Games Workshop has launched 4 new hobby tools under their Citadel Tools brand.
If you’re not familiar with the company, they created different tabletop gaming universes, such as Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. They make miniature models, props, paints, tools, accessories, and other supporting products.
The four new tools include fine detail cutters, a hobby knife, a mini drill, and a mouldline remover.
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I would expect the new tools to be available at Games Workshop dealers.
Citadel Fine Detail Cutters
Games Workshop says that their fine detail cutters have been completely redesigned with much thinner blades.
Additionally, they feature a single cutting edge, where one blade is flat and the other cuts against it.
The new fine detail cutters also have a narrower nose, making it easier to fit into smaller gaps. A stopper function prevents excessive wear on the cutting edge.
Price: $50
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Citadel Hobby Knife
The new Citadel hobby knife is described as being “safer and easier to use than ever before.”
The back end of the tool is weighted “for maximum control.”
It comes with 6 blades.
Price: $34
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Citadel Hobby Drill
There’s a new precision hand-powered drill. It comes with 2x 1mm and 2x 1.5mm drill bits, which Games Workshop is the perfect size for drilling out blasters and miniature weapons models.
It can also be used for pinning parts on larger models, and for other model-building or detailing purposes.
Price: $35
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Citadel Mouldline Remover
The new mouldline remover looks to replace a previous model, featuring a revamped and more comfortable handle and longer thinner nose. There’s also a notch for cleaning the miniature’s circular base edges.
Price: $25
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Discussion
I have two very opposing thoughts on hobby tools.
On one hand, hobby-centric tools tend to be overpriced compared to general purpose tools. On the other hand, they are tailored to the exact needs of hobbyists and professionals with less common needs.
If you cut a small electrical wire and the exposed edge is not perfectly flat, is it a problem? Not usually. But if you do the same with plastic models, you might deform the plastic and have stress nubs to remove.
There are industrial deburring scrapers, such as by Noga (SC-8000 at Amazon) and Shaviv (Scrape-Burr 400 at Amazon), that might be able to do the same job, but the Citadel mouldline tool is designed especially with miniature plastic models in mind.
Whenever looking for hobby tools, whether for electronics, building plastic models or miniatures, beading, jewelry-making, or others, be sure to also look for functionally-equivalent tools, at least for comparison purposes.
Some hobby tools have specific functionality or were designed with specific tasks and usage environments in mind. For that reason, hobby tools are sometimes the best choice for hobby tasks, as well as specific industrial or specialty needs.
I haven’t used Citadel tools before, but I have used cutters, scrapers, precision drills, and hobby knives.
Games Workshop’s new tools look interesting, but be sure to consider alternative options, especially if there’s a significant price discrepancy.
For instance, the Citadel hobby knife is $34, whereas Excel’s ergo-style knife with a contoured rubberized grip is less than $8 at Amazon at the time of this posting.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad to see more hobby tools enter the market, I’m just urging caution, as hobby tools don’t always offer the best value.
Josh+R
Games Workshop is consistent with selling very expensive things. I’d recommend Tamiya’s 74123 sprue cutters (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010PG73J4/) as an equally good if not better option for half the price.
The Godhand cutters seem like a fun thing to own, but they’re apparently kind of fragile.
Stuart
I’ve heard the same about the Godhand, and recently ordered that and the Tamiya for testing. I’ve also heard they’re fragile, but they also provide very specific usage instructions.
MM
I would be surprised if these were anywhere near the quality of Godhand cutters, or even near the quality of a $15 pair of Xcelite flush cutters.
I completely agree that niche tools are often costly. But I feel that in the case of Citadel, you’re not really paying for quality or anything special, you’re paying for the name.
fred
I’ve never used Godhand cutters – but have used some of their miniature chisel blades (also ones from Madworks ) held in a pinvise. I like them.
For sprue cutting – I think I used to use a Mascot 450 but switched to a Xuron which provides a cleaner cut:
https://www.amazon.com/Xuron-2175ET-Professional-Sprue-Cutter/dp/B001TMZ7QA
The Tamiya cutters also seem to be highly rated.
blocky
The head-on product image shows poor alignment on these Xuron’s. The reviews tell a different story.
fred
Like so many other items, it may be a QA/QC problem. I spied at least 1 review that complained (in German) about poorly aligned cutting edges. The pair I bought have performed well – but they were purchased in 2004 for under $15 – so, fast forwarding 18 years – quality may have changed. You would have thought that if they knew that they have a QC issue – they would have picked a sterling example for the photo.
Stuart
Are they poorly aligned, or are they offset?
Much of the time, cutters look like that because they are supposed to be. Offset cutting blades help to reduce the chance of excessive wear or dulling.
