Fix, restore and customize

In the past some people have said to use oven cleaner to remove paint. I have found that this is quite an evasive method and can remove the glue from the model as well, and you end up with paint left on some pieces of the model which just ends up...

Cyanoacrylate is best known as super glue. The best way to remove it is with acetone or an acetone-based product such as nail varnish remover, this will soften the super glue. In the eventuality of getting super glue on your skin follow...

BEWARE RISK OF BURNS With most plastic, hot water is usually enough to bend it. If you are straightening weapon barrels that have gone a bit wayward then place them under the hot tap and let it run until the water is too hot to touch. This...

Ejector pins are used in the injection moulding process of the manufacturing of plastic kits and die cast kits. They apply force to eject the part from the mould: once it has been opened, the pins extend in to the mould and push the part out. They...

Kit bashing is when you take two or more model kits to make something unique to you. This may include parts that you already have in your spares box as well. Another way of explaining it: kit bashing is the art of creating something else out of...

The mistake some people make is to prime and paint their figures using the same or similar colour. But for the best results, add the shadows first by using a black primer; when dry, add two or three coats of an off-white colour by dry brushing...

In theory, yes you can add smoke to your engines regardless of whether you are running analogue or DCC. You will need to get yourself a smoke generator which is fitted inside the body of your engine and connected to the pickups of the train, you...

Personally, I would never use second hand track as you don't really know what you are getting. Over time track will wear and tarnish and may even rust (for very old track) and its conductivity may become diminished even after giving it a good...

Soldering irons are a little bit like the children's story "Goldilocks and the three bears": some are too hot, some are too cold and some are just right, but which is which when it comes to modelling and why?An entry-level soldering iron will be...

Every toolbox has a can of WD-40 in it to rid the world of squeaks and loosen any stubborn nuts and bolts, so the temptation when your model locomotive develops a squeak or starts to run a little rough is to grab the can and get to work. This...

Glass fibre pencils are commonly used in modelling for cleaning locomotive wheels, commutators and other electrical connections.The tool looks like a regular pen, but, instead of an ink nib or ballpoint at its end, there is a glass fibre stick...

An Archimedean drill is a type of hand-operated drill that's often referred to as a push drill.The device looks a little like a complicated screwdriver,  its main features comprising a handle, a specially shaped shaft and a collet on the...