Mini-making On the Move

I abide by the pub rule for the weekly unofficial weekender and avoid politics. I respect the digital venue afforded me by the OTT crew and enjoy the fellowship as a CoG. I am an American and I foresee the possibility of a Chinese style lockdown, for the sake of public health, coming here to my own country as it becomes a reality in Europe.

My hobby is my stress relief. We as a community share the general joy of gaming. I give you all my best in what I can share from the inconvenience of being in a hotel without a dedicated hobby space or actual home at present. If anything, as ridiculous as I think it may be, take this as my bare bones notes to a “hobby prepper’s” guide. It is too late to be prepared for this and I am managing to show you how hobby might be better for you should you become displaced/dislocated. In time, when things are gaming as usual, I hope to look back and know you out there in the digital wilds have benefited.

My kit is simple to be carried as needed. I use a small plastic tackle box that would otherwise be used for fishing purposes. The divided shelves make it easy to separate my hand tools. Despite this I still have mandatory creative chaos running amok.

Hand tools are mixed up with a few odds and ends that might seem like they shouldn’t be there. LEGOs fitted together for a small thermoplastic press mold can be explained but the brass etch barbwire from Eduard seems like a thing for my basing bits (I tried but its safer with my tools).

A jeweler saw with multiple replacement blades for your figures is a good investment not only for plastics but metal. A handle for just such a tool is up to your own discretion and can vary in price. I bought mine in a GW hobby kit a little over two decades ago and it still serves my need. 00 or 000 blades from an online retailer can last you for some time. Otto Frei sells blades by the gross and I’ve given dozens away to younger hobbyists from my one purchase years ago with quite a few to spare. If you happen to work with square plastic rod and want squared edges a mini miter saw and guide will make that possible. These are great for small structure builds.

Hobby knives are a must and you end up with a few (more than needed when finding the first ones when cleaning hobby areas). General smaller sizes (#11 by some companies I think) are staples while larger chunky blades help with bulk base material whittling and heavier jobs. Plastic nippers for delicates sprue removal have been a recent addition and I can’t recommend them enough. Other nippers for cutting thin wire to pin with are a must as they also double to cut thicker plastic injection mold.