Posted by PJ on January 28, 1999 at 20:42:06 in 152.163.204.176:
Roy Mengot mentioned using diagonal side cutters for doing rough railing removal on the Revell model. This past weekend, I tried a variation of that idea with excellent results. I used a sprue cutter sold by model expo, which has an offset blade to allow the cutting part to get even closer to the deck level than a diagonal side-cutting pliers. It is also sharper and made to cut plastic. I was able to nibble the railing off the after steering platform in no time and finish it off by turning it upside down and rubbing it on a sanding block. I had previously been cutting and filing the railings off, which caused some minor damage to the surrounding moldings, which then had to be cleaned up with thick super glue and more sanding.
There will still be some areas that need to be cut, sanded and filed, but the sprue cutter will handle at least 90% of the railing removal and is much less likely to slip and gouge the deck or result in an uneven cut.
I highly recommend the sprue cutter. It is also better than an Xacto knife for removing the parts from the trees. [It should be --- that's what is was designed for.] Although mine was sold by Model Expo, I have also seen them in hobby shops.
PJ