If not offset, perfectly aligned cutting blades could hit each other when closed.
TonyT
I believe Xurons are supposed to offset a bit, to quote “Micro-Shear® flush cutters utilize a shearing cut, with the by-pass cutting edges slicing cleanly through the metal.”
Mine have worked well so far, except like most wire cutters, you can’t abuse them (they’ll get notches if you try to cut hard wire or such).
fred
I have a pair of Starrett end nippers with replaceable carbide jaws that I use for cutting hard wire. They must be at least 50 years old – worked making many fishing lures and jigs using SS wire. They sell replacement jaws, so I suppose that you could chip their jaws as well.
I just looked at the current price on them – and see that at $450 (Zoro) – I would never have bought them.
TonyT
I have some cutters with carbide inserts for cutting hard wire but the inserts aren’t replaceable.
They’re a pair of small Aven cutters (~4.5″). Sometime I want an 8″ cutter, probably non-carbide from NWS, Knipex, or USA-made Milwaukee.
fred
There is also this thicker blade Tamiya:
https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Sharp-Pointed-Side-Cutter/dp/B000J47Z4G/
Jacob
Games Workshop is always expensive. At this point you’re paying for the name more than any kind of quality.
I love my Godhands. It allows for a flush cut of the part with minimal (if any) stressing. Perfect for a snap build.
Gary T.
Link for premium alternative moldline remover is not working.
Stuart
Thanks! Sorry – I removed it, will fix it when back in front of a computer.
JoeM
I’ve said it before: Find a Jewellery Supplier. There are simple snips, meant for metal. They just have to have their blades crossed enough to be touching, and they’ll remove the flashing between the mould halves like a knife through butter, and it’ll be like it was lost-wax cast instead of buck and mould pressed.
Best part: Jewellery Suppliers don’t charge insane amounts for high end tools. For Jewellers, the higher the price you’re paying, is 100% devoted to your choice of grip style and ergonomics.
If you’re buying Hobby Tools… Try Precision Pro tools instead. Jewellers, Miniature Makers, and Watch Makers’ tools are designed to work in metal that would rapidly dull hobby tools. But they’re so common that the price of the globally-patented design can be done for dirt cheap by very high end manufacturers. I know someone is going to say “Made In USA!” and… they could be… Or Canada… but the majority of these tools are out of Japan and Germany… Just statistically speaking. I haven’t seen a USA or Canada Made set of my jeweller’s tools yet. Lee Valley does make a Veritas hand drill or two like the one shown, as well as a superior carving knife design for that knife… But that’s as close to Not-Made-In-Europe/Japan as I’ve ever seen.
By the way, the Veritas Jeweller’s Pin Vise is something everyone with a Dremel Workstation should get themselves. It makes an amazing little vise for precision drilling with a Dremel Rotary. And it is using the identical threading as the bolts the workstation says should be bought for making hold down clamps! Win-Win!
Stuart
It depends on the brand and retailer.
Xuron is a solid entry/priced brand for hobby, jewelry, electronics, and industry.
Most of the “jewelry tools” at art stores are overpriced and even junk.
Otto Frei I’d a good source.
Rx9
I got a set of Xuron pliers last year, and I was rather pleased with the quality. Hakko is another quality brand for detail oriented tools.
fred
At the pricier end – both Erem (Apex-Weller) and Lindström pliers used to have a very good reputation for quality.
Stuart
There’s also Swanstrom and Tronex. https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/tronex-precision-pliers-review/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Great precision cutters do not necessarily make for great modeling cutters.
I would rather have great general purpose cutters than bad modeling cutters, but great modeling cutters might work best, depending on the task.
fred
“Horses for courses” – as the saying goes
MM
I use Sandvik Lindstrom pliers on a regular basis for precision electronics work, they are excellent indeed.
JoeM
Otto Frei is a jewellery supplier, 100%. And you’ll notice, they’re not a “Craft Store” or “Model/Hobby Shop.” They’re devoted to precision work.
And I was as general as I was about it being a Jewellery Supplier, because it rules out brick-and-mortar Craft Supply and Model Supply stores. Jewellery makers have had obsessive customers for hundreds of years. In that time, the jeweller and clockmakers using these same tools, have been approaching the factories and manufacturers of their tools in person the entire time. “No. Sharper.” “Angle no less than 24 and a half degrees, and the edge must retain its cut after more than ten snips. If you don’t have the material for making that, Find it. Charge me double if you have to.”
