5 ESSENTIAL tools (and how to use them better!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
- Got your own suggestions for tools or a follow-up video? Let us know below!
All the tools used in this video: elementgames.c...
store.artis-op... - Our full range of brushes
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Space Marine tutorials:
Ultramarines (Airbrush + Drybrush + Wash synergy): • How to paint Ultramari...
Dark Angels (high tabletop drybrush armour): • How to paint DARK ANGE...
Salamanders (high tabletop drybrush armour): • How to paint Salamande...
Black Templars (ultra-crisp drybrush+wash armour): • How to Paint BLACK TEM...
Imperial Fists (artistic purple shadow drybrush armour): • INDOMITUS How to paint...
Space Wolves (our take on Space Wolf Grey): • Space Wolves Painting ...
Vehicle tutorials:
Space Wolves: • How to Paint Warhammer...
Turquoise Tanks (alpha legion overclocked rhino): • How to Paint a Space M...
Star Wars Legion AAT: • How to paint: AAT Batt...
Large Miniatures:
AMAZING Great unclean one in 3 hours with Drybrushing: • INSANE Great Unclean O...
Fundamental/Basic army level Techniques:
How to Control GW Texture paints (e.g. Agrellan Earth): • GW Texture Paints Unlo...
Black Armour: • PAINT BLACK ARMOUR LIK...
Leather 3 ways: • How to Paint Leather F...
White 3 ways: • Painting white miniatu...
Gold 3 ways (bonus advanced gold): • How to Paint GOLD: FAS...
Yellow 4 ways: • How to Paint Yellow Wa...
Assembling, converting, and painting Forgeworld (Rogue Idol): • Re-posing an Orruk Rog...
Paint Realistic Flames - with DRYBRUSHING!: • How to Paint FLAMES an...
Chipping using AK Interactive Products: • Easy Chipping effects ...
Terrain:
Glowing 40k/SF Terrain: • How to paint 40K terra...
Glowing/firey/endless spells: • Paint all GLOWING Terr...
Dungeons: • Game Changing MODULAR ...
Grey Walls: • How to paint terrain D...
Upgrade those Grey walls with enamel washes in 3 quick steps!: • Upgrade ANY terrain in...
Glowing Green GHOST WALL: • Drybrush Striking Glow...
Synthwave Purple/Pink Wall: • Drybrush Fluorescent G...
Yellow Shipping Container: • PAINTING YELLOW MADE E...
Texture paint (agrellan) Basing Drybrush Scheme tutorials:
Mars/Desert Basing (quick, 'warm' basing): • How to Paint QUICK & E...
Cracked Lava Base: • How to Paint Volcanic/...
Grimdark (cool grey): • How to paint High qual...
Huge bases fast (airbrush, drybrush, wash): • How to Paint Big Bases...
Icy Bases: • How to paint Icy Tundr...
Basing Tutorials:
Metallic Sector Mechanicus 3 ways: • Simple Sci-Fi Industri...
Build a Scenic Base fast (with greenstuff and a rock!): • BUILD a better base fo...
Paint your Scenic Base - Spooky Basing: • How to Paint a Moonlit...
Limestone Basing: • How to base miniatures...
In this video Byron’s using the Artis Opus Brushes!
Series D: These high-quality brushes are perfectly designed for stippling, smudging, drybrushing, buffing, and even edge-highlighting. store.artis-op...
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XL Series D: store.artis-op...
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Music: Bensounds
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Got your own suggestions for tools or a follow-up video? Let us know below!
All the tools used in this video: elementgames.co.uk/paints-hobby-and-scenery/element-essentials/egaps/artis-opus-bundles/byron-recommends
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I used to use the same plastic glue as you did, but then was able to change to Tamiya extra thin and have never looked back, to me the brush applicator is just so much cleaner. Also you can buy two bottles and turn one into sprue goo, which is another life safer for filling in smaller gaps on models (I often use the sprue goo instead of glue for gappy connections where it needs to be smooth, such as ones on cloaks or shoulderpads).
Additionally, for gun based armies, I would say a hobby drill is also essential, I can't live with my barrels undrilled!
How do you make and use sprue glu? And the brush applicator is so nice!
@@FlinginFu throw in the pieces of the used sprue and wait until the acetone mix in the cement glue dissolves plastic - after throwing in a few pieces you'll get your own sprue goo
Agreed, a pin vice & an assortment of tiny drill bits is essential - both for drilling gun barrels, and making holes for pinning models to bases or adding pins to poory-supported joins
Me too! I totally agree!
