The Tools

I cannot stress the importance of having the right tools for the job at hand. This is the basic set that I would suggest anyone get hold of before embarking on the task of kit building. They are all available from http://www.expotools.com/ from left to right they are;


A standard Stanley Knife with spare blades. Cutting hard plastic will eventually blunt them.
A scalpel. For light scoring and removing flash from smaller parts
A Pin Vice (Drill bits underneath). A very useful hand tool for drilling small holes, the bits range from 0.2mm to 2mm in diameter. When using this tool I keep a small piece of cardboard between my fingers to stop the end of the tool rubbing or marking my skin
Wire-cutters. For removing parts from their moldings
Files of various grades and shapes, the two inner files are both round, one is fine the other more coarse.
A steel ruler. For checking parts are correctly aligned.


I may be telling you how to suck eggs, but remember that both Stanley knives and Scalpels can be unbelievably sharp and to always try to cut away from your fingers.


This is my basic starting kit, sometimes other tools are needed and should I require anything else, I will make sure to let you know. Likewise, if anyone would like to let me know of any other useful additions I'd love to hear from you.


Next I start the build...