Advanced Hobby Tools You Need

Transcript*

Intro

Hey, Botsy the package man. What have you got for me today?

This gives me an idea for my next video. Thanks.

Hello all. This is David from Sunward Hobbies. Now, about a year ago, I released a video showcasing all the tools that one would need to get started in the hobby. Well, you’ve had a year of practice, so it’s time to stop babying you and introduce you to the tools that an advanced hobbyist would need.

So, follow me to the bench and I’ll give you a detailed rundown of all these glorious products.

Pince à épiler

First thing on the list is a pair of tweezers. Now, honestly, I probably should have mentioned this in the beginner’s video, but I’m mentioning it now, so get over it. A good pair of tweezers can pick up and hold on to small pieces. However, just be careful when picking up really small pieces as holding on too tight can make the piece disappear into the abyss, never to be seen again.

Masking Tape

Our next item, and it’s a very important one, is masking tape.

Masking tape acts as a shield to cover the portion of the model you don’t want painted. You would simply place it over the area that you don’t want painted, leaving a nice clean line.

CA Glue

Next item an advanced hobbyist like yourself will need is CA glue. Now, don’t get me wrong, plastic cement is wonderful, but that’s all it’s good for, plastic. If your model happens to have metal or resin parts, then this is not going to adhere to anything. That is where CA, otherwise known as cyanoacrylate, comes in. With just a tiny drop of this, you can adhere just about anything to plastic.

Photo Etched Bender

Now, we have a very important item, the most important item in the whole world, a photo bender. These are pretty self-explanatory. These are used to precisely bend photo-etched parts. Loosening the knob opens it up and tightening it clamps it back down.

Panel Scribers

Now I’m going to show you the most important tool you’ve ever seen. Panel scribers. These usually come in one of two forms. One with a fine point or one with a hook. Which one’s better? That’s your preference. These are used to scribe lines into plastic, which simulates panel lines on a machine. And this tool, this is so important that you just can’t live without it.

Pin Vise

Pin vise. Basically a hand operated mini drill. These serve the purpose of drilling holes into plastic. With these, you can attach pylons, bombs, or whatever other additional parts you would like to add to your model.

Rigging

So, we all know that politics are rigged. Well, so are plastic models. This is elastic rigging used to simulate radar antenna wires as well as bracing wires on old biplanes. And because they’re elastic, you can pull them and get a nice taut line. Like with photo-etch, the best glue to use for rigging is CA glue. So get it nice and taut and just sit it on the area where you applied the glue.

Wet Palette

Do you ever get annoyed by your paints drying on your palette? That is where a wet palette comes in. These are designed to keep your paints wet throughout a lawn painting session. You simply soak the included wipe. Place it in the included tray. Then apply one of the included paper sheets.

Now you can paint without interruption. You don’t have to stop to go to the bathroom. You don’t even have to stop to eat or sleep. Your father just passed away. The funeral can wait. Right now, you’re painting.

Polishing Compounds

And this next one is so important. It’s a three-part process. Polishing compound. These are paste designed to enhance shine on plastic. These can be applied with Q-tips or cloths. So, first you’re going to want to start with coarse. Then dab some of that on your plastic.

And I will be using a cloth. And in circular motions, you just want to buff that in there until the paste pretty much disappears. Now we’re fine. Much of the same. And lastly to top it all off, finish. And once again, same process.

Weathering Pigments

And now we move on to weathering products. Here I have pigments. These are pastel like powders used to simulate different kinds of weathering effects and finishes. Now you can apply these with either a sponge brush or a regular old used brush. You would simply take as much as you need and apply it to your surface.

Now, I kind of packed it on here, but it’s best to put it on lightly and build it up however much you want. But yeah, these can be used for anything from exhaust stains on aircraft to track rust on tanks.

Panel Washes/Liners

And another product an expert would never be caught dead without are panel washes. These are used to accentuate panel lines by darkening them or lightening them depending on the paint that is used on the model. Washes are available in either acrylic or enamel form. Although enamel is more preferred as enamel paint can stain the surface better than acrylic can.

So after your cleared coat has been applied, you would take some of your panel liner and just dip it into the line and let the compiler reaction fill the whole thing in for you. And if you have any mess when you’re finished, you can just take a Q-tip dipped in some enamel thinner and wipe off the excess.

Brush Cleaner

And the final product that an advanced hobbyist would need. After you’ve finished all your painting with your paints and weathering products and you’ve cleaned most of the gunk off of your brush, you will need to cleanse the bristles with some brush soap. And this acts just like hand soap. uh cleaning any dirt and debris left over on the paintbrush that you may not have gotten with uh an airbrush cleaner or Vallejo cleaner.

Now, this stuff actually is crucial to have as this prolongs the life of your brushes by keeping them clean and preventing you from having to constantly repurchase brushes. So, all you do is get some plain water, swish your brush in it a little bit, and swirl it around in the brush soap. And uh don’t uh brush it too hard. You don’t want to ruin the shape of your bristles. So, I like to do this uh spinning motion, then rinse it off in the water again, and dry it off.

Brush Conditioner

And as a bonus, if you have brushes like these with a pointed bristle, you can use some brush conditioning fluid to help retain the point in its shape. So you just dip some in there and gently rub it off.

Conclusion

In conclusion, that’s it. Those are some products I recommend for an advanced hobbyist to have in their repertoire. So, if you are a beginner and you feel you’re ready to take it to the next step, hopefully this video clarified some things for you and showed you exactly what you need to kick it up a notch.

And you can find all these products at Sunward Hobbies in store or online. So, thank you very much for watching.

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And until the next one, adios.
No, stop.
Please.

About the Author:

David Peckam has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.

*Video by David Peckham
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano