Hello again, everyone. After getting some of the terradons the other day, I realized a big reason why people really never play them: they're a hoard and a half to put together! Does anyone have any hints as to the best way to build these things?
I remember building my old terradons and it was a nightmare. Oddly enough, though, once they finally stuck together they were surprisingly resilient. One option to consider, and others may be able to vouch for this method or not, would be to use greenstuff to put the model together, as when it dries I imagine it would be pretty sturdy (disclaimer: I've never tried this method for metal miniatures, so I don't know if it would work).
I've used greenstuff in the joints, and it doesn't really add much strength at all. But it does make them easier to assemble since the GS will essentially hold the pieces while the glue dries. You have to be careful to use only small amounts and only around the edges, there must still be metal to metal contact or the joint will be very weak if it is filled with a layer of greenstuff. The best option (combined with GS preferably) is to pin the pieces. Drill small holes in either side of the joint, and insert a small pin (cut down an actual pin or a paperclip) to make the join really strong. Also, a big part of the reason they may be uncommon is because the models are incredibly expensive for what you get and they aren't that spectacular to look at. In a list they perform pretty well.
I use a whole lot of green-stuff and super-glue on one of my models, and just fashioned it to look like (badly done) muscle. I just couldn't get it to stick normally. After the green-stuff had dried, I coated it in super glue to give it extra strength. It's pretty sturdy.
Sadly, no. Here's what I use on metal models; it's made my life better many times over: http://www.thelastglue.com/ It is expensive as all getout, but worth it. I wish I had found it a lot sooner.
The only real trick to putting them together is to dry fit them and pin them so they stay put together. Put a little drop of paint on the contact points, and then press the parts together. Take them apart, and you'll have an idea of where to put your pins. After that, it should be fairly easy.