"FIX BAYONETES!!!" Topic

AND I do mean fix bayonets. That is to say, there is so much wrong with them across many figure ranges in the market. There are some very good ones but here's some of the problems I see.

The WOBBLY bayonet – even if well cast and of good form, the metal is too soft and when photographed, well painted miniatures look like they have old grey celery sticking waving around in the breeze out the ends of their muskets.

The CLUB bayonet – such a mist-cast lump of a thing, looks more like it is for beating someone over the head rather than sticking it up them (yes, they don't like it up them). Requires shaving and filing to reshape the thing.

The BRITTLE bayonet – worst of all when requiring some straightening, this type snaps clean off, taking some of the musket with it. I imagine it's the pewter content of the casting. I also imagine an issue with plastics.

The GIANT bayonet – relation of the club, seen mainly on 15mm figures, this is like a two-handed sword almost exceeding the length of the musket. I mean, some painters don't even seem to notice! They're huge!

Perhaps you have other examples. So, what to do?

Has anyone given serious thought to photo-etched, brass detailing solutions? A receiving port at the end of a firearm on the side of the barrel and a drop of supaglue and the job is done. Or is it already available and I'm missing something?

Apologies to all the manufacturers by the way. I don't imagine getting bayonets right is at all easy.

The problem with the edit function is that it doesn't allow you to edit the posting title.

I prefer club-bayonets to thin ones that break. I game in 15mm with war game figures, not figures for display on the shelf.

Ditto for flag staffs.

Giant bayonet for me every time. …'They don't like it up 'em, Captain Mainwaring!'

Funny you should post this topic. I was just thinking that I have completely had it with plastic figures. The number of bayonets I have broken with just what I would call 'normal handling' is starting to me off something chronic. Final straw was placing some bases down to photograph them and clipped a bayonet with my finger as I reached for a base of figures – and off it came. I am heading back to metals and not looking back.

You are talking about 28mm hard plastic, I assume? Never had much trouble with the soft plastic 20mm once I figured out how to keep the paint on them.

Yes – hard plastic. I used to coat soft plastic figures with PVA glue before painting. It added some bendability without the paint flicking off.

The problem with the edit function is that it doesn't allow you to edit the posting title.

Hear, hear…long overdue improvement…petition for implementation?

Wow they have stamina that I've only dream of!

Having 1,000s of metal figures over decades I find the new plastics much more amenable to quick repair/replacement than metal…

Still keeping most of the old metals, BTW.

Brian,

Would pewter weapons for plastics solve the problem?

Ah, if only Big Pharmacy was paying attention: a little blue pill in the casting process, retaining properly sculped bayonet integrity in a Little Wars type priapism.

Unlucky General – Probably. The danger comes from the casual bump. To damage bayonets on metal figures takes a lot of work or a lot of mistreatment – in my experience.

I think with the plastic figures the figure pose will have a lot to do with it. The Victrix and Perry British Napoleonics are predominantly in firing/advancing poses – lots of opportunity to have bayonets sticking out where fat fingered gamers can damage them. One of the the reasons I went to deeper bases and mounted the figures way back, to ensure no overhang on the base. I still managed to break a bayonet off!

Wow they have stamina that I've only dream of!

Didn't I see that somewhere else?

UpperCanada, They would have to contact their physician after four hours.

Or call their friends and brag.