Invaluable modeling tools. Share yours!

[PR19_Kit]

A VERY large mirror with wet and dry taped onto it with double-sided tape. I use it for sanding down vacform bits and it's large enough to take a complete fuselage section for a 1/72 Tu-95 'Bear'.

And when I'm done with it I hang it back on the wall. 

[Dork the kit slayer]

And when I'm done with it I hang it back on the wall.  

Mrs PR19_Kit must love  vacform days.

Good tip for the newbies. I have a desk top  of toughened glass use in a similar way. 1/72nd "Bear"? ............. you silly boy.

[scooter]

And when I'm done with it I hang it back on the wall.  

Mrs PR19_Kit must love  vacform days.

Good tip for the newbies. I have a desk top  of toughened glass use in a similar way. 1/72nd "Bear"? ............. you silly boy.

Its already got long wings...can't wait to see this monstrosity.  Gotta agree with Dork on that, Mrs PR19 must love when you break out the vacuforms.

Everyone forgot the ubiquitous and most invaluable aid to model building, particularly in your shop (if you're so lucky to have one)-- Velcro!  Keep the tools close at hand, tack glass (or tile) down to your work surface etc. 

And speaking of Doctor's office visits, I had the fortune, several years ago, to snag a handful of very small, soft "bore" brushes from an ENT's office.  Perfect for cleaning up the airbrush.

And for mixing paint, I use a lab-grade glass mixing rod or if the local 7-11/coffee shop has them, wooden coffee stirrers.

[Supertom]

My most invaluable tool is The Internets, without which I'll never have had the pleasure of interacting with you lot  

On some visits to clinics or hospitals you may get a probe stuck in your ear to take your temperature. You'll notice that there's a plastic cover on it that's discarded after each use (you hope!). Over the years I've asked if I can have it and have never been refused, and now I've got a bunch of very versatile paint-stirrers. They are stiff enough to work most paints, if they've really got a lot of solid gunk on the bottom you can stiffen them by inserting a paintbrush handle.

Dave, just how often do you clean your ears?! 

[The Wooksta!]

My imagination.  And no, I'm not sharing it.

[Supertom]

My imagination.  And no, I'm not sharing it.

Would you at least share your Twiglets?

[The Wooksta!]

You can have them.  Can't stand the things. Or Doritos either. Rather eat cardboard.

[Supertom]

You can have them.  Can't stand the things. Or Doritos either. Rather eat cardboard.

I don't blame you on the Doritos.  I miss Hula Hoops though.  My dad used to get them from me at the NAAFI when I was a kid.  American versions don't quite taste the same (though still decent).

[The Wooksta!]

They've changed the flavour of the Cheese n Onion ones (it's horrid now) and got rid of the Prawn Cocktail ones (insert anglo saxon expletive here).  There was some nice flavour limited ones some years back but can't remember what they actually were.

Some years ago, the bait machine in the canteen at work went haywire.  Wouldn't accept any money but would give out the hula hoops. Me and one of the other lads cleared out the prawn ones.  Class!

Asda own brands ones are vile too.

[Dork the kit slayer]

For me this MUST BE A FIRST ; what in the great scheme of Spod the schemer are you lot on about?

[PR19_Kit]

For me this MUST BE A FIRST ; what in the great scheme of Spod the schemer are you lot on about?

TWIGLETS!  

[lancer]

For me this MUST BE A FIRST ; what in the great scheme of Spod the schemer are you lot on about?

TWIGLETS!  

YES!!!!!The preferred snack of the modelling gods...

I also find my hands are pretty invaluable tools as well. Bit blooday hard to do anything without them..

[Dork the kit slayer]

I also find my hands are pretty invaluable tools as well. Bit blooday hard to do anything without them..



You would do better models if you took off the boxing gloves first.......................oooooh!!! matron.

[The Rat]

Here's one of my favourite tools, an X-Acto retractable pen knife. I got it about 40 years ago and I'm still on the same blade! Since the blade is very thick it's useful for taking a good (but small) gouge or nick out of something without any flexing, and turning it over and back-dragging the point makes it useful as a scriber. I really should look into getting a new blade though:

[Hobbes]

Speaking of knives: I recently bought a stack of Swan-Morton blades. Previously I'd been using compatible blades from another brand. Turns out the Swan-Morton blades are 2x as thick and hence more durable; with the old ones I often had problems with the tip bending and becoming unusable after only a few cuts, the new one is still straight after a couple of weeks' use.