JLC Universal Tool for Modelers.

There are tools that come along which are immediately seen as useful and this is one of those. It is basically a microsaw that uses a double edge razorblade blank with saw teeth cut into the edge. One side of the blade has finer teeth than the other, allowing some very fine cuts. It is held to a sturdy metal mount with a plate and screws to keep the blade from flexing too much and possibly breaking. This, in turn, is firmly mounted into a wooden handle. The set comes with an extra blade.

I've used one of these for several years and find it to be useful for a huge number of projects. I get the greatest use when removing resin parts from their pour stubs but it is also useful for cutting control surfaces, sawing canopies away from windscreen and even for rescribing panel lines, though one does have to be careful.

As it is a razor blade, it cannot handle a ton of flexing and I have broken one of my blades when it got caught during a sawing operation and snapped when it was bent too far. It also has a limited cut depth due to the design of the tool. Were it possible to have one with a deeper cutting blade, that would be great, but then the possibility of breakage due to overflexing would increase dramatically.

Regardless, it is a superlative tool and if you don't have on, you need to get one right away. You'll be so pleased that you did.

September 2008