Hi there

I spent several happy hours today airbrushing with the Iwata TR-0 and Model Expo Spray-booth and thought to myself "This just rocks!" The TR-0 is the first airbrush I've actually enjoyed using in years (thanks (or should that be "no thanks"?) to a wonky hand) and the spray booth is coping astonishingly well with even the stinkiest of paints.

So, what are the most useful bits of gear you've added to your personal modelling arsenal over the last 12 months?

All the best

Rowan

Great question Rowan,
A few months back I got the UMM-USA Scriber. For me it's the best scriber out and I used a few. The scribed panel lines using this tool are sharp, crisp and not so wide as the other scribing tools.

This Christmas the family bought me a double action airbrush, after using it I can’t understand why I never thought of getting one sooner. The last 20 plus years I’ve used a simple cheap airbrush. I can only imagine what I could have achieved using my double action airbrush.

Happy Modeling,
Joe

One picture says more than a 1000 words:

One can never praise enough the Tamiya yellow masking tape! It is superb!

Hey Rowan .. just one tool??


Airbrush: I liked my Aztek 470(s) very much, but I also like my Gabbert Triplex .. different with different down sides and advantages. the new revell Aiorbrush cleaning set is also a nice thing to have. I agree on Tamiya (Kabuki) Tape, though the 40mm stuff is not as good as the others. Also the Aizu tapes are very nice as they come in different smaller sizes.. I bought one compressor in the early nineties and still use it. It will break down one day, but I hope it will work a couple of more years. Still I will try to get the new Revell airbrush box with a small compressor for work on the road/ when I am home with my parents...

Cutting: Tamiya Craft saw (the large 30 cm thingie) cuts through the thickest resin block like a charme. For smaller parts i like the JLC razor saws and the Hasegawa Trytool Scriber saws (I also use these for srcibing). BTW I did not find a comercial scriber that I am fully satisfied with. Lately I put a needle in an Exacto knife holder, which works very well but needs a bit of clean up. And of course the Exacto knife with a No.11 blade has to be in every toolbox. Xuron side cutters are the best I've ever used! (Xuron also has a great PE cutter that I use very often) ..also if you worked quite a while with short run kits you will like a motor tool (but not recommended to grind down resins and such stuff, which is very unhealthy .. see further down re respirators)

Glueing: I used to use Kibri liquid glue but it went out of stock and now it is Tamiya extra thin. Have to try some more super glues to find the perfect one. Someone wrote an article in Modelfan last year and used a "new(?)" Swiss brand that dries hard as plastic which will ease sanding and scribing .. still need to find that article again. I use gators glue for many smaller jobs now, PE instrument sandwich, clear parts, very small and delicat parts that are added after the model is pretty much finished.

Decals: Before I used Futur/Klear I used Micro Sol/Set which I found insufficient for many tasks. Then I used Daco (red, orange, green) which I liked but I also made a few mistakes. Since I use Klear as gloss coat Daco is not very usefull as it fogs Klear pretty badly. I started to use Klear as a decal agent and I was very successful with that. It is a bit tricky with larger decals. I bought the Tamiya decal pliers when they came out and I did not regret it.

Paint: I prefer acrylics over enamels just because of the drying time. These two are equally harmful (or less) so do not think acrylics are healthier (I do not wear respirators, because I do not like to have such stuff in my face .. I can only die one death). Gunze Flat clear is my favorite finish. I need to stock up a few before GSI Creos changes that formula too.

I bet I forgot some usefull tools as my different types of clamps or Maskol, Mr. Surfacer and Games Workshop primers, paint and washes (got some samples of the new Vallejo washes, we'll see how these turn out) ....

all the best

Steffen

Although I've had the JLC Saw for a couple years now, enough can't be said on how useful this saw is. I still have the old Airwaves saws, and really don't use them anymore.

I've also had the UMM-USA scriber for over a year, and it too is a must. The best thing about this scriber is the fact most surfaces you can use for scribing, scraping, or whatever.

Another scriber I really like is the RB Productions one. Different than the UMM-USA one, but I like it too because you use a standard X-Acto/Excel handle which makes it easier to handle than the UMM-USA one. In addition, it's better than the other non-UMM-USA scribers because it doesn't leave a ledge, easier to handle, and it's serated on one edge that one can use on round-ish surfaces.

I've also tried a couple of the RB Productions saws. The best one is curved, with the serations on the down-facing edge (if that makes sense - look at the link above for pictures of it). This really helps with removing resin parts from pour blocks, as well as removing control surfaces from aircraft. Nice! Again, advantages with these saws is you can use them in standard X-Acto/Excel handles.

I really like my airbrush, an Aztek 4709 single/double action brush. The only drawback is the heads are sort of sensitive and you have to replace them every so often. Otherwise it is a great, great tool and got me back into airbrushing about 11 or 12 years ago. That is my favorite tool. Russell

Hi Matt

I'd definitely go along with you on the RB Productions Scribe-R - apart from its excellent scribing, the serrated "blunt" edge is fantastic for restoring panel lines around curved joints. I used to use an old pen-knife, but this is far superior.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan,

That spray booth looks the dogs danglies, did you get it in the UK and how much was it? It has gone straight to the top of the want list. I haven't been able to spray any paint for weeks thanks to 'Global Warming' !!

Hi Steve

Yes, I got it in the UK from Model Hobbies. It was £62.10 and has been money very well spent.

All the best

Rowan

Thanks Rowan, now where's my wallet..?

Even if it sounds strange I like very much this Tamiya C.A.
http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM87091


Cheers Nick

Just the one Atlantic PE tool No1 I have a much more expensive pe bending tool but for those small parts I always go back to this small cheap tool.