First off, don’t freak out about that photo above. There are a lot of tools in it, but you don’t need all of them, or most of them, really. I’ve been building for a while, and I’ve gathered up quite a collection of tools, some of which are rather specialized. And while I disagree, ever so slightly, with the claim that all you need is a pair of tweezers, you don’t have to have much more than that to build one of these models.
I’m going to break this post, and the tools, down into a few categories, starting from the bare minimum tools all the way up to the extreme enthusiast tools. There are even a few tools I’ll list that I don’t have. Yet. But the most important thing I want to share is this: most of my initial toolkit came from items I found around the house – because that was free. So here we go…
Bare Minimum
Let’s cut right to it: you need more than just a pair of tweezers. I mean, technically, I supposed you could pull off a build with that, but you are not going to enjoy the process, and the results will suffer. But you only really need one more tool: something to cut the pieces off the sheet with. You might even have something lying around the house that you can use. I started off using some side-cut toenail clippers, like those in the photo above. I’ve also known some people who said they used regular toenail clippers, or wire-cutters. But whatever route you take (and I’ll list a more tailored tool later on for this), not having to try to “pop” the pieces out, by bending the part sheet back and forth, will save you a ton of trouble and headaches. Trust me.
Swinging back around to the tweezers, though, I would suggest using a quality pair of tweezers, not the super cheap kind you find in a dollar-store grooming kit. You need something sturdy and precise, and you might have a set of tweezers lying around the house that is strong enough. A descent pair of tweezers can be found at you local Walmart or Target (or whatever store you frequent) at a pretty low price, and the small investment will benefit you greatly.
Oh, and this technically isn’t a “tool,” but good lighting is an essential. And a good clear (and clean) surface area to work on. I tend to over-light my build area, much to my wife’s sensitive eye’s chagrin, but I find it helpful. And a light-colored work surface can be helpful for locating slots when trying to line things up (so you can see the light reflecting off the surface and through the slot).
Found Items
The next category of tools is what I like to call the “Found Items.” Every builder I know has their own unique collection of found item tools. Most of these tools are the various things you find around your house that are helpful for forming various shapes.
The main reason you’ll find yourself looking around for something is because of a curve. In theory, you can shape curves with a pair of tweezers, and sometimes I still do. But most of the time, you are going to want to have something to shape it on. Fascinations even makes mention of this at times in the instructions. Here’s a short list of items I’ve used or heard of being used (the last two are useful when you encounter a dome-shaped section):
- Pens, Pencils, Markers
- Wooden Dowels
- Batteries
- Drill Bits
- Canned Food
- Marbles
- Bouncy Balls
Other found tools you might find useful are needle-nose pliers, superglue, and a dull hobby knife (Xacto knife). These generally aren’t used for forming specific shapes, but just as additional tools for assisting in construction.
Long needle-nose pliers usually end up in your kit because of one not-so-simple task: long folds. Anytime you have a really long fold, it can be a pain to fold it with tweezers, and you have to do it carefully, bit by bit along the length, and only so much at a time, back and forth, unless you want dimples in the results (been there, done that). You’ll probably also find that they can be quite useful when you need to twist a tab that’s buried deep inside a model.
Superglue… it’s almost a taboo word in the Metal Earth building community. Nobody wants to admit it, but everyone uses it from time to time. Because mistakes happen. And parts break. And sometimes you need a way to fix it (because sometimes you just can’t wait for Fascinations to send you out some replacement parts). My personal My previous favorite for this is the Gorilla Super Glue Brush and Nozzle. I like it because it has two ways to get to the glue, but I usually don’t use either to apply the glue. Instead, I use the tip of a toothpick to either grab some off the brush, or off a dab of glue I squeezed out of the nozzle onto a scrap piece of paper. I find that the toothpick gives more control of the placement and amount of superglue. But we’ll get into that more in the When things go wrong? post.
