Dark Age Normans, some assembly required

I have started working with the Gripping Beast Dark Age Norman line of figures for Saga. Part of my faction is a group of warriors carrying cross-bows. Most of these figs are multi-piece castings that require assembly. It is necessary to pin the crossbows onto the main figure casting. In play, if these joints are not pinned, the bows will get knocked off the figure. The reason is that super-glue has great tensile properties, but almost zero for shear. A quick bump and a bow is dislodged. Pinning is not hard, it just requires a little patience. It also requires a few tools and some 1mm or smaller diameter brass rod. Special tools are hemostats, pin vise, side cutters for soft metal, small hobby files and a hobby knife.

Here is the raw figure, notice that the end of the crossbow is completely flat. This will make for a weak joint.

The parts on the model are really small, use a fine point scratch awl or needle to create a starter hole. My pin vise came with this attachment. This will prevent the drill bit from wandering.


Now use the pin vise and a drill bit that matches the size of the brass rod. In this image I have super glued a small piece of rod into the crossbow end. It is deliberately long. The next step is to dry fit the pieces together.

After some trimming, filing and test fitting, the figure is ready for primer and paint. It has a strong joint that should stand up to repeated game play.