All tools are designed to be an extension of your hands to assist you in performing tasks you otherwise could do with just your fingers alone. Precision hobby tools that fit in your hand comfortably and allow you to maintain control kick it up a notch. You get the desired result without any negative consequences. The experience is actually enjoyable and leaves you confident that the action can be repeated again and again, always with favorable results.
As a hobbyist, the journey is part of the reward. Sure, you want to finish in time for the next contest, but you build models because you enjoy doing so. Inferior tools can take the joy right out of the process.
Of course, we all have certain tasks in the building of a model kit that frustrate us. For me it’s placing countless tiny decals to replicate the stencils on aircraft. You know, the ones you only see when your eyeball is just inches from the model or you’re standing within several feet of the real subject.
A mistake early in the build can and often does cause further issues later on in the build process. A small blemish can turn out to be a major eyesore near the end.
How about the manufacturing process, itself? Specifically, cleanly removing some parts from the sprue, fret, or casting block can be a real problem.
There are so many “What in the world were they thinking” examples, but I’ll pick just one and focus on kits that include vinyl tires.
Some time ago I made a video that shows how to remove a vinyl tire from its sprue easily and cleanly. The end result is clean enough that you probably won’t have to do any additional trimming to get it to fit properly on the rim.
