Welcome to my latest video where we will be divingĀ
into the essential tools needed for taking yourĀ Ā model building skills to the next level so… It'sĀ
been a year since I lost myself in scale modelingĀ Ā and built my first model kit. At the beginning IĀ
bought a lot of tools and materials that I hadĀ Ā seen others use while watching videos. Now afterĀ
a year in building 8 model kits I can share someĀ Ā of my experiences with you about what I haveĀ
actually used and what I haven't touched at allĀ Ā so let's start with snippers I actually bought
a cheap wire cutter which happens to the jobĀ Ā quite nicely. It cuts the parts off in the wayĀ
it should. However you should be quite carefulĀ Ā when removing transparent parts from the sprue asĀ
using snippers can cause some inside cracks whichĀ Ā are quite noticeable that's why it is much betterĀ
to cut these parts of using a knife and then sandĀ Ā off the extra bits. At least that is what I haveĀ
learned so far. Let me know if there are any otherĀ Ā ways for doing that kind of job maybe by leavingĀ
a comment! Next the knife I'm using is the OLFA 5 It is a really handy tool that can be usedĀ
for variety of tasks like cutting off extra bitsĀ Ā or trimming decals it is quite important toĀ
keep changing the blade quite often as there isĀ Ā nothing worse than a jagged edge of the maskingĀ
tape cut.
You can replace the dull blade with aĀ Ā new one in a couple of seconds! Just be extremelyĀ
careful as this kind of knives are a really sharp Now tweezers, I don't use cross lock tweezersĀ
as I don't have one I only use two pairs ofĀ Ā tweezers a regular one for a manipulating smallĀ
parts to get them in the place where they shouldĀ Ā be and another one that is dedicated only toĀ
decals. Tamiya's tweezers have a really fineĀ Ā tip which helps a lot with working on decals.
Next a hobby hand drill with different sizeĀ Ā of drill tips.
It is really helpful with enlargingĀ
holes for body parts like door handles indicatorsĀ Ā or wipers you can also use it to deepen theĀ
muffler tips to add a bit more detail to themĀ Ā and an engraving tool some of the model kits haveĀ
body parts such as doors or hood lines that areĀ Ā not deep enough then you can use an engravingĀ
blade to make them deeper and more visible onceĀ Ā you apply a black wash. However as this blade isĀ
quite sharp you have to be careful while doingĀ Ā this job as it is quite easy to make scratches onĀ
nearby parts accidentally. If lines are so shallowĀ Ā that it is impossible to identify the curve youĀ
can always use masking tape as a blade guide masking tape I use it quite heavily 18 5 3Ā
and 1 millimeter different widths allow you toĀ Ā mask smaller or bigger parts and together with aĀ
sharp knife you can also mask unusual shapes likeĀ Ā windows seals or bumpers.
Different sizes saveĀ
time as you don't need to cut narrow stripesĀ Ā from the wider masking tape. Sometimes I also useĀ
masking tape dedicated for curves but it's really rare as it is easier to stick wide masking tapeĀ
and then cut along the window line for instanceĀ Ā then sanding paper, sponges and sticks. TheseĀ
tools were the most often used ones as theyĀ Ā are applicable for parts preparation and later
for polishing. The 3000 sponge is used to dull theĀ Ā body before covering it with primer. The 600 and 1000Ā
sanding sticks to smooth out the seam lines orĀ Ā these extra bits of pieces which remain afterĀ
cutting them from the sprue. Then 4000 6000, 8000 water sanding paper isĀ
used to prepare the body surface before polishingĀ Ā with compounds.
I also bought sponges and sandingĀ
paper with different grid sizes but I have neverĀ Ā gone beyond the values that I have just mentioned.
Let's move to polishing then. Polishing CompoundĀ Ā sponges were used only once they are reallyĀ
helpful when it comes to embossed parts of theĀ Ā body as their surface close to the edges is hardĀ
to reach with a compound applicator cloth. HoweverĀ Ā once I switched from manual to mechanical polishingĀ
I no longer need any clothes or sponges A dremel-like tool with a cotton polisher speeds upĀ
the time spent on polishing significantly with aĀ Ā much better result in comparison to manual methods.
By the way it is worth softening the cottonĀ Ā polisher by moisturizing it with water and soapĀ
so the compound will distribute much easier thanĀ Ā okay so now let's go to paint brushes and airbrushĀ
with mandatory accessories like a compressor or aĀ Ā cleaning pot.
I am using ammo air Cobra 0.3 it isĀ
easy to disassembly for cleaning and everythingĀ Ā works well after one year. The trigger movesĀ
smoothly and the needle is still straight as itĀ Ā should be. When it comes to the compressor you needĀ
to remember that the longer you use it the moreĀ Ā water can accumulate inside the tank. That's why itĀ
is quite important to unscrew the drain valve andĀ Ā wait for all the water to flow out.
This water canĀ
cause rusting in a longer period of time so it'sĀ Ā better to keep it clean. When it comes to paintĀ
brushes I only use size 1 and 0 and hardly everĀ Ā I go with size 4. What's more a painting paletteĀ
will also help you a lot with mixing paints okayĀ Ā so those were the main tools which I used duringĀ
building model kits others are quite common likeĀ Ā soft and hard cotton buds pipettes or toothpicks. IĀ
guess patafix the removable adhesive pads that youĀ Ā can shape as you wish are really worth mentioning.
You can use it as a holder for parts that you areĀ Ā going to paint and what's more it is reusableĀ
so you can use it quite a lot of times before itĀ Ā loses its adhesiveness.
For instance if you wish toĀ
paint the body you can stick everything to a smallĀ Ā bottle instead of buying a spray work paintingĀ
stand set which honestly I personally really like okay that's it I hope that this video broughtĀ
you closer to my tool set! Let me know if youĀ Ā find this content interesting by leaving a comment!
have a great time building model kits cheers!
