Hi there

Yes - you've guessed it; the inevitable follow up to the "Best" thread.

My vote for the last 12 months has to be a pot of Humbrol copper enamel! I don't know how, why or when they changed the formula, but this pot of cr*p totally clogged my airbrush and took hours to clean out! The particles are huge (it's more like glitter-paint), and I am extremely wary of Humbrol enamels now...

All the best

Rowan

My fingers.
Edgar

Side opening Revell boxes?

I keep hearing awful things about new Humbrol paint and I keep getting away with not experiencing it in person, so fingers crossed. The worst for me is glue that sets in the bottle. All varieties seem to do this - CA, PVA, acrylic - and I can't think of ways to stop it happening. It would help if I (i) didn't keep buying new varities to try, and (ii) built a little quicker so that I actually used the stuff occasionally - but still ...

Dremel drill press. I've never gotten a satisfactory vertical hole- the damn things always wobble when the when the bits hits the media. That said, I just bought a new one to fit the new-generation toll I've got. My wife needed it to drill wine corks for some craft projects- a task it was most suited to.

Not a chance! At least they're still quite robust when closed up. I've seen much flimsier side opening boxes that Revell's.

Here's a few that come to my mind. In no particular order:
- Games workshop paint bottles
The earlier screw cap was bollocks. Paint dried up in the bottle and any paint residue in the cap threads essentially glued it on. The current flip-top cap is a huge improvement, but still the paint tends to dry up in the bottle.
Their new line of washes has a different style bottle with a flip-top cap as well, but I can't comment on those as I haven't had them long enough yet to comment on the issue of drying-up paint.
I think I should get some Vallejo bottles for those metallics...

- Proedge hobby knife blades
I don't if I got a defective sample or what, but that one pack of #11 blades seemed dull right out the pack. I had had a Martor blade in my knife for a while and it seemed dull so I switched to a new proedge blade, and I couldn't tell the difference.

- The selection of drill bits usually included in drill sets
Well, this one is goes partly to the "my fingers" and "clumsy modeler" category, but I can't help but wondering why some drill sets have such dumb selections of bits. At the moment I got two of these sets, from which both I have broken the smallest 0.3mm bits. The sets have bits ranging from the aforementioned 0.3mm to 1.2mm (IIRC), and have two bits of each size. What's the point in that I have to ask! With perhaps only a single exception to the rule, the only size of drill bits I have broken are the 0.3mm ones. Why not include more of the ones that get broken most often?
A more reasonably selection IMO would something like one bit of each size down to 0.5mm, then two 0.4mm bits, and the rest 0.3mm. But then the company would sell less sets I suppose...

Instead of buying a single another such set, I think I'll rather order a bunch of dozen or two of just the 0.3mm bits from some online shop.

I think there's some more tools and accessories I have that need ranting about. I'll need to check and get back here!

Hi again

This could develop into a useful "things to avoid" thread.

My next contribution is this dreadful item:



The premise sounded great - accurately cut duplicate pieces.

The problem is, it doesn't cut very well and is hopelessly inaccurate!

I'm a sucker when it comes to being tempted by gadgets. I love them. They always promise "the answer"... But I've had this about ten years and you can tell from the dust on it how often it's been used! Why did I even bring it with me when I left London? Probably as a salutary reminder not to keep buying useless gadgets!

All the best

Rowan

I hate humbrol acrylics in airbrush (prefer in brush)

I'll try to use only Gunze or Model master acrylics


Cheers Nick

I have a tool that I use quite often, that will have some of you scratching your heads. It can be useful, or it can have you ordering spare parts in seconds. So it can be a best or a worst.

Belt sander.

Yeah, really. It can thin and take pouring blocks off resin in seconds. It can launch small parts across the woodshop floor. It can quickly reduce or melt plastic parts without fail. Love it or hate it, well, that is up to you.

I did the very same mistake with that chopper as you, Rowan. It works ok for very thin strips but for thicker +2mm, edges looks like slopes instead of 90 degre angles.

Cheers

Well put my fat ones in this catagory too. They always work better with any kind of tool in their grasp, but have them do a task on their own? Nope. They don't play well. Most are too bent and kinda numb from playing linebacker. Not complaining mind you, they just got used up too soon I guess. Wouldn't change a thing in my past if I could about that.
Product-wise, 90% of PE could go away and most of us would be better skilled modelers because of that.
Cheers!
Rick

My mission Models Etch-Mate PE bender hasn't seen much action on my bench.It could be me ,I have a hard time with PE,but this hasn't helped much.Glad I got it on E-bay a little cheaper then the going price.

That cutter is desinged to cut wood as far as I know

What kind of materials did you use to cut?


Cheers Nick

Hi Nick

To quote Amati's product description:

"Makes quick and accurate miter cuts in wooden or plastic strips and ensures that all cuts are identical.

Fully adjustable from 45° to 90°. Sturdy plastic and metal construction, assembles in minutes. Kit includes also some spare blades."

I bought it when I was scratchbuilding master patterns for aftermarket sets and tried it on both balsa and obeche wood, and thin styrene, and found it equally useless for all of them. The handle doesn't lock, so it's impossible to replicate cuts, and is mounted so sloppily that it moves every time you go to make the next slice. If you tighten it up enough to stop the handle wobbling hopelessly, the blade doesn't touch the cutting bed correctly. As Janne says, it cuts off the vertical on all but the thinnest materials.

It actually isn't even fully adjustable - as supplied the cutting bed prevents anything but nominally 45 or 90° cuts.

All the best

Rowan

Ok then


Cheers Nick

I had one of these sacks of crap ,utter pooh,save up and buy "the chopper" by NWSL, A MILLION TIMES BETTER!!!!