The result has been patents that have been filed for the most precise tools on the planet. If you’re working with wires and regular building style uses, don’t worry about these. These are on a level that are insane for you to own. You have to question your own sanity if you don’t know exactly how precise these are designed to be. So leave these kinds of tools from Otto Frei, or Artbeads (my supplier) or other jewellery-specific suppliers, for those of us working specifically on precise or tiny work. MM down below this has an excellent example in precise electronics. And yeah, plain old model airplanes, ships, tanks, and Gundam/Transformers/Whatever other series of Model Kits in Plastic, these are perfect, and far better suited than the Hobby Tools will ever be.
If I knew of any brand names specifically, I’d share them. But Artbeads ships the ones I use basically in open packages, after they’ve bought a few thousand of them in bulk. They make a hefty profit off the bunch, but it means these basic ones are all a pro can need for precision tools, and they’re not marked up to some insane amount. They last for decades, and are excellent gifts for every modelmaker, electronics buff, and miniature maker in your life. You can seriously set people up for life, for little to nothing. They have lifetime warranties, but at the price they come, even if they didn’t, they’re just as inexpensive to replace.
My only weakness here, is that I genuinely don’t know if there are any USA or Western-Hemisphere manufacturing for these German, Austrian, and Luxumbourg based patents. But I will say, that these are global patents, due to their age being from before the first world war, or even the Civil war. There is absolutely nothing stopping a company manufacturing these Jewellery tools in the US, Canada, Mexico, or even Brazil. Just because I found mine so easily, and mine are stamped “Made in Germany” or “Made in Austria”, doesn’t preclude identical quality ones being made in the USA. I found mine first try, and I didn’t go looking further. So, the holy grail of American Steel and Aluminum going into sets of these is not out of the question. Someone might be doing it for real, and supplying someone like Otto Frei with them. Just don’t be afraid if they’re made in Japan, Germany, Austria, Luxumbourg, or Switzerland. That’s where the original obsessives lived the past few hundred years of this set of makers, so the factories are there, and scaled up to the new modern era, making the same tools they have made for the obsessives.
If you do something precision oriented, you deserve the obsessive quality of a Jeweller’s set of tools. Skip the Model Shops, they’re overpriced, and under designed. It’s worth it. From my heart to all of you, I hope you find your perfect set for what you do.
MM
There are many companies making classic pattern pliers in the US or Europe. Xcelite does in the US–they are most well known for their stamped tools like their flush cutters but they also make traditional forged pliers as well. Some of these models have a copper rivet which supposedly reduces friction. Sandvik Lindstrom, Swanstrom, Erem, Grobet, Vigor, I think even Knipex has a a line. Snap-On has them under their “P-series”. Those are made in Spain, I think by Irimo. Another good source for wire-forming tools, probably with a broader line than any of the Jeweler’s brands, is orthodontic pliers.
When I was younger I used to go to rock-gem-and-mineral shows, they would always have dealers with large arrays of jeweler’s tools, pliers included. Also dental picks, locking forceps (hemostats), needle files, etc. I recall the majority falling into one of two categories: junk-tier imports from China and Pakistan or very costly European brands. There were some good deals to be had though, sometimes you could pick up very nice pliers without shelling out Lindstrom or Erem money.
Rx9
I waited a few minutes to see if someone else would post this, but given that we are discussing the company behind Warhammer 40k, I am utterly disappointed this line of tools has no chainsaw sword.
Paul C
One point about the comments about trimming plastic models: Games Workshop does not sell plastic models. They sell cast lead miniatures. They were always known for extremely high quality fine detail, etc., and became highly popular in the 1980’s. Each one probably has under $1 in metal in it. You are paying for the artistic quality. Prior to their stuff most table top wargaming miniatures were barely above “chess piece” grade.
A far as the miniatures themselves a lot of role playing gamers might have one or two around. It’s sort of like owning teddy bears. They typically buy them for decoration and sit them on a shelf.. They don’t care if they are plastic or not. The hard core war gamers often own hundreds of them. Detail is nice for them but not required for play…they get handled a lot. You can easily do the same thing with the plastic “army men” from a toy store but every time someone walks by the table they will get knocked around. Lead miniatures are the best. Most of these guys are ex-military and love discussing strategy and tactics. War gaming is a way for them to live out their fantasies based on various wars both historical and fictional. If you can’t tell war gaming was a way for me to connect with and understand Vietnam vets and others.
The third category are people that get really into “art in miniature” and spend days painting the miniatures under a hand lense in excrutiating detail. Games Workshop itself is full of those kind of people. Yes it’s all spikes and chains and very, very “British” punk style, but if you can step back and appreciate it as art, it is very impressive.
Jacob
Uh, Games Workshop most definitely does sell plastic miniatures. I’m not aware of any lead cast ones currently in production, though there might be a few. And I would say the core of WH40K isn’t ex-military.
