When building your model kits, using the right tools for the job can make all the difference between a fair look and an outstandingly great presentation. It's important to know what the basics are, so here's an essentials tool guide:

Cutters (Hobby Nippers):

cutter

This is the most essential tool any model builder will need in order to even begin assembly. The cutter is used to cut the plastic parts off the runners between the gates (where the part is attached to the runner).

The most basic cutters include D-22, and the Baby Nippers, while being very basic are durable enough to last a long time, though higher end examples such as the G-Hand can provide a cleaner, more efficient cut to minimize the use of other tools later on in the process at the cost of durability, needing higher maintenance.

cutter1 cutter2

Hobby Knife:

1

The sharp knives are used to cut away or trim excess plastic between parts such as flashing (streams of thin plastic on the edges) or nubs left over from the previous step's gates. Using a hobby knife is also recommended as a basic tool necessity in this regard or else some parts might have fitting issues, or have an unsightly appearance. These blades come in either short or long types depending on the modeler's preference on comfortableness on control.

knife1

Sanding sticks/Sand paper/Files:

sanding sticks 2 sanding sticks

They are used to clean and refine the surfaces of plastics, often used to level out gauge marks from excessive cutting (White marks) or to give the part a polished look. While this isn't necessary in the building process, sanding and polishing your kits will give it an overall cleaner, nicer finish than leaving it plain.

The norm approach is to start off with the lower grits, such as anything between 300 to 600 as they are the roughest and are perfect for removing the surfaces of plastic to even it out. Then move onto and work your way upto the higher grits, such as 800-1000-1200 to smooth out the surface even more. Grits between 3000 - 10,000 are used for polishes.

Sand sticks come in two types:

Hard - Great for fixed straight edges.

Soft - Great for curves as they can contour to the shape required.

Sandpaper meanwhile can flex all around in anyway giving you more control, however it is easier to go overboard with sanding this way unless you are remain focused.

sand1 sand2

Tweezers:

tweezer

They are mainly used to pick, hold and apply stickers that are used on the model. They're narrow points allow them to squeeze into small and delicate spaces between certain areas to apply the sticker.

They can also be used to hold onto small and delicate parts while cleaning up the pieces using the other tools.

tweezers1 tweezers2 tweezers3

Cutting Mat:

cutting mat 2 cutting mat

Cutting mats offer a great surface to build your model on. They provide protection to your work space from various tools when working on a model. You don't want to get any scratches on your desk from a knife, trust us...

Most if not all of them have scale marks on the edges for precise measurements or angles of varying degrees and grid lines for references, which comes in useful especially when cutting or modifying parts.



We hope that this guide will give you a basic understanding of some tools and accessories to further develop your skills and progress into the hobby. Have fun assembling those awesome models and as always, think outside the kit ;)