ensures a smooth surface onto which the new head can be glued and pinned. This technique is very useful for wargamers when making multiples of the same character to allow equipment to be chosen more easily to help tailor an army for different situations. Normally the head that is to be kept will be cut (normally sawn) from the body as low as possible to avoid damage, the recipient body will normally be decapitated higher up to preserve the torso. The two pieces will be filed to the right size and glued together, possibly with the help of pins for strength. Weathering and shaving Weathering is a widely popular family of conversions that many hobbyists practice. In its simplest form it is adding imperfection to make the model look "used". Common forms of weathering include everything from adding battle damage and creating men in non-standard attire for wargamers and military modellers to adding rust or dirt effects. Shaving scale armour off some miniatures can also be used to change their appearance significantly. A knife is used to alter carefully the clothing and armour sculpted onto the miniature, or to shave off other features. The surface is then smoothed, and what was once armour can be painted as cloth to complete the conversion. Some items such as belts, bandoliers and straps can be shaven off without much difficulty, in order to achieve a different troop type. Methods and techniques Pinning Pinning is a technique used when assembling large or heavy model kits, and involves drilling a hole in two pieces of the model to be joined, and using a "pin" to strengthen the bond when they are glued. Pinning is a useful technique for reinforcing joints and is essential when making models from parts that were not designed to go together, such as a miniature conversion. Sculpting Some modelers, who are happy to go that far and have the material available, will remove and sculpt certain parts of the figure. This is usually motivated by lack of poses. For example, new arms may be sculpted on to turn an infantryman pose into an artilleryman pose, but a step like this is quite extravagant and most people who need to sculpt to convert will do so with small details such as buttons or chinstraps. Sometimes a figure is converted to improve its historical accuracy. Bits boxes Bits boxes are collections of spare