Chisels and scrapers

No matter how brilliant the kit, some clean-up is usually required. Sometimes it’s just a bit of moulding flash but there are cases where mould lines have totally distorted a bit of fine detail or clogged it up and you need to re-sculpt it.

As I say elsewhere on this site: my sculpting talent is (alas) minimal but there’s often no way to avoid this kind of repairwork and that’s where chisels and scrapers come in fantastically useful.

For a long time my most useful and indispensible tool was a Tamiya Modelling Chisel I bought on a whim. Although no more than a beveled metal spike, it’s kept its sharpness and is very handy for gouging out detail that’s been filled in or has air bubbles, for making holes, and for cleaning out the nozzles of paint bottles.

Realising how much I used it, I went in quest of finding similar tools and bought first of all a set of carbide scrapers from Rio Rondo. These came with a whole set of tips and a holder. Quite good value at the price and the people were very pleasant to deal with. So far I have found the rounded tips most useful for carving out shallow depressions.

I also invested in some Master Tool chisels (stocked by UK company Affinity Models) which are heavy and elegant. Haven’t used them yet but they look the business.