Old-school model railroader here, recently exposed to mini painting. I consider a good set of dental tools essential. Ask your dentist for any used/broken dental tools. There are scrapers, gougers, picks, etc. in many shapes that I use all the time for scoring lines, applying a pin-point of glue, pricking a starting hole for drilling, and SO much more. My dentist had a large box full and let me pick out a dozen. For FREE (well, the cost of a dental visit...)
And as for a different way to use tools I don't hear much anymore, it has to be using the BACK edge of an Xacto to scrape seam lines. It is very aggressive and can really hog away the material, but if that's what you're looking for, it'll do it. Then the sharp edge can be used gently to clean up the work and the sanding stick/sponge for finishing.
Great tip on the round blade...I need to give that a try. Fingers crossed for the give-away. I've coveted a nice set of dry-brushes for a long time now...
I was going to mention the dental tools. My wife used to work in the dental field and gave me a bunch of handy tools.
Mine supplied me with a full set of root canal files (sterilised after my root canal work)
They're brilliant as micro twist drills for plastic and balsa.
Blue handle Godhand clippers, best $55 you’ll spend on hobby tools. Do NOT, without thinking, cut a paperclip with them to use as a pin because they will break. Then they actually cost $110.
Love this, so true!
This. I also suggest making warning labels to stick on your sprue cutters to help stop you doing that without thinking. Especially if you're of the ADHD persuasion.
I abused a Xuron cutter like this but was able to file it back to a sharp, straight edge so they're not gone forever, just in need of repair. The problem (soft dent-able metal) is the solution (soft, file-able metal!)
I find the tamiya cutters to be on par and way cheaper.
Yeah I have really enjoyed the godhand clippers once I got them.
Couple tips - Tamiya glue, then refill your applicator bottles. It's very liquid if you get the thin glue, but totally worth it.
for scraping off lines, the back of a blade is sometimes better f it's only a light touch needed. I like sanding sticks too but find that I'm more familiar and comfortable with knives - just used them more through my life.
Getting an inexpensive set of clippers is also a good idea. Even nail clippers, to avoid messing your fine cutters. Godhand is of course there, but Knipex are also excellent. Unfortunately in the same price range - mine don't get used for anything except fine work.
I LOVE tip #1! Such a good idea. Thanks for all of them, great points
I would love to see more D&D focused models and painting techniques.
I love your videos. Your painting techniques have really clicked with me and really helped me out as a model painter.
Thanks so much buddy, what style of minis? Dragons? I never need mych encouragement for monsters:).
That's always amazing to hear, our pleasure
@@ArtisOpus yeah, my favourite thing to paint are monsters/dragons.
I'm doing a 72mm scale griffin currently and am wondering what to do with the feathers.
Firstly, a nice big cutting mat is essential. Secondly, 5mm wide sponge sanding sticks are a game changer. Bonus tip: use a tamiya cement brush with very little liquid on it to melt little plastic shavings from scraping with an exacto. Great video Byron, keep it up!
I would love to see more videos covering model assembly. With the push fit Warhammer figures you can often be left with quite visible gaps and I'd love to see you cover some methods of the best ways in dealing with them. Thanks.
I think this is a very intelligent approach, they are a bit of an irreversible trap aren't they
I used to simply cut away the pegs but I have since found a better method. Insert tip of a mold line remover into the socket and twist it couple of times to make the hole slightly wider and ensure better fit.
Nine times out of ten the answer is to snip off the connecting peg so they’re no longer push fit, and just glue them together like any regular model. Although I do tend to leave the pegs in place for Space Marine arms, those aren’t usually too tight and they really do help to guide you into connecting at just the right angle. And as a bonus they’re easy to pop off again after priming if you’re trying to paint aquilas that would otherwise be hidden behind bolters.
would like to see more done with the sprugoo what all it can be used for....thank you since watching you...luv to dry brush EVERYTHING✌️👍🧡‼️
Amazing! Fav size Series D?
Silicone soldering mat is fantastic for prep work! It protects the desk. Since it has high friction small parts don't roll around or of the desk. It is also a bit static so plastic dust stick to it, and thar washes of easy with water and som dish detergent. Also most of them have a bunch of wells/pockets to sort a lot of small parts while assembly. (Dont use for cutting)!
