tools to get started

bandido

bandido

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Jan 21, 2022
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One of the most expensive parts of model building is the tools required to build them and getting started is expensive!! That area of modeling is a world within itself! Hobby stores / online stores like Micro-Mark, etc. They do have everything you will ever need and more! but at a cost that will make your pocketbook scream!!! I just set up a new workshop, but this time I did not just go out and order everything I needed! I decided to look around at flea markets and thrift stores. garage sales. I was surprised by what I found for a fraction of the online costs. clamps, small hand tools, lighting, magnifying, you name it. Make a list and go shop around. you will be surprised.
 
i think a lot depends on what you want to do in the hobby. If building kits are your goal you do not need a lot of tools to start. Just about all the wood is precut such as bulkheads, planking etc. you can build kits with nothing more than hand tools.
On the other hand if you are planning to build from scratch and do all the milling from rough lumber than you will need more power tools.
 
Yes, that is what I mean, have you checked on the cost of online hand tools lately?? You're missing my point! If you have never built a kit before the initial outlay of money to buy new hand tools can be considerable. Not talking power tools that is another subject all together!! Kit or no kit it takes specific types of tools to build a kit correctly or even try too! those tools are expensive!!
 
i do get your point a basic tool like a good quality rotery tool like a Dremel is expensive, needle files, diamond burrs, razor saws etc start to add up.

what i was getting at is i remember back when builders were starting out in the hobby they were told oh! you have to have a $600.00 mini table saw and you can not do without a $400.00 thickness sander and on and on. This spooked new builders to the hobby. Much of my early tools were found at garage sales, rummage sales and on Ebay.
 
way back i was a judge at the Inland Seas model ship contest and there was a seperation in class of models the kit build model and the scratch built model these are worlds apart and are not even close. One is building a scale model of a ship and the other is building ship model.

You ask yourself what is your end game staying with kits or venturing into scratch buiding this determines the the tools you need.

i do not build commerical kits but i do scratch build a "kit" that is prep everything i need to build the model and at that point 90% of the build is hand tools. I just finished building the Sultana with nothing more than a set of Exact- o- blades, sandpaper, diamond burrs and a Deremel. The two most expensive thing i have in the Deremel and a good quality mini vice which i got off Ebay.
 
bandido said:
Yes, that is what I mean, have you checked on the cost of online hand tools lately?? You're missing my point! If you have never built a kit before the initial outlay of money to buy new hand tools can be considerable. Not talking power tools that is another subject all together!! Kit or no kit it takes specific types of tools to build a kit correctly or even try too! those tools are expensive!!
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...it is not just the expensive tools (basic or advanced), everything including food and clothes. But...If you think about it for a moment. Building from kits doesn't require a lot of tools to acquire. Most parts are prefabricated and may require just a hobby knife #11 (just saying): sandpaper and a pin drill. What else? Paint with a brush? Have you ever looked at the Occre online assembly tutorials or Diagostini kits? They use the fewest tools, and Diagiostiny included tools as subscriptions in the magazines.

As much as I am a bigger proponent of buying quality tools, beginners shouldn't buy the most expensive tools. They shouldn't buy all or most of the tools at once, they just need them for a given task.
 
Jim that is what i was trying to get across if your going to stick with kits and your just starting out just get the basic tools it is not a big investment
As you progress in the hobby and start bashing kits and making your own parts then yes add to your tool collection as you go.
 
I added tools over many years to build a collection to be able to accomplish most tasks. I usually add a tool if no other tool I have can do the job, or add one that will save me time. And I think I excel at making jigs to use especially for making repetitive cuts. But haven't shopped for used tools. And because I have a woodshop, I already had other uses for the same tools I use in modelling. You get what you pay for....go once for quality vs buying the same tool more than once. That being said, I think I have a dozen x-acto knives!
 
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Good topic - I do think it can be misleading for those new to this hobby, when looking through build logs, they get a glimpse of the tools that seasoned hobbiest have amassed over the years. Not to mention, if they work in a trade, their understanding and familiarity with more advanced tools such as mills and lathes contributes to their tool vault.
My favorite thing is to see someone who has mastered the craft, working from a small table in the corner of the room, tools, paint and glue, all organized in a shoebox.
Dave is correct - secondhand tools can be found on ebay, FB Marketplace, and fleamarkets(my favorite).

