Warhammer is awesome, but using the wrong glue can ruin your models. Some glues can’t be painted, some can’t be sanded, some don’t work on metal or plastic. Let’s find out which glue is best for your Warhammer miniatures.
In a rush?
No time to read? The best glue for most Warhammer miniatures is Gorilla Glue Superglue Gel.
(Or any viscous/gel-based CA glue)
Table of Contents
Best Glue for Warhammer 40k
Warhammer models are made from plastic or metal. While most household glues will work fairly well, the best option depends on the size of your model and what it’s made of.
In general, the easiest solution is to use a Cyanoacrylate (super glue). It will hold fairly well to both plastic and metal models, as long as they aren’t too big or heavy.
Most CA glues are pretty similar, but for a cleaner finish, you’ll want to use a superglue that comes in a gel so that it doesn’t run or drip and ruin your model.
I recommend Gorilla Glue Superglue Gel because it’s cheap, has a precision applicator, and comes in a decent-sized bottle but there are loads of options and any CA glue will work.
Best plastic glue for Warhammer miniatures
Plastic Warhammer models come in two different materials – Polystyrene and Resin.
Both types can be glued with Superglue and I’d really recommend that you use a decent superglue gel-like Gorilla Glue Superglue Gel instead of messing around with plastic cement.
Best glue for Plastic (Polystyrene) Warhammer models:
This is the regular plastic used for most Warhammer models. You have two main options for gluing these models: Plastic Cement and CA Superglue.
Although plastic cement is often recommended for miniatures, I would recommend super glue over plastic cement, because it bonds just as strong on polystyrene, and it doesn’t dissolve your models (which plastic cement does).
Plastic cement works by chemically fusing the two parts together, which is great for strength but it takes longer to cure, can not be reversed, and can damage your models if you use too much or spill any.
As an added bonus, a CA superglue gel-like Gorilla Glue Superglue Gel doesn’t run or drip, and can also be used on the Finecast/Resin models, as well as the Pewter models. (Neither the resin nor the pewter models can be bonded by plastic cement)
Best glue for Finecast Resin models:
As mentioned above, the Finecast resin models can not be bonded with plastic cement.
The reason is they are not made from Polystyrene plastic but from an acrylic resin.
The best option for the Resin models is Gorilla Glue Superglue Gel, (or any other gel-based CA glue) because its gel formula means it won’t drip or run onto your model, and it bonds strongly to the resin material.
You have some other options here too, any two-part epoxy would work with Finecast models, but it’s really overkill when an inexpensive CA gel will work just as well.
Superglue dries clear, forming a hard plastic, and can be painted just like the rest of the model.
Best glue for Metal Warhammer Models
Warhammer metal models are made from pewter. It’s a soft, light metal that is easy to work with and produces high-quality casts, perfect for miniatures.
For most models, I would still recommend CA Superglue, especially if you’re going to paint over it.
If you want to go for the bare metal look, or if you have a particularly heavy model, I recommend JB-Weld original. It’s a two-part epoxy infused with steel. It dries dark grey, it will be a little bit darker than the pewter models but you can still tell it’s metal.
It forms a very strong bond to metal, and it can be sanded, painted, ground, and etched the same way metal can, once it’s cured.
The advantage of using JB-Weld for pewter models is a stronger bond than CA glue. The downside is it takes longer to cure. (Up to 24 hours to fully cure, although with only a small amount for a model it will be dry enough to work with only a few hours after application)
Best superglue for Warhammer Models
Although manufacturers make small differences to their glue products, all CA glue is almost identical, and any CA will work for Warhammer models.
Some manufacturers make some alterations to their formulas to give their glue better temperature resistance, more flexibility, longer drying time, or thicker viscosity, but in the end, when they dry the bond will be just as strong no matter what glue you choose.
If you have some superglue in the house, just use that. Don’t go out of your way to buy any special brand or formula.
Gorilla Super Glue Gel: Gorilla added a rubber solution to their gel superglue, making the glue a gel instead of a liquid. This is useful for models because it won’t drip or run and mess up your model, and it won’t be as brittle as pure CA once it dries.
Click here to read reviews on Amazon. There are many reviews specifically referencing Warhammer and other miniatures.
FAQs:
How to base Warhammer miniatures:
For attaching your models to the base, use Gorilla Superglue Gel (works on Plastic, Resin, and Pewter models).
For decorating the base (for example with sand) you might want to use a glue that does not dry so quickly. A regular PVA craft glue like Elmer’s Glue-all will give you some time to work with it before it dries. It can be mixed with sand or other material to give it texture and painted.
How to disassemble Warhammer miniatures:
CA glue is easily removed with acetone.
This works great on Pewter and Resin models, as the acetone will dissolve the cyanoacrylate glue while leaving the models intact. (Although it may ruin your paint job!)
Acetone is found in nail polish remover, you can buy acetone on Amazon, it’s cheap and comes in handy for loads of things around the house.
For the regular plastic (polystyrene) models, acetone is a bad idea. Although it will dissolve the glue, it will also damage the polystyrene of the model.
The best option is just to use nippers or wire cutters, to cut the model apart. You can glue it back together with CA if you want to.
How to thin your Warhammer paint:
You can buy paint thinners for miniature paint. Citadel (One of the most popular paints for Warhammer) makes a paint thinner especially for their paints, but you can also dilute your paint with just water no problem.
If you have a small scrap of plastic to test it on, even better. You’ll get a better finish on your models if you dilute your paint and apply several coats, rather than trying to cover everything in one thick coat.
Conclusion
Gluing Warhammer and other miniatures don’t need to be difficult. The best option is to use Gorilla Super Glue Gel since it works on all Warhammer models regardless of material.
You may also prefer to use JB-Weld on your pewter models, to keep the metallic aesthetic, or plastic cement on your Polystyrene models to fuse your pieces together instead of gluing them.
Hope this helps, thank you for reading.
-Bill