Tools of the trade

Today as I getting ready to head out for work I took a moment to pause in my basement and looked over my hobby tools.  They say that the quality of tools and the quality of care for said tools will keep you going for a long time.  I can say that is quite accurate!

I've got a collection of tools over the years ranging from the ones I almost always use when assembling and prepping models to some that have never seen use and were almost a waste of my money.  I suppose at the time I bought them I thought about how useful they would be and then it turned out to have not worked out like I thought.

So first things first when you get your new plastic/metal/resin kit it is inevitable that you have to use some clippers to get the bits off of the sprue or remove some plugs/flash.  So I use good ole GW's clippers I bought YEARS ago:


Marvelous

I've used these things for ages and even with part of the tip bent they still manage to work.  One time I switched out for GF9's clippers (which are awesome) but they have been MIA for some time so I've reverted back to my yellow one.  I also picked up one of Army Painter's large clippers for those heavy duty pieces that are too thick for the yellow ones:

Pretty thick blades for cutting

Word of caution though, if you want to get some clippers for taking small flash or plastic off of sprues make sure the blades are thin and long.  The thicker blades can't get into the small spaces between the bits and have a tendency to not cut close to the bit, leaving more work for you to do.

So after you get the bits off of the sprue you will need to get the model cleaned up of mold lines.  I've seen a lot of people skip this step and it's fine if you never plan on painting your models (which is a shame imo).  If you do want to paint and try to make sure the model looks decent then you need to get rid of mold lines.

Not sexy at all

Mold lines (for you new folk out there) are lines left from the molding process when the mold might not line up 100% perfectly.  In some cases the molds do line up perfectly but there might be a small gap, letting some of the filler spill out causing flash.  In either case you will want to get rid of them or else they will ruin the look.  I will tell you anytime I pick up someone's model to examine their paint job the first thing I look for are mold lines.  If they are there in force it just ruins the model.

So if you have plastic/resin models then you would probably scrape the mold lines off with an Xacto knife:

Staple tool of the trade

If you are working with metal/resin then you would also want some modelling files to get rid of your mold lines:

Not exactly the files I use, same shape but different

Word of caution when filing off resin is to make sure you have a respirator as the dust can fly off and it gets stuck in your lungs which is never a fun thing.  I tend to not use my knife with metal models as it will dull the blade and I tend to not use my files for plastic as it makes a huge mess and doesn't work as well as it should.  I use GW's old modelling files that have served me well but I think soon I will have to replace them as they are starting to dull a little.

Finally you have the bits cleaned up and ready for assembly!  Well as a rule if the bits are plastic-to-plastic then I will use some plastic cement.  If the bit connects with any sort of metal or resin then I will use super glue.  Here are my preferences for adhesives:


This is legit stuff



Smells like oranges!

That specific super glue is simply amazing.  Bonds like hell though so be careful.  The tube of Testor's will last for a really long time and is a great investment for en masse plastic assembly.

These are the basic tools that I would say are required to get a good start in assembling models.  If you have no interest in painting you can even skip over the mold line cleaning with the knife/files, but the rest are pretty essential.

I would advise you to exercise caution when selecting your tools and not to be fooled.  There are many options out there for these simple tools and in some case you are over-paying for something you can get for cheaper with better quality.  For example some gaming companies sell bottles of super glue for 8-10$ but you can get the Loctite for 3$.  Take some time to look around for solid choices and you don't have to spend a small fortune in the end. 

That's all for now, tune in next time for the other tools I use.  Happy gaming!