Assembling your Ex illis starter kit
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Assembling your Ex illis Starter Kit
Having trouble assembling the miniatures from the starter kit? This guide will walk you through the assembly process, from the easiest pieces to the hardest ones. This guide assume you are already familiar with how to assemble miniatures.
Ympes
The best place to start your assembling journey is with the small devilish creatures called Ympes. They consist of a single piece and so they should prove to be quite easy, even for a first.
- Locate the two sprues with the Ympes and the sprues with the bases.
- Unclip the Ympes (be careful with the tridents) and the bases.
- Join the two together and congratulations: you are done!
Longbowmen
Next, we will start with your first multi-pieces unit: the Longbowmen. This will give you the order in which you should be gluing these pieces together.
- Locate and unclip the pieces related to the longbowmen (do not forget the swords!).
- Start by gluing the body to the base. This will give you a good grip to glue the rest.
- Then, in any order, proceed with the head, arm, sword and quiver.
Arbalestiers
Next up: the Arbalestiers. These are nice models because of the large pavise you will attach to the base which gives a lot of volume.
- When you glue the arms, find the proper angle to slide both shoulders at once. Do not worry, the piece will slide into place naturally.
- Have fun when you place the pavises. A different attitude can be given to your model depending on if it is peeking on the side of the shield or hiding straight behind it.
Marrenne
Now that you have a little more experience, let’s try a hero: the Marrenne.
- It is fairly straightforward: just make sure you use extra care when unclipping the hand holding the dagger. It is one of the finest piece in the kit.
- Place the spell of your liking on the base.
Hobelars
Ready for something big? We will now assemble the light cavalry. The dynamic pose of this model makes it one of our favourite in the whole starter.
- When unclipping the horse, be careful not to cut off the pin under one of its leg. That will help you fix it to the large base.
- Glue the two halves of the horse together before gluing the whole thing to the base.
- Try a lean technique with the spear if you do not want to hold the arm there forever.
Vileins
Another straight forward unit: the Vileins. These medieval peasants should be done in no time.
- Again, unclipping may need some extra attention. You do not want to break their weapons: the optional sickle piece is the most delicate piece in the whole kit.
Decurion
Let’s ramp up the difficulty with something a bit more complicated: the Decurion. While the weapon is quite delicate, the real challenge with this one is that there is a specific order of assembly which greatly facilitates your life.
- Start by gluing the wings together and the lower-body to the right leg (here, again, be careful with the pin under one of its foot).
- Glue both pieces of the body together and then glue the whole thing to the base. Continue with the wings.
- The remaining pieces should be a walk in the park for you at this point.
Soffrances
Increasing in difficulty, we have the Soffrances. These pieces are not particularly difficult to put together, but if you want to have a really good-looking result, this is the model on which to try the green stuff.
- Put the two pieces of the upper body together before gluing them to the legs.
- Try putting green stuff on the joint between the curved arm and the body if you are up to the challenge.
Franc Chevalers
This unit is one of the nicest in the starter due to its details. While the assembliy is not particularly difficult, it poses several small challenges. For this reason, it may be a good idea to wait until you have more experience before assembling this unit.
- Start by assembling both pieces of the horse, leaving the pin under one of his legs (very important!). If there is a small gap, use a bit of green stuff.
- The horse holds on a single leg! That pin and the lean technique will definitely be your friends when assembling this model. You can also use a lean to hold the lance in place.
- Place the shoulder pads before you place the shield; you will save yourself a lot of trouble.
Billmen
The last and most difficult unit to assemble in the starter is the Billmen unit. Models using two-handed weapons tend to be particularly difficult to assemble.
- The first trick to assemble the Billmen is that some are right-handed while others are left-handed. Do not mix them up.
- Glue the arm holding the bill onto the body first. A small triangular dent will help you align it properly.
- Being extra careful, glue the elbow to the shoulder and wrist.