Not thought of this before, smart! 🙏
Nice, great idea 💡
And you can ones with edge ridges and little part indentation grids that I find helpful for small parts during assembly.
Additionally, sprue goo / green stuff / milliput don’t stick to silicone, so it’s a handy surface when sculpting
Ok, a couple of tips; maybe there's someone out there who hasn't already heard them.
One is to use a piece of board, foam core, suchlike about twice the size of your paint or glue, and stick your bottle to it with double-sided tape - helps to stop you knocking it all over your hobby desk. We've all done it.
If you're feeling fancy, add a layer of foam/xps or similar with a cut out sized for the bottle - I've done this for my Tamiya Extra Thin and it's saved me from disaster a few times. I can knock that bottle across the desk and it still stays upright.
Another tip is to use superglue/CA mixed with talc/baby powder for gap filling; hardens a lot quicker than sprue goo and can be sanded or filed to a decent finish. Don't use actual asbestos-ridden talcum, obviously, but whatever baby powder is made out of seems to work. Bicarb works too, sprinked dry into the gap then set with thin superglue, but I tend to avoid using that where I would need to sand it as it isn't easy to remove.
Oh, and bonus tip; if using superglue and an accelerator, put the superglue on one of the surfaces you're sticking, and accelerator on the other. Instant bond. You don't need to buy expensive toxic accelerator either, just mix hot boiled water and bicarb about 50/50 by volume and put it in an atomiser spray bottle.
Excellent video, Byron, by the way. All those are absolute essentials. On the subject of knives, I use Swann Morton scalpel blades in four retractable handles, I have a standard blade, very pointy blade, curved blade 😉 and a small chisel blade. I'm probably going to get another handle and put a hook curved blade on that for scraping away seams on curved surfaces. All of them are kept on my desk within easy reach so I can grab whichever is best for the task.
Everything I recommend has been covered by another comment, but for a tangentially related topic- I recently started using a dremel wire brush to strip metal models. You ABSOLUTELY need some sort of mask and it will eat up plastic, but I have gotten pretty-soaked models cleaner than I ever could have imagined.
Always happy to see more hobby basics videos.
I have a set of Erem swiss electronic cutters that are perfectly flat on the backside and cut flush, gained them from a job years ago. I also have used Revell glue since a kid exclusively and really like the needle point but i recently picked up some tamiya extra thin and its possibly slightly better than revell if a little smellier.
I also use the Revell for assembly, but I use Tamiya Thin as a way to remove scrap and moldlines I missed. Just leave a very small amount of glue on the brush and they will melt away!
And speaking of melting - if you use Vallejo Plastic Putty, that stuff is, in fact, plastic and thus you can use plastic glue on it. You can glue it, harden it and even mix it on the spot to make a mass akin to the infamous sprue glue.
I can second (or... hundredth, because lots have agreed already) the nice sprue nippers. General cutters leave massive gouges because they squeeze the sprue rather than cut. I also just went with the Dspaie (or however it's spelled) and it was fantastic.
Also, there's one other VERY important thing that doesn't help at all... until it does. Plain white carpet. I'm stuck with a speckled carpet. I can't count the hours lost to looking for that tiny grenade or head that I just dropped. Big white sheet as a drop cloth also works!
Also, I'm up for more assembly stuff. Specifically green stuff/milliput work for the non-sculpters, and any sprue goo tips.
Shout out to the rounded knife blade! It came in my cheap xacto box and I didn't even know it existed beforehand but now I can't hobby without it
Our cult has more members than I expected! 😅🙏
The Dspaie nippers are awesome and cheap compared to god hands. God hands are sharper but you cant go wrong with the Dspaie 3.0 nippers.
Sprue goo is surprisingly helpful with glueing and gap filling. A lot of people use tamiya cement to make it but you can use their paint thinner as well.
A sanding board is super helpful if you’re trying to keep a surface flat or keep an angle. The sanding sponge can round corners so choose based on the look you’re going for.
Fantastic tips, can't disagree with any!
Great video, I also use an old pair of clippers for metal and chunky forge world sprues so I don’t ruin my nice ones
Good.point... you only need to learn that lesson once 😅😬
My best tool is... Patience! Holding glued pieces together even 10 seconds longer than you would normally makes a huge difference. Reminded of your Deathwing Terminator video on how to immediately improve painting with basic techniques - just take more time!
Would love to see more assembly videos, especially using Green Stuff + Milliput (the two mixed is even better!) and conversions.
