1” square steel heavy square Great for small construction, allows a square non sticky edge to use as a square guide, can be used with styrene, balsa, etc.

12” steel straight edge.

36” collapsable straight edge Just a really cool straight edge, it’s like a tape measure but reverse sprung. This is the only one I’ve seen. I’m on the lookout for one with more clear numbers on it.

3 way scale ruler Has 3 sides, each with measurements in different scales.

4” Square I can’t seem to have enough squares in my toolbox, nothing reads to the eye faster than a line slightly out of true.

4 in one Screwdriver These things strip like the dickens, but obviously, as space is a concern for me, so I buy one about every six months or so.

6 piece micro screwdriver set, made my Wiha. These guys are expensive, but worth it, they make a full set of 7 sizes in both phillips and flathead, but small medium and large works well for me. They have tempered heads, and I haven’t had one strip on me yet. I’ve had many different types of mini screwdrivers, but these make a great case for buying the best once.

6” Steel rule For measuring in those small places. For a couple of bucks, what can you lose?

Airbrush I use a simple single-action airbrush for 99% of everything. I've pre-fitted it with the most common quick-connect, but I also have an adapter for the other most popular kind of quick connect just in case.

Airbrush bottles

Airbrush wrench

Airbrush tips Allen wrench set Another “must have” tool, I prefer the long neck ball end version, which allows for off-angle operation. English and Metric.

Angle Cutter This cutter has a flat plate on the bottom, with angles marked on it and a tall guillotine blade on top that allows nice registration of things like styrene plastic.

Angle Finder, Steel. Basically a compass, with markings to delineate the angle, but I have 3 different kinds

depending on where I'm trying to measure the angle.

Assortment of piano wire plant wire wired styrene This stuff falls within the realm of being prepared for anything. Looking for just the right wire for a certain situation, I always cut an extra length or two and stick it in. One more thing I don’t have to go looking for.

Automatic Punch This thing is great, for marking a starting divot for drilling precise holes, no hammer is necessary for this. You just press and it has a spring release inside that ‘tink’ makes a little nick. Allows for precise placement because you don’t have to go looking for a hammer.

Awl Another all purpose when-you-need-it-nothing-else-will-do kind of tool. I only use it 2 or 3 times a year, but when I need it... Mine was my grandfather's

Bevel Gauge A master carpenter told me this tool was the soul of woodworking. I know just as much carpentry as I have to to be dangerous, and this tool allows me to duplicate angles between the work and the saw and such and never have to bother with pesky compasses or rulers.

Blue tack For temporary holding of things

Bone saw I’ve had this for years. It was my great grandfather’s (he was a surgeon) and it’s perfect for deepening grooves and such. It got used for “The Mummy” in the opening shot of the temple.

Bottle Brush Rarely used, but nothing else will clean out stuff in those tight places

12” folding wooden and brass ruler. I keep this just because it’s beautiful.

Bull clip Bullclips, are just clample, take up no space, if I use it once a year it justifies it’s real estate.

Butane powered Soldering iron Now this is the shit. It charges just like a lighter, holds enough for about an hour of soldering, and takes up almost no space. Weller makes an amazing one, but it costs a little dough, and I haven’t picked one up yet. Another on the long list of tools I’ll upgrade eventually.

Brass Stock, assorted From K&S Engineering, this stuff, mostly sold for model trains, is a modelmakers dream, I beam, tubing in every size (and telescoping) square stock, solid stock, I always kept enough to get me out of a small jam.

Brushes Always a complement of brushes: Acid Brush (x 4) 1” and 1/2” chip brushes (x 2 each) Assorted fine paint brushes (perhaps a dozen of different sizes) Wire Brushes (x2)

C-thru 8” square Maybe you can't see it, but this has a steel edge on one side, great for a cutting edge. I bought this years ago in a past life as a graphic designer.

Calculator It’s presence is obvious, but it really is indispensable.

Carving knife A whittler's knife, with a nice wood handle and a short blade.

Chalk Marker For marking on steel, metal.

Channel locks Again, one totally critical tool for the toolbox. You can rip a doorknob right off the door with these.

