Hot on the heels of the Vaxiss its time for another air based group of Relthoza models and that means the Interceptor Helix!
So lets crack it open and see what we get inside the box!
1 Savimasc main body
2 Savimasc left wings
2 Savimasc right wings
4 Reltholza standard metal legs
3 Halamasc Class Drone Pods
2 Sky Drop Markers
2 small dice
1 metal flight peg ball
4 flight pegs and stands
Quite a series of parts, however not too many honestly needing assembly. Indeed the 3 Halamasc Class Drone Pods that come with it don’t require any assembly at all save for cleaning them up and mounting them to their flight pegs. Must say I’m really impressed with these as models, very little in mould lines and whilst there are a few bubbles here and there in them they were very easy to clean up. They are also impressive as a general model considering how many overlapping areas they have; for casting from 3D printing [far as I know many Spartan models have their master copies as 3D printed – products are resin cast of course) its impressive.
So time to break out the tools and get to work; please do consult the previous guide on the Vaxiss assembly for a little more detail on general resin assembly methods.
Tools:
Top:
Colourshapers
Pin vice
Brass rod
Left to Right:
Nose pliers (helpful for holding/pushing pinning brass into slots when glue is applied)
Files (round and flat)
General Greenstuff tool
Scalpel
Toothbrush
Phase 1:
Remember the first step is always to wash your models; metal and resin parts all need a quick wash to clean off any potential casting resin left upon them. Be careful of some of the metal parts in this set as they are very small so keep a firm hold on them.
Phase 2: Halamasc
These models only need a clean up and sticking to their flight pegs, honestly nothing more than that!
Showing most of the major cleaning required. These remains are easy to clip away with clippers or to cut away with careful sawing with the scalpel blade.
As before with the Vaxiss, clean out the air bubbles with the scalpel blade; fill with greenstuff; smooth over with the general greenstuff tool and then the colourshaper; remembering to wet the tools when working with the greenstuff to stop it sticking to the tools.
With the Halamasc cleaned up don’t forget to clean the edges of the skydrop markers as well. Once those two steps are done its time to move onto the Savimasc (dragonfly) itself.
Phase 3: Savimasc Class Heavy Battle Suit clean up
The main body and wings clean up very easily, indeed beyond the injection points on the wing balls and the rear of the main body there was almost nothing to clean up on these, really effortless to clean up the resin for this model.
Moving onto the legs we encounter metal and for this the method changes a little. You can still scrape with the scalpel, however these legs are easily shaped that you can use a pair of files. I used two kinds, a flat edge and round file. The flat is good for the ball of the leg, whilst the round was better for cleaning around the spikes and along the curved leg length. Simply work slow and steady and file the mould lines away.
But before we get there there’s some tabs which are thicker and tougher than resin to clear off. You can use a set of clippers as they are ideal for clipping away bits of excess metal. However if you lack a set you can saw with the scalpel same as on resin; only be aware that it will be slower and tougher so you really must work the blade around the join area, saw all around rather than just trying to go through one spot.
Typical metal flash consisting of the thicker tab and flake strips (which often snap off easily or can be cut of in a second with a blade; or cut off with clippers).
Phase 4: Assembly
Beginning with the wings you’ve really a lot of choice with the ball and sock assembly as to how you want to position the wings on this model. I do advise that you put some greenstuff/bluetack onto the top of the flight peg and stick the etal ball onto it and then again put a bit more greenstuff/bluetack onto the top of that to hold the main body in a rough flight position for when the model is mounted.
This will give you some idea how the model will look and this what position you will want to put the wings into. After that its a simple case of scoring the join aresa on wings and body and adding the superglue. For this situation I also used a tiny bit of greenstuff in the socket (glue applied to the ball of course) just so that I had a fast bond with the greenstuff that would hold the wing in place whilst it dried.
If you want you can, of course, pin the wings which will make a stronger bond, however I feel they should be strong enough without a pin. The choice is, of course, yours to make.
This gives you some idea of the angle I choice for the fore and rear wings. Note I found it easier to affix the front wings before attaching the rear wings.
With the wings attached its time for the legs, these attach exactly the same as the wings; you score the join areas (careful when scoring the metal ball on the legs as metal is a little tougher than resin) and glue together; again I used a little greenstuff here just to help things along.
You can choose the angle for your legs, I chose mine facing backwards but you can have them facing inward; even grasping at the flight peg if you want!
Finally remove the greenstuff from the flight peg and metal ball and then glue the metal tab to the peg. You can then score and attach the model direct to its ball, even rotating it a little if you want a different pose (tip consider the wing positions and angles if you go for something dynamic). Now all you have to do is undercoat and paint up your interceptor Helix!
Undercoated 360 views of all models to come soon!
Note there is a way to have a magnetic flight peg assembly, however that guide is coming later (sorry still not got the bits I need for it). I will post it up when I can.
PS you can use a 3mm drill bit and pin vice to drill into the Savimasc main body if you want to use a normal flight peg and not use the supplied metal ball setup. Choice is yours to make; just remember that its not a huge model so whilst there is room to drill into it you’ve not got infinite space.
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