Trimming parts

[christupidx]

hey guys, i was wondering is there a special way to trim the parts after cutting it off the frames? because i remember pheno had a guide on it a long time ago but it seems to be gone now. I can do it, but i was wondering if there was a more efficient way of doing it and I wanted to see how you guys did it.

(What i mean by trimming is making it seem as if it was never there, the left over plastic after you cut the part.)

[Chuckles]

Wire cutters and nail files usually do the trick.

[Tilly]

I use a side cutter, then gently shave off remaining bits of plastic with an xacto/burnish with my fingernails. The sidecutter helps a lot, though something like nail clippers will do in a pinch (just don't try to trim directly against the piece with them, as they're curved). It also took me a while to find a sidecutter I liked. That one's expensive, but it fits my small failtastic hands really well, so >_>.

[vargen666]

Like Tilly says, I think it's the most universal way of cleaning up parts on any modelkit.

If you're going to paint the parts and not have to worry about damaging the surface of the plastic you can also take some fine grid (i.e. 400 or above) sandpaper to sand down all the moldlines. Sandpaper is finer than normal files, so more suitable for this kind of thing. Just stick the sandpaper on a flat piece of styrene, wood or whatnot you have lying around using double-sided tape. That way you'll make sure you're always sanding "flat". The surface of the plastic will look wierd, but that's no problem when you're painting.

I usually just trim the tabs for normal assembly. Then when I decide to paint the Zoid I take it apart again and do the above. Currently my Red Horn is in that stage, waiting to be painted.

[Zoidmagnite]

Sometimes, my wire cutters won't fit in certain places. I have a small pair of Fiskers Scissors (palm size to be exact). They work really well in those areas.

[shadowzero33]

Personally, i stick to just an exacto, it seems to do the trick quite nicely. however, i use some fine sandpaper for weird places where the blade can't reach.

[Tilly]

I don't use an xacto for the initial removal most of the time—I don't like putting that much pressure on the blades, especially since I've had a couple tips break. That and flying plastic are the other reason I keep my glasses on while building...

If you use one for everything, though, from what I hear a cutting mat is quite useful.

[Maethius]

I used to use a snap blade knife for the main cuts and trimmings, but found that small clippers and an x-acto work the best. If you're good with a blade, though, it can be just as clean and twice as fast to use the snap blade. I've found the wide blade helps prevent "cut-in" that sometimes happens if a narrow x-acto twists, but that same feature prevents cutting in tight spaces.