Tamiya extra thin glue is my go-to. The x11 blade idea was new, and I’ll give that a go!
Enjoy!
Great video and I think you got the main things. Some additional ideas for me would be the following. Drill with some good quality bits is really nice addition, better quality bits can make such a difference. Hobby saw with a nice high number of teeth per inch makes such a difference for cutting if you don't mind the loss of material. Steel ruler if you are working with plasticard or kitbashing (preferably with scored rather than printed markings). Also clamps (including the humble peg) and I do find myself reaching for a pair of needle nose locking pliers regularly which i include in this area. Finally a good strong spudger and white tac type putty are also really useful.
Oh and definitely move building and kitbashing vids.
I use a tamiya pin vice as it has a 3.2mm shank. Then just use gunpla drill bits all with the same shank. saves loads of time switching collets.
I use all the mentioned items. I sometimes stick a toothpick into the foam sandpaper to stiffen it up a lil bit. Works a treat
I wouldn't be without my swan Morton scalpels. Have one handle that I've had for about 40 years 😂 Wouldn't be without some hobby clamps/clips as well. Though would appreciate a video about ways to use them effectively
My go to kit for on the go,
Steel ruler, gel super glue, Olaf ratchet knife, xacto knife, sand paper, sanding sponge, gsw green putty and uv resin and my little torch for gap filling, my hardware store buy hand drill and little drill bits with cut up paper clips for pinning
I use Swan Morton blades( straight and curved ) and a scalpel and have never had the dragging on a sharp blade. Tamiya Extra thin is my go to glue. And sprue goo for filling. Agree with the clippers and sanding sponge though. Building and converting vids are sexy.
I think tack (not saying the brand) is a must. Helps when doing sub assemblies to get an idea of if it's worth flying yet.
But could you do a vid on non plastic models, metal,resin etc. There's not much info out there regarding assembly on anything that isn't plastic. Oh and thanks for the vid!
Good points and suggestions as ever bud, I couldn't live without tack!
Sorry, not sure why I typed "flying" that should have said gluing
I'd be lost without my secret supply of "tack". Has to be secret or the missus and kids nick it. Sub assemblies, painting handles, stuck on the edge of a shelf so that my brushes can dry point down.
I'd love to hear you talk about scuplting in general. Not necessarily just green stuff!
Sprue Goo (Tamiya Thin with sprue pieces dissolved in it): I find this to be amazing because you can use it both as a glue and gap filler. If you have a large gap after gluing, you can fill with Sprue Goo and then clean up any extra afterwards just like you would anything else on a model using the tools Byron suggested. For small gaps or lines created from gluing two pieces together (such as the two halves of a weapons for a 40k knight), you can use Sprue Goo in place of the glue and then use a little regular Tamiya Thin to help smooth it out before doing a final sanding. Also, when making it you can create your own thickness that works best for you by adjusting how much sprue you mix in.
I'm a relative newbie, started only a few months ago, think my most essential tool is a pair of TWEEZERS! I find small models with many parts can be quite fiddly; a pair of precision tweezers are great for helping reach/assemble small bits/areas, I have a straight pair and an angled pair, both get used... a lot!
(also, always keep some toothpicks and cotton buds handy too, great for precision application of glue and mopping up overspill!)
Sprue goo, is a must for me! As well as rubber tipped sculpting tools.
Agreed! Do you think people know about this stuff less than they used to though (sculpting)
Green Stuff is a good replacement for glue on poseable parts. Long working time and sticks well, even when you try different angles/poses.
Amen to that! Always keep it in the freezer to keep it fresh :)
I wouldn't use revel contacta over Tamiya extra thin
Swan Morton scalpels are far better Exacta style knife handles, if only because they don't roll off the bench, curved blades are really good for scraping mould lines away
Hard sanding sticks are better than sponges for curved surfaces because when used correctly, they don't put unwanted "flats" on the surface.
Lastly
Black flexible superglue (flexi 5k by VMS is what i use) is brilliant at filling seams and gaps
It's been mentioned several times for different reasons but Tamiya extra thin is a must have for high level assembly. It's perfect after sanding to ensure a smooth finish as it literally melts the plastic together, the brush makes application easy and once you've used half the bottle you get to make sprue goo
Totally agree on Godhands being a critical piece of kit, but Tamiya extra thin plastic glue with brush applicator is the only glue. Cork board for building up bases, green stuff on hand for both gaps and customization. 1mm brass rods for pinning beefy bits. I’ve also been an x10 guy for a couple of years.