EDIT: My new favorite glue is not a glue, it’s a resin. It’s called 5-Second Fix, though there are other brands, and is a liquid resin that is “cured” with UV light. I love it because it cures clear, can be moved around / cleaned off all you want until you get things arranged exactly as you want them, and then is fixed in place by hitting it with an included UV light for 5-10 seconds. It’s not perfect, though, as it is not actually glue, so sometimes you might need to rough up the contact surface a little to get a good adhesion strength.
Finally, then there is my favorite found-item tool: a dull hobby knife. I emphasize the dull part for safety. I found an old one that is not that sharp, and I originally got it just to open up the package, but found myself using it for many other things. So much so that I made a whole Instagram post with videos and descriptions for when and why to use it: Hey, look! I recreated this as a blog post, here! No need for the giant embedded Instagram post anymore.
(You might see why I decided to start a blog… it was really hard to fit all that in under 2000 characters)
Specialized Tools
This category consists of the tools that I bought specifically for building Metal Earth models. I didn’t have them lying around, and I didn’t really need them for anything else. But they make building easier, and improve the results by quite a bit. Such as:
- Flush Cutters
- Jewelry Pliers
- Magnetic Strip
- Third Hand Tool
- 3D-Printed Shaping Tools
- Step Mandrel
- Transfer/Center Punches
- Fondant Shaping Balls
First off, are a pair of flush cutters. You can find these for a wide range of prices, from a pair of Model 170 flush cutters for under $5 on eBay, to the high end micro shear flush cutter for around $20. You can also get one as part of the 2-piece Piececool toolkit. That toolkit will run you around $8 on AliExpress.
The second part of that toolkit is a pair of fine-tip needle-nose / jewelry pliers. These are great little tools, and you can find a variety of fine-tip shaped pliers by searching for jewelry pliers. The fine tip on pliers like these are great for bending tiny parts and twisting tabs in tight spaces.
When you have several pieces clipped out at once, a short strip of magnet can be useful for keeping them from disappearing. It can also very helpful for finding tiny pieces that have fallen off the table / desk / build surface, as you can pass it around over the ground and possibly snag the piece up. One thing to be careful of, however, is not to drag the pieces across the magnet, as that can sometimes scratch them.
A “third hand” tool is an amazingly useful tool to help out when you just can’t manage to hold that one piece, while inserting another piece’s tab into the slot AND twisting the tab on the other side. just use the little alligator clips to hold that first piece, and you’ve now got two hands free to do the other tasks. It’s also great for when you have to resort to the dreaded super glue, but you don’t want to sit there holding something together while it cures.
A rather new addition to my collection of tools is a set of 3D-printed shaping tools, designed and printed by YouTube’s @animateorange. I currently have two sets: a set of narrow cone-shaping tools and a dome shaping tool. The cone shaping tools have (surprisingly) cones on the ends of them, and range in angle from 20-55 degrees. The dome shaping tool that I have is a prototype I had the honor of beta-testing, and is great for shaping… domes. And other complex curves. You can find all these tools, and more (including larger angle cone-shaping tools which I collaborated with him on designing) at his Etsy shop.
Before I started using the dome tool, I used a set of Fondant Shaping Balls, which I learned about from watching one of @animateorange’s build videos. I still use them from time to time (when the size is a better fit than @animateorange’s tool), but I prefer the 3D-printed tool as it’s easier to grip. Ironically, I included this set of tools in the initial photo for this post, but forgot to include it in the group shot for this category. Go figure.
Finally, there is another specialized tool that I’ve heard about a lot of other builders using, but don’t use myself. It’s called a step-mandrel, and there are various sizes. This tool can be used in place of drill-bits or other cylindrical tools for shaping curves. The benefits of these tools, from what I understand, is that it’s less cluttery. You have a single tool with 5-8 different sized cylinders on it. However, since I like to roll my cylinders against a hard surface, I find the format unappealing.

