Interchangeable (Eldar) weapons - Daffrid

When playing with my Eldar I often write a list then attempt to make it using the models I have in my collection, which is a strange and convoluted process. This process has resulted in a number of interesting proxies, though mainly it leads me to use my cardboard wave serpent . The main gripe from this process is my lack of starcannon, as I think in total I own about four (and about a million scatter lasers which I never use). Consequently they get moved about a lot, from being stuck on Vypers to Wrathlords to Guardian Defender platforms. In the heat of a game it is therefore very irritating when they fall off (so much for superior Eldar engineering), therefore I needed a less permanent solution to glue, which allows me to interchange them depending on the current threat.

Hence this article; using a weapons platform I acquired on my last birthday (thank you Midget), I will demonstrate how after a bit of work you can swap weapons to your hearts content (or Dysartes' annoyance).

First acquire your models (preferably legally) and trim off all the flash. Then you will need to go out and find some square brass tubing of about 1.5mm and 2mm width (I recommend model shops, the sort that sell aircraft/tanks and the like, usually populated by middle aged men who are 'just buying stuff for their grandchildren' and shop owners who have not heard of Warhammer). 

Very carefully drill two holes, one in the underside of the weapon (2mm drill bit), the other in the weapon shield, Wraithlord veins, or whatever (3mm drill bit). Try to keep these small and neat, ideally about 4-5 mm deep depending on how thick the appropriate piece of metal/plastic you are drilling into is. I think this is best done with an old fashioned hand operated drill, so you can 'pull out' every mm or so to check your progress.

Then cut the tubing, I use a junior hack saw, you could use a scalpel, but it takes ages, to the appropriate lengths , to around 4 mm for the base or around 8 mm for the weapon, depending on how deep you drilled the hole and how high you want the weapon to be. Affix the tubing into the holes with superglue (large tube in the base, small tube in the weapon, obviously), when using superglue it is very important that you do not clog up the larger tubing, as it will be nigh on impossible to remove any glue that gets inside (which will prevent the thinner tubing from sliding in!).  Fill in any gaps around the edges with green stuff / fine polyfiller / blue tack or if you are very lazy (like me) excess glue.

Undercoat with aerosol spray undercoat, it might be an idea to cover the exposed tubing with blue tack to stop it being coated too. Before painting it up and adding it to your arsenal:

It is worth noting that I have attached the weapons platform to a medium base (40mm round) using a short length of metal wire, this makes it 'hover' like what anti grav platforms should. It also stops the paint being scraped off the base every time you move it and gives a static place to measure from.

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