NOW, pretty pretty please help me upgrade m dry brushes (aka wife’s old make up brushes) and texture pallet! 😂
HAA, I think it might be time for you to try some 'forever brushes' 😅.
store.artis-opus.com/
We ship worldwide, let us know if you need any specific advice in another comment, replies get lost.
Can't disagree with your list at the top, I guess we need a second stage of tools, all of these are at my desk for sure
A couple:
1) Tamiya extra thin as a cement.
2) Tamiya regular cement for thicker pieces or small terrain.
3) Tamiya extra thin fast drying for assembling Aeldari/elves (anything with really thin pieces, like flayed ones)
4) cheap model glue in the tubes, for terrain.
5) refill the first empty tamiya bottle with sprues to make sprue goo.
And
6) Tamiya airbrush cleaner/mr tool cleaner 400, refill your tamiya thin cement with these at a fraction of the price.
I'm keen on a worn out sanding stick or two because I find them a bit less fiddly and more compatible with my dodgy ligaments than a sponge strip but I'll give it a bit of practice. Gotta get me a rounded scrapey though 👍
Rounded scrapey is life! Best 5quid hobby spend ever :)
Ninjon mentioned the sanding sticks in a video, I went looking and found the sponges instead. Glad to see I made a good decision in buying them
Sponges all the way! I'm willing to go to war over this 😅
Something that I use every time I use my scalpels is a small piece of skin that I have glued to an MDF plate with the flesh side up and a little dab of Autosol Metal Polish (I bought my tube about 18 years ago and I think it will last long after I'm gone) and run the scalpel blade back and forth on it, it keeps the edge sharp longer. Poster putty is also something that I always have nearby when I build models, for many reasons, partly because if I want to test out different parts such as arms, heads, etc., but also to hold parts together when I glue them, then is very flexible so you can fit the parts the way you want them and then separate them add glue and put them back while you wait for the glue to do its thing.
1. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Arguably the biggest QoL improvement in my model making. Precise application thanks to the brush, and when the bottle's halfway done, buy a new one and turn the half-full one into sprue goo for gap filling by mixing in chopped up sprues till it gets, well, gooey!
2. Tamiya Sanding Sponge 1000 grit. I'd honestly argue you don't really need a higher grit; I used to use very high grit polishing papers and now mostly stick to the 1000 Tamiya sponge. Also you can use the back of it to polish the surface of your mini once you're done sanding.
3. A toothbrush. Get a cheap toothbrush (ideally unused but I won't judge) with soft bristles and you now have the ultimate tool for brushing off any plastic dust and dry glue from your mini. Be gentle!
4. Needle files. Very high grit ones are hard to get/expensive but so long as you're careful these things can be a revelation for getting parts to fit or scraping a mold line from somewhere even a hobby knife can't get to (like the little holes in Nighthaunt shrouds). Try to get a variety of shapes or a set, as each have different uses.
I would like to see more on how to deal with broken or damaged models during assembly. Whether that's with plastic glue, super glue, green stuff, pinning or any other ways or combinations.
The citadel files are actually pretty decent i start with them then finish up with 2000-2500 grit Tamiya/DSPIAE sandpaper i double tape to toothpicks for precise sanding.
Rubber bands are a handy tool when assembling tanks as they'll save you from having to hold them while the glue dries.
Appreciate the attention to curved blades! I find it's easier for me to use a curved one to even get normal mold lines, I can control the point of contact more easily and avoid accidentally scraping the wrong place. I'm also a clumsy person, so consider trying this way
Amen to all of that!
Handlers, drill and drill bits are interesting tools to cover. And magnifying lenses or googles (some of us are getting older hehehe).
I think magnifiers is definitely worth some proper discussion, there's a lot of choice and even more bad options
@@ArtisOpus this would be a huge help 👍
I mostly use sprue glue to fill gaps. I sometimes use liquid green stuff, and the cleanup is much easier with that, but I find it often requires several layers as it seems to shrink on drying.
For scraping, I actually just use an old fruit knife which fits nicely in my hand. The sanding sponges are great.
Regarding the Revell glue: I recently rediscovered a pot (?) I had left in a box for about 15 years, and the needle hadn't clogged. I was somewhat surprised not to have to get out a lighter at all.
Definitely want to echo what many folks have said, Tamiya Extra Thin. I find the brush applicator more precise and using a 2nd pot to make sprue goo is definitely a plus.
I keep three x-acto knives at my paint station, one #10, one #11, and almost as importantly the ever overlooked #12 which is really nice for scraping the smallest bits and sticky out bits you cant get at with the nippers. In addition to my sponge files I also keep a popsicle stick with two different grits of sandpaper glued to either side then cut them into thin strips lengthwise. The popsicle stick files are good when you need a little extra pressure, and I usually keep much rougher grits on them (400 ish) for again when that extra oomf is needed.
Another superb video Byron , I tend to use swan Morton scalpel with both curved and straight blades, but the one thing I’ve always used is o.5 mm copper wire and 0.5 mm drill bit to connect models together when I am kit bashing or converting a figure , the copper wire is strong but flexible so you can bend it to the right angle you need …oh and white Millie put … 😊
The round blade convert I might look into using as a moldline remover and gentle scraping tool. Most of what's shown is useful.
That's a good video, nice line cut on the sanding sponge.
Really good to see you highlighting how to make best use of your tools. When you combine good technique with good tools you get great results. Good tools alone don’t make your results noticeably better, but they do help with the warm and fuzzy feelings when you reach for them 😊.
Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is a great hobby glue.
Apoxie Sculpt is, in my opinion better than Milliput or Green Stuff because even though they all do the same job, Apoxie Sculpt comes in two separate sealed containers and so doesn’t seem to spoil in the way that the others do when stored for a while.
UV cure resin is a really useful additional tool for gap filling. Do wear latex/nitrile gloves though as it can cause allergic skin reactions and lasting sensitivity.
As always, love the videos and techniques that you share. Cheers Byron.
I like the x-18 blade it’s almost like a flexible chisel for using to remove minis from bases etc, I also like a tooth water flossed when stripping minis after I soak and scrub with a brush give it a blast over an old washing up bowl with a cheap or old waterpik and it gets all the material out of the hard to reach areas!
I always use the 11 blade but will give the 10 a try. I have a pair of precision snips that I love. They are smaller than normal ones and can get into smaller spaces.
A low powered rotary tool is pretty useful, can get a high-grit sanding head for removing excess glue or plastic, and a small drill bit for gun barrels.
Tamiya extra thin glue is also excellent, along with Milliput for modeling bases etc'.
More modelling videos would be really useful though 🙂
Very fine rounded file - flat on one side, semi circle on the other - I’ve used it on thousands of models as it’s so versatile, letting you do concave surfaces with ease. Finish off if necessary with your 2500 soft grit paper.
I lost my one of these, the GW ones were actually great!
Tamiya extra thin glue has become my top essential tool, that and a good set of clippers I think make the biggest difference to getting a model in the best shape for painting.
Something like Vallejo water based filler is a must have for any filling needs, just wipes away with a dampened cotton bud!
Decent clippers, gap filler (milliput +/- alcohol, sprue goo, or UV resin, whatever you prefer), and sanding sticks will cover 99% of my needs.
I have a hobby knife but honestly don't use it most of the time, sanding sticks are just so good.
I really like the Tamia extra thin glue with the brush, I'm a brush enjoyer over the little nozzle. I find it easier at times to get the glue where I want it.
Also godhand have a sanding sponge assortment pack that's cheap as on Amazon.
I bought a 8x10 steel (so it will be magnetic) metal sheet from the hardware store to sit on my paint desk.
I picked up some Magnetic Bendable Alligator Clip Sticks that I use on it. The clips are bendy and are great for sub assembly painting and for construction (since you can make sure the part(s) are oriented just the way you want them. And when I put them on the steel sheet they stay where I put them.
I also put my paint handles (magnetted Redgrass) on the sheet so they don't fall over when I set them down. Has saved me frequently heartbreak from falling models and broken parts.
Some duct tape around the sheet edges keeps the sharp edges from cutting fingers or scratching my desk.
I frequently use wood glue as a gap filler. It is easy to handle and non toxic, dries clear like Elmers (white) glue. The nice thing is that wood glue doesnt shrink near as much as a normal white glue. You can use a fingers to smooth it and shape it as you like when wet and then the excess scrapes or sands easily and cleanly when cured.
just bought my first hobby knife from Element Games, the first thing I managed to cut was myself hahaha, great product, the to start doing things the right way, thanks for the advice Bryon!
