Brass Assist Deluxe Photo-Etch Rolling Set - The Small Shop

[Mike]

Deluxe Photo-Etch Rolling Set "Brass Assist"
The Small Shop

If you're using Brass or any kind of Photo-Etch in your models, you'll come across parts that need to be rolled into shape to give either a curve, or even a circle of various radii. Doing this without the correct tools is tricky, and a bit hit-and-miss, just like any other modelling task. If you're at the stage in your PE bending career where that's starting to frustrate you, then this tool is definitely one for you.

The tool arrives in an unassuming, plain white squat square based box, with the parts in a thick ziplok bag, and a sheet of A4 instructions folded inside the box. The first page covers the improvements to the original design, replacing the wooden rollers with more resilient metal one, clear anodised surfaces for more "slip", plus the extra features mentioned below.

The Brass Assist is a 10cm square chunk of high grade aluminium 15mm thick, with various shapes cut into the surface. The top side has semi-circular profiled grooves cut into it 19mm, 13mm, 6.5mm, 5.5mm and 3mm wide, with matching lengths of metal rod that fit snugly into the grooves. I say metal, as the larger ones are aluminium, while the thinner lengths are some alloy to retain some strength. These can be used to push-bend parts that need to be curved, or to roll parts into shape.

On the other side is a section of soft material that resembles high-quality cutting mat surface. This is the flexible bending mat, and it sits in a recessed part to the underside, allowing you to use the rollers to "free-bend" parts to any circumference that you need. It also has the added benefit of acting as a non-slip base for the roller, although you'll have to be careful what surfaces you place it on, so you don't needlessly damage or discolour it. In any event, it is replaceable in case you do happen to wear it out or damage it.

There are also two additional functions to the upper deck, which include a pair of slots for bending pre-etched tie-downs that are often used in AFV modelling update sets. Also handy for the AFV modeller is a "comb" along one edge of the unit that can be used to make your own grab-handles from brass wire. This can be useful when replacing the moulded-in D-shaped lumps that are present on older, and some newer AFV kits.

Conclusion
This is one hefty chunk of metal, and a very useful one at that. If you only dabble with Etch to add a little detail to your cockpits then it's massive overkill to get one, but if you're a fan of PE for its usefulness in depicting scale thickness sheet metal, then you will probably need to invest. ET Models have released a set to upgrade the Dragon M1A2 SEP Abrams to TUSK II standards (reviewed here), and it requires the creation of over 30 curved tiles for the up-armour package. These tiles need to be identical to eachother, and this kind of precision is only achievable with the correct tools unless you're one of these fabled modelling gods we hear about.

Very highly recommended to the PE enthusiast.

Review sample courtesy of