Recently, I was introduced to another tool for dealing with cylinders, and I’m actually wanting to get my hands on these. They are called Transfer-Punches or Center-Punches, and the set in the image above is from Harbor Freight. There are various types of this tool, but this set in particular (and those like it) have the diameter fixed the whole length of the tool, which is great. And, unlike drill bits, there are no flutes along part of it on which you might cut yourself or scratch the metal when working on longer cylinders.
Interlude: My Essentials
I’m going to break in here with a brief interlude. I’ve mentioned and shown a lot of tools so far, and you might be feeling overwhelmed. I don’t blame you, but keep in mind that I’m trying to cover all your options. But to bring you back to ground, I’m gonna share what I think of as my core tools, the ones I always have on hand and ready to go when building. The rest of the tools can stay put away until I need them, but these stay out and at the ready (excepting the first, when I knoll out my parts before building I put it back away after that… I think I’m gonna have to have a post about knolling eventually, but ignore that for now):
- Good Tweezers (free pack-in from an ICONX model set)
- Flush Cutters (from Piececool toolkit)
- Fine-Tip/Jewelry Pliers (from Piececool toolkit)
- Long Needle-Nose Pliers (from Metal Earth’s official toolkit)
- Dull Hobby Knife
- Set of Drill Bits
That would be my recommended set of tools for general building. You can do pretty much any of Metal Earth’s models with just these tools, and do a pretty good job at that.
Extreme Enthusiast Tools
If you’re getting to the point of building more than one model a week (and trust me, I know people that have… including myself), you might find yourself tempted with the tools in this category. I’ve got some of them, I’m waiting on some in the mail, and I haven’t pulled the trigger on others. But I am tempted.
- Tab Twisting Tool
- Long Edge Bending Tool
- Photo-Etch Bending Tool
- Clamp-on Lighted Architect Magnifier
- Magnetic Knolling Mat
First off in this list is a unique little tool for twisting tabs that I recently found on AliExpress. I have ordered it, but haven’t received it yet, so I have not had a chance to use it. The narrow slots on the ends of this tool are designed to slip over the tabs so you can then twist the tool, thus twisting the tabs. And it may seem redundant if you have needle-nose pliers, but sometimes there are tabs that are hard to reach and still have room to twist (because the handles of the pliers get in the way). This tool looks like it can solve that problem.
Alongside that tool, I also found a tool for long-edge bending. This metal tool has a slot along the middle of it, where you can pass the model parts through and then fold along a long edge easily. I’m really hopeful for this one, as long-edge bending is a pain, even with needle-nose pliers. This tool looks to handle longer edges and is even more narrow than the needle-nose pliers. My only concern is whether you risk scratching the surface of the parts as you slip them through the slot.
Also in the category of bending tools is the Photo-Etch Bending Tool. You’ll have plenty of options if you choose to pick one of these up, but most all of them are a little on the pricey side for me. However, you get a lot more precision and options when you go this route. The knobs on the tool allow you to firmly clamp model parts in place, while you have various sized edges to help you bend all sorts of edge lengths. In addition, I would trust this more with the surface of the parts, as you can choose how open the gap is when placing the part in by how much you loosen the knobs.
Another item I haven’t pulled the trigger on is a lighted architect magnifier. Let’s be honest, some of these models come with really tiny parts. And sometimes the slots are really close together, and the job of aligning tabs on formed pieces up with the slots on other formed pieces can be difficult and eye straining. The focused light and pose-ability of one of these magnifiers seems like it would be a great aide in those situations. However the cost of these devices are currently too much for me to justify.
EDIT: I have since purchased a “selfie ring light” on a bendable arm. It’s actually a rather small one (only about 3-4 inches across. And I love it. It doesn’t have a magnifier in the middle, but it’s great for lighting the insides of things, but still being able to see inside (due to the hole in the center of the ring. It’s just super-handy to have around.