MM
That’s been my understanding too. I was never into Warhammer but I did get into miniatures for wargaming and for D&D years ago. The figures I played with and painted were lead, mainly made by Ral Partha. But I had friends who were into 40k, and the same hobby and gaming shops which carried the lead figures I wanted also carried 40k…and at least as far back as I remember (mid 1990’s) the 40k stuff was always plastic. Maybe they were lead earlier than that?
The friends I know who played 40k gave the impression that the 40k community was pretty strict about the expectation that players would paint their units with the official colors and would pay strict attention to things like unit insignia, flag colors, and so on the same way that a historical wargamer might pick up an Osprey book to make sure he painted his uniforms correctly. I remember friends complaining about the high cost of Citadel paints; I offered to share some of my paints to help out and their reaction suggested it was darn near heretical to use non-Citadel-branded paints on Citadel miniatures.
Martin
Back in the late 80’s, in the Rogue Trader era (yes, I’m old), Games Workshop had lead 40K figures. Even then though there were plastic sets, less detailed figures that would let you fill out the rank and file in your force. The more special models were always metal or a conversion (user built with bits, pieces, and epoxy putty).
Early 90s they stopped using lead and went to pewter or some other lead-free alloy.
Not all groups were fanatical about the models being accurately kitted out to what it actually has, those of us without deep pockets but who still wanted to play just had house rules about identifying things.
GW has always had good art and a rich universe but some of their business practices smack of money-grubbing and eventually drove me away. Still have 50+ Space Marines of the Flesh Tearers Chapter in a briefcase though. Reminds me of too many good times to get rid of them.
Stuart
I don’t believe that’s the case. From what I’ve read, they used to be made of metal, but most models went to plastic.
I don’t know firsthand; this is something I’ve wanted to get into for at least 25 years (the mall used to have GW models at a general toy/comic/collectible store), but not until I can accommodate entry requirements (e.g. painting minis). Maybe in a few years when my kids are old enough to also partake.
Mikedt
From looking at them, I expect I’ll find the exact same items on aliexpress selling for under $5.
John Fleisher
Stuart, that is correct. The original miniatures were all lead, eventually becoming white metal for political reasons (fear of lawsuits over the lead content). Eventually they started moving to plastics as the games gained popularity, as the rubber molds did not last very long. Moving to plastics for the higher volume selling figures made financial sense. Probably 90% of their lines are plastic now. I’ve been wargaming with GW and other miniatures since 1978.
Tonya Lillie
Political reasons? I think you mean “legal” and/or “health” reasons…
Dave
$12 Flush cutters selling for $50, triple priced exacto, deburing tool a sharp stick would do better and a stick you can put a drill bit for a hundred dollars.
I would like this site better if you restrained yourself from treating your readers as fools and hawking crap like this but you keep insist on it.
Stuart
Did you actually read any of the opinions I wrote? Or are you grabbing a pitchfork over price quotes?
Can you find a single instance where I am actively encourage anyone to buy these tools?
I point towards lower priced offerings for each.
I say things like “These aren’t the best value.”
That’s “hawking” to you?
Tonya Lillie
I would Love to see reviews of hobby tools on this site as there are very few reliable reviews I have seen online. In the miniatures hobby you have both cheap junk and overpriced junk and it’s really hard to find quality tools, regardless of price. I’d really like to find a good quality pin-vice for example…
MM
My advice is to avoid the “hobby” market entirely and find the same tool but meant for professionals. Many of these hobby branded tools are just a normal tool with a very high markup. For example, the sprue cutters being sold by Citadel for $50 look like a pair of cutters that would commonly be used for electronics that cost about $12-15. Citadel’s knife is very similar to a number of ergonomic art or “X-Acto” knives already on the market yet it also has a sky-high price.
For a good Pin Vise I suggest you look at General Tools no. 90 or 93, those are both made in the USA, nice quality, and cost about $15. Starrett is probably the gold standard machinist’s brand, they are available in a few different sizes and handle styles depending on your needs, they’re about $25-35 each depending on size. They are also made in USA, very high quality, honestly overkill for model making. General Tool makes a copy of those, the S94 set, they are actually very nice and I think are about $40 for the set of 4 sizes. The Tamiya “Fine Pin Vise D” is good too; there’s also a version of it called the D-R which is the same thing with a larger diameter rubber grip added. Either one is about $25-30.
Stuart
Amazon reviews complain that the General Tools 90 is now made in India and not in the USA.
Starrett is not the gold standard anymore. I tried one of their pin vises once, and there were chips and residue, and it felt like a tool worth a fraction of what it costs. I sent it back. I had similar problems with their tap wrench having rough threads.