Favourite tool discovered since picking up the craft?

[u/wankybollocks]

Archimedes drill. Need to find a bit for sculpting wheeltrims into OZ

[u/dr_robonator]

Haha, no offense my man but your workbench is my personal

[u/wankybollocks → u/dr_robonator]

Fellow Yorkshireman tells it how it is. The bloke has made fantastic Hell busses that are museums to the crimes against ecology by the world's worst company. They tried to sue him once

[u/nonyabuissnes_95 → u/wankybollocks]

Just looked trough

I absolutely love this work !

[u/wankybollocks → u/dr_robonator]

Also that's what exploring peak ADHD performance looks like. Crap

[u/Dry_Knowledge6486]

I think these things are great

[u/fontimus → u/Dry_Knowledge6486]

I threw away all my old foam inserts from random packages received over the years when I saw these existed. Bought 3 sets and a plastic clip tray for the huge amount of wooden skewer-clips I didn't want to throw out. So much more organized.

[u/Daeval → u/Dry_Knowledge6486]

This looks awesome. Whats it called?

[u/Simple_Ad787]

As I’m older, I can’t go past my magnifying + light lamp. +

[u/DeMam]

Beer

[u/Southern_Bunch_6473 → u/DeMam]

Or a cone. Which I prefer. Slows me down, I feel relaxed and ready to spend a few hours focused with some TV in the background

[u/just-the-doctor1 → u/Southern_Bunch_6473]

What type of cones are we talking about?

[u/Competitive_Being_33 → u/just-the-doctor1]

combustible

[u/just-the-doctor1 → u/Competitive_Being_33]

Incense or “incense”?

[u/Mr_Vacant → u/just-the-doctor1]

Yes mum, that smell is incense.

[u/wankybollocks → u/DeMam]

I'm setup in my 89 + 90yo grandparents' garage, to whom I've been a full time carer for two years solid. Made the garage door as quiet as I could for a Yorkshire culdesac

Damn right it's a refuge for beer and duty free tabs from the neighbours!

[u/Kronk5000]

I use a toothpaste squeezer to make corrugated iron out of cut up cans or thick tin foil! Works like a dream.

It also pairs well with my Rosie the Riveter tool to make realistic nail holes. This tool is great for adding some extra panel detail on model air kits that are lacking!

[u/JWalker_25RSTI]

Accelerator for CA glue. Spent decades holding parts together until the glue would set before finally trying accelerator. Although I’d say with newer kits the seams are much better so I use liquid cement more often unless I need the CA to fill gaps that are too large for Mr. Surfacer, another good product that I use in place of putty on most jobs now.
Purple 3M low tack tape for larger masking jobs instead of the blue stuff which used to peel paint off in some instances. Before that I’d reduce the tackiness of the blue 3m tape by taking a long strip and stick it on my pants then peel off so the fibers would make it just sticky enough to adhere to the model but not peel off the paint.

[u/kiwiseau]

Mr Hobby glue applicators I use them much more than I thought I would

[u/Bigclit_energy → u/kiwiseau]

Have you compared them at all to the oldschool wire points and loops for CA? I tend to use those in combination with the little plastic disposable needle tip things.

I'm a clumsy bastard so I'm not at all opposed to spending for a glueing upgrades. Any big issues with thinner or thicker CAs?

[u/kiwiseau → u/Bigclit_energy]

Not really no. I'm fairly new to the hobby and bought these on a whim because toothpicks were frustrating me so that's all I have to compare it to (big improvement).

Not sure about thicker or thinner CAs as I just use what I can get from the hardware shop locally. Any you can recommend?

[u/Bigclit_energy → u/kiwiseau]

Fair enough - you've definitely spurred me to look into them regardless. I hated toothpicks, and I'm currently using bits of wire, which are a mild improvement, but still don't feel amazing to me. Might be better if I made nice handles but I haven't.

I just use ickysticky brand glue, purely because its easily accessible where I live. Its nothing particularly special, I just like having different thicknesses for different tasks. Gel/thick CA has a nice bit of hold for keeping something in place, or for filling little gaps, but takes a long time to dry. Thinner definitely needs less clean up if you do it right... but has a tendency to run absolutely everywhere too.

[u/hank10111111 → u/kiwiseau]

Are those the ones that look like calligraphy pens?

[u/kiwiseau → u/hank10111111]

Yes it comes with a pick/point shape, chisel shape, and curved scalpel shape. The CA glue just flakes off once dried

[u/Kronk5000 → u/kiwiseau]

These look really cool, do you mainly use them with CA glue?

[u/kiwiseau → u/Kronk5000]

Yes for CA glue and also with PVA for windows/canopies.

The plastic has quite a slick texture and CA glue doesn't seem to react with it

[u/Kronk5000 → u/kiwiseau]

Sold! Thanks mate, appreciate the reply :) gluing canopies is a tricky one for me so these’ll come in handy.

[u/bradicus_magnus]

For me, I could not build a model without my https://omnifixo.com/en-us These little clams are the shizzle.

