• Cutting template A – http://www.hasegawausa.com/product-pages/hsgr1105.html
• Cutting template B – http://www.hasegawausa.com/product-pages/hsgr1106.html

There are many tools on the market, and Hasegawa offers a wide variety of those that many modelers have on their workbench. This review looks at two such items, Cutting Template A and Cutting Template B.

Both Templates are made from a sheet of metal using the same overall dimensions, those being 0.3mm thick, and 90mmx200mm. Those numbers translate to about 3.5”x8”. Template A can be used to generate angles and straight lines, while Template B provides guides for curved lines. All measurements shown on both templates are engraved into the metal, not just printed on the surface of the template where they could eventually be worn away. These markings are permanent.

It may sound a bit silly, but I verified that the measurement markings on both templates matched the measurement markings on other tools on my workbench. I found no discrepancies in any of the markings on the Hasegawa tools.

As previously indicated, Template A provides the modeler with patterns that will generate straight lines and a variety of angles. There are six “right angle” patterns, with “legs” of different widths. These 90-degree patterns range from a pattern in which both legs of the angle are 1mm in width to a pattern that is 6mm in width. Provided are patterns for 90-degree angles with line segments that are 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, and 6mm in width. The longest line segment, on the 1mm pattern, is 5cm in length, while most of the other patterns have a line segment that measures 2.5cm. To complete these “90-degree” angle patterns, there are seven “angle” patterns for degree angles of 20, 30, 50, 70, 110, 130, and 150.

Finally, there are eleven straight line patterns, all 115mm in length, with widths at .5mm, .75mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 3.5mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, and 5mm. All of these patterns are framed in hash marks that are gapped at 1mm.

A nice touch is that there is an array of lines all radiating from a pivot point and crossing all of these straight line patterns. The lines are at 90, 70, 45, and 30 degree angles.

Template B provides various arcs, with both the inner and outer edges of those arcs marked with the radius of the arc. The smallest radius represented is 5mm and the largest radius is 136mm. Quite a range! Just as on Template A, the patterns are presented in various widths from .75mm up to the widest pattern at 8mm.

Each arc has its midpoint represented by a hash mark engraving into the metal template. All four “edges” of the template are engraved with scales, in mm, so that even on this template which is dedicated to arcs and curves, there are four straight line measuring grids.

These templates are easy to use. While testing the product, I decided to cut an arrowhead shape out of painter’s tape using the 20 degree pattern on Template A. (See the associated image). Six strokes of the cutting blade resulted in a perfectly formed arrowhead-shaped piece of tape…or, if you prefer, an equally perfect mask in the painter’s tape through which paint can be sprayed. I got it right on the first try and it took less than 10 seconds to cut and remove the arrowhead.

These tools are highly recommended for their precision, durability, ease of use, and wide range of applicability. Thanks to Hobbico and Hasegawa for providing these tools for review, and IPMS for allowing me to review them.