Customizing Star Wars Minis 6

Advanced Repositioning Techniques I

By Jack Irons

Welcome to the sixth in a series of articles about customizing Star Wars Miniatures. So far, we've covered simple and moderate repositioning techniques. In this article, we'll look at an advanced method of repositioning, which can be used to pose an element in any direction imaginable. The method is called pinning, after the small metal pin that is used to help hold the pieces together. Pinned connections hold extremely well and are great for custom miniatures that will see a lot of game time. Most steps of the pinning method are similar to the cut-and-paste method and can be used to reinforce those types of repositions.

To begin pinning, you'll need the following tools: super glue, a hobby knife, a sculpting tool with a pointed end (or any tool that will poke a small hole), a hand drill, a pair of needle-nose pliers, and metal wire (I suggest using common staples).

First, determine where to cut the figure's elements apart, such as cutting the arm from the body at the shoulder. As before, determine the best new pose, but don't glue the pieces together yet. Instead, take the pointed end of the sculpting tool and make a guide hole in the center of each flat surface created when you cut the pieces apart. When making the guide holes, be careful not to go all the way through either piece.

Next, use the hand drill to drill out some of the plastic around each guide hole, making them larger. Again, be careful not to drill completely through. When you have some experience with this method, you'll be able to drill the holes without making guide holes first.

Use the metal wire cutter (located in the "mouth" of the pliers) to cut one of the staples so that you have a pin of metal about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch long. You'll want to use a pin that is appropriate for the size of the elements you're connecting. For larger elements, use a longer pin. You can always trim down the size of the pin if needed.

While holding the pin with the pliers, push one end into the drilled-out hole on the larger piece. Push the pin so that it's halfway into the hole. If the pin is too small, remove it and replace it with a longer pin. For small pieces, you might find it easier to hold the pin steady and push the element onto the pin.

Hold the smaller piece up to the other end of the pin. Does the end of the pin look too long, as if it might push out of the smaller piece when connected? If so, push the pin slightly farther into the hole of the larger piece, or just trim the end of the pin with the pliers' wire cutter.

Line up the pin with the hole on the smaller piece, and push the pin into the hole. Adjust the pin so that it's in the new position, and check to make sure that it looks right. Then remove the pin and place a small drop of super glue at the spot where the pin enters the piece. Reattach the piece, move it into its new position, and hold it there until the glue begins to set.

Once the reposition is completely dried and set, you can reposition other elements of the figure. When you're finished with the whole figure, touch up areas with paint as needed or just repaint the whole miniature.

Next Time

In the next article on customizing Star Wars Miniatures, we'll continue to explore how pinning can be used and how to fix gaps.

About the Author

Jack Irons is an artist and graphic designer. He has been fan of Star Wars since he was four, when his dad took his sister and him to a matinee on the second day of its release. He posts regularly on the Star Wars Miniatures Game boards under the name "ironlightsaber" and often works with other board members on projects such as the Lost Twenty fan set. Jack lives in the middle of the U.S. with his wife Ruth and their son.