When you're in and out of the local hobby shop, you're bound to find good alternatives for a lot of the hobby stuff you use for good prices. On a stop by the Hobby Lobby the other day, I happened upon just such a product. Everyone has seen the Games Workshop Sculpting tool in your local shop. It's a great starter tool for sure, and if you're hard up to find another place with anything comparable, it's a great piece of kit. But if you're eyes are sharp, and you find this Alumilite Carver Set, you'll be much happier with your purchase!
For around $10 you get 4 tools. A great value considering for $6, you only get one GW tool. They're all of similar style to the Games-Workshop version as well, so if you're already using the GW tool, these would be easy sub ins.
Each tool comes with a spatula/knife end that can be used to shape and cut your medium of choice. All four are different as you can see, so each would have different uses as you move forward through a project.
On the other end is a different assortment of tool ends for even more versatility. As you can see there is a rounded smoothing end just like on the GW tool. The others have more options for carving out and working your medium. The teardrop shaped carver has caught my attention the most out of this set and I find myself trying to come up with a project just so I can make use of it!
The one downfall of the kit is it's packaging. The plastic cover they used couldn't even keep the carvers in the package on the shelf, and once I had them out, I quickly dispatched of it to the trash bin.
For the price, compared to it's Games-Workshop counterpart, this set is really a no brainer.
We would love to hear about great, cheap, alternatives you've found around your hobby shops!
There are at least two other tool sets where you can easily find something that gives you a lot more for your money than the GW tools:
ReplyDelete(side-cutting) pliers and files.
For the money GW charges for its 3 file set, you can easily find a set of simple metal files (very good for plastic as well) with like 10 or 12 differently shaped pieces.
And instead of spending 15 bucks for a single "plastic cutter" you can easily get a set of 4 to 6 pliers for under 25$ containing at least: side cutter, universal pliers and flat nose pliers. Just look for the "cheap" stuff. You won't do any "heavy duty" work with it anyway.
I have been looking for a set like this at some local craft stores. I tried a plastic based set for polymer clay but the greenstuff stuck to it to much even when wet. My wife loved Hobby Lobby when we lived in the Southwest and they have started a few here in Michigan.
ReplyDeleteI picked up a similar set of tools to this at Hobby Town for about fifteen bucks. They aren't exactly the same but they have served me well so far.
ReplyDeleteSquadron makes a nice set, about the same price. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI found some great sculpting tools at American Science and Surplus.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sciplus.com/category.cfm/subsection/12/category/129
I am fortunate enough to have one near my home so I can skip the shipping, plus I found the Alumilite tools "loose" for a dollar a piece. Check out the site they have tons of tools and the inventory changes regularly.
The GW sculpting tool it's just a LECRON CARVER, an odontology carver you can buy for 1 buck
ReplyDeleteIn any dental store, btw, you buy a lot more tools that cheap.
Hope it helps