"New Italeri plastic?" Topic

Lately, I have noticed that the newest Italeri 1/72 figure kits in the hobby stores have started featuring labels reading "Superspecial material – Let's Glue It". So I checked the Italeri homepage and there they state that:

"Traditionally, one of the major problems in modelling figures is the difficulty of working with Polyethylene, the soft plastic used in moulding. After a long research Italeri, with its usual attention to the modeller's needs, is now introducing a new material which will revolutionize the world of scale soldiers: "Let's Glue It". Products with this logo will be moulded with a new plastic that, while retaining the mechanical properties of Polyethylene, can be glued using any standard modeling glue. A higher stiffness will also ease the elimination of moulding seams, another hard-to-solve problem in soft figures. The first Italeri product issued in the "Let's Glue It" range is item 6108, on sale in February."

Has somebody here experience on this new Italeri plastic – how significant are the differences?

Griefbringer

Nope,
I've heared about it and am as curious as you are.

Which one's item 6108?

6108 is their Medieval Tournament boxed set. See review here:

link

Griefbringer

There was that new plastic somebody else started using last year, can't recall off hand who, so it is possible. That one also had the property that it staid in the shape you bend it.

Got it, it was Emhar:

link

6108: Medieval tournament:

link

Hat also started using a gluable plastic with the release of their 1812 Napoleonic French line infantry.http://www.hat.com/Curr2/Bx8095FI.html
Heres what they look like painted.
hat.com/Othr6/Willers24.html
The figures take standard model glue well. They also take paint like a dream. I hope the Italeri are as good in that regard.

Cheers
GeorgeD

Oops! That first link didnt work too well. Sorry!

GeorgeD

It's also on the re-issues of the ESCI Vietnam figures that Italeri is doing.

The real question is, does it take paint any better?

Mike

Well, you should be using Rustoleum Plastic Spray Primer for your plastic figs. It bonds at a molecular level. You CANNOT make it flake or chip off.

Thanks,

John

JOhn, they're more concerned about gluing than painting in this topic.

If the plastic is as hard, say as the new GW lines in plastic, then it would be wonderful. I have often wondered why that type of hard plastic was not used for the Italleri type figures.

I believe it to be a cost and moulding problem but not sure the exact reason? But if it could be done to that type of strength it should take paint incredibly well, at least after some primor.

sorry, yes I know my comment was a bit off topic as well.

Hey Tim. I know. But Warjack's post right before mine looked to be about paint sticking to plastic. That was what I was posting about.

Thanks,

John

Hmmmmmm.I just read Carter's post. Are some folks simply NOT aware that the paint flaking, chiping or peeling issue IS a thing of the past???????

Thanks,

John

The plastic is harder than the previous soft type plastic, but not as hard as GW plastic. It's glueable, and paintable I think. Haven't had them long enough to notice paint chipping, but it shouldn't be a problem.

Nice figs, though the two-part knight and horse is odd.

And that ridiculous boater hat slapped on the horns has got to go… (even if some goof of a knight did actually have that crest.)

I thought the two-part horse-and-knight idea was a mistake, but I don't have to sell them (or buy them).

PVO

Parzival: "And that ridiculous boater hat slapped on the horns has got to go… (even if some goof of a knight did actually have that crest.)"

Well, the tournament armour tended to spot all sorts of ecsentric decorations like this. I have a feeling that whoever sculpted this set must have given a good look to the Osprey Elite series book about tournaments – several of the models look like they might have been inspired by some of the drawings there.

The strange thing to me is that they had to plunge in also those HYW figures – which would look quite out of place to me next to these tournament guys (who are also of a slightly later style).

Griefbringer

Italeri has been goofy in that regard throughout their historical series. I don't get it.

For whatever reason, they make decisions that sometimes reflect very basic research rather than detailed and some of their production choices leave you wondering, "Why did they sculpt it like this?"

The flipside, of course, is that Italeri has way better sculpting than most. It is one of those weird "-isms" of 1/72 that brings a smirk to your face.

Incidentially, I have not tried out the new plastic either. My local store routinely seems to be the last to get anything new.

I agree with John Leahy – with all the activity in 1/72 now, are there still people out there who don't know about the Rustoleum primer? Every 1/72 site should have a blurb about what primers are available.

When I said "sculpting than most" I meant overall attention to the actual form of the figure – not the technical accuracy of the history. Does anyone even look that close at the figures?

Shoot. Was hoping to get them all in a row at 1:45, :46, :47, :48. Oh well.

I ended up getting some of the new Italeri plastics today – once I have them tested I will try to remember to write some more comments around here.

Griefbringer

Rustoleum is not available in the UK, so it is NOT thing of the past.

I haven't tried the Italeri plastic, but the Emhar stuff I have – it is very very good. still soft, but you can bend bits with fingers and they stay put – hence the name 'Sta-put' (doncha hate that? how much does it cost to print a 'y'?)

It takes paint without special sealers, and the paint has stayed on so far.

Pat

Rustoleum is not available in the UK, so it is NOT thing of the past.
—————————-
I've been using Artist's Acrylic paint (out of a tube) as a plastic primer for years. Apply with a brush.
Provides a great surface for paint, even on very flexible and 'greasy' figures like the old Atlantic ranges.

Paint with acrylics. Polyurethane varnish.
No flaking problems.