Good Tool Set for a newcomer?

ezim93 · 04-30-2012, 09:30 PM

I'm looking for a good tool set so I don't have to dig through my dad's old toolboxes. I'm mainly going to use these tools to install some headrobots add ons and remove springs from mech tech weapons. Does anyone have a good set in mind?

Autobot Burnout · 04-30-2012, 09:31 PM

Dremel starter kit, tweezers, a screwdriver set, and and exacto knife.

Kusanagi · 05-01-2012, 02:16 AM

Small Philips head screwdriver
eyeglass screwdriver
pin punch set
rubber mallet for hammering the pin punch set
some kind of adjustable wrench or locking pliers for pulling pins

Should be about all you need without getting into a Dremel kit and all the things that come with that. Maybe some kind of hobby knife set with a hobby saw.

hXcpunk23 · 05-01-2012, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Autobot Burnout

Dremel starter kit, tweezers, a screwdriver set, and and exacto knife.

If you want to go a bit more in-depth or plan to try other things (working with styrene, sculpting, etc.), some of these tools may help you. It's a list of the kitbashing tools & materials I use.

My Kitbashing Tools & Materials

Satomiblood · 05-01-2012, 09:32 AM

I echo the aforementioned.

As for Dremels, I recommend the Stylus. I've had mine for roughly 5 years and it's still an integral part of my tools rotation.

Also, get yourself a metal file for heavy duty filing. Sometimes, sandpaper and a Dremel aren't enough by themselves.

Optimist_Prime · 05-01-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezim93

I'm looking for a good tool set so I don't have to dig through my dad's old toolboxes. I'm mainly going to use these tools to install some headrobots add ons and remove springs from mech tech weapons. Does anyone have a good set in mind?

Honestly, as long as your dad isn't using them, I'd recommend looking through old toolboxes. You find a few tools to help make a project go smoother.

phoenixliger · 05-01-2012, 11:31 PM

you can pick up a tech screw drive set at Wallmart and most harware stores including radio shack there basicly used for compter or technical applictions and there the perfect sizes for taking transformers apart

Shwiggie · 05-02-2012, 06:33 PM

Here's a few cheap things you can use to start.

X-acto blades (found anywhere) are usually the first thing you see on lists of kitbash tools for a good reason. The regular angled blades are the default, but the flat blades are useful, too. I wouldn't buy the box with the myriad blades, though, unless you're farting around to see what you like. And I recommend the X-acto saws whole-heartedly (best bet: hobby/model shop). A dremel-type tool is useful, but if you're doing minor stuff or only the occasional cutting it's overkill that can be addressed cheaply and efficiently with a saw.

Needle files are great...you can get a small flat file, round-file, triangle-file, etc. in a set. These are for filing (duh and/or hello), but they make good detailing. I like a set ofpicks for scoring. A small set of diagonal cutters (dikes; preferably pointy rather than round-nosed), needlenose pliers, and angle-pliers comes in handy and usually are sold in sets. An assortment of small flat-, phillips-, and torx-head drivers are necessary to remove screws, but the flat-bladed ones make good impromptu pry-bars (just be careful not to use too much force), and the larger phillips/torx drivers can make decent pin punches.

I like Craftsman for the above items because they're readily available at your nearby Sears, they're fair-priced, they're built pretty well, and you can replace them for free if they break. I broke a dike on a Classics Hot Rod (roof mod), and they just swapped them out for a brand new one.

A pin vise (or, I like to call it, a finger drill) is a neat tool that I find many uses for, and you can get one at Sears, too. A 6" metal ruler is just plain handy...get one with cork on it to help keep it in place (Office Depot has these). A mechanical pencil is a must. A wooden block is helpful in pin punching, and you'll want a hammer for that, too...the smaller the better. Multiple grades of sandpaper are a no-brainer.

You might want to pick up a cheap-o soldering iron for soldering (herp) and pin heating. While you're looking at these, the helping hands (used to hold electronic components while you solder them) are useful for more than just electronics...they hold stuff like an adjustably-based clamp (gluing and holding flat styrene pieces, for instance). Of course, that brings up clamps and (next on my want list) a small portable bench vise, but that's getting a bit more advanced. You might have luck finding a vise grip in dad's stuff.

