Your toolkit suggestions

[NobleSavage]

Planning to build 1:35 AFV's from WW2, first build will be the AFV club Churchill Mk III, so guys tell me, what tools etc will I absolutely need? and what else that is perhaps not necessarily essential, but you think I should definitely consider investing in? I'm starting completely from scratch, all I have right now is a table and chair

[TheLurker]

Umm... this is "how long is a piece of string" country.

 

At an absolute bare minimum?  My tuppence worth...

 

To build:

Tweezers or some other tool for gripping and placing small parts.  I use fine haemostats (artery forceps). Available on-line for about a fiver.

 

Scalpel or other fine and very, very sharp cutting tool.  Available in most art shops and in hobby shops.  Swann-Morton is one name to look for.

 

If you can afford a sprue-cutter get one. It can make the difference between getting a fiddly, delicate part off the sprue in one piece and not.

 

A cutting surface.  Any old flat bit of wood will do or you can buy specialized cutting mats in sizes from A5 up from art supply shops or hobby shops.  Jakar is a brand I favour; a good compromise between cost and quality. 

 

Blu Tack, clothes pegs, low tack decorators masking tape. For holding parts together while the glue dries.  You can buy specialised modelling clamps, but I'm assuming you're working to a budget.

 

Consumables:

Liquid glue.  Revell and others.  Don't use the tubes. They still go into strings and smear everywhere.

 

Very fine sand-paper/glass-paper.

 

Filler.  Milliput is one brand name, there are many others out there all with different advantages and disadvantages.

 

Brush cleaner, see below, if using enamel paints. Acrylic paints can usually be cleaned off using water, but they too sometimes benefit from something a bit more aggressive to get the brush really clean.

 

Lots of paper towel / tissue.

 

Decoration:

A range of brushes.  Get the very best you can afford.  Revell & Humbrol both sell packets of brushes (4 or 5 per pack range of sizes from 00 up) for about a tenner.  I wouldn't buy anything cheaper unless it's a branded item on special offer.  Art supply shops are also an excellent source.  If you are using a mixture of acrylic and enamel paints I'd get two sets.  One for each. Brushes are made (marketed?) as being particularly suited to a type of paint (oil, acrylic, water-colour etc).

 

Modelling masking tape.  I prefer Tamiya's, I have found the edges on Revell's to be a bit wobbly.

 

And the things you won't find in any shop, anywhere.  Bucket loads of patience and the ability to accept that sometimes, despite your very best efforts, the build will go horribly wrong and will have to be written off.

 

Having said all that you can build models quite well - if you are very careful - with a toolkit that contains nothing more than pair of nail-scissors and some disposable nail files - nick them from your wife's toiletries kit - and a single small paint brush, but don't expect a "professional" result.

 

 

Have fun!

Lurk.

Edited May 26, 2017 by TheLurker

[NobleSavage]

@TheLurker Thank you for the comprehensive and very helpful reply

 

 

[little-cars]

My list for a basic toolkit.

 

Cutting mat - A4 or A3 - Jakar as has already been said are the standard ones, available in green or translucent.

 

Knife, normally a no3 swann morton handle probably a no 11 blade.

 

Spru cutters - some really good Xuron ones for about £13, or the cheaper clones for about £7 

 

Tweezers, standard pointy  AA as well as a blunt cross over pair that will hold the parts when you are not holding them.

 

Good quality padded sanders

 

Needle file set, set of 10, 140mm are the standard ones or the 100mm ones if you are doing tiny stuff.

 

Liquid poly cement - Tamiya or plastic weld are two of the standard ones.

 

Filler - Squadron white for large areas, Vallejo filler for details.

 

Paint brushes - these are personal there are lots out there, best to get these face to face, or a set with a range, 5/0 to 2.

 

Masking tape Tamiya and or Modelcraft are the best I've seen out there at the moment.

 

Micro Sol & Set

 

small clamps ( like the little nippers)

 

Small tube of CA glue, always useful !

 

Paint pallet always have their uses.

 

Paul

Edited May 26, 2017 by little-cars
missed a bit!

[Marvel Onkey]

A handy list of swear words and knowledge of how to use them?

