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Mounting Pins on your Models :

Normal, everyday clothes pins can be useful when it come to modeling. They can be used on large scale models for rivets for example. It is becoming more common for the mecha modeler to incorporate pins, beads and the like into their build to enhance the look of the kit. In this tutorial, I will explain how to mount a pin into a piece so that it is flush with the surrounding area. Note that this method isn't just for pins - you can use the exact same method when mounting beads or IC pins for example, just select the appropriate drill bits depending on the situation.

What you need :

  1. A ruler to measure and mark where you want to mount your pin.
  2. The piece you want to mount the pin on. In this case it is a part fo the foot armour from the Master Grade Shin Musha kit.
  3. Pin Vise and appropriate drill bits. You will need two bits for mounting the pins. One the size of the pin and one the size of the pin head. This will be explained later.
  4. A marker to mark the point where you want to mount the pin.
What you need

Step One :

Measure the exact point where you want to mount the pin, making sure it is level and even with the edge of the piece. Then take the pin vise with the bit that is the same size as the pin itself and carefully drill a hole all of the way through. Be sure to how the pin vise straight and if it goes of at an angle, then the pin wont mount straight.

Step 1

Step Two :

With the first hole drilled, now take the second drill bit that is the size of the pin head and slowly and carefully drill a small amount out from the top of the hole. The idea here is to recess the pin head down into the piece when mounted so it is flush with the piece itself. Do this in small increments so as to not remove too much and cause the pin to go to far into the piece and look odd.

Step 2

Step Three :

Here is what you should have at this point :

Step 3

Now push the pin into the hole and, with the pin straight, check to see if it is flush with the outer edge of the piece and it is straight. If it isn't, repeat step two until it is, being careful not to remove too much when drilling the recess hole.

Step 4

And just for comparison, here is a before and after shot of the pieces without the pin but with the holes drilled in one piece :

Step 5

If you have an opposite piece to mount a pin on (like I have here - left and right foot armour in this case), make sure you repeat the process the same, making sure that the mark for the first hole is in the exact same place in respect to the edges of the piece.

Step Four :

You can now glue the pin in place. There are two ways to do this. First, if the piece allows for it, dip the pin in CA glue so there is a light covering near the pin head then push it through the hole. Using some cutters, flip the piece over and cut the pin off near the piece, trying to keep it flush as well.

The other way is to cut the pin head away from the pin first. Lightly coat the hole with CA glue and then drop the pin into place. You might need to do this if the piece in question hasn't got any clearance behind it and needs to have nothing protruding from the back that might inhibit the mounting of the piece itself.

Step 6

Remember that this method can be used for other detailing parts (such as beads or IC pins), just change what size drills you need compared to what you are going to mount on your kit.

There you have it. A simple, yet effective, way of detailing your kits.