"The cast-pike controversy " Topic

Mark Copplestone announced a new range in his latest newsletter.

"A quirky 30mm toy soldier range, named Little Interwars"

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I've been stirring things up…

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Old Glory ECW 10mm don't have cast-on pikes,but you have to drill or open the hands.

TMP link

And I see the bug's at it again.

Yes, not having to cut the pikes off is one step forward.

I sympathise – I much prefer replacing the weapons. Paradoxically, Peter Pig, who make some of the less breakable/bendable pikes supply their ECW range with a choice of cast-on or open hands. These might be an option for your TYW project?

Personally I like drilled-out as opposed to open hands as the fix to the figure is more sturdy (so I like how New Era Donnington are cast with a dimple in the fist to facilitate drilling).

Good luck …

Phil

Fair point. It was over twenty years ago that I drilled my 15s and 25s. I used to make a little hole with the sharp end of a compass point before engaging the drill. I started off with a pin vice but then graduated to a craft drill.

I get a friend to do them for me.

I have been trying a new technique with cast on pikes to strengthen them. I have some of the new ultraviolet seting glue that is quite useful for many gluing projects. I put some of the liquid material in a small container and brush it onto the pikes then turn on the ultraviolet light which pretty much hardens them and strengthens them. They will not bend and they don't seem to break very easily either

TMP comes through again! Bobgnar,what's the viscosity on that stuff? Thin enough for 6mm? I have some of the Baccus Phalangites with cast-on pikes I'm afraid to touch.

This rapidfix UV material is amazing stuff. I have used it on 15 mm pikes with good success. It should work with 6 mm it's viscous but thin enough if you brush it on the length of the pike. squeeze some of the liquid into a bottlecap, and and use an old brush to put it on. Then turn the light on for 20 seconds and you have pikes that will not turn into spaghetti. It is transparent after it's been lighted, so you can use it on painted figures. For larger figures it's great for attaching weapons to hands, heads to bodies, etc. Before I found this stuff, I was doing the same process with white glue but this is much more effective.

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Pike for me must be replaced with steel however bills are a different matter and this hardening technique could be the way forward.

Interesting approach Bobgnar. I am going to give it a try. Thanks for posting it.

@ Bobgnar
Well – a year later I finally tried your Rapidfix UV method on several groups of 10mm cast pikes. Very impressed! It brushes on quite easily and sets in 15 or 20 seconds with the UV light application. So far it is working extremely well and the pikes maintain their vertical even when you handle them. It does add a slight gloss to the pike shafts but not a problem for me (could always dulcoat I suppose). Will now start the process of applying to all my 10mm pikemen.

Thanks! This really was a great suggestion.

I sympathize with you. I have 10mm Renaissance figures from Pendraken and Old Glory and Warmonger. I decided at the start to clip off the cast on pikes from the Pendraken and Warmonger and drill out the hands of them all and use the Old Glory wire they sell. It is extremely time consuming for sure but I think it looks better in the long run and worth the extra effort. In fact I've gone as far as clipping on off the flags that are cast onto the figures as well and putting on paper flags. Looks much better.

I'm doing the broom bristle method I found here:

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I'm okay with cutting pikes and drilling out hands though.

If I didn't get a bunch of 15mm stuff recently, I'd definitely consider the 1/72 plastics for this period. Though I'd still use the broom bristle pikes.

At first I listened to those recommending floral wire, but it is not all made equal and all the stuff at the local store was just too flexible and would bend just like cast pikes. So the broom head got purchased instead.

@VicCina. I'm currently doing the Pendraken LoA whose pikemen have open hand. I make the pikes from brass rod and flatten the end to make a leaf shaped point (given enough leverage you can flatten most material :-)
).
Admire that you did replacements with the clip and drill method. That was part of the issue in discussions elsewhere – the ease (or lack of) with with this could done. In actually doing it I found it was relatively painless IF the figure was holding the pike away from the body. I clipped, drilled with my micro Dremel and replaced with brass.

I was totally wrong about speed IF the pike was moulded into the figure body at any point – that is a real pain to do! In some cases I found that I could use the moulded bottom section, drill, and continue the pike in brass. Not a painless procedure, however.

@Nathanial. Thanks for posting that reference on the broom bristles. I had pictured something different causing me to be sceptical. Those looks really good!

Broom bristles look the worst of all the options if you don't add the points. The squishing and cutting should be considered mandatory.

As well given that they are flexible plastic, they need to be primed, painted and varnished with products that stay flexible. I use acrylic gesso or vallejo polyurethane surface primer to prime, then acrylic paints for painting and future floor finish and then vallejo matte varnish. Minwax or Army Painter type dips would also work great. If you're a fan of testor's dull coat you'll only want to mist on to the point that the shine is cut down as while it does flex, over time enamel based sprays tend to harden.

A local guy uses pva/white glue to prime them, paints them with cheap craft paints and then seals with the cheap craft paint type matte varnish. He says he's dropped figure stands and not lost any paint.