a - Re-Attaching the Wings

Two models needed to have their wings re-attached (Lyondri's and comicbkguy's). I did comicbkguy's first, since his model still had a base and would be a little easier to work with.

comicbkguy didn't mention what glue he used to attack the wing - looks like superglue to me. I use a hobby knife to scrape the old glue out of the way, and to rough up the metal surface.

In his article, comicbkguy mentioned using putty to fill the gaps between wing and body. Unfortunately, there's no sign of the putty now (it may have atomized when the model broke apart). I briefly consider re-puttying the model, then decide not to - the risk of damaging the paint job is too great...

As much as I might wish that gamers will handle models by their bases, human nature means that these models will often be lifted and moved by their wings. Therefore, the wing joint will get a lot of wear and tear.

There are at least two options. Pinning is a process where holes are drilled in both parts, and a wire inserted before the models are glued. The other option is to use a "grippier" glue than superglue - one that isn't quite so brittle - such as a two-part epoxy.

I decide to use epoxy glue, but not without some trepidation. Epoxy glue comes in two tubes or syringes, and are mixed together just prior to use. If you're sloppy and don't get a 50/50 mix of the glues, you can end up with a sticky glue that never seems to dry. Even if you mix it right, epoxy takes a while to dry - and doesn't set quickly like superglue does. Epoxy is also sticky, so it's easy to get it on your fingers... which means you might accidentally touch the model and leave shiny fingerprints.

So I take extraordinary precautions while mixing and gluing. Fortunately, everything goes according to plan.

I repair Lyondri's wing using the same technique.