Radu Brinzan never ceases to amaze me, not only on account of his talent a as a master modeller, but for his sheer imagination in devising new modelling tools. The latest is a new style of scriber. Well, two styles really, because this is 2-in-1 tool that is rather unique and works equally effectively in two completely different ways.

But, back to basics - what does the Scribe-R consist of? A small heavy duty etched steel fret contains:

1 x blade holder
3 x scribing blades

After spending a minute or two separating the holder and a blade from the fret and cleaning off any remaining attachment burrs, it's time to assemble the gizmo.

The blade fits into a slot in the tip of the holder. Then you must bend it along engraved lines until two tabs line up with another slot in the body of the holder. The bend is fool-proof and precise and you are left with a strange looking device almost like a futuristic quill pen.

At this stage it's very flimsy, but the magic happens when you fit it into the cross-jaws of an X-Acto style tool handle. Now the reason for the cruciform shape becomes clear and everything becomes rock solid.

In use

The Scribe-R's tip is at a very natural angle and proved instinctive to use. Drawing it lightly towards you, it produces a fine scribed line, removing a swarf of material as it goes with little tendency to snag or "dig in". It's easy to steer around curves and the tool itself is small enough to get into hard to reach corners. For delicate work it's far superior the fabled P-Cutter, and I must say that on the basis of a few tests I prefer the Scribe-R to my usual favourite Tri-Tool and Bare Metal scribers.

Turning tool over, the back of the blade holder forms another style of scriber. It's very lightly serrated and running it back and forth produces a fine engraved line. Again, it's easy to control and, with its back and forth motion, is virtually impossible to snag. One obvious application is to run it across the back of a fuselage or a wing leading edge where engraved detail has been lost in sanding. I'd normally use a razor saw for this, but the Scribe-R's edge is far safer and less likely to go too deep.

Conclusion

Radu deserves to be onto a winner with his Scribe-R. It's a great tool; affordable, and simple to use. For most scribing tasks I think my existing collection of tools are likely to stay in the drawer now. Highly recommended.

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