Most common tool I use, is sprugoo; then followed up with overgluing. Then i clean the joint exactly as you described in your video. Blade then sanding sponges.
I start at 1000 and depending on if it's part of an army or a one-off display. I'll work my way down to 3000 or lower.
Great tips!
Straight hobby blades have scrapers on the reverse side of them. It’s so you don’t blunt the sharp side. Have you never noticed that there is a different “texture” that runs up half the length of the blade starting from the tip? Scrape mold lines with the back of the blade. You just have a blade at an angle and you are golden. You can kind of see it if you pause at 3:53
-Superglue+baking soda is great for sandable gap filling - especially on resin or metal minis.
-A pen drill/pin vise and a box of paperclips are perfect for pinning parts together or separating things out for sub-assembly work.
-Sort your pieces for your bits box AS they come off the sprue!
-Always be knolling!
All of this is A1 dude, really solid tips
tamiya airbrush cleaner (its the same as their thin poly cement but cheaper and in much greater quantity) , Sanding sticks, so helpful for fine resin models. Love my wow stick, excellent for pinning and drilling bolter barrels and oddly enough, a silicone fidget popper, makes an awesome pallet for my paint and so easy to clean!
Clear UV resin with a UV flashlight has become my go to for filling gaps.
A video on fixing assembly mistakes would be very useful, using things like sprue-goo and green stuff to fix overclipping or chopping things off by accident (looking at you Lumineth and Necrons with your tiny flimsy parts).
I've started using a cheap headband magnifier when assembling too, don't know why I didn't think of using it before when building things with lots of little accessories that only fit in a very particular position in a hard to reach area of the model.
I never thought of using rounded blade, will have to check that one out. I would love a video on spure glue. I always seem to have issue with it. I have found a pair of metal snips for about $3 or so, that works amazing at clipping models out. They come to a nice cutting edge, and I can get up close to the model when I clip them out.
Some really great advice. I am definitely going to try the X10 blades in my hobby knife. I never even knew they existed. I've never tried those Godhand clippers, but the best price vs performance I have found are the AK Interactive Plier Cutting Tool. They only cost 10,95€. They are amazing. I originally bought them as a throw away pair, but they became my favourites.
I have at least five craft knives on my bench, two straight blades two curved blades, one chisel. Modelling back cut saw is a life saver at times
True! I get a surprising amount of use out of a junior hacksaw, especially when I used to make artistic unit bases for warhammer fantasy units
I like to use Vallejo Plastic Putty for some gap filling applications. As you are squeezing it through a nozzle you are able to fill gaps in very awkward places that would be a nightmare to apply greenstuff or spruegoo. My other little hobby hack is for magnetising models - I have a piece of sprue with a magnet glued on each end in opposite polarities. One labelled ‘body/hand’ the other ‘arm’ this means I can always make sure my magnets are glued into models with the correct polarity.
Love that second one!
Rounded blades are great!
Use all the tools you mention, love my godhand, its been maybe the best semi expencive tool iv gotten besides an airbrush:)
Having a spool of steel wire and a drill for pinning and sub assemblies is really nice! Keep up the good work on the video tips😊
I would love to see videos on pinning and gap filling!
Noted!
A good quality pair of angled tweezers is a must for me, and practice how to use them, essential for anyone with fat fingers like me when assembling those smaller parts of some kits.
Cheap dental tool kit from Temu, I find myself using it more and more.
Tamiya extra thin cement, absolute game changer for me, I used to use the same revel precision but the Tamiya has been amazing after a friend recommended it.
+1 on the Tamiya airbrush cleaner for value glue, but downside is no brush with the container. I have had good luck with cheap synthetic paintbrushes, with the added benefit of ultra precision application. Glue hasn't melted the ones I have used. Also, I now prefer scalpel blades in quantity over hobby blades. Same price or cheaper and noticably sharper. They come in an assortment of shapes similar to the hobby blades. The blades for #3 scalpel handle fit nicely in all my standard hobby handles.
yes more building!!! also how you would magnetise a model, drilling, putty, painting etc 😇 great job though thanks
x10 is interesting. never thought of that. would love to see more on greenstuff/tamiya epoxy putty fast type
I'll have to get my curved exacto blad out of storage and give it a go. After I switched to a medical scalpel, all my exacto blades sank to the bottom of my toolbox. For $10, I got 100 blades and a handle. It took some getting used to, but it does the job for a fraction of the price and I'll never run out of blades.
