Your Thoughts

You can never go wrong with a Pin-Vice. Or a small drill of anykind. They come in VERY handy. And a small set of drill bits could'nt hurt either. In a pinch I have actually made my own bits out of guitar strings. They work just as good and your average guitar string can make about 20 bits. Plus the leftovers make very convincing fuel lines and the wrapped strings make exellent raidiator hoses.

Everyone,

Thank you for all the insightful information, and I found a few items I was lacking. I greatly appreciate the information.

Got Plastic?

Hello everyone,

As a new individual to this hobby I have the basics to get started. I was wondering what is the "Must have tool or item(s)" to have on my bench? 

 

Chris - All of the responders hit on the key elements, all good replies. As you advance and decide you want an airbrush, first I highly recommend a thorough read through a website called "Don's Airbrush." Priceless info about all things airbrush, types, brands, use, cleaning, adjustments, etc.

I was an experienced airbrusher with over 40 years of use, then I discovered his site and learned so much more. And I agree with Bish, those little Badger's are as capable as most modelers will need. For my use I have Iwata, Badger, Paasche and Binks brands, but my most commonly used are the Badger 100G and 200G.

Honestly, the two of them could easily be my only airbrushes and I'd get by just fine. Plus, there are different needle/nozzle sizes available for them, a 30 second swap of the parts can take you from small, medium and large sizes, for the spray pattern size you need.

I ended up with Badger as my favorite, as they are excellent quality and among the lowest cost to purchase. Parts are equally affordable and plentiful, should you ever need to change something. Mine are heavily used and I've yet to have one breakdown. But the tiniest parts like nozzles do get worn down or damaged over time, then for about $5 you get a new one and you're back in business.

The advice to keep expenses down was really good, start off on the minimal side, then you'll know better as to what you really need. High equipment prices don't dictate completed model quality. Welcome to the hobby, hope you enjoy it really well.

Patrick

If you are married, an understanding wife.  I spend many hours a week down in my workroom in the basement.  Helps that we are empy nesters.  Remember this, you don't have to spend a lot.  Buy the basics first and then add on as you find out what you need and as you can afford it.  Whoever made the remark above about work space hit the nail in the head.  I have 3 desks, one for painting, one for assembly and one to sit stuff on while waiting for it to dry and they stay cluttered.

A flexible file as well.

modelcrazy

 

Welcome to the hobby Got Plastic?. Most of these, if not all, are necessary for the bench.

 

I agree. And one other "non-tool", I guess more advice, would be to make sure you have plenty of light in your work area. 

Straycat1911

 

 

Got Plastic?

Straycat,

Thank you for the infomation...clamps and airbrush are items I do not have yet. I was kinda holding off on the airbrush until I had the time to sit down and read user reviews to see which one would be better suited for me.

 

 

 

 

I've got a basic Badger 150. If you're willing to learn it and only intend to paint simple paint schemes it does the job. 

 

 

I wouldn't call the 150 basic. I have a 150 and 100, basically the same airbrush, and am able to produce mottling and fine lines with them and have never felt the need to get anything else.

Got Plastic?

Straycat,

Thank you for the infomation...clamps and airbrush are items I do not have yet. I was kinda holding off on the airbrush until I had the time to sit down and read user reviews to see which one would be better suited for me.

 

I've got a basic Badger 150. If you're willing to learn it and only intend to paint simple paint schemes it does the job. 

I really need to compile a list for the many times this question comes up.

Welcome to the hobby Got Plastic?. Most of these, if not all, are necessary for the bench.

Hey, the airbrush was my big step in modeling, even a cheap one. It changed everything. 

Max

And glue.

1st aid kit when your knife slips and cuts your finger to the bone

Bunch of very absorbent paper towels when you spill the paint

A big magnifying glass and a strong light to search for the small parts that fell on the floor/carpet

The wooden clothespins that you can pick up in the food stores come in packs of 50 or so for a couple of bucks and really come in handy. If you flip the wood over you can make different shapes of clips for different jobs. A bag of rubberbands helps out too. Little things like this can really help out. That's why our workbenches become very cluttered over time . They say that no matter how large your bench is, you'll always end up with about 1 sq. ft. of actual work space left. 

Jim  

Toothpicks and Q-tips are essential as well, in my opinion.

GMorrison

Make an a/b a serious goal.

 

Thank you for the advice

Make an a/b a serious goal.

Straycat,

Thank you for the infomation...clamps and airbrush are items I do not have yet. I was kinda holding off on the airbrush until I had the time to sit down and read user reviews to see which one would be better suited for me.

Got Plastic?

Hello everyone,

As a new individual to this hobby I have the basics to get started. I was wondering what is the "Must have tool or item(s)" to have on my bench? 

 

Patience and a sense of humor are number 1; don't take this hobby so seriously it gets to be drudgery. 

A good set of xacto knives 

Sanding sticks, sanding items in general.

Clamps.

Your glue of choice; I keep both liquid and tube type on the bench. Covers all situations, and the tube glue can be used as a putty.

Filler putty and acetone. Use the acetone on cotton swabs to wipe off the putty; avoids destruction of raised panel lines. 

Tape for masking; I use plain painters blue tape from Walmart. Something more low tack would be better for canopies.

Airbrush? Meh. I've got a Badger 150 I rarely use. Too much of a pain to mix paints and clean up. Rattle cans serve me well. YMMV.

That covers the essentials; anything else depends on your bank account. I know FSM did an article in the magazine a few years back covering this.