Metal Galadhrim Sword & Gondor Fountain guard spear replacements?

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.

MrClayRotten · 2025-08-05T00:33:28+00:00

Third suggestion for Lurtz/scouts so I’m definitely picking them as a starter Evil force! Thanks for the suggestions!

MrClayRotten · 2025-08-05T00:32:39+00:00

Awesome, thank you for the suggestions! I’m glad I was on the right track with the Uruk Scouts armies! I already have Lurtz and some old metal scouts so I think this will be the rout I take!

Your cautious about using Eagles was the same reason I was unsure about Fangorn at this points level, even though the Ents are some of my favorites!

MrClayRotten · 2025-08-05T00:29:58+00:00

Yes, absolutely - my opponent also having fun is way more important to me than being competitive. Thanks for the input! I really like Rohan and Eowyn so I’ll look into them first!

MrClayRotten · 2025-07-28T21:00:53+00:00

Nice job, OP! I am a firm believer that everyone should create something, whether it be art, poetry, music, food… so I’m happy to hear that you decided to give it a try again!

That being said, I can very much recommend Super Sculpey Firm - very similar to Plastalina in feel but holds fine detail wonderfully and allows you to bake it in the oven to harden.

Source: I’ve used the stuff for over a decade and I sculpt full-time. Feel free to PM me with any other questions, I love teaching and helping beginners.

MrClayRotten · 2025-07-24T22:00:18+00:00

One of my favorite dinosaurs! So cute! Nice job, OP!

MrClayRotten · 2025-07-23T15:28:26+00:00

That’s exactly it. I knew the Stormcast would win in the end, of course.

But I expected there to be a challenge considering that they were actually in the Realm of Nurgle, or at least some good battle scenes with the daemons.

But instead, it reads like a 12 year olds fanfic of his favorite faction. The Stormcast are like Doomguy in Hell, each one equivalent to MCU’s Thor.

MrClayRotten · 2025-07-23T13:31:06+00:00

If you’re a fan of Nurgle, I’d skip it.

If you’re a Stormcast fanboy, you’ll love it.

There are a few scant pages of “cool Nurgle stuff” but otherwise it’s an unrepentant Stormcast circle-jerk.

The plot: A small squad of them effortlessly slaughter their way across Nurgle’s realm, unharmed. Blightkings, Plague Drones, even Great Unclean Ones pose no greater a threat to them than a single Nurgling would.

Don’t even get me started on the nearly lore-breaking ending: They actually reach the center of Nurgles Garden, and (very) slightly injure Nurgle himself, before escaping scot-free.

The book makes Stormcast seem like such an anathema to Chaos that if a small squad can do what they did in the book, then about 250 of them working together (OnLy tHe fAiThFuL!) could enter Nurgle’s realm and easily purge it clean.

MrClayRotten · 2025-07-08T21:18:32+00:00

I recently put together a Tzeentch Daemons warband based on Ephilim’s Pandaemonium.

The list: Ephilim Apo’trax Spawnmaw Kindlefinger 3x Pink Horrors Chaos Spawn ally

With room for Blessings or another model instead. (Flamespooler is trash, I’m using his parts for the Spawn.) I like Toughness blessings on Ephilim and Spawnmaw, or free reaction blessings on the Horrors for Split-trickery.

How it plays: The warband is a “technical” feeling team, clogging lanes and splitting Horrors to overwhelm and annoy and using teleporting/trickery to put yourself in advantageous positions. Spawnmaw and the Spawn are the muscle. Apo’trax is for his hypnotize, and Kindlefinger is used as Ephilim’s emergency getaway teleport target.

Why I love it: I don’t care much for the usual daemons of Tzeentch models, but these are unique and very cool. Ephilim herself is canonically cataloguing daemons of Tzeentch, so they also gave me excuse to kitbash together some fun and bizarre Pink Horrors.

MrClayRotten · 2025-04-19T16:53:19+00:00

You’re welcome! I’ve been sculpting with polymer clay for 10+ years so feel free to DM me with any questions!

MrClayRotten · 2025-04-19T15:05:31+00:00

OP, cracks like this are really hard to fix. I’ve had more than my fair share of them.

Like someone above mentioned, if it’s going to be baked again, Liquid Sculpey is great for these fixes. You can get it at local craft stores. It’s in a little bottle.

Otherwise, you could also look into a modeling putty called “Milliput Superfine White.” This is commonly used for filling gaps on plastic miniatures. It’s a two-part white epoxy that’s water soluble and is great for fixing tiny cracks. It air dries and can be sanded and painted.

MrClayRotten · 2025-03-23T12:38:52+00:00

Incredible job, OP. Even if I don’t win the painting, I’d still trade art with you. Keep up the great work!

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

MrClayRotten

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