Horrible Kit

[MrSteerpike]

So years ago I bought the kit for the "Pile of Aliens" and when it arrived, I was shocked at the quality, or lack thereof. I tried cleaning it up and gave up until recently when I found it again. So I thought I'd take up the fight once more and see what I can do about it.

Any tips and/or tricks to get this cleaned up? I took a few pictures of 1 of the heads and a pair of arms for an idea. But the base is especially bad. There's flash all over, blobs and bubbles throughout. I have a basic grasp of some of the tools I need. I have epoxy sculpt, sand paper and such and more recently, I picked up a rotary tool.

But I'd really appreciate any help or guidance anyone could offer with this. Could be nest to see how it progresses, from this through to the finished product and painted.

 

[rjszar]

Is this a recast? Well, anyway, the most important thing you are going to need is patience. If you want this to look right, you really need to do the work. The flashing isn't necessarily a big deal, depending on how thick it is. I usually use a nice hobby knife. Cut the flashing close to the piece and then scrape it the rest of the way with the blade to avoid chunking it. Usually, you don't even have to sand it.

Use the grinding tool to remove the blobs. Don't know what kind of bits you have, but I actually find that using very thin drill bits can be an advantage. Working with the side of the bit can often produce a finish that doesn't require additional sanding.

I have put together a ton of resin monster models. One trick I learned to save on a lot of filling and sanding later, is to use a thick epoxy glue for assembly. I allow it to ooze out all around the seam. Then I just take a rag or something and wipe the excess off. It produces a smooth hard seam. Filler putty takes time to put in and sand. It can crack and fall out later, so I've never liked it. The air bubbles can be handled with this method as well. I've always liked using Devcon Plastic Welder. Not really that easy to find these days though.

Hope something that I've said helps.

 

[MrSteerpike]

Yes I'm under the impression it is a recast. I've come to learn that this piece was fairly subject to recasting and I think, based on the quality of this piece, believe this to be the case.

The flash isn't so bad, it chips off fairly harmlessly. It's the bubbles and blobs which are problematic. Some just break off no problem, others split in half so they need to be ground off. I've been using dental tool which I've found to be quite useful for this process.

Yeah, I have a similar approach that I've used in the past - a generous application of super glue (though I've used gorilla glue) then just used some epoxy sculpt to blend. I like working with it because it doesn't stick to everything I'm using to work with it, doesn't expand and is strong. I don't use it as the primary joining agent. I've been satisfied with the results.

Thank you so much for the reply and the tips. The saddest truth in all this is I think I'm aware of the fact that it's just going to take a lot of time and patience and little else.

 

[PermaG]

Depending on what you spent on it, I would just toss it and save the time and learn a lesson.

If not...as you both mentioned... get a dremel, a tiny bit, a steady hand and lots of time...and yes patience.

 

[clutch]

Ya get what ya pay for.

 

[MrSteerpike]

The hand on the right I've fixed up with the rotary tool. The one o the left is for comparison.


Both fixed up.

Here's the rest of the pieces (minus the body for the one on top I've misplaced...


Some repair work done on the head as well. Yep, the tail is broken but by looking at the curve of it, it'll need to be broken again a couple of times to make it around the base.

 

[MrSteerpike]

Yeah, true enough. I bought before I knew there was such a thing as a crappy recast. Park for the course I suppose. Still, I'm having (I think) success with the repairs so far. So we'll see how the whole thing goes. I just hope the difference are clear enough in the shots I've uploaded.

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Man - that is SO distorted -a VERY poor shadow of the legit castings.

If you're looking for build (and sculpting) practice you'll get it on this for sure Other than that - chalk it up to experience and bin it.

In case you didn't realise, pretty much everything from Thailand will be a recast (with a few notable exceptions).

If you are really interested in getting into Garage kits, and want advice on kit legitimacy before buying, join the Clubhouse forum - https://theclubhouse1.net/ - biggest collection of experienced modellers you'll find anywhere in the interwebs machine.

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[MrSteerpike]

Woooo! Many thanks! I shall do so presently.

And yes, I'm expecting to come put being a jedi master at exacting repairs by the end of this. Lol.

Thanks for the insight! I don't know where it originated from. As I said, this was years ago...probably 5-6 or so ago and the notion of it being a knockoff wasn't even a notion. Lol. But....I'll soldier on and see how far I'm able to make it in all of this!

 

[MrSteerpike]

So I'm almost done cleaning the kit. I'm wondering if I should put it all together before painting or if I should paint it in pieces then put it together. I've never done anything this big or complex before.

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Dry-assemble and think about how you would paint if each part was glued in place.

Paint anything that will be tough to get at BEFORE gluing (unless you need to fill the join).

Approach will differ depending on you using brushes vs. airbrush of course.

.

 

[MrSteerpike]

Dry-assemble and think about how you would paint if each part was glued in place.

Paint anything that will be tough to get at BEFORE gluing (unless you need to fill the join).

Approach will differ depending on you using brushes vs. airbrush of course.

.

Good call. Thanks!

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

You're very welcome. If you need any more help - just ask.

I really DO suggest you join the Clubhouse for expert advice though (I'm NOT an expert by any means).

But regardless - PLEASE don't ever buy another recast

.

 

[MrSteerpike]

So here's the current state of repair. I built up around the head and dome so the fit is better. I still have to sand and all that jazz but at least the fit is more to my liking.

So...does anyone own this statue that can work with me by taking some close, high resolution pictures for me of certain areas? I have this guy on the base that is going to need to be heavily repaired of even flat out resculpted from scratch.


Until next time....

 

[MrSteerpike]

You're very welcome. If you need any more help - just ask.

I really DO suggest you join the Clubhouse for expert advice though (I'm NOT an expert by any means).

But regardless - PLEASE don't ever buy another recast

.

Dude.....lol. aren't in suffering enough? I didn't need that advice. This is a learning experience for me more than anything. I'm not really expecting this to be display worthy ever but I'm going to try my damndest. Lol

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

. . . does anyone own this statue that can work with me by taking some close, high resolution pictures for me of certain areas? I have this guy on the base that is going to need to be heavily repaired of even flat out resulted from scratch . . .

You can find plenty of pics by googling "alien pile" + kit . . . these (on this forum) might help also:

https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/...ops-kits-etc-/83627-alien-pile-kit-paint.html

https://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=65890&page=3

.

 

[MrSteerpike]

You can find plenty of pics by googling "alien pile" + kit . . . these (on this forum) might help also:

https://www.sideshowcollectors.com/...ops-kits-etc-/83627-alien-pile-kit-paint.html

https://www.statueforum.com/showthread.php?t=65890&page=3

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Yeah I've seen these. I need an extreme.closeup for the face to result or repair this. Usually people like showing off more than 1 square centimeter of their expertly painted pieces. Lol