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This is one of those tools that make you scratch your head and wonder why you did not think of that! I came across the MMP table during AMPS East 2003 and met Alisdair Johnston, representing The Small Shop EU. Among the product I acquired that day was this set.
In the Ziploc bag were three Black 4 inch square acrylic tiles with backing sheets still on them, plus a smaller clear plate with a beveled edge and a clear turned knob. Also included was an instruction sheet.
Assembly was a breeze. The knob is glued to the smaller clear plate (I used MEK) and allowed to dry. I also removed one backing sheet from each of the tiles.
Following the instructions, I placed the three tiles spaced evenly from left to right and used the first one for cutting. In the photo, you can see me using a chisel blade in my Exacto knife to cut the connecting frets from the toolbox on the photo-etched set that comes in Dragon’s 1/72nd scale Armor Pro Elefant.
By cutting straight down, I was able to cut very close to the part without damaging it, or the smaller plate (press). The press protected the part as I finished cutting all the sprue attachments and easily lifted the fret, leaving the part on the tile (photo 2).
The released part was shifted onto the second plate before folding (using my Hold and Fold) and the completed item was then slid onto the third plate. The black color of the tiles made it easy to see the parts even when it came time for the tiny clasps of the toolbox.
After completing the cutting of the fret, I inspected the tiles. Since I was using a sharp new blade, I was careful not to press too hard. Only light marks were made into the tile and I am sure I can polish them out if I wanted to (but with two other tiles ready, not to mention the still protected backsides, why would I?).
This set is so simple that one actually can make it oneself but the price is affordable, it is all in one package, and it works. I highly recommend this to modelers who use a lot of small photo-etched parts such as those on frets from ABER, PART, Royal Models, and small scale armor.
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