 

 

More seriously:

- some sort of decal fixing solution to make it easier to get the pesky decals on neatly. I like the Micro Scale products, but there are others that do the job well. This isn't an absolute essential, but it will cut down on the need for the list of swear words.

 

- some sort of varnish (gloss, matt and satin depending on what finish your model requires). Many swear by Pledge Floor polish as a gloss- put 'Britmodeller Klear' into google for innumerable threads on the subject.

 

-A lamp- standard desk lamp will do the job well enough, or you can pick up a nice bright crafting one for £15-£20

 

- Depending on your eye sight- some sort of magnifier for the detailed bits- I buy the cheapo reading specs from the supermarket.

 

 

Be warned though...tool acquisition syndrome is highly infectious- the list of equipment you consider 'essential' could soon expand exponentially!

 

[malpaso]

For finishing I would recommend a can of Halfords spray primer, and a wide flat brush for painting say 10mm or 1/2inch.  Thinning the paint is important, although maybe AFVs are okay with paint not to car showroom standard!

Cheers 

Will 

[NobleSavage]

Thank you to everyone for helpful and informative replies.

 

I've pretty much ordered everything I'll need to begin building, will leave painting and finishing related items until closer to the time I'll be needing them.

Here's a list of what I've gone for so far. If you think I've missed something please let me know

 

Tamiya extra thin cement

Droc 10pc mini hand drill (will need to bore out rivet holes in my first model)

Vallejo plastic putty

Fome 'Lazy Susan' rotating turntable

Fancii LED magnifier visor

Swann Morton No.3 scalpel handle and No.11 blades

Jakar A2 professional cutting matt

Xuron micro-shear flush cutters

Medentra surgical tweezers (set of 2)

Squadron modellers putty white

Plastic spring clamps pack of 8 - 2 sizes (instead of masking tape)

180 grit glass paper

 

Together with the kit itself (AFV club Churchill III) plus after market brass rivets and tracks it came to £187 plus change.

 

Thanks again for your help, no doubt I'll be needing more advice and assistance once the build begins

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2017 by NobleSavage
addition

[LaurieS]

A good way is to look at the instructions with the sprues and visualize the way you are going to go about building the model.

 

Plus how you will achieve that. In a sequence for instance. Cut a piece from the sprue, cut any large excess of any sprue

frame left attached to the model piece, raw sand the area where the piece has been cut from the sprue, fins sand the area

etc. etc. Soon find what you will need.

 

Also view some of Phil's tuition & build videos. You will pick up a host of tips on tools etc.

 

Laurie

[NobleSavage]

1 hour ago, LaurieS said:

A good way is to look at the instructions with the sprues and visualize the way you are going to go about building the model.

 

Plus how you will achieve that. In a sequence for instance. Cut a piece from the sprue, cut any large excess of any sprue

frame left attached to the model piece, raw sand the area where the piece has been cut from the sprue, fins sand the area

etc. etc. Soon find what you will need.

 

Also view some of Phil's tuition & build videos. You will pick up a host of tips on tools etc.

 

Laurie

Visualization and thinking through the build sounds like good advice, thanks. Where can I find Phil's videos?

[Schwarz-Brot]

- I'm pretty sure you're going to need more and finer grits of glass/sandpaper very soon.

- don't delay the decorating tools too long. Many parts are easier to paint before assembly.

- for your first brushes don't go for the most expensive ones, if you do not yet have any experience in brushpainting (read: How to take care for your brushes). You are going to kill them FAST.

- When buying brushes I'd recommend against synthetic ones. I know they have their fanbase, but I feel real hair works better. Anyway, try 'em out - nothing beats experience.

- I always advice against modelling manufacturers brushes. They are usually of decent quality (they don't do their own, they buy them as well), but they are also usually well overpriced. Those you find in hobby- or artist stores are of the same or better quality and can be cheaper as well.

 

Most important advice: Have fun!

[Gorby]

I agree with Schwarz-Brot that you will need finer grades of sandpaper (and about having fun) – I use 400, 800 & 1000 grit, Halfords will be much cheaper than the model shop.

 

But I would disagree about his opinion of synthetic brushes, there was a time when that was true, but not now. There are some duff synthetic brushes, but there are plenty of duff natural hair brushes as well. Good quality synthetic brushes are on par with natural hair and are often cheaper. I also think that a sable needs it's hair more than we do.

