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Ive never modeled or painted with metal miniatures before. I was wondering if I would need any different equipment for working with metal miniatures over plastic ones. I have fine grit sandpaper and a hobby knofe, but I was worried that those wouldnt be enough for cleaning up mold lines and flash. Thanks in advance.

I prefer using a small, round file for metal miniatures, helps getting into those particularly hard to reach areas.

Otherwise, for basic assembly, that's all you really need.

However most people would recommend a pinvice drill and some wire for pinning. Metal models, especially those with long limbs that aren't cast as one piece, tend to fall off if the connection is smooth (and even if it has some teeth to it, it still tends to do so).

In addition, some greenstuff and liquid greenstuff would be pretty useful. Pewter has a habit of shrinking when I cools down, so those models tend to have large, unsightly gaps in them. Again, for basic assembly, these usually aren't an issue. They just look bad. But it pays to go over them with a bit of putty and smooth it out with a sculpting tool and a file or sandpaper.

Finally, find a good sealant. Metal Models will chip if they bang against stuff (unlike plastic, which does the fusion dance with paints) and you will bang them. Touching up the paint aint easy so a sealant of some kind (either spray varnish or the paint on kind) is very valuable.

Thanks a lot. Would you recommend any brands of sealants or files?

I already have a pinvice drill, so im ok there.

I'd recommend two sealants actually. Gloss is generally notably harder wearing, so a coat of that provides better protection, but the shiny finish isn't to many's taste, and seldom looks appropriate unless you're doing something very hi tech or aquatic etc, so a further coat of satin or matt over the top is generally more pleasing.

My recipe is Humbrol Gloss Acrylic spray followed by Testors Dullcote spray, but the Testors is very matt which isn't necessarily to everyone's taste, although it's generally very popular.

I use Krylon sealants. But I got mine a few years ago and I recently found out they discontinued the spray paint I used, so they might have also changed up their varnishes.

Generally look for anything that says "matte". Otherwise your models will be so glossy that they look like cheap dimestore candy. Art stores generally carry good varnishes and sealants.

Having a range of files can be useful. You should be able to pick up a set of 6-10 precision/needle files at your local hardware store. I use a set of Craftsman ones I picked up ages ago at Sears, but a quick web search for “Small file sets” shows you can get them at Home Despot, Lowes, etc. for under $10.

You may want a pair of wire cutters, if something big needs to be snipped (like a slotta base tab if you want to change bases) Depending on the quality of the clippers you use for plastic, you might damage them.

If you normally use plastic glue, you will need superglue or something else.

If doing serious work, a dremal can be nice. But not needed unless doing some crazy conversions.

Here is an older pic I snapped of the tools I use, but these kind of files:

Hehe, Home Despot. That made me giggle uncontrollably.

Look for automotive detaling files. These should be diamond dust coated files, which are great for smoothing down mold lines (and they shouldn't be expensive at all). Try Princess Auto.

Failing that, any half-decent set of needle files. You want a variety of shapes (round, curved profile, flat) depending on the surface you're filing.

A pin vise isn't mandatory, but if you're putting together bigger stuff you'll want it. Sometimes even the smaller stuff can benefit tremendously from pinning.

For glue, use a superglue analogue (Loc-tite gel is my favorite), but you'll want green stuff to fill gaps, and also to reinforce your base-to-miniature adhesion, especially with tab and slot connections. Superglue in place and then fill in the connection from the underside with green stuff so that it can't bend and break later on.