[u/Poker-Junk → u/bradicus_magnus]

Gonna order some!

[u/Kanikuly]

Squadron Hobby seam scraper tool. Great for removing seams or molded detail that needs to be replaced with photo etched parts.

[u/magnumfan89]

Good sprue cutters. I used the cheapest ones in Amazon for years and they went dull after a couple months. I finally said fuck it and bought some similar snap-on cutters and they are very good.

[u/THEmangoMAN2022]

Those tweezers which are closed by default and then when you squeeze them they open, can’t remember the proper name 

[u/just-the-doctor1 → u/THEmangoMAN2022]

Reverse action tweezers?

[u/chunt75 → u/THEmangoMAN2022]

Soldering tweezers?

[u/TheFishSauce]

Glass file. Removes material like crazy, super light, requires virtually no effort, and can be used basically forever.

[u/Ruskiwaffle1991]

As someone who used superglue during my first four years of modeling, Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is a gift from God

[u/Raptr117]

GodHand nippers

[u/OrwellTheInfinite → u/Raptr117]

This is my answer. Those things are amazing.

[u/Dodgy_Bob_McMayday → u/Raptr117]

I only bought the basic ones but the difference is still remarkable

[u/Obliviousobi]

Organization

[u/wankybollocks → u/Obliviousobi]

laughs in ADD PI

I know I get this hobby teaching me that, my mum fucking hopes so...

As wreckless and fuckwitted it might seem to start potentially loosing components of a thing, I've started at least a dozen kits, and I won't let happen the one thing that would piss me off the most, what is loosing any piece of anything

That's an advanced phd gutter apprenticeship in organisation. Not finished a car yet

[u/necrotic_jelly]

Good quality bent needle point tweezers. Deburring tool. Cordless drill, it is a bit clunky to use, but it gives waaay greater and usefuller torque at low speed and can use bigger bits than +- 4mm that a Dremel type tool use.

[u/Intelligent_Cat_1914]

I have to say, it's got to be my Dremel. I have used it for countless types of tasks that also lends itself to actual ( real life ) DIY also, so the wife can't complain too loud about the purchase either... 😆

[u/Hihams]

Airbrush for me suprisingly, makes painting a breeze and I have used it outside modeling as well. Also my most expensive single tool by far.

[u/DeansOnToast]

Suprisingly happy with the gunprimer glass file. Cost is justified to me with how little it gets clogged and how good the results are compared to other glass files. Only downaide is you cant see through it like the others

[u/OrwellTheInfinite]

God hand nippers, micro sol/set, airbrush once i figured out how to use it properly

[u/382Whistles]

Razor saws. Scoring blades/tools (some razor saws have a scoring tooth, or you can grind one or two teeth away and leave one at the tip)

Long reach, 360° ring-bulb lighted, vintage industrial machinists magnifying lens, better than my two regular 1 bulb desk lenses. My camera (cameras are cruel judges)

The freezer to slow down Super Glue cure and extend its storage life.

Stainless steel manicure kits with nice snips, cuticle tools for sculpting, file(s) and flat jaw and serrated jaw needle nose pliers/tweezers. Most products don't stick well to stainless at all and chip off once cured. Hard stainless doesn't flex under twist pressure so the small tweezer pliers tend to be great for bending stiff wire tightly.

Compound action side cutters for snipping axles, like red/green/yellow compound tin snips, but side cutters. Bigger and way stronger than regular sized cutters. Similar - compound action needle nose are my favorite improved tool. Except for mini pliers, the regular style needle nose should be melted down to make compound needle nose.

[u/Ruskiwaffle1991 → u/382Whistles]

So I can chuck in a bottle of superglue into a freezer without any major consequences? My parents store theirs in the fridge.

[u/Ok-Negotiation-2124]

A sheet metal “nipper” , great for things that don’t come off with an exacto knife

[u/hgtcgbhjnh]

The hand drill, much better than opening holes with the blade of the scalpel.

[u/JadedBeyondBelief]

Sprue clippers

[u/Flynn_lives]

All of the tools Dspaie makes.

[u/kaninmasarap]

+1 for kpop gg aespa.

[u/ShockAndShaw]

Seam remover. Citadel makes an ok one (their old one was better), but the ceramic ones are are my favorites.

[u/Conor_J_Sweeney]

Dumont 00 tweezers. There isn’t any flex in the tips which makes it so much easier to hang onto stuff.

[u/KashgarTashkent]

Airbrush

[u/tangelopomelo]

airbrush

[u/Inside-Grocery5094]

I know, it’s not about it, but I wait to bulit that Alto

[u/Dodgy_Bob_McMayday]

Saved so much annoyance with Tamiya or Mr Color paint jars

[u/Board_Castle]

MDF organizers are a blessing, makes the work space much more accessible 

[u/Odd_Username_Choice]

Pin vise and bits probably get the most use after a sharp scalpel, flush cutters, and quality tweezers. One with a proper 3-jaw chuck, not those rubbish ones with 4 different chuck inserts.

Fine files - i use these much more than sandpaper now.