I was surprised to learn that there is a contentious set of opinions on the topic of sprue cutting pliers (“nippers”). I was always content to use an xacto knife, to hasten my way to the fun stuff; painting. That changed recently when I ventured into the world of Gunpla. For the uninitiated, Gunpla is basically mecha modeling for people who love detail, hate glue, and are indifferent about painting. The only tool you truly need for Gunpla is a good pair of nippers. Just how good of a pair you need seems to be the biggest point of contention. As soon as I realized what I was about to get into, I started my research. I read into everything from the bulk packs of nippers on Amazon, to the pricey GodHands brand. Finally I chose a good compromise of price vs performance: the Micro-Mark Micro Sprue Cutting Pliers #88288.
If you are curious how we rated the product below you can find more information here.
- The price vs performance – $20
- very clean cut
- near-flush cutting angle
- spring-actuated
- grippy texture
- not very ergