"Assembing Cavalry" Topic

Hello all, I have a newcomer question. How exactly do you assemble lead cavalry? The figures I have (Alternative Armies, mainly) either have legs that do not easily fit over their mounts or are a little too wide.

I have Testors cement for metal and wood and have tried to attach the rider and mount, but that has not yet worked just putting cement on the inside of the legs and the groin.

Can anyone give me assistance?

Thanks in advance!

I have used superglue since 1981 to attach riders to horses and all metal figures ( 15mm) to wood bases, never hadmuch issue in them staying put or removing them.
Sometimes riders do not seem to fit well but minor bending isn't a problem, often make sure to dry fit them first. To widen legs force them over a tubular handle to the size needed.

You may have to bend the legs gently, or squeeze them together to get a good fit. I'd recommend a superglue, such as Gorilla Glue to fix them together. Make sure both pieces to glue are clean, a gentle file or sand paper should do the trick.

I use gorilla super glue gel great stuff.

I widened the legs with the shaft of a paintbrush. That appears to have worked. Closing the other legs was harder, and I'm not sure how well that worked.

I used a hot glue gun and I'll see if they stay.

Thanks for everything!

I roughen the bottom of the rider and back of the horse, then glue with two part epoxy. Epoxy is probably overkill, but I don't have a problem with riders dismounting. I always test the rider with the mount before gluing and use all of the mentioned techniques plus shaving to ensure a decent fit. Try switching riders with different mounts. Sometimes that's all it takes.
pjm

In my experience hot glue is not a good solution for metal. Great if you *want* it to pop off easily. So to tack something to a lid while you paint it, it works great. But for permanent assembly, super glue or epoxy.

If the fit is problematic I have sometimes mixed epoxy with a little Green Stuff – works well for me

I've resorted to pinning in extreme cases, but usually gel superglue or hot glue gun work.

I'm with Extra Crispy on the hot glue. It WILL fail you… 2 part epoxy works best but there are times I just use thicker Super Glue. I find Zap A Gap works best. Your mileage may vary.

I use a (non-serrated) pair of pliers to expand legs or squeeze them closer. If the figure is already painted (best done in prep phase) then a rag or piece of paper towel will help protect the paint. Usually have to squeeze legs closer

To attach – gap filling super glue (usually a gel)

John

Sometimes if you have a few poses of riders and a few different horse poses, some combinations fit togerther well, others don't so it could be worth swapping mounts around.

I use superglue as well, but I also pin my riders to their mounts. I find that makes the connection more stable so my paintjob doesn't get destroyed by them coming apart, and it allows for some nice detail to peek through when the rider's legs are a little more open than needed for the mount.