Perfect Storm: Part V Caveat Emptor… Starting to Build the Tau

As I mentioned earlier I got the vast majority of my new Tau army through trades on Bartertown. This has both pluses and minuses for the aspiring hobbyist. The biggest plus is that a patient trader can build up a very large army at very low cost, especially if they trade for older armies (see Tau last year before codex update rumors became widespread). The minus is that the condition of models is not always great.

While I pretty much always try to trade for models on sprue, sometimes you see a great deal for an assembled model. Unfortunately I often bite.. Then I start to cry upon receiving the model as I notice poor fits, random mold lines or just unfiled clipping scars. Superglue is your friend as it does snap apart allowing you to go back and remove mold lines, random tags sticking out or make the model sit tight. The Hammerhead below is an example of one undergoing surgery. I have literally had to rip the entire model apart and start over.

Then there is plastic glue. I love plastic glue for my vehicles, it helps make sure all of my joins are super solid and gap free. Unfortunately, when the model is poorly constructed, you're stuck. The gaps in the pirhanas where the sides meet the bottom are atrocious. Because it was constructed with plastic glue I can't snap it off and start over. Instead I have to gap fill. With too big of a gap for liquid green stuff I will be rolling green stuff until my fingers hurt.


The moral of the story: Caveat Emptor or Buyer Beware. Ask questions about model construction, ask to see lots of pictures. You can get great deals but understand the work involved.

Lastly a pic of where the models are now... Still some cleaning to do and need to magnetize the turrets, but I'm ready to start on the sniper drones and pathfinders next.