Of course, there is also such common stuff as styrene sheets, super glues, fillers, epoxies, modeling compounds, etc., but that ain't "tool" tools.

04-30-2012, 09:30 PM	#1
ezim93 Decepticon Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 523 Location: The Empire State Collection Count: I lost count News Credits: 7	Good Tool Set for a newcomer? I'm looking for a good tool set so I don't have to dig through my dad's old toolboxes. I'm mainly going to use these tools to install some headrobots add ons and remove springs from mech tech weapons. Does anyone have a good set in mind?

05-01-2012, 09:32 AM	#5
Satomiblood ))<>(( Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 17,110 Location: Lancaster, PA Collection Count: Eleventy Billion	I echo the aforementioned. As for Dremels, I recommend the Stylus. I've had mine for roughly 5 years and it's still an integral part of my tools rotation. Also, get yourself a metal file for heavy duty filing. Sometimes, sandpaper and a Dremel aren't enough by themselves. Kitbashing Commissions - Sales - Wants - Needs - Feedback - eBay Last edited by Satomiblood; 05-01-2012 at 09:35 AM..

05-01-2012, 02:16 AM	#3
Kusanagi Disguise: Check. Robot... Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 8,923 Location: The Emerald City Collection Count: Call me Luthor because it's never too much, never too much, never too much...	Small Philips head screwdriver eyeglass screwdriver pin punch set rubber mallet for hammering the pin punch set some kind of adjustable wrench or locking pliers for pulling pins Should be about all you need without getting into a Dremel kit and all the things that come with that. Maybe some kind of hobby knife set with a hobby saw.

05-01-2012, 11:31 PM	#7
phoenixliger Predacon Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 483 Location: kansas Collection Count: mostly classics, G1 and i set up a nice display of WST figures	you can pick up a tech screw drive set at Wallmart and most harware stores including radio shack there basicly used for compter or technical applictions and there the perfect sizes for taking transformers apart

05-02-2012, 06:33 PM	#8
Shwiggie Likeable dryskinned biped Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 128 Location: Meridian, MS	Here's a few cheap things you can use to start. X-acto blades (found anywhere) are usually the first thing you see on lists of kitbash tools for a good reason. The regular angled blades are the default, but the flat blades are useful, too. I wouldn't buy the box with the myriad blades, though, unless you're farting around to see what you like. And I recommend the X-acto saws whole-heartedly (best bet: hobby/model shop). A dremel-type tool is useful, but if you're doing minor stuff or only the occasional cutting it's overkill that can be addressed cheaply and efficiently with a saw. Needle files are great...you can get a small flat file, round-file, triangle-file, etc. in a set. These are for filing (duh and/or hello), but they make good detailing. I like a set ofpicks for scoring. A small set of diagonal cutters (dikes; preferably pointy rather than round-nosed), needlenose pliers, and angle-pliers comes in handy and usually are sold in sets. An assortment of small flat-, phillips-, and torx-head drivers are necessary to remove screws, but the flat-bladed ones make good impromptu pry-bars (just be careful not to use too much force), and the larger phillips/torx drivers can make decent pin punches. I like Craftsman for the above items because they're readily available at your nearby Sears, they're fair-priced, they're built pretty well, and you can replace them for free if they break. I broke a dike on a Classics Hot Rod (roof mod), and they just swapped them out for a brand new one. A pin vise (or, I like to call it, a finger drill) is a neat tool that I find many uses for, and you can get one at Sears, too. A 6" metal ruler is just plain handy...get one with cork on it to help keep it in place (Office Depot has these). A mechanical pencil is a must. A wooden block is helpful in pin punching, and you'll want a hammer for that, too...the smaller the better. Multiple grades of sandpaper are a no-brainer. You might want to pick up a cheap-o soldering iron for soldering (herp) and pin heating. While you're looking at these, the helping hands (used to hold electronic components while you solder them) are useful for more than just electronics...they hold stuff like an adjustably-based clamp (gluing and holding flat styrene pieces, for instance). Of course, that brings up clamps and (next on my want list) a small portable bench vise, but that's getting a bit more advanced. You might have luck finding a vise grip in dad's stuff. Of course, there is also such common stuff as styrene sheets, super glues, fillers, epoxies, modeling compounds, etc., but that ain't "tool" tools.