Assorted bolts No.1

Bolts and nuts for detailing hardware

Bolt heads, nuts and rivets cast in polyurethane resin make up the first part of the numbered range of small fasteners from the Italian brand Royal Model. The manufacturer deliberately offers it without being tied to a single scale, because what decides is the size of the particular piece the modeler picks out of the set according to what is being built.

What can be done with a set like this

It does most of its work where an injection mold only suggested the detail. Flat heads on armor plate, catches on an engine cover, nuts on a chassis or on machinery in a workshop scene: everywhere there it replaces blurred relief with a crisp shape that casts a shadow of its own under side light.

Working with tiny parts

Work over a light surface and with tweezers with fine jaws so that the pieces do not spring away from you. First cut away the original suggested detail and sand the surface down. Apply a drop of cyanoacrylate glue to the spot with the head of a pin and seat the part in it; the position can be corrected briefly before the glue grabs. Draw out even spacing in pencil beforehand or use a strip of tape as a ruler.

Who the set is worth it for

• Builders of military hardware who finish off cast detail
• Modelers of machinery, tractors and workshop equipment
• Converters who make their own superstructures
• Makers of dioramas with an industrial setting

The box includes the castings only; obtain the tools, glue and paints separately.