Finally, I’m gonna bring up a tool that I made for myself, and I’ve seen other people make their own variety. It’s a bit controversial in the building community, because some people see it as a waste. I personally use it for almost every build. I like to call it a Magnetic Knolling Mat, having learned of the term knolling from watching too much of Adam Savage’s Tested YouTube channel. The idea behind these is to be able to clip out all the pieces before starting a build so that the building can proceed uninterrupted by the hunt-and-clip activity.
In my case, I got some magnetic tape and applied it in rows across a piece of craft foam paper. I then clip out all the pieces in either numeric order or in order of use in the instructions (depending on the length of the instructions, complexity of the build, and/or the number of parts used in multiple sections of the instructions). I usually place them along the magnetic strips from left-to-right, bottom-to-top (so that I’m not reaching over parts most of the time).
For others, I’ve seen full white coated magnetic sheets with printed squares on them, where they can use erasable markers to label which parts are in each square. I’ve also seen people use little plastic compartment boxes or bowls, which can be helpful with gold-colored metal models, which don’t tend to be attracted to magnets (which explains why I use the knolling sheet for most of my builds).
Online Tools / Resources
Okay, so this is a last minute addition to my list of tools, because it’s not really physical tools in this case. But these tools are useful nonetheless. There are various resources available to you online to help you with building your new models. Obviously I intend this blog to be of that variety, but there are also other sources. Here’s a brief list of what I can think of right now (several of these are also in the Resources widget on the right-side of this page):
- Metal Earth Website: okay, so this one’s a little obvious. But don’t forget that you can view completed builds, 360-degree views of models, and instructions on the brand’s website.
- Reddit Model List: this list is maintained by Reddit’s /u/Traviscat, and contains a list of all the known Metal Earth models, including ones that are exclusives and not listed on the Metal Earth website. He’s also included several other brands as well.
- YouTube/Twitch: there are a few channels that are either dedicated to Metal Earth building and/or include Metal Earth builds from time to time. You can learn a lot from watching other people build these models, and sometimes even from seeing their mistakes. Some examples are Animate Orange, Groove Builders, Wolle0rism.
In addition to the resources listed above, I’ve created some of my own.
The first was my own Model Checklists (Metal Earth, Piececool). A while back, I got to the point where I had purchased and/or built so many models that it became hard to remember which models I still needed and which ones I already had. So I decided to make a checklist that I could use to keep track of it all (a lot of the information being gathered from the Reddit Model List). I shared that list on Instagram, and several people asked if I could make a downloadable version of it, which I did as a PDF. However, I realized that the rapid growth of available models, and my desire to not have to carry around the checklist meant I needed something better, so I made a web page to host the checklist, and I made it so that what was checked off would be stored in the URL (so people didn’t have to create annoying logins to maintain their own list). The downside is that you have to update your own personal bookmark anytime you make changes to checked-off state of your list. The upside is that you don’t have to remember a login, and I don’t have to maintain login information in a database for the webpage.
The other tool I created was the result of some extreme nerding: the Cylinder Tool Guide Generator. I use a large set of drill bits for forming my cylindrical parts, and I like to use the closest sized drill bit to get as smooth a curve as possible. Which ended up with me pulling out several drill bits at a time, generally guessing at what would be the correct size, and being wrong most of the time. Then I realized I could use a little math to help me out. Thus was born the first iteration of the Cylinder Tool Guide: a printed image that you could lay a piece over and it would help you identify the correct drill bit. Yeah, not that exciting, but other people seemed to like the idea, and wanted a copy. The problem was getting it to print at the right scale. Several iterations later, and you have the website linked above, which allows you to customize the guide to your hearts content, and makes sure that it’s printed out at the right scale.
Conclusion
I don’t know that this post really needs a conclusion. But it was so long that it felt wrong to just end it abruptly after that last section. So… this is the conclusion section! What you’ve probably learned, if you’ve made it this far, is that (a) I’m really long winded, and (b) there are a lot of tool options, but you don’t need all of them. Just get yourself the basics, find what you can around the house, and use what works for you. Oh, and have fun, too!
