Tools of the Trade part Dos

Hello!  So lets talk about a few more handy tools for the modeling wargamer... these things arent quite necessary, but on my desk, they are indespensible.  And quite a lot of destructive fun!

DREMEL

Now, the Dremel tool isnt totally necessary, but if you really want to do some serious plastic shedding, you gotta get one.  You can use them for drilling holes if you have a steady hand, or get a bit like this one, and use it to create pits and scratches in armor, vehicles, etc... its a great effect.  You got to be careful with this little bastard though, you can take a little too much off of you arent careful... and if you run this bad boy at too high a setting you will be melting the shit out of your little plastic mens, and you dont want that... one cause it could ruin your models, and two because burning plastic can create some fumes that im pretty sure arent good for you.  This tool is great fun, and when you run it, people in the other room wonder what the fuck you are doing.  Here is a model I did that had some serious Dremel action.  In retrospect maybe too much, but it gives you a good idea of what the Dremel can do in the wrong hands:

The desired effect was corroded, pitted armor.  I think he looks quite pitted. Quite.  Ok, next tool...

DENTAL TOOLZ

Not just for dentists anymore!  Anyone with an interest in semi-professional dentistry might have some sweet tools like this you can borrow, or head down to the ol dental hobby shop and pick some up.  But really, you should be able to find things like this in a hobby store in the sculpting section.  Or next time you go in for your yearly checkup and flouride, you swipe the dentists tools when they arent looking.  And every time, every fucking time they say, "you arent flossing enough".  Jeezus.  Who has the time to floss?  Anyway, stealing their sweet-ass tools will show em.  These are great for modelling and molding your greenstuff and whatever else might need poking and prodding, paint scraping, and general stabby-ness.  Speaking of Green Stuff....

Modelling putty/Green stuff

You will find green stuff at your fave game store, and its actually called Green Stuff.  I bet you cant guess why.  Also pictured here is my favorite modeling medium, Milliput.  Both  are two part modeling compuounds, and both get good and hard after a few hours (just like prom night!).  Modelling compound like green stuff is responsible for more shitty "conversions" than I care to count, so it takes some time and a keen sense of editing to make it look like something other than a big fucking blob on your models.  We'll talk about that later... but just some quick notes, work these compounds with wet fingers and tools, or it will stick to everything... and for fucks sake smooth out all those fingerprints.  It is not cool.  Heres a model that I went apeshit crazy on with some Milliput:

The tentacle around the axe, the fleshy bits around the spikes, the eyes, the horn, his chest, the base... all built up with milliput.  This is what happens when you have a lot of time on your hands... sometimes the result is ok, this example is questionable.  Moving on...

HOTT GLOO GUN

One of my favorites, the hot glue gun.  These are mad cheep, so if you are like me and you lose one every few months, you can just buy another... they are like 4 whole dollars.  I cant think of many things I can get for 4 dollars these days... maybe a few double cheeseburgers, or a night with your mom.  But unlike your mom, these things get warm and gooey and are useful.  They are fantastic for gluing together foamboard when you are making awesome buildings, and for gluing your styrofoam and styrene hills together.  I also use them for interesting goo effects, Ive gone so far as to use them on the bases of my Nurgle troops, to mimic the look of them standing in puddles of nondescript slime.  There are also colored glue sticks that could be used for some interesting effects... Ive also modelled some sweet 'nid drop pods, cracking open with pools of goo spilling out... the only limit is the imagination.  Get one (a hot glue gun, hopefully you already have an imagination).

THE AIR BRUSH

Another nice to have tool that makes life a whole lot easier.  Base coating models with an airbrush is one of the simple pleasures in life we should all experience.  Like a cool breeze off the ocean, a relaxing bubble bath, or the screams of your victims as they try to escape, this is just a joy.  Its great to be able to mix your own colors, to paint large models cleanly and evenly, and to graffitti anti government slogans on very small buildings.  A decent setup could cost you as little as 150 to 200 dollars, and it will pay for itself in no time.  Check out the ebay, im sure they have plenty of airbrushes and compressors for a decent price.  Mine is a sweet double action deal that allows you to adjust the pressure of the air flow as well as the size of the spray... very handy.  A rule of thumb with these as well, CLEAN THEM OFTEN.  They can get gummed up with paint pretty quickly, so clean after every use.  Clean them at least 3 times as often as you clean yourself, you stinky little monkey.

Ok, so a few odds and ends aside, thats what I have sitting on my awesome desk here.  These tools have made all of my work that much easier and enjoyable.  Again, this is just what I use, and your mileage may vary.  Find the tools that work best with you, experiement and have fun.

-Dan