Basic Tool Set (Nipper, Angled Tweezer, File) for Plastic Model Kits

Basic Tool Set for Plastic Models

Three tools without which building a plastic model cannot be done. The packaging gives nippers, curved tweezers and a file. For a beginner this is exactly the equipment needed first; anyone who has been building longer usually buys tools one at a time according to their own habits. Neither the maker nor the exact specifications of the individual tools are unambiguously documented, so they are not stated here.

Use

• nippers: separating a part from the sprue without whitening the plastic
• curved tweezers: placing small parts and decals
• file: leveling the remains of a gate and mold parting lines
• basic equipment for a first build
• reworking the edges of parts that do not seat together

Nippers are not the same as scissors: the part is cut away from its outline and the remains of the gate are trimmed with a knife only afterwards. When the cut is made right next to the part, the plastic whitens and leaves a mark that is hard to put right. Curved tweezers have the advantage over straight ones that your hand does not cover the place you are working on, and they hold a part better in an inaccessible corner.

Who it is for

For beginning modelers and as a gift with a first kit. It is enough for building an ordinary plastic model; for resin and metal parts you will need a saw, abrasive papers and cyanoacrylate, which are not in the set. Do not use a file meant for plastic on metal, as it clogs and stops cutting.

The tools are sharp; keep them out of the reach of children. Do not inhale the dust from sanding plastic and clean the work surface afterwards.