discussion Tools......cheap or expensive????

[Guest]

Hello fellow modellers. I'm after your expertise opinions if you could help me. When it comes to tooling for plastic model making, would you go for cheap tools or the more expensive products? I don't want to waste my money on cheap tat if its not going to last.

Thanks in advance

Richard

 

[yak face]

Hi richard , welcome to the forum. Cheap or expensive ? well thats a difficult one. In certain cases it definitely pays to get quality stuff , craft knives , razor saws ,wet and dry sanding sticks etc, but with some stuff you can buy cheaper alternatives that do exactly the same job and save yourself a fortune.Check out the 'unconventional modelling materials ' thread in quick tips section for some great examples of money saving tips .When it comes to airbrushes and compressors then most people will say buy the best you can , but i personally do all my spraying through a cheap £13 airbrush (albeit with a top quality compressor) If youre after a load of stuff to get started then dont forget the online shop here , johns service and prices are second to none , cheers tony

 

[Guest]

Richard. Tony cracked it above in one.

Cheap or expensive does not for me enter the equation. I go for quality.

Actually there is little difference in cost between mediocre & quality except when you have to replace mediocre with quality.

One disadvantage with quality you cannot blame your tools.

Laurie

 

[Ian M]

One tool that it can pay to use a couple of extra bob on is tweezers. I had been using everyday buy at the supermarket tweezers. The amount of things that have been pinged across the room never to be seen again had to be seen to be believed. I folded a couple of weeks ago and bought some from the Scale models Shop. Never pinged a bit since. Well not with the tweezers.

As Laurie wrote price and quality don't always go hand in hand. I to would recommend a visit Johns Web shop. Great service and very competitive prices. Have a look and see for yourself.

Ian M

 

[Guest]

One tool that it can pay to use a couple of extra bob on is tweezers. I had been using everyday buy at the supermarket tweezers. The amount of things that have been pinged across the room never to be seen again had to be seen to be believed. I folded a couple of weeks ago and bought some from the Scale models Shop. Never pinged a bit since. Well not with the tweezers.As Laurie wrote price and quality don't always go hand in hand. I to would recommend a visit Johns Web shop. Great service and very competitive prices. Have a look and see for yourself.

Ian M

I would go along with Ian & add that all that I have bought & seen in John's Shop is quality, He has a good eye for spotting quality.

Laurie

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your help everyone. I've recently come back to the modeling world and some of my previous tools have vanished off the face of the earth!!!! I know that price doesn't always follow quality but when buying off the net, which I have to do unless I'm willing to travel miles to the nearest model shop, you can't tell the quality of the metal, for instance, how weak tweezers are or how course a file is. Ill certainly look on the shop on here. All I have to do is find some decent brushes. I used to hate the brush marks on big areas. Undecided between decent synthetic or good quality sable. Any preferences?

Richard

 

[Guest]

The amount of things that have been pinged across the room never to be seen again had to be seen to be believed.

easy remedy is to super glue some fine wet & dry to the inner side then trim them with a scalpel.

no pinging bits then

 

[stona]

All I have to do is find some decent brushes. I used to hate the brush marks on big areas. Undecided between decent synthetic or good quality sable. Any preferences?Richard

Brushes is one area where you are definitley better off spending a few bob extra. I've got a few natural brushes as well as some good synthetic ones. Both do the job they are designed to do. I have some Winsor and Newton brushes,whose bristles are a mixture of synthetic fibres,which are probably my most used brushes.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

Well my dad is an artist and recommended the SAA silver brushes that are supposedly the next best thing to sable at a reasonable price. Although I've never used them so wanted an opinion from someone that can verify how good a brush is.

 

[stona]

I've not used them. From memory I have synthetic brushes by Pro Arte and Winsor and Newton along with a set of sable brushes by (I think) Kolinsky. I'm sure I've got many other odds and sods in the cupboard

Most of my brush painting is fine detail work with brush sizes down to 0000 and the above all work well.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

Thanks Steve. I really appreciate your input. It's been so long since I've done it, I'm basically starting from scratch again, apart from taking it a lot more serious and taking my time more. So any help I get will be a great aid to future modelling.

Richard

 

[stona]

Well Richard there are many of us who have started again after a long break. Life tends to get in the way for a number of years before you find the time to have another go,hopefully more seriously and better resourced

You are certainly not alone. You will find a friendly,helpful bunch here who,whilst taking their modelling seriously,have not lost sight of the fact that first and foremost it should be fun.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

I'm glad. I've never been fond of forums but thought I'd give it a go, I'm glad I did and I can see this being a big part of my progress for a hobby I enjoy. Thanks again and anyone else who has any input is extremely welcome. I need all the help I can get

 

[mossiepilot]

Hi and welcome Richard, I only came back to modelling last year after about a thirty five year hiatus, and this forum has been the biggest help I could ask for.

As for your brushes, I use the medium priced synthetic ones, humbrol I think, I get them from Boyes, as I find that I need to replace them on a fairly regular basis as the bristles clog up with paint no matter how well I clean them. Also I have a few more pricey broad ones from the local art shop that I use less often for larger coverage jobs. But I started cheap and bought better as my skill improved.

Have fun with your builds mate.

Tony.

 

[Guest]

Thanks tony. I've used humbrol and didn't really get on with them. I'm going to try some of the SAA silver brushes to see how they go. Ill report back with my findings. I'm only 26 so I have a few years of model making ahead of me. Aim is to do as many WW2 planes that are in production as possible. I have my long list ready. Let the fun begin

 

[stona]

Aim is to do as many WW2 planes that are in production as possible.

If you are building in 1/48 or 1/72 that will be a very long list indeed

Steve

 

[Andy2035]

easy remedy is to super glue some fine wet & dry to the inner side then trim them with a scalpel.no pinging bits then

I never thought of using wet & dry, I used some heat-shrink on mine...

 

[Guest]

I never thought of using wet & dry, I used some heat-shrink on mine...

Heat shrink is better for shiney polished bits as the wetand dry "can" scratch them if you're not careful.

I've even got a couple of pairs that have fine sand super-glued to the tips which works well ...

Just ideas tranposed from my archaeology equipment ... you definitely don't want a 150 million year old bone pinging across the field

 

[Guest]

I wrap a thin piece of masking tape around the piece with one end longer in order to stick to a surface. Also makes it easy to see on the bench rather than be swept on the floor. Otherwise it begins the dreaded search with padded knee caps, magnifier thing on the head, a comb & wife with that silly saying "what are you doing there" and goes out laughing left. Returns right "have you not found it yet". !!!???1/1/1//*.

Laurie

Edit think I am talking about a different thing to you guys. You must get your act together !!!!

 

[Guest]

If you are building in 1/48 or 1/72 that will be a very long list indeed Steve

I'm building 1/72 and I know looking forward to my long journey