The Le: What kind of tools do you use?

Toychop: Nothing fancy. A standard x-acto blade is my MVP and does most of the heavy lifting. Whenever I need an arm from this guy or a head from that guy, the x-acto offers a clean, reasonably controlled cut.  

Another favorite is a two-sided sculpting tool—something I picked up at a craft store—which helps push and hold elements together when I don’t want my fingers in the mix. A pair or tweezers also provides invaluable hands-off help.  

Something I rely on a lot is an index card + Krazy Glue combo to create chest logos, buccaneer boot flaps and other minor costume elements. I’ll use the x-acto to cut whatever I need out of an index card and attach it to the figure with a pinprick of Elmer’s Glue (in case I need to rework stuff, the Elmer’s isn’t permanent).  

When I’m happy with the look & placement, I add tiny, TINY drips of Krazy glue and quickly blot with paper towels to absorb the excess. The paper—in addition to sticking to the figure like nobody’s business—absorbs the glue and essentially becomes a polymer. Trouble is, all that Krazy Glue can mess with you. After years of exposure, I’ve developed a mild allergic reaction to the stuff. If I inhale Krazy Glue fumes now, for the next few days I’ll be sneezing, runny nose, puffy eyes…uck, I’m a drippy mess. If anyone out there uses Krazy Glue, I’d recommend using a breathing mask—not a surgeon’s mask, but a real, strap-on breathing mask—to filter out the fumes. More on that point here.

Back to the tools: I work on a 3’x2’ cutting mat to avoid destroying my coffee table and an adjustable desk lamp helps slow eyestrain. Figures are finished with acrylic paints applied via fine-point brushes and then PHIST!, a coat of “Patricia Nimock’s Clear Acrylic Matte Sealer.” Good stuff.

I’ve thought about buying one of those magnifying glasses, the kind mounted on an adjustable arm. That would help detailing work when modding at the HeroClix scale. Trouble is, I only remember I want one when I’m already sitting down ready to mod. Ah well…I’m sure years from now—when I’m legally blind from squinting over little plastic superheroes—I’ll just think back, laugh, and wander into traffic. So sad.

Anyway, I don’t mod anywhere near as much as I used to (life won’t allow it), but as tedious as it can sometimes be, it’s relaxing, helps clear my head.



You can find contact information for Toychop on the last page of this feature.