Chargers All the cordless tools need chargers, my toolboxes had chargers built in for the Dremel, the Cordless Screwdriver and the Cordless drill.

China Marker Makes marks on glass, metal everything.

Circle Template Honestly, the more ways you have to draw circles the better

Clay tools Part of the general sculpting tool arsenal. For, you know, sculpting.

Clip leads Critical in any electronics wiring. Provides a bridge for the handy little electrons to make

things work at your disposal.

Cloth scissors For cloth, cloth and only cloth. Or you die. NEVER cut anything else with them, I have another pair for other shit. But always one pair for cloth.

Clothes pins Clamp, wedge, whatever, useful dingbat

Combination square/level Got this cleaning out my grandfather’s workshop, cleaned off the gunk to find out it’s a starret. (Thats good.) Square is good.

Compass Drawing circles comes up constantly. I have a nice one for drafting, it's served me well for decades.

Crescent Wrench

Large \ Small Cutting Matt For cutting, umm, that’s it.

Deburring tool, for holes I made the handle from aluminum and knurled it for comfort, takes the burr off of a drilled or milled hole. It's basically a countersink bit with a handle

Deburring tool, regular For cleaning up the edge of cut metal.

Dental Picks

Dial calipers

Digital Calipers

Dremel: Cordless Dremel For me, the corded dremel is too fast. This one is about half the price, allows really tight

control, and goes nice and slow.

Cordless batteries as many as I can keep.

Dremel Bits Cutters (emery and steel), Sanders (small and large), Sanding drum, replacements, Extra cutting wheels, double helix carbide cutters (can cut through glass), Stone grinders

Drill, cordless A large cordless drill with a 1/2” chuck.

Drill bits English drill bit set Super long drill bits (used in the aircraft industry, indispensable)

Plexiglass drill bits, 1/8”, 1/4”

Unibit stepped drill bits.

Miniature drill bits 61 thru 70

Dykes cutters

Electrical tape

Electronix Solder/ silver solder

Exacto Blades Long curved exacto blades are ideal for cutting silicone molds apart Straight exacto blades, you can NEVER have enough. I keep them in boxes of 100 Blade holders, fat and skinny.

Exacto Saw blade

Exacto circle cutter with blades

Erasing template For mechanical drawing, a stainless steel template for erasing with precision

Files Rat Tail, Flat Diamond point, Diamond flat, Diamond bent, rat-tail circular file, Super-flat scoring file, Large steel file

Flexible Ruler

Flush cutters

Glass Cutters

Glues: Rapid Setting Glues The soul of the special effects industry. I would never leave home without the following: Cyanoacrilate Glue (thick). Cyanoacrilate glue (thin). Cyanoacrilate Glue Accelerator. 5 minute epoxy (thin). 5 minute plumber's epoxy. Araldite or JB weld Weld-on #3 (for Styrene, an essential tool for gluing styrene ship parts together. Barge Glue (by far the best contact adhesive out there)

Goosnecked Flashlight

Hair cutting scissors

Hammer A modelmaker doesn't need a big hammer, but I always kept two small ones: Jeweler’s hammer (A beautiful small hammer with a peen on one end, and a flat on the other)

A thwacker (a 1.5” by 2” piece of solid aluminum stock on a handle, for thwacking)

Heat shrink tubing For doing neat electronics wiring, a few pieces are always in my kit.

Heat sink Clamp

Heavy scissors

Helping Hands soldering tool

Hemostats Medical clamps, I'd keep a shorty and a long one.

Hole Saw set, with Arbor.

Isopropyl Alcohol An excellent remover, cleaner, prep liquid.

Japanese flush cut saw. Kept in 2 pieces, it cuts everything wooden super quickly.

Jewelers Clamps

Knife, Opinel french knife For some reason these are awesome for carving urethane foam to make fake mountainsides.

Knife saw Basically a hacksaw

Knife Sharpener

Knipex cutters An amazing tool, can cut piano wire and hardened steel all day long with no ill effects.

Knitting Threader

Level

Bullet and Button levels Lighter

Light bulbs Since I did a fair amount of miniature lighting, I'd keep an assortment