 

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/painting-weathering/painting-guide/all-about-paint-brushes/

[LotusArenco]

Pick up some slightly thicker glue as well. Revell Contacta Pro is a good choice along with its Humbrol counterpart. They both come with a needle thin tube for fairly precise application.

Sanding sticks in different grades are very useful, there are many different manufacturers, but they all do the same job. And as already mentioned you’ll need some different (finer) grades of wet and dry paper. A small set of needle files wouldn’t hurt either.

I’ve always preferred the X-Acto style of knife as I’ve found the Swann Morton type scalpel blades to be a bit too thin and bendy for my liking. This is just personal preference as many modellers do use scalpels. Pick up a couple of knife handles (X-Acto or Swann) to save messing about changing different shaped blades. And don’t be tight when it comes to changing blunt blades!

Tamiya tape is a virtually a given for either holding parts together while gluing, holding small parts or for paint masking. Once you’ve picked up the dispensers (comes in various widths) you can get the refills fairly cheap.

 

Don’t leave thinking about painting till the model’s built. As Schwartz-Brot said, you will more than likely need to paint smaller parts during assembly or have to paint parts that are hard to reach later on. Choice of brush (Synthetic or natural) is down to personal preference. You usually do get what you pay for, but there’s really no need to splash out on the ‘high-end’ ones (i.e. over £10 each!). A choice of ‘round’ and ‘flat’ brushes will be useful.

 

The main ‘tool’ that you will need is good lighting. As Marvel Onkey mentioned, you’ll need more than a bog standard desk lamp.

 

 Between Hobbycraft, Amazon, Ebay, Halfords, and not forgetting our resident mail order vendors, most of the ‘kit’ you need won’t cost a fortune. (Hobbycraft is worth a visit if only to pick up all the other sundries you’ll eventually need i.e. plastic boxes for storing tools/model parts, various gauges of wire for replacing tank grab handles and whatnot).

Don’t skimp, try to pick up good quality tools if possible and once bought they’ll last you a good few years.

 

Some of the tools you pick up will be of more use than others. Reading up through this thread, almost every basic tool you’ll need has been mentioned. Until you start using them you won’t know how useful to you a certain tool is. Read through the work in progress threads on Britmodeller or watch various Youtube videos to see what other tools modellers are using.

 

And never forget that this entire forum is full of tools who are more than happy to answer any questions you have.

 

5 hours ago, Schwarz-Brot said:

Most important advice: Have fun!

^This. 

 

Mart

 

 

[Schwarz-Brot]

5 hours ago, Gorbygould said:

I agree with Schwarz-Brot that you will need finer grades of sandpaper (and about having fun) – I use 400, 800 & 1000 grit, Halfords will be much cheaper than the model shop.

 

But I would disagree about his opinion of synthetic brushes, there was a time when that was true, but not now. There are some duff synthetic brushes, but there are plenty of duff natural hair brushes as well. Good quality synthetic brushes are on par with natural hair and are often cheaper. I also think that a sable needs it's hair more than we do.

 

http://www.scalemodelguide.com/painting-weathering/painting-guide/all-about-paint-brushes/

 

Well, I disagree with a HUGE part of the linked article. My opinion (regarding both, brush material and the article) may be biased from mainly painting miniatures, though. I feel there is a big difference in the way brushes and paints are handled by traditional modellers and pure miniature painters. For example I would never ever recommend any brush size below 0. I paint any detail, including eyes, with a brush that "large" on 28mm miniatures. If I really, really need anything smaller, it would only be for a very small light point or something like that. Toothpicks then are a way better choice then a brush with just three hairs.

I said it many times before and I will say it once more: Painting with brushes is a very personal topic. Everybody has his own individual way of handling the brushes and paints and it takes lots of experience and time to get predictable results. It is hard to advise in any way and will always boil down to personal taste and experience.

 

 

Sanding sticks I wouldn't buy. They are extremely helpful but very easy to diy. I simply take wooden spatulas (like those doctors use) or wooden coffee stirrers (is that the word?) and glue a piece of sandpaper to it. A friend of mine uses thin sheet metal (.3 or .5 mm thickness) and double sided tape. Works even better.