Don't forget, some of the finest furniture and most complex interior woodwork was accomplished by master artisans before power tools were ever a thing.
 
Well I sure opened up Pandori's box on that one! Just to close my end of the discussion I found some great quality tools for building my Models at flea markets at a very low price.
 
bandido said:
One of the most expensive parts of model building is the tools required to build them and getting started is expensive!! That area of modeling is a world within itself! Hobby stores / online stores like Micro-Mark, etc. They do have everything you will ever need and more! but at a cost that will make your pocketbook scream!!! I just set up a new workshop, but this time I did not just go out and order everything I needed! I decided to look around at flea markets and thrift stores. garage sales. I was surprised by what I found for a fraction of the online costs. clamps, small hand tools, lighting, magnifying, you name it. Make a list and go shop around. you will be surprised.
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bandido said:
Well I sure opened up Pandori's box on that one! Just to close my end of the discussion I found some great quality tools for building my Models at flea markets at a very low price.
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Hi Bandido, on one part I do not Agree with You want to buy the latest Lathe, Fraeser etc. Yes, then it can be expensive. If you have a look at the images below, this is more and less may tool during 50 years or more of building. The only electric Tools were Dremels- had 4 two were with Batteries, the one upside/down and the last horizontal
On the other side, you are right that you can find many tools and materials around you- paperclips, eiscream the wood pin
excellent for making smaller pieces, as the wood is first-class
I have needed to buy over the Internet, as in Spain the two Top shops for shipbuilding. The shop Model REyna allows you to buy nearly anything by amount of pieces or in grams.
Although not having built in the last 10 years - for space and health reasons, I still have my hacksaw and most of the X-knives

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your pictures show tools, and these tools are expensive when new, probably hundreds of dollars!! flea markets and garage sales thrift stores, pennies on the dollar! That is what I was saying, nothing wrong with good quality used tools!!
 
If you are starting because of a friend in the hobby, double check with them. I gave a friend almost all the handtools they needed to get started. We all likely have a dozen different xacto style knives that we only uses a few of for example. :)
 
El Capi said:
Hi Bandido, on one part I do not Agree with You want to buy the latest Lathe, Fraeser etc. Yes, then it can be expensive. If you have a look at the images below, this is more and less may tool during 50 years or more of building. The only electric Tools were Dremels- had 4 two were with Batteries, the one upside/down and the last horizontal
On the other side, you are right that you can find many tools and materials around you- paperclips, eiscream the wood pin
excellent for making smaller pieces, as the wood is first-class
I have needed to buy over the Internet, as in Spain the two Top shops for shipbuilding. The shop Model REyna allows you to buy nearly anything by amount of pieces or in grams.
Although not having built in the last 10 years - for space and health reasons, I still have my hacksaw and most of the X-knives

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SURRY BUT I DO NOT WANT TO GO INTO A DISCUSSION. The first two imagenes are examples, for the rest I have used a good collection of X-knives that are highly recommended and are not expensive. the last two are the ones I have used for more than 50 years. The last one was a most, as kits in the beginning were NOT laser-cut, and I still have them
OVER AND OUT
 
just visit our site on tools for beginners, page after page of tool suggestions, the site is very helpful, Ity has helped me resolve many building issuer
 
Hi All. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. The USA has company stores called Harbor Freight. I found many hand tools from this place. The prices are affordable. You just have to take the time and look all around for what you need. Most stuff is for Medium to large manufacturing and auto needs. They also offer discount coupons.
 
I know a pro ship modeler who actually does most of his modeling with a No. 11 XActo blade, a few small files, and sandpaper. You can skip the files by making sanding sticks…glue a strip of sandpaper to a piece of strip wood. Tweezers come into the picture with rigging. And eventually you will want something to drill tiny holes with. And yes, all can be found in the used/recycle market.
 
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As a follow up to FrankL514's message and those that mentioned Dremel, Harbor Freight has a cordless rotary tool that acts like a Dremel for the most part, but costs lots less.
www.harborfreight.com

8V Cordless Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit, 40 Piece

Amazing deals on this 8V Cordless Rotary Tool Kit at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com
Of course, nothing there is as good as the tools I have from my father and my father-in-law, some of which date from 1930s. Family nostalgia adds value far beyond anything to be measured in dollars.
 
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