Techniques
Build
Build is where loose parts become a model: joining them so they stay joined, closing the seams that joining leaves, and keeping a brick build sturdy without straining the parts.
Kits and minis
Match the glue to the material. Polystyrene plastic kits join best with a plastic cement, which softens both faces so they fuse. Resin and metal parts do not respond to plastic cement, so they need a cyanoacrylate (super glue) or, for heavy joints, a two-part epoxy.
For plastic, dry-fit the two parts, hold them together, then touch a thin, flowing cement to the seam with its brush and let it run into the joint. Tamiya sells its Extra Thin Cement for exactly this: it is designed to flow into the gap between parts that are already fitted together, so you are not smearing glue onto surfaces you will see.
Super glue holds well against forces that pull parts straight apart, but its bond is comparatively weak against sideways (shear) forces. That is why heavy metal or resin limbs are usually pinned: drill a small hole in each face with a pin vice, glue a short length of stiff wire or brass rod into both, and the pin takes the sideways load the glue cannot.
Fill the seams that joining leaves. A modelling putty pushed into a gap, left to cure, then sanded flush hides a join line that primer would otherwise show. Tamiya states its Basic Type putty dries in about an hour when the layer is 1 mm or less, with little shrinkage after it hardens, so build deeper gaps up in thin layers rather than one thick plug.
Bench tip. Common bench practice: work sub-assemblies in the order the instructions give, and let each glued joint set before you load it with the next part. A joint that is touch-dry is not always strong yet.
Brick builds
Common bench practice: follow the steps in order and check each one against the picture before you move on. A part placed one stud out early can stop a later step from fitting, and finding it means taking finished sections apart.
Common bench practice: press every part fully home. A part sitting slightly proud will make the layers above it sit unevenly, and the error grows the higher the build goes.
Avoid connections that leave a part bent or squeezed. LEGO designer Jamie Berard's 2006 presentation on "illegal" connections showed joins that LEGO's own set designers avoid because they keep parts under stress, for example a clip forced open wider than it is meant to flex, or a plate wedged between two studs. Held that way for months, a part can deform permanently or crack.
Common bench practice: builders outside LEGO are free to use non-standard connections in their own designs. If you do, keep them away from load-bearing parts of the structure and away from rare or expensive pieces you would not want to damage.
Bench tip. Common bench practice: if two parts will not separate, use a brick separator rather than fingernails or a knife; it levers evenly and does not mark the studs.
Technique guides
Plastic cement vs super glue: which glue for which part
Plastic cement and super glue work in completely different ways, so the right one depends on what the parts are made of and how much load the joint will take.
Related guides
Bocage hedgerow for a 28mm table
Six sections, about 1.2 metres in all. Method and materials follow the published bocage-terrain tutorials in the sources below; we have not built this piece ourselves. Also works for 1:72.
Researched method, not a tested build
Ruined farmhouse terrain
A scratch-built ruined stone wall section, a common terrain feature in Normandy's bocage country. Construction and painting follow the published terrain tutorials in the sources below; we have not built this piece ourselves.
Researched method, not a tested build
Sandbag emplacement terrain
A scratch-built sandbagged position, useful across several WW2 theatres. Construction and painting follow the published terrain tutorials in the sources below; we have not built this piece ourselves.
Researched method, not a tested build
Sources
- Tamiya: Extra Thin Cement (40ml), item 87038 . Confirms: Flowing cement designed for gaps between pre-fitted plastic parts; brush in cap . Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Tamiya Japan: Tamiya Putty (Basic Type), item 87053 . Confirms: Fills gaps and recesses; about one hour to dry at 1 mm or less; low shrinkage after curing . Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Reaper Miniatures Craft Section: Part 2, For Minis Requiring Assembly (Ron Vutpakdi) . Confirms: Super glue strong in tension but weaker in shear; pinning with pin vice and wire; epoxy for joints too weak for super glue . Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- BrickNerd: Illegal SNOT, Stressful Techniques for Sideways Building (Oscar Cederwall) . Confirms: Origin of "illegal" in Jamie Berard's 2006 presentation; stressed connections can deform or break parts; examples of clips and plates between studs . Checked 31 Oct 2026.
- Swooshable: Stressing the elements (Jamie Berard, BrickCon 2006) . Confirms: Avoiding illegal connections keeps bricks from being stressed, deformed or snapped . Checked 31 Oct 2026.