You have all the tools right now to make this day, this moment, happy.
Quote of Neale Donald Walsch.
When I started thinking about making models again I promised myself I would not half-ass it like I used to do! I very rarely had exactly the right tool for the job and as a result - a lot of the time - I didn't fully achieve the quality of finish with my models that I would have liked to.
Obviously tools are the complete story, knowing your techniques is the other side of the same coin. But, while you build your knowledge of good technique over time with lots of practise, having the right tools is something you can do something about off the bat (presuming they are affordable)...
Cutting Corners by Not Cutting Corners!
Cutting things is a core activity when building plastic models. Whether you are separating parts from spruce, cleaning up moulding issues, trimming, shaving or modifying a good sharp edge is obligatory. (And not only because a sharp edge is a safety feature... How many sliced fingers I have had because I've tried a heady handed attempt at cutting with a blunt blade! Sheesh!)
A good clean and accurate cut saves time.
So, the first two devices I recently purchased are designed to snip through plastic cleanly.
The HOHXEN 45° -135° Angle Miter Shear Cutter,Multi-Function Trunking Scissors are - as the title suggests - intended for cutting light plastic cable trunking (in fact, this is what I told the wife I was getting them for - so I didn't have to pay 😜).
Plastic is plastic, so these shears cut nicely through all but the thickest modelling styrene(/plasticard) using it's replaceable Stanley knife blades (a nice feature). Basically it chops the plastic, but although I had already bought a desktop chopping tool which - in theory - does the same job it was a cheap flimsy tool that I could not get to cut anything but the thinner of plastic parts.
These type of shears - conversely - allows you to apply a lot more pressure to cut through tougher plastic. Like my desktop cutter, they have an adjustable angle guide which make it easy for you to cut mitered cuts of varying degrees, which is very handy.
Next, I did a wee bit of research to find out which set of nippers might be the best to use when making Gunpla kits. It's not such a simple decision as the purpose and use of nippers for Gunpla kits is slightly different from the nippers I have used in the past for making military scale models.
The big difference between military models and Gunpla kits is that while painting your model is implicit to the process of making military models, Gunpla kits are designed to be constructed as they come out the box, the parts already moulded in the correct colours!
Because of this there is no hiding any flaws or blemishes under coats of paint with a Gunpla build. There's a slightly greater degree of care and precision required in removing the Gunpla parts from the sprues and putting them together. While, in comparison I could be a little more slapdash in my military model build knowing that I could easily fill or repair any minor flaw by using filler, then sanding and then by painting over the mark - resulting in ant flaws disappearing.
The DSPIAE ST-A 3.0 nippers are a more refined and precision instrument that the run of the mill modelling nippers I have in my tool kit, you can tell this just by looking at them side by side...
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| Above: Top - The DSPIAE 3.0 nippers & Below: Generic modelling nippers. |
In comparing the two types of nippers you immediately notice that the DSPIAE nippers are less chunky and that their cutting blades are more finely ground and the mechanism is more complex. It's obvious that the DSPIAE is a precision tool.
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| Above: They look the part! |
Unlike generic - cheaper - nippers they are designed to minimise stress and damage to the plastic parts that the cut, whereas less refined blades are apt to crush as well as cut the plastic with their thicker blades.
Of course, this is all theory - the proof of the pudding will be when I uses these nippers on my first Gunpla model. Then we will see if they were worth the additional expense.
Making Up for Sausage Fingers
Even before my stroke (sorry to mention it again) I was not a person with the lightest of touches! I have what is called 'sausage fingers'. 😁
This is not a good characteristic for anyone who's hobby is building tiny scale models with even tinier constituent parts. Therefore, having a good set of tweezers to hand is absolutely essential.
I've made do with cheap - very cheap - shop bought cosmetic tweezers but they have repeatedly let me down, usually at the most inopportune of moments! So, I bit the bullet and finally got myself a finner set of proper model making tweezers.
These didn't cost a fortune, but they are a considerable step up from what I had! The ZHIYE Precision ESD Anti-Static 6 piece set was just £5.99.
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