Tutorial - World Eaters Contemptor Dreadnought Part #1 - Tools

So I had been listening to the Age of Darkness Podcast, when JP Mathieu mentioned that he wished to know of a tutorial on how to make the Betrayal at Calth (B@C) Contemptor Dreadnought legs look less static and more dynamic.

Given I had previously rebuilt a Vi Legion Vlka Fenryka Contemptor Dreadnought, I thought I would try and put another one together, this time for the XII Legion World Eaters. The final product should end up looking a little like the following:

Generally before you start doing any conversion work you should assemble a small tool kit and have it ready and available whilst you're rebuilding and converting. 

TOOLS
These tools are as follows:

• A good Hobby knife - I use an Xacto #2. It has a blade that is slightly thicker and less likely to snap off in the middle of cutting plastics and resin.

•  A Razor Saw _ Any reputable brand will work for this, just make sure it's sharp and straight. Also a little tip with this tool is that you don't force it, just draw it back and forth and it will do the cutting itself. Too much pressure will just ruin what you're trying to do.

 

• Files - any Jeweler's needle files will do for this really.

• Sanding and burnishing blocks - well you're cutting into a plastic surface, with will leave marks that will need to be cleaned. Sprue and mold lines are also easy to remove with these. I try to get my hands on UMP Thinny sticks, mainly because the thin sections fit about everywhere but realistically you can use any old double sided nail file/emery board with one side that sands, the other side for buffing.

• Tamiya Extra Thin Polystyrene Cement - This stuff will change your life when working with polystrene plastics.

• Revell Contacta Professional - Great for larger gluing efforts on Polystrene and plastics. The metal applicator tube get right into the correct places, and if the tube "gums" up, you just pop it free of the bottle, and hold it over a naked flame (candle or lighter) and it cleans up instantly.

• Super Glue - I go for Loctite Brush-on Super glue. You can use whatever, really. And if you're really experimental, accelerant too. I find accelerant leave the joins a little too brittle. Just a word of warning, try not to screw with the brush too much, otherwise you'll end up putting super glue everywhere but where you want it. The brush tends not to dry out and clog in the applicator tube, like traditional super glues.

 

• Pin Vise Chucks and drills - You can get this from about every hobby brand, but I go for CML Supply, mainly because I can get everything all at once and not have to worry about it for a few years.

• Pinning - Well you can opt for brass rod, it's easy enough to get.  I tend to scrounge what I have about me. Given larger gauge Paper Clips are all the rage in my office, I just pocket a box or two when the need arises.

• Magnetising - This could be an article unto itself. But really, pop onto you tube to see how to do it, and what brands they buy. Every one buys magnets from different companies opting for the closest locally. Sizing well that depends on metric and imperial, so look for the size you think is appropriate.

So all in all, there is a little arsenal that needs to be assembled to make the magic of converting happen. All easy enough to grab with a quick visit to Amazon.