So, crazy thing happened recently. I think it was the day after I posted about building the silver Targaryen Sigil. Another builder posted about finding the Barnes & Noble exclusive Game of Thrones pack with the colored version for sale at 50% off on their website. So I checked it out, and found that the nearest B&N had one in stock, no less. So my wonderful wife picked one up for me the next day, and I built it that very night.

Of course, life happens, and it also gets busy. So there’s usually a little bit of a delay between when I build a model, and when I post about it. It also takes a bit of time to gather my thoughts and write them all out, and/or create any graphics. Oh, and do a glamour shot session with the model. So, that’s why it’s taken me so long to get around to posting this. And also why there was another post in-between (I had also recently finished the lightsaber build before posting the Targaryen Sigil). So yeah, there’s a glimpse into my process, if you’ve ever wanted one. Overlapping efforts and stuff.

So… unsurprisingly, I don’t really have a lot to add about this model, since I just wrote up a review of the build process of the silver model, and this one is identical. Of course, that doesn’t mean I didn’t make any mistakes. I second-guessed myself on one of the folds (after folding it), and reversed it. Then realized I had it right the first time. After folding it back, even super slow and carefully, I could tell it was about to break off…

And so it was time to pull out the glue and some spare metal and add some reinforcement strips. Which actually gives me an opportunity to suggest a new enhancement to that technique that I realized this time: scratching up the metal… on purpose. I’ve started to use 5-second fix more often, and wanted to use it this time. But as AnimateOrange has pointed out, it’s not super-sticky. It will stick, just not as well as super glue. But if you scratch up the surfaces you are about to bind with something like a hobby knife, and do it at an angle, that can give something for the resin to grip on. Then when it cures, it’s hardened inside the scratches, and sticks better. I think I’ll update my When Things Go Wrong post with this additional detail.

On another note, I realized something about the painted Metal Earth models… figuring out what paint to use must have been a challenge. Because they had to figure out a paint that was resilient against scratches and chipping, but also could stretch a little bit when the metal underneath is curved or folded. I hadn’t really thought about that before, but that’s a rather unique challenge, don’t you think? Which makes me also think that, maybe that’s why the paint quality seems a little different / better recently. Maybe they’ve changed the particular type / makeup of the paint as they go, ever refining it, making it better and better. Just an interesting thought.