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GodHand Ultimate Nipper 5.0 for Plastic (SPN-120) GodHand via The Airbrush Company Injection-moulded kits are almost exclusively supplied on plastic runners that we call sprues, the parts joined to the runners by what we call sprue-gates, although I think the professional plastic moulding folks might tell us we’re confusing the terminologies from the little I know. To build your model you must cut the parts free, and the goal is to make as little mess as possible, avoiding damaging the parts, slicing yourself into small chunks, and scarring the desk below. As kids we probably twisted the parts free, which would make a horrible mess, we might have used scissors, craft knives and regular two-bladed nippers that you might otherwise use to cut electrical wiring. Whilst the latter nippers are heading in the right direction, they compress and splinter the plastic, creating stress marks and damage that must be cleaned up with a sharp blade, sanding stick and sometimes filler. In the last few years we’ve seen the rise of single-bladed nippers, which cut through the plastic from one side, the other blade acting as an anvil against which the plastic is supported. They’re not a cheap option because the mechanism must be precision manufactured, and the blade tempered to be strong enough to carry out the task required of it. I’ve had two of these types of nippers, and while one was very good, it broke when I inadvertently tried to cut a thicker part than it was intended for. The second pair started off well, but deteriorated quickly, probably due to lower quality steel used in the blade, as no amount of adjustment would improve the cut. It also showed stress marks on the plastic, which implies that it was blunted far too early, probably due to poor manufacture. My surmise would be that I fell foul of the old “buy cheap buy twice” adage, although it wasn’t all that cheap, just cheaper than my last one and manufactured in China. I had been chatting to Lisa, my delightfully helpful contact at The Airbrush Company, and had seen a member of this forum mentioning the Japanese Brand Godhand, and after a little hemming and hawing (possibly 2-3 seconds max) asked her to send one over for inspection. The tool arrived the next day in a vacform-fronted package with a card header, holding the nippers firmly for shipping and display, with a small leatherette cover for the blade between the handles so that it is exposed for viewing through the clear plastic front. On taking the nippers out of the package, there is an immediate feeling of quality to them, which extends to the acid etched product details on the hinge and tops of the handles, with reassuring evidence of heat-treatment discolouring on the blade and a purple hue to the return spring. The handles have been dipped in a flexible blue plastic that has a texture moulded into it to improve grip, which feels very sturdy and should last a long time. The tool was manufactured in Japan, and Japanese crafts people know how to make and mill quality steel, having learned their skills over several centuries. The instructions are printed on the header card, which folds open to twice the size, revealing some drawings and a LOT of Japanese text, which is printed side-to-side. The drawings are informative, but there is more information to be had in the text, which I translated using my iPhone, doing a rough translation into English of both sides of the instructions, although as you can probably imagine there are a few literal translations and mistranslations here and there, but you can understand the results. Hats off to the translation people at Apple - other translation software is available. To save you good people from having to carry out the same process yourself, I’ve included the translation below, with the above caveats, and the fact that some of the header text font sizes seem oddly small. Now for the interesting part. How does it work? If we’re getting down to basics, you position the blades either side of the target sprue-gate, cutting a few millimetres away from the kit part initially, then cutting it as close as you can when the part is liberated from the sprue. The diagrams show the best techniques, using the thicker blade that I refer to as the anvil to ensure a square cut, using the thicker area near the pivot where the blade is strongest, and ensuring that you don’t twist the blade during cutting, as tempering makes the blade tougher, but it also makes it more brittle than mild-steel, so it will snap or shatter if mistreated. The maximum diameter of cut should be 3mm, so don’t try to cut up the sprue runners with your precious tool, but keep an old pair of nippers nearby for the task. I’m using a pair I received free with a model via eBay, which squash and flare the plastic horribly, but can cut large pieces, and you don’t mind so much if one of the blades breaks. Keep your high quality blade pristine and free from damage due to clumsiness by using the cover that’s included, pursing the opening by pressing on both stitched edges of the pouch, and inserting the nippers until the handles rest against the opening. They tend to stay put from my experience, and if you use a magnetic tool rack like I do, there is enough magnetic force to hold it in place with the cover on. Once you’ve read and digested the instructions above, you can use the nippers with impunity, and you won’t be disappointed. Cutting parts off the sprues is a revelation, and the blade slices through styrene like it almost isn’t there. The result is a smooth line that looks like it was moulded that way. The first cut away from the part prevents mistakes that might see you having to repair the part you intended to cut free, especially small parts where it’s difficult to see where the part ends and the sprue gate begins. The second cut is then easier as you have full view of the part without the rest of the sprue in the way, so mistakes are far less likely if you are lighting the area sufficiently well. Clean-up is minimised, and mess is confined to the desk, sweeping away the little pieces of styrene that are nipped off during the second cut. When it comes to clear styrene, which is traditionally more brittle than regular styrene, you are advised to cut only the gates, avoid cutting any larger runners, and avoid cutting any brittle plastics at all, as they’re likely to shatter explosively and damage the blade with any sideways momentum. Below is an example of how well the nippers work, starting with me accidentally using the cheap nippers in error. Oops! This is the accident, using a cheap pair of two-bladed cutters, the brand name, I won’t mention. The first cut is made away from the part so that the final cut can be done with utmost precision. The second cut is as close to the part as possible, in this instance a curved edge of a propeller, leaving a pair of spurs that could be cut away again (and were), or sanded back. Sanding back the remaining sprue gate is easy to do, even on this highly curved prop blade. A quick polish will remove any remaining scratches. Are they worth it? Absolutely! If you value your modelling time and don’t want to spend it repairing damage from messy, inaccurate cutting of parts from sprues, these nippers will be a boon. Making sprue gate marks disappear can be difficult to manage at times, especially with some types of styrene, so getting the best start will make it more achievable with less effort, so it’s a winner hands-down. Conclusion There isn’t much else to say other than the only thing that should stop you from picking up a pair of these nippers is if they’re out of your budget range, or out of stock. It's Christmas, so treat yourself. Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of