I think it’s the Tamiya airbrush cleaner that’s actually the same thing as their thin cement. You can get a lot of it for a lot cheaper than the thin cement.
Honestly some sprue goo and a decent set of miniature drills work wonders, and some models (Morathi kit shadow queen from DoK for example) may have some weird construction that is left so I have found keeping some sprue around snipped into different sizes to bulk up or support the construction of some kits to be a good help sometimes when the kits are not good to assemble
Absolutely love my godhands but I never use them to cut anything from the sprue directly. Instead I’ve got an old citadel pair (the metal handled ones) which I use for the initial cut…but I use them backwards, flat side out instead of flat side against the model. That way I’m intentionally leaving a tiny nub of sprue, and then I use the godhands to take off those nubs. Sounds slow, but it leaves such a clean surface, it barely needs any extra cleanup at all, and that saves more time than it costs.
I need to look into the abrasive pads, on my end Proxxon sanders and drill, Tamiya glues, the Citadel scrapper is a nice tool. Looking into an ultrasonic cutter (the new Proxxon one is not setup for US power - yet), I do have God Hand nippers as well as RedGrass (good cutters are a must).
I often use the back of an X11 Blade to clean mould lines , especially when the blade is new.
I do prefer the Revel/Citadel style plastic glue applicator over Tamiya extra thin as although the brush is quite good when you first open the bottle, it rapidly becomes difficult to cover the brush in plastic cement and you find yourself shaking the bottle just to be able to get glue on the brush to apply it.
I’m surprised at how high a grit your sanding sponges are, as the sticks I bought after a Ninjon recommendation only went up to 800 grit.
I personally find myself most using overgluing, hobby knife scraping and sanding sticks, with very occasional applications of sprue glue for the worst gaps. I’ve also used super glue to fill smaller gaps and then sand down the area, as per a Daz Latham recommendation from one of his old vids.
I use plastruct or other plastic welder's versus a superglue for plastic models. You don't get the glue build up you had to scrape off, and it sticks pieces almost immediately.
Bob Smith Industries insta-cure super thin glue. I also buy extra caps so if you clog one you can just replace it. works great for locking down basing material.
that revell glue was also my favorite but then i tried Tamiya extra thin and i never looked back
its so thin you can just dot it on contact line between two parts and capillary action will take care of the rest
it also has brush applicator that just works perfectly, any other glue with brush that i used in the past wasn't precise enough and would get gunked up after couple months
I love to build models much more then paint them. This is because I'm not good enough painting miniatures. I tried to follow your guides painting Stomrcast😅
More assembly please! How to use green stuff at a higher quality level. Not making a mess.
Like simple sculpting?
Good tips. I agree, assembly is the tedious part of the hobby. I just wont to paint!
Amen 🙏
I use the same clippers and plastic glue. Tried a lot of plastic cements but I'm always getting back to Revell. I don't know if you would considere 'tools' a bunch of old brushes, I got a mug full of them and they're incredible to apply basing stuff, pva glue, etc. A tool I also use a lot is a hand drill with different dill bits, great for pinning big parts and also to do damages.
Definitely rate Tamiya thin cement over the revel glue
Mr Dissolved Putty for filling out joints in clothing. Just tho I enough to hold on the gaps and self levels which really reduces cleanup.if you want to fill it flush you can wipe over with a cotton bud dipped in thinners.
Tamiya Putty and Sprue goo :)
I love it! No "go buy this product".
Cleaning up Space Marines or anything else with smooth Armour panels? My final sanding/polishing is at 4000 grit, will blend that surface perfectly into surrounding machine-formed plastic with no way to tell by eye.
How do you avoid burnout, not a tool I know but something I'd like to learn
The most important lesson out there!
@@ArtisOpus I have learnt a lot being a fairly new to the hobby and really enjoy it, the tutorials you give are amazing, thank you
I would say if you're not in the mood, don't force yourself, its a hobby not a chore. Come back to it later, or if your getting fatigued doing painting, then do some assembly or something completely different. I find that watching videos on youtube gets me back in the mood.
I see a lot of comments about Tamiya thin cemment, but none about its cheaper substitute; Tamiya Airbrsuh Cleanner. They are exactly the same product, but the cleanner is cheaper
i honestly cant assemble models without some handy small clamps, the plastic ones, perfect for when for some reason the piece requires a bit of force to sit properly, place a clamp, and forget about it