EDIT: Ooooh! Oooooh! Oooooooooh! I just realized a much better way to finish this post! Actually, I had originally planned on ending it this way, but the idea got lost while writing the post up. Anyways, the correct ending is to ask for other builders to share what tools they use. So, tell me…
- What tools did I leave off this list?
- What tools do you find yourself using the most? i.e. What are your core set of tools?
- What challenging aspect of Metal Earth modeling do you wish you had a tool to address?
I know that I’m not the only source of knowledge on this topic. A lot of what I’ve put in here has actually come from advice that other builders have given me. I’m not sure I’ve captured that, really, in what I’ve written, but it’s true. So please… let’s collaborate!
Why Metal Earth? :Prev
Next: Where Should I Start?
I just found your site after building these things for over a year. I have done mostly architectural models so far. I started on the easy models and have been working up from there. I have completed 20 and have about 20-30 others I have not gotten to, yet. I started off using some of my techie tools, which was ok but I soon got the Metal Earth 3-piece set. I was a bit disappointed how the flat-nose pliers marred the finishes. Someday soon I will get my super fine sandpaper and polish the jaws. I recently got a new tool set with a tab twister, long-edge bender and some small thin dowels for cones and cylinders. For bending larger arcs, I use a telescoping magnet. It’s basically a fat radio antenna, so I have several diameters to pick from, it’s easy for me to roll parts with it(like you mentioned) and it has the magnetic end that I have used to fish parts off the floor.
After getting all these gadgets, if I had to pare down to a must-have set, I would keep the tab twister, the long-edge bender, a good dyke/cutter and a smooth needle-nose plier. The tab twister is also the best tool I have found to bend tabs, too. The narrow end is good to finish flattening bent tabs in hard-to-reach spots. For bending the parts themselves, I would find some old pens or kitchen utensils.
My eyes are not what they were, so the lighted magnifier is a must for me (it has helping hands, too). I also got a pair of super magnified eyewear for assembling those tight fits, trying to line up several tabs. But I would say these are for the real enthusiasts.
The good news is that none of these items were really expensive (tho it does add up), and they do help my builds go much smoother with better results. I may even look into a couple of your other tool suggestions. Thanks for the insights.
I have even more comments to share. ๐
First of all, I’ve come up with a new (at least to me) use for 5-Second Fix. I’ve been using it to reinforce parts that can be easily bent out of shape, such as antennae and fingers. For example, I got tired of having to having to bend BB-8’s antenna back into shape. In some cases, like fingers, it’s pretty easy. But with narrow antennae, it’s hard to get the fluid even so it doesn’t appear blobby.
You inspired me again with the tab twisting tool. I got it as part of a set of bend-assistance tools, but never used it because I figured I have pliers, so what’s the point? Well, now that I’ve used it, I see the point is that it’s freakin’ awesome! It’s so much faster and more precise. Pliers will always be necessary, but this simple tool is great.
It’s funny you mention the tab twister. I find that I go back and forth in my usage of it, sometimes heavy, sometimes rarely. It’s irreplaceable for those hard-to-reach tabs, though.
I’ve started working on Drogan from Game of Thrones and am having some trouble with the wings. Unlike the Silver, Blue, and Red ME Dragons, but like the Piececool Black Dragon/Deathwing, the sails (I dunno what else to call them) are curved between the finger bones (again, it’s the best term I can think of). But way more than Deathwing’s. The smallest of AnimateOrange’s cone-shaping tool has about the right angle, but since the wing forms an arc, there really isn’t enough metal to grab and wrap around at the narrow point. The result is that it looks pretty bad (imagine part of the wing looking like crumpled paper). Any ideas?
And it just occurred to me I should go to YouTube and see if anyone’s posted a build video, but I’m interested in your thoughts. ๐
This would be the perfect scenario for using round-nosed pliers (something like this (not necessarily that exact one, because I haven’t used that one, but that style). You can use that as a sturdier form (Animate’s forming tool is great, but also a little fragile), but you can also use it to slowly pinch in the sides around Animate oranges cone form. With it being rounded, it doesn’t make the inevitable creases nearly as sharp. I think I did something like that for the little antennae on the back of Kaytoo.
The other option is to just use the smallest drill bit you can find, and use that to introduce a little bend to the overall “sail” part in little sections as you slowly change the angle of the drill bit to go across the whole thing. It’ll be easier to form the tip if the wider part of the said is forming at the same time.
But those sorts of things are some of the most difficult to form without getting any kinks. I guess I’ll know soon enough. I’ve got Drogon in my backlog, looming and begging to be built.
I took a break from Drogon and worked on some simpler models for a while to remind myself of the joy of building. Stepping away from it helped a lot. I watched AnimateOrange’s build video and saw that I was doing pretty much what he did with cones, but he had a taper tool that didn’t level off and turn into cylinder. So I looked though all my tools and found something that would work. Oddly enough, it was the outside of narrow-tip needle-nose pliers. ๐ I managed to smooth out the wrinkles at the edges by running the side of a hobby knife along them. (Yes, I’ve seen the light about your dull/blunted hobby knife obsession.)
Since shaping the sails and testing to see if they fit was bending the frame of the wing, I taped the frames down to a piece of chipboard and traced them and then cut slots so I could get the sails in the right shape before actually mounting them. Since I’m building 2 more, I think this is essential to make the gifts look better. I think it’s useful for just one build. After doing just the first wing, my perfectionism was demanding I do something to make the second wing better. ๐
Because I used to do a lot of bead work, the round-nose and narrow-tip pliers have been part of my arsenal since day one. ๐ Drogon’s wings are far too long to use the round-nose pliers effectively, at least for the way I’m using them. I’ve never watched any build videos because I get too impatient and I can usually figure out how to do something (through dogged determination). I think I need to overcome my impatience and watch some build videos to see how other builders make cones.
The smallest sail is equivalent to a cone with a base diameter of 7/16″ and height of 2 1/4″ that is cut down the center. It’s like an 8ยฐ angle.
I’m particularly motivated to make everything look great for Drogon because I’m gonna build two more as gifts.
I was wanting to get a copy of the Cylinder Tool Guide Generator but I keep getting an error.
Is it me or is there an error?
Thanks.
Frank.
Aw shoot. That must be part of the stuff that got broken by my web host changing some of their internal support tools. The checklists are kinda broken right now, too. I need to fix it, but it’s a problem with how things work on another website I have (created as tools before I started the blog), and I’m worried about breaking that website. But I really need to bite the bullet and fix it. I’ll try to look at it this weekend and reply again when it’s fixed.
Well, I got that, and the checklists, fixed this weekend. You should be able to access it now, via the link on the right side of the blog, or at http://checklist.metalearthbuilder.com/ctg
Great blog! My wife bought me a set of three tanks to start with. She knows me so well!
I have built a Sherman M4 and a Russian T-34. Working on the last one, a German Tiger. I bought nine more kits, all airplanes, on sale at Amazon.
I’m a very precise person. It takes me a long time to build these to my own standards, but I love doing fine work like this. I have good hands, but my eyes need help. I have special computer glasses for reading and close-up work. It’s important to avoid eyestrain if you want to really enjoy building.
I bought a magnifier lamp, but the lamp does not twist left or right. It can hobble me, and I’m thinking of replacing it. Please don’t make this mistake. It is very helpful otherwise and allows me to hold a tool in one hand and a part in the other. It is also handy for reading tiny print or for any small work. I think the third hand is next on my acquisition list.
My toolkit is several sets of needle-nose pliers, including the long nose described above. I have a wire cutter with a very pointy tip I use to cut parts from the sheet. I have found that carefully twisting a part off leaves a smaller burr than cutting it, IMHOP.
I have a set of jeweler’s screwdrivers. They can be great for bending round shapes. I also have drills, but the edges can cut you, as can a part or the parts sheet. Finding found tools is like hunting Easter eggs, at once fun, and a PIA.
Another unmentioned tool is your fingernails. I use them to bend tabs, etc. The nice part is they cannot scratch your model.
I have a small magnetic worktable with foam separators. I put the metal parts sheet on it, separated by a sheet of paper. It makes it harder to lose parts in my carpet. Also great for staging parts, “knolling” as noted.
Building is part strategy. You have to think every moment and anticipate the consequences of everything, such as how to hold a part without deforming it.
Errors can be costly. The metal is brittle and will break if overbent. Now and then, the instructions are wrong, they omit a part, or the part does not match the instructions, or the online model varies in some way from what you have. Sometimes the drawing is very subtle. Assume nothing. It is best not to do anything until you understand how to do it.
I broke a part, and ME was very good about it. They sent me a whole replacement sheet.
Great hobby, frustrating and rewarding all in one package. Good to know I’m not the only ME maniac out there!
Welcome to the obsession, Fred! Thank you for your input on tools!
I really should have mentioned fingernails as a tool, because I use them all the time, too. Especially when holding the parts together gets challenging… sometimes it just doesn’t seem possible to hold things together AND hold a tool as well. Not to mention the better control of finer motion we have with our fingers themselves over a tool being held in our fingers.
I love the idea of a magnetic worktable with a piece of paper over it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve lost my grip on parts to have them scuttle or roll across the desk and fall over the edge. I don’t have carpet for them to get lost in, but the fake-hardwood flooring results in parts being able to make it much farther away than you think is possible.
I tried using the magnifying lens in my third-hand tool, but just found that I had trouble with it due to it’s limited area of focus. I’m currently working through a series of reviews of some tools from another builder’s website (where he sells tools for Metal Model building) and the last post will include a jeweler’s magnifying visor. I found that to be much more usable (even though my head is too big to fit it properly). The ability to move my head around without having parallax problems was a huge benefit.
I hope you find many more years of enjoyment in this hobby!
Just found your site via Reddit. Thanks muchly for generating it along with all of your guides (like this beginner’s guide). I just started building ME models and am enjoying it. And hoping to learn from others’ mistakes to minimize my own.
Please keep up the great work!!!
Awesome! Welcome to the best hobby ever!
I’m glad to hear that these posts are helpful. Be sure to check out the #MetalEarthFam community on Instagram as well, and AnimateOrange on YouTube, too! Both are great resources for support and learning as well!
I think it was an awesome idea to make a build blog! I now have somewhere to point people to when they show interest in our hobby.. I look forward to continue following your journey both here and Instagram. Still haven’t made it to the troublesome skynet tank parts as I tried an annoying HK Beretta build that contained horrible instructions and turned me away for a few weeks. I’ll be back soon, take care.
Oh man. I’ve tried one of those HK Nanyuan models. My daughter got it for me for Christmas (in particular, it was the Bicycle one from the Hobby Lobby re-branded stuff). The instructions are awful. And the quality is sub-par. Made me glad that I’ve stuck with the Metal Earth and Piececool brands for the most part.
Very nicely done. We need to bring more builds to the hobby and this will help with the bumps involved in getting started.
Thank you! I am, indeed, hoping that my activities, here and on Instagram, can get more people building these models. Because the more successful Fascinations is, the more model designs I will get to build. ๐
And I was really looking forward to having this post written up, because I’ve had several people ask me about tools, and seen posts on various social sites asking about tools, and I always want to help out, but don’t feel like I can answer in a very organized fashion in the moment. That’s what I’m trying to do with these Getting Started posts… organizing what I think to be helpful information for beginners ahead of time, so that when I see people asking, or starting out, I can direct them to a better source than my incoherent ramblings in person.
Hi Nate! This was very thorough and informative! I look forward to trying some of these tools on my next build. Thank you!
Thanks Lindsey! And thank you for the suggestion that lead to the image for this post. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out how to arrange the tools in a way that would possibly be recognizable as the letters MEB!