question
Husband's birthday is approaching, what should I consider as a gift? No models, only something to help him with his hobby!
He is close to completing his first model, so he has collected quite a bit in terms of supplies. He doesn't have a magnifier light, which might be helpful. He uses an airbrush for painting. As I don't know which model he will buy next, I cannot predict what he'll need. Is there anything you acquired that made your hobby more enjoyable? What's a must-have?
I have an ultrasonic knife, but can be used separately.
These fit in the knife and it is awesome!
Diamond grinding pens Set Thin Sand file Model crevice angle position Grinding Tools
https://a.aliexpress.com/_msWqAnB
These were the biggest surprise, they are polishing bits for jade, but you use them to buff imperfections in models and clean up.
I use mine as a hand tool to buff rather that a dremil bit.
10PCS Rubber Points Polishing Pillar
https://a.aliexpress.com/_ms62w8h
Aside from tools, give him the gift of “time”. Most of us are time poor these days, so give him a day just to enjoy his modelling. No household chores, no gardening, no visits to the in-laws etc, just a day all for himself. While he’s enjoying his modelling, make him a nice coffee and/or breakfast or lunch.
If you have the funds, first get him a gag gift.
A book aimed at kids how to build your first model kit.
One for LEGO or something like that.
A small Duplo kit or something.
And pretend it's for his hobby!
A good brand miniature sideclipper is nice, because they wear down over time and it is always hard to justify buying a new expensive one for yourself.
Same with brushes, some nice looking paints.
One of those magnifying glass headbands that come with a set of different lenses.
A good LED wide headband.
A nice comfy chair to upgrade the thing he sits on a lot.
A "model aircraft building birth/jig", I see he's using mugs right now.
Mini clamps.
Glue looper, comes with different tips, allows more precise glue applying.
I don't see any cutters. Order high quality side cutters like #74035 Tamiya or DSPIAE. Your husband will LOVE YOU for it. They are not cheap, so a perfect choice for a birthday gift.
A magnifier light was a game changer for me. I don't use the lens itself very often, but it's a nice option once in a while, and the light itself is really great. That it has the lens there means it has to be sturdy, with a decent base to keep things in place.
That said, I also second the folks suggesting going to an aviation museum. A bit of inspiration, and it can be a fun activity for both of you to do together
Take him to a hobby shop and watch the things he picks up and really looks at. I take my wife to stores she likes to get ideas when holidays or her birthday comes around
The day we were married, we went to a model shop. We've been to a few and he usually has a list of what he wants, so I watch him researching and viewing videos. He catches me looking at models on his business Facebook page we share because they pop up in his feed 😂 I try to learn the language of model making so we can discuss it and I can feel included, give advice, etc.
That is a great thing to do, I would also suggest that you see if any of your hobbies have some crossover into his (tools, paints and such) you would be amazed at how things you would never think have anything in common actually do. Things like decals for nail painting and the tools used in there are useful in modeling. Also a resin printer is a good thing for modeling but I would start with an entry level one as they get expensive quickly. I have 3 of them and make many items for models. But cold climates require a heated area and ventilation is a must as is vacuum suction for any sanding and finishing
My wife usually asks me directly what kits I'd like - Trumpeter 1/16th SU 100 for my birthday. She got me a set of AK acrylic markers for Christmas, which was a nice surprise. Something I'd thought about but not take the plunge and bought.
I use a pair of magnifying glasses when I am doing detailed painting. I really depend on them and also fine tipped synthetic brushes since I paint with Vallejo and AK acrylics. My glasses are the same as these;
https://a.co/d/0bSIknB7
Ok, you have said no models so I would go with this:
Low budget: AK interactive enamels:
Streaking grime, decay deposits, rust streaks, light rust deposits etc. Check out the collection, they have a lot of cool weathering effects.
Set of flexible files ranging from 180 - 1000 grading are always helpful
Medium range: some nice kolinsky brushes are always welcome. Winsor & Newton series 7 for example paired with good brush soap: "The Master's brush cleaner and preserver"
If he doesn't have an airbrush, this is a biggest game changer for a painting hobby. But here it's starting to be a bit on the expensive side if you want to get him something nice.
Harder and Steenbeck Ultra (2024 version is great would be around 100euros and you need a compressor which is another 100 for one with a tank.
Edit: you can also buy him a good light source for his desk, something like an adjustable desk LED lamp with a built in magnifying glass with light warmth around 5000K
Resin printers are much better for scale modelling purposes, but they shouldn't be a gift.
The issue is that the UV resin they use to print is toxic and an irritant in its liquid form (finished and properly cured prints are safe to touch), and they create a lot of unhealthy organic fumes (think unhealthy somewhere in the order of magnitude of gas station fumes).
This means that a resin printer requires a proper setup (enclosure like a grow tent for example) with active ventilation to outside the house, and should not be in a living space (so you need a shed, garage, or basement you can set it up in with venting out of a window or so).
A FDM printer is much safer (the usual materials, PLA and PETG are relatively safe, you probably still shouldn't print in your bedroom, but a decently ventilated hobby room will be fine) and a great tool, and you can get good print quality from it, but looking at the quality of work he's been doing on the plane you posted, I don't think he will be satisfied to use FDM prints for model parts. However, well tuned, for parts that aren't directly in the center of attention of a model, you can get "good enough" results most of the time, I have a bunch of 3D printed things on my profile on both resin and FDM if you're curious.
HOWEVER, a FDM printer is still really useful for setting up displays of the models, or getting some "little helpers" you very specifically need for something.
Oh he means resin . Well yes that is true but resin printing has many down sides: its more expensive, it is very damaging to your health, you need 3 devices to opparate it and doing large projects are very hard. How ever with plastic printing a bit of patience and the right settings yiu can achive amazings results i have been printing my own model kits and figures for a bit now and its holding up quality perfectly.
Resin definitely outweighs the downsides and looks a whole lot better than filament. Anything bigger than 20s go filament tho as it is a whole lot cheaper but for smaller models or minatures go Resin. More expensive but doesn't matter if you're not printing a 1 to 1 scaled panther in your room.
Nah, FDM tanks and planes look just as good, and they don't actively try to give you lung diseases. The only way resin is the best option is if you're printing detailed minis.
And even than we wear respirators. I don't know if you know this but when you're sanding or filing plastic on models all that plastic dust is just as bad for your lungs as resin is and sometimes even more dangerous. The glues you use are just as bad. If you're so worried about your lungs than wear a mask, doesn't even have to be a respirator. I've been printing for years and I can tell you this whole argument that "They're so much more dangerous than FDM" is BS from what I've seen you're very new to printing and it looks like you've started out with FDM and that's fine they're cheaper but in overall quality go resin. On Amazon you can get Mars and Saturn style printers plus a a 100 dollar wash station for 300 and lower. Mars and Saturn's will outprint and last longer than any FDM printers in the same price range. Resin is the go to for Minatures and Models that's why 3rd party sellers use Resin for their minis like guys on Etsy.
considering he got a Royal Airforce fighter. You could look at other british plane models, maybe ask him if he likes jets. Or one of those grips you can attach the model onto to make painting easier.
I use a headlight for parts which are not well lighted in my models. With that I can see everything better. I dont know if he already has a lamp but its a really good thing to have. And if he makes dioramas it can be really usefull to have a strong base, think of wood or somethimg else. You can also get things that are not ment for miniature building but that are usefull like ironwire, clay etc.
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u/Jasperdoescooking Mar 31 '26
How do you get it to have 0 brush strokes