During the IPMS USA Nationals this year, John Vojtech was kind enough to provide several of his tools from Unique Master Models (UMM) to the IPMS Review Corps, and this was one of the items I was fortunate enough to receive. Consisting of an ergonomic plastic handle with the chisel point inserted, there is a built-in label identifying the chisel size for quick recognition.

Measuring five inches in length, the chisel is quite comfortable to hold and the wedge-shaped tip is made of hardened tool steel. Useful for scraping, pin mark removal, trimming small parts, and gouging plastic and resin, there are many possibilities for using this chisel. The diminutive size will allow for better control on smaller items.

During the IPMS USA Nationals this year, John Vojtech was kind enough to provide several of his tools from Unique Master Models (UMM) to the IPMS Review Corps, and this was one of the items I was fortunate enough to receive. Technically, Kanthal wire is a ferritic iron-chromium-aluminum alloy that has high resistance and also resists oxidation. Although the resistance of a wire means little to a modeler (unless it is being used to allow electricity to flow), resistance to oxidation is a big benefit for any applications where bare wire is needed.

This new product for UMM is advertised as being ideal for making springs, shiny antenna, and various engine or wheel bay details. The spools are 3 meters long (about 10 feet) and are available in 0.2 and 0.4 mm, both of which were provided to the IPMS for this review. UMM recommends that you do not solder Kanthal wire, but attach it using glue instead.

Ian White was born in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1947 and educated at secondary schools in Rotherham and later in Ilford, Essex. He joined the Post Office Engineering Department in August 1963 as an apprentice and later served as a technician in the City of London. In 1973, on promotion to engineer, he was appointed to the Post Office’s Air Defense Group in London to provide landline and ground to air communications for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the UK, Germany and Cyprus. In April 1984 he joined the Company’s Defense Sales Organization as a Senior Systems Engineer and later as an engineering manager. The final three years were spent as a liaison officer within the defense and law enforcement community. Ian retired in May 2000, following which he attended Anglia Polytechnic University (now Anglia Ruskin University), Cambridge, as an undergraduate history student. In 2003 he was awarded an honours degree in Modern European History.