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| These eBay figures are much nicer than their basing. My own strategy is to make the basing better than the figures! |
If the basing is completely inappropriate (e.g. multiple figures on rectangular bases) it has to go. OK, I know you can play these games with multiple-based figures and record the casualties, but it’s not my preference.
Even if figures are based singly, it’s probably best to rebase them in order to achieve uniformity in an army put together from different sources. However, it’s a shame to destroy nicely decorated bases and sometimes quite difficult to do so without running the risk of damaging the figures.
My latest acquisition were some ACW figures - painted Federals and unpainted Confederates (which I will probably sell on). The figures had been stuck onto MDF, then into plastic movement trays and finally covered with a thick carpet of flocking material which may have been applied with a hot glue gun and was still extremely gooey.
I prized the MDF out of the movement trays and then stood the figures in warm water to weaken the MDF. Then I used a scalpel to cut and scrape away the MDF and flock. Finally I used a cotton-bud dipped in Isopropanol to rub off some of the remaining flock and glue. In some cases, however, the Isopropanol just made everything more sticky, so I returned to the hot water treatment which seemed to shrink, harden and loosen the glue rather than spreading it about.
I'm hoping that repeated immersion in hot water isn't going to cause the plastic to degenerate during my lifetime, but I don't have a lot of choice. The figures have been coated with Army Painter Quickshade or similar. This is giving them good protection, and there is no visible damage to the paintwork.
I don’t have to achieve 100% removal of the offending glue and flock as the new bases are going to be textured and reflocked anyway, but it’s good to get the old flock off the figures’ ankles.
That's taken some work and patience, not quite as much time as painting unpainted figures but you'd have to wonder :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly crossed my mind, but I still feel that this cleaning is a fraction of the time I'd have to spend on painting. It can also be fitted in at odd moments! Of course, I have my big painting project for this year as well (the Border Reivers) but the rebasing projects are going to put armies on the table much more quickly.
DeleteI use an old pair of plastic sprue cutters to break into bases for re-basing and then line you, a sharp blade to work on each figure - hard work on the finger tips, but always good to get the basing you want.
ReplyDeleteI've got a pair of GW clippers which are probably similar. I got them originally for separating 6mm figure strips. They're quite good for breaking up the MDF which helps the water to soak in.
DeleteI would go with Norms suggestion Richard and also use a Dremel or some such carefully. If they are plastics maybe the soaking is the best option.
ReplyDeleteIt's not so much the bases now as little flecks of gum and flock that ended up on the figures. I've actually been very polite about the flocking. To be frank, it's absolutely ghastly. I've never used my Dremel. I might give it a try, but first I have to find it...
DeleteCouldn't find the Dremel - part of my crisis of having too much stuff. But I have been making progress with some rubber-tipped tools used for sculpting Greenstuff. These allow me to ‘rub off’ patches of glue and flock without damaging the paintwork.
DeleteAlthough this job was messy, it didn't seem to threaten imminent disaster in the same way that handling paint might. I didn't, therefore, take the precaution of changing into my painting/gardening clothes.
ReplyDeleteThis was a big mistake. What I hadn't realised was that small flecks of gum would transfer themselves to woolen clothing with which they seem to have a strong affinity...
I now have another job - pulling little lumps of gum off various jumpers etc!