Brett Barrow Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Ok, let me start by saying I own pretty much every modeling tool in existence, but have a hard time finishing models. I'm looking to get back to my roots and put away some of the fancy tools and clean off the workbench and get a model finished sometime in the next month or so. So help me make a list of the bare necessities - what tools do you absolutely have to have on the bench at all times? I'm thinking X-Acto (well, an OLFA knife in my case), sprue nippers, wetordry sandpaper, etc... help me get back to basics and get something finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Pol Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Well my most important tool is my Dremel and drill bits. And a good sortment of scratchbuilding material. John Pol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 The basics for me Xacto knife with some photo etch blades. Pitch those sprue snippers. They're only good for breaking small parts and destroying chrome parts. Razor saw Liquid glue Crazy glue Squadron white putty Files, sandpaper of various grits Pin vise and drill bits Small tweezers or hemostats Those are about the only tools I use to build with. If you really want to finish something quick. Build yourself a curbside. It doesn't have to be a snap kit to build one. Just take whatever kit you want to build, glue the hood shut, slap the chassis together and paint it flat black (or do like I do and get one of the old AMT metal axle kits), then just concentrate on the body and interior. You wouldn't believe how quickly they go when you aren't worrying about detailing an engine/engine bay and chassis. I guarantee that I could post a photo of one of my curbside builds and you wouldn't know if was a detailed build or a curbside. Give it a try! I did some years ago and it's now my favorite style of building. Plus, I don't have to worry about the hood falling off when I'm handling one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 The basics for me Xacto knife with some photo etch blades. Pitch those sprue snippers. They're only good for breaking small parts and destroying chrome parts. Razor saw Liquid glue Crazy glue Squadron white putty Files, sandpaper of various grits Pin vise and drill bits Small tweezers or hemostats Those are about the only tools I use to build with. If you really want to finish something quick. Build yourself a curbside. It doesn't have to be a snap kit to build one. Just take whatever kit you want to build, glue the hood shut, slap the chassis together and paint it flat black (or do like I do and get one of the old AMT metal axle kits), then just concentrate on the body and interior. You wouldn't believe how quickly they go when you aren't worrying about detailing an engine/engine bay and chassis. I guarantee that I could post a photo of one of my curbside builds and you wouldn't know if was a detailed build or a curbside. Give it a try! I did some years ago and it's now my favorite style of building. Plus, I don't have to worry about the hood falling off when I'm handling one. Uh... I'm not pitching the sprue nippers, they're Tamiya's fine pointed ones and they've never broken a part, ever! Soem of the others I've owned (and I did say I've owned everything...) well, I can't say the same thing about... I have several curbsides, but I've started doing some mild custom work on them, I have nosed and decked 57 Chevy snapper and a similarly customized 61 Ford on the bench right now. Kit will probably be Revell's 66 Impala. I just want to thin the tools out and get a little more organized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 (edited) Brett, this year I did the 24 Hour Build with Gary Kulchock and a bunch of other modelers around the country. This was in February and it has a Facebook page for communications. Gary and two other guys had a group at their house, but there were a lot of us building along by ourselves. We all posted progress photos through out the build. We started at noon on a Saturday and had until Sunday at noon to finish up. I learned an awful lot about how long it actually took to do some of the steps, like cleaning up and priming parts. That lasted until 6pm! The time constraint made you work systematically, such as looking at all the parts at once. I had everything cleaned up, primed and went about painting everything systematically. Normally I would work on some small area of the model to completion and wouldn't even have looked at the rest of the parts. I pretty much finished up my model by 5am and stopped with the final details because I was getting goofy and dropping parts. I abstained for about a week, then spent an evening or two finishing up those little details. Of course you need to carefully pick the kit you are going to build. It has to be something you have extras of so you aren't so focused on not screwing up your one and only. And it has to be something not all that complicated. I did the old Revell Miss Deal Funny Car. It was a kit I had 3 copies and always wanted to build. All in all, it was a good experience. It taught me to think more systematically and build faster. Other guys have done weekend builds where they work both Saturday and Sunday (but sleep!). So I'd recommend something like this just to get you going! Edited May 2, 2013 by Tom Geiger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 The basics for me Xacto knife with some photo etch blades. Pitch those sprue snippers. They're only good for breaking small parts and destroying chrome parts. Razor saw Liquid glue Crazy glue Squadron white putty Files, sandpaper of various grits Pin vise and drill bits Small tweezers or hemostats The only thing I would change is to have two razor saws handy, one fine and one a bit coarser. I swear by the Walgreens Studio 51 (or whatever their house brand beauty products are) nail files/sanding sticks. They come in 180/220 (black) and a 280/320 (pink) grits, and are 2/per package @ $1.50 each. Easily replaced when they wear out, too. I've never used a sprue cutter and never will. No stressing the plastic at the cut with a razor or p/e saw blade, and you can make a nearly perfect tangential cut with a saw blade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 isn't this the same thing as the 'what do you have on your workbench', or something like that, thread of two weeks ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Uh... I'm not pitching the sprue nippers, they're Tamiya's fine pointed ones and they've never broken a part, ever! Soem of the others I've owned (and I did say I've owned everything...) well, I can't say the same thing about... I have several curbsides, but I've started doing some mild custom work on them, I have nosed and decked 57 Chevy snapper and a similarly customized 61 Ford on the bench right now. Kit will probably be Revell's 66 Impala. I just want to thin the tools out and get a little more organized. Sprue "nippers" are a standard feature on my workbench! I second your recommendation about Tamiya's--have a pair of those, they get the call a lot. In addition, last time I was in Hobby Lobby, I picked up a pair of miniature jeweler's "side cutters", essentially the same kind of tool, but much smaller and finer. All side cutters have a flat side, which is the side to use against the part being removed from the sprue. Often with very small parts, however, it seems almost impossible to get the "nippers" into the space where the sprue attachment points are--that calls for a bit of "creativity". When confronted with that situation, I have learned to cut the section of sprue away from the parts tree, then attack those bits of sprue piecemeal until I can get the nippers into where they need to be to remove the remains of sprue from the part. It now works for me every time I do it. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobramike Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 I love my Tamiya sprue cutter. Why I ever tried cutting the parts off with an x-acto is beyond me. Trimming, yes for xacto's though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.