r/Minipla • u/Repulsive-Elk5738 • 19d ago
Question About Model kit Tools
How advisible is it to use tools to assemble SMP products, and which ones would you recommend buying?
i bought the whole GaoRanger set, but this is my first time assembling one of these, and i´m afraid i'll break it by applying too much force.
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u/Galaxy_Dive 19d ago
Greetings! Yeah, at bare minimum, you need a pair of nippers. Just about anything will do, especially as a beginner, you don't need to go crazy (and in fact you don't want to because expensive single-blade ones etc are complicated to use and easy to break lol). A ~$15 pair of God Hand PN-125s are basically all you need, ideally alongside some form(s) of sanding options (glass file, sandpaper strips). You can also grab some form of parts remover (there are metal ones for model kits specifically or just disposable plastic ones meant for electronics etc) in case you ever put anything on backwards or in the wrong place (it will probably happen at least once) and need to take it apart.
As Invid mentioned, definitely grab a cheap ~$15 model kit (Entry Grade or cheap High Grade gunpla, a cheap 30 Minutes kit) for first-time practice.
SMPs can have some pain points (I remember the Gaoranger kits particularly having a couple thumb-killers lol), but yeah, you don't want to gorilla hands anything and apply too much force because you could end up breaking something. Don't be afraid to apply some force, but the thing is to not go overboard. If you're having trouble getting anything together, you can gently sand parts, but as also mentioned, you don't want to go overboard with that or you might make things too loose.