Reddit reviews Metal Earth 3-Piece Tool Set - Clipper - Flat Nose Pliers - Needle Nose Pliers

Thanks for saying it looks good! I definitely made some mistakes but it was fun (two major mistakes plus many others) but they are hard to see since it's so small).

If I'm giving "pro tips" I'd say:

1. Make sure you have good tools, I used a pair of cutters and some needle nose pliers. I really wish I had smaller pliers since these were really hard to get in to some tight spaces. I got a kit from amazon but in all honesty you are probably going to get a better deal and better quality from your local hardware store.
   
   
2. Take your time. I did this over the course of 2-3 days and probably put about 6 hours into it. I could have done a much better job if I went slower.
   
   
3. If you have something very small that can be used to help make curves it helps a LOT. The hardest parts of this one were all of the tubular parts. Most of them don't look all that great in person in my opinion but it's because I didn't have a good form to shape them with so it was all free hand.
   
   Hope this helps!

Here is what I use for mine. I use all three of those. The far right is to cut pieces out and they are tiny enough to do so if you need.

I also have purchased some smaller unfinished wooden dowels which have helped greatly with shaping pieces like when it comes down to rounding out some them. Get a few different sizes because you never know what may actually help, plus I've broken a few too.

I also use an anti-static mat that I normally work on computers with but it comes in handy to seeing all the pieces and keeping everything close.

Hope this helps!

[This Metal Earth toolkit] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNQ2TUI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ASAAyb2SBQXAH) is pretty handy but really any needle nose pliers, tweezers, and something that can use to cut metal are what you need.

Some of the pieces are REALLY small and/or thin so having something to cut the pieces from the sheet (rather than trying to twist them out) is highly preferable. The tweezers are good for twisting the tabs and the pliers for bending corners. Depending on your eyesight, you may also want to use a magnifying glass. Those models (and all their tiny parts) are smaller than they look in pictures.

>The issue I found was getting the pieces off the sheet which stressed some of the bends before I even bent them into shape

Clippers man. You'll never get stressed about this again once you get a pair.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNQ2TUI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6vaVCbS7APW7R

I used to have that problem as well. There are small clippers that work well for this purpose; you can get a look at them here:

https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Kit-Metal-Earth-Models/dp/B00MNQ2TUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503058205&sr=8-1&keywords=metal+earth+clippers

The pair I'm talking about is on the far right of the item pic. I bought my pair from Aliexpress for $4~ with free shipping; just search for "metal earth" and the clippers are often one of the options when you are looking at a listing that offers lots of different models. Downside of Aliexpress: it takes 2-3 weeks for that free shipping to get from China to the US. But I wasn't in a hurry so the wait didn't bother me. Hope this helps!

They sell a tool https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Puzzle-MT001-Metal-Earth/dp/B00MNQ2TUI

Yeah. And they're not huge, about the size of craft scissors. I have a cutter from Xuron that I use for my model cars, but Metal Earth themselves offers a tool kit that has all three things you'd really need for these little models.

[Tool Kit.] (http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Earth-3-Piece-Tool-Accessory/dp/B00MNQ2TUI)

A few things to get you started:

1. A small pair of needle-nose pliers to use for bending the tabs and gripping the parts.
   
   
2. Nippers - no need to spend a lot of money here, just something basic to cut the pieces out of the sprues
   
   
3. Bending tools. These are optional but make things easier when bending long pieces. 7pcs Edges + Tabs + Cylinder Cone Shape Bend Assist Tools For 3D Metal Puzzle Assemble Model Kits https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MY984WY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nXznDbHNAS6SK
   
   
4. Additionally, something you can use to bend round and cylinder pieces. I like to use a drill bit kit since it has a ton of different sizes and I can usually find the right one.
   
   Medal Earth makes a pretty solid beginner kit that would be a good place to start Metal Earth 3-Piece Tool Set - Clipper - Flat Nose Pliers - Needle Nose Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNQ2TUI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_HUznDb94F45T2