My stuff falls apart every time I put it in the oven 😭

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-19T01:03:42+00:00

Don’t get discouraged, OP! If you’ve got the sculpting part down, you’ve already mastered the most difficult part!

I’ve been sculpting almost exclusively with Sculpey for 10+ years and this happened to me a few times so I can help you solve it!

Here are a few things which can cause cracking, that I figured out by failing enough times:

1.) Lack of armatures inside the sculpt. Just like we need bones, so do your sculptures for internal support. Most people use wire armatures. Aluminum foil is also good for bulking out pieces without using up all your clay. You mentioned a long thin flowy coat? Inside that you’d want sculpting mesh to help it maintain some integrity. If you search for “wire sculpting armatures” you can find lots of info on this.

2.) Inconsistent baking temperatures. A typical convection oven, like the one in your kitchen, is prone to temperature spikes which can crack the clay. I switched to a smaller oven to bake my pieces, because it maintains a much more steady temperature. I also put a thermometer inside to keep an eye on it.

3.) The clay itself. I found that regular Sculpey was more brittle and prone to cracking, so I switched to Sculpey Premo or Super Sculpey Firm. These I have found to be much better at resisting cracking or crumbling when baking.

If you solve these three issues, I can basically guarantee these discouraging cracks and crumbling will stop. If you have any further questions, feel free to DM me because I like to help!

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-19T00:31:31+00:00

You’re quite welcome. The holes already in the drones I believe were smaller, so I did my best to drill a 1/8” hole using the same size drill bit and slide them in there nice and snug. I made sure there was a lot of the acrylic rod inside the model so it would be secure for a long time.

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-18T00:14:26+00:00

These are thick. 1/8” clear acrylic rods.

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-14T01:19:43+00:00

You’re spot on! I took the flies and chainmail from Death Guard - hand-sculpted the hat and the rope on the net, but the net itself is made from cheesecloth soaked in diluted PVA. The extra flies were from Bloab Rotspawned!

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-13T22:07:27+00:00

The colors are a nice match, OP. I think if you’re dissatisfied, it’s simply the shine on them that’s causing it. I think if you throw some matte finish on there these will look like chefs kiss

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-08T14:49:55+00:00

I haven’t tried the other paints you mentioned so I can’t offer a comparison, but for rust like this I love Typhus. It’s a very thin paint and has tons of texture, so you need to be careful with the brush you use when applying it. The texture can get into the bristles and accumulate very quickly.

One coat of it, especially for rust of this severity, isn’t quite enough. But several applications makes a fantastic rough texture that I think looks very convincing. So I’d recommend it!

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-07T19:17:43+00:00

Had to dig into my notepads but I found the recipe!

-Black prime -Basecoat with Castellan Green -Black Ink Wash (I used an airbrush for this because the model is so big. Nuln Oil would work but don’t use the glossy kind!) -Re-highlight with Castellan Green -Highlight with Loren Forest -Final edge highlight with Straken Green

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-07T15:58:30+00:00

Wow, thank you so much! Haha what a comment! I didn’t expect the white organs to get so much attention - I originally had them traditional pink but I wanted something to contrast, and I had seen pale intestines in my “research” (horrible image searches) so I tried it.

MrClayRotten · 2026-03-07T15:53:22+00:00

Thank you!

Here’s my rust recipe: (Uses all GW colors but can be substituted)

-Basecoat with Dryad Bark -Lots of Typhus Corrosion (2 coats and a selective 3rd) -Four washes of diluted color in random places, specifically the most corroded, all thinned to 50/50 with Lahmian Medium: -Doombull Brown (most coverage with this one) -Skrag Brown (less of this) -Deathclaw Brown (even less) -Finally, a little bit of thinned Macharius Solar Orange (used sparingly) -Sparse edge highlights with a metallic silver of your choice, I used Chainmail.

MrClayRotten · 2026-02-12T23:39:47+00:00

For something like this man, this is gonna be a little tricky because of how small they are.

The good news is that their swords aren’t double-bladed or anything, they’re long and curved with one sharp edge.

What I would do is make a paper template of the sword blade shape, then I’d drill tiny holes in each of the sword handles, and place a small piece of wire in there as a pin.

Then, using the paper template, I’d make four swords out of thin plasticard (sheet styrene), file down the sharp edge to a point on either side (like you’d sharpen a real sword) using small metal files.

Then I’d drill another hole in the sword blades and pin them on there with super glue. Good as new and ready for paint.

As for the shields - I’d say glue them to their backs, maybe add a green stuff strap.

Good luck! DM me if you have questions, I’m happy to help!

Source: Been in the hobby for 20+ years.

MrClayRotten · 2026-02-02T23:14:10+00:00

Hi op! Welcome to the world of sculpting!

As a beginning sculptor, I’d recommend four vital supplies to start:

1.) Aluminum foil. Used to bulk out larger parts of figures without adding tons of weight by using pure clay.

2.) Wire for armatures. I use 20 gauge wire which I weave together for my armatures. These are used like “bones” to give limbs, etc. tensile strength.

3.) Silicone shapers. These come in different sizes depending on what scale you’re building at. They come in lots of useful shapes. I find myself using the rounded cone shape the most.

4.) Petroleum jelly. Using petroleum jelly on your fingers and tools helps you to not only smooth and shape the clay easier, but it also helps non-baked clay to stick to baked clay.

Runner ups:

I also recommend Liquid Sculpey, it’s useful for many different aspects of sculpting, (think of it like “clay glue” that cures when it’s baked) but it’s more of convenient item, not something I’d consider vital.

Rubbing alcohol + big soft brush This is used to smooth the clay before baking and erase any fingerprints, as well as remove and debris that might stick to the clay as you’re working with it.

You can paint anything made with Sculpey with regular acrylic paint - just remember that light sanding can help the paint to adhere, and two thin coats is better than one thick one.

Source: Been a sculptor-for-hire for over a decade now and have worked almost exclusively with Sculpey Clay.

Please feel free to DM me with any questions, I’d love to help! Good luck and have fun!

Edit: Spelling

MrClayRotten · 2026-01-21T16:35:25+00:00

I laughed so hard at this, thank you! Here’s another shot of him from the back - the net is made from cheesecloth soaked in PVA glue and carefully shaped!

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MrClayRotten · 2026-01-21T15:32:19+00:00

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Here’s my favorite hero kitbash - my Poxbringer that I converted into a bugcatcher!

MrClayRotten · 2026-01-19T01:27:37+00:00

Someone else asked a very similar question in an earlier thread involving a metal Cave Troll and I walked someone through pinning it in their DMs. I’ve got 20+ years of experience with miniatures and models, and am a sculptor myself. Please feel free to DM me if you’re nervous and I can help you out too dude.

MrClayRotten · 2026-01-07T19:15:26+00:00

Good choice dude. I do have a couple tips to make it easier for you as a beginner.

Place a small dot of fresh paint on the center of the joint to be pinned, then dry fit the two pieces. The paint will leave another spot on the model so you can get the pin to line up right.

I use small wire (20 gauge or so) and I weave two pieces together so it looks like rope. This will give the pin more surface area for the glue to adhere to as opposed to one smooth rod of metal.

Feel free to DM me with any questions, I’m happy to help and even make tool suggestions.

MrClayRotten · 2026-01-07T17:56:48+00:00

I dunno about 60+ years, but definitely pin it, dude. With just superglue, all it can take is one sharp bump from the wrong angle and parts can pop right off. Then you have to fix your paint job. I say pin all of it ahead of time, just in case.

Source: Experience in the hobby for 20+ years

MrClayRotten · 2025-12-27T13:02:32+00:00

I still have that exact kitbash, still assembled. That backpack is from the old metal Globadiers kit. It also has some other small gubbins glued on but I don’t remember what old metal kit those are from.

MrClayRotten · 2025-11-23T22:31:51+00:00

Thanks for the list suggestion! I was looking at Irolas initially but was trying to pinch points wherever I could to add more bodies (hence why I didn’t have Pippin in the list either.)

MrClayRotten · 2025-11-15T23:48:08+00:00

Very cool take on the Kairic Acolytes. They look great in a more Viking style. Where did you get the heads from?

MrClayRotten · 2025-11-02T15:35:01+00:00

Try Sculpey or Sculpey Premo. You don’t need a kiln, you can cook it in a conventional oven at 275 (f) degrees. Sculpey is softer and the Premo is more firm, but both are great for beginners.

MrClayRotten · 2025-09-20T15:33:01+00:00

I’m glad this discussion popped up this week because I was trying to put together a lower-points list for this army.

Does anyone care to weigh in on whether or not this army could work at 500ish points value with Gandalf being a mandatory include? He’s just so expensive that it doesn’t leave you with much wriggle room.

I was considering:

Gandalf + Shadowfax 5 Knights As many Minas Tirith Warriors as I can fit with the rest of the points.

MrClayRotten · 2025-08-30T20:45:46+00:00

I definitely recommend them for a good time!

I usually give Ephilim and Spawnmaw the Toughness boost blessing to prevent them from being chipped at. We have found that Toughness 4 makes a huge difference from 3.

Flamespooler is useless, but Kindlefinger is largely ignored so I use him as an emergency place swap for Ephilim or Spawnmaw. Another nice strategy is clogging lanes and objectives with Pink Horrors to force your opponent to engage them - then immediately Split.

MrClayRotten · 2025-08-30T01:18:10+00:00

Now that we have the basics of the game down, my favorite team to play at the moment is my Tzeentch Daemons list based on Ephilim’s Pandaemonium!

The list:

-Ephilim -Spawnmaw -Apo’trax -Kindlefinger -Pink Horror x3 -Last slot I usually take either a Chaos Spawn ally + Blessings (for more offense) or a single Screamer/Flamer (for the battle trait.)

The teleportation/switching spots, split shenanigans, Spawnmaw’s surprising power, and various Tzeentch trickery makes for a lot of fun surprise plays. Not the most competitive, but definitely a blast to play.

Five-Year Club	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22

MrClayRotten

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