hosts but the methods and problems associated with the rest of the kit are the same: ridiculous mould lines (check every hole and trail as they run everywhere), fragile pieces and GW’s interesting approach at connecting pieces at the most delicate pieces like wrists of spirits or the trail that follows them. When putting this together I recommend using precision tools – the mould line remover is out the window here. Work with a scalpel for mould lines, a file to flatten join lines (or use Liquid Green Stuff if you’re good with a brush) and use a pin headed glue, like Revell Contacta Professional.

Speaking of delicate pieces, I managed to break a piece cleanly in two. Luckily it’s easy to repair with plastic glue as it cements pieces, and the actual sub-assembly would be supported by its connection point.

SNAP! Be very careful when cleaning this piece of mould lines.

Here’s a few shots of the building process with my comments. It took me about 2 dedicated nights to finish the bases, the models and the accessories so nothing stops me from priming them now. Let’s hope the glue cured correctly!

The floating effect is achieved by connecting Spirits to each other at specific points.

Use glue sparingly. A few droplets is enough to melt the plastic for a good bond. Otherwise you’ll have corroded pieces that will show your errors during painting.

See those holes and trailing parts? They’re full of mould lines. Be patients and scrape them away. You’ll be glad you did when you pick up the brush.

The base skeleton’s jaw is attached separately. Unfortunately it’s not a tight join so there’s a line that forms. I’ll have to work LGS carefully in there to fix it.

GW really has to stop connecting pieces at delicate points.

When removing from sprue be sure to clip away from the model. Clean up residue with your scalpel.

Here’s the finished set on cork and bases prepped. I later decided to assemble everything for primer. I think I’ll go with Vallejo Grey for these guys.

Once assembled the kit looks fantastic. Everything clicks into place and the model makes sense. However I can already see that painting and correcting join lines will be a huge pain, so many pieces overlapping and putting the brush in will be difficult. Sub-assemblies were really not an option as it’s almost impossible to track shaded areas and highlights without putting them together. This will be quite a challenge for me for sure… but I welcome it. It will be my training for my ultimate objective, I guess you can guess what I have in mind.

I also worked on the metal Varghulf a little… and made a mess of superglue everywhere. No shots of that mess of course since I didn’t want to permanently adhere my phone to my fingers! I will show some end results at a later post however, once I’m done with the Green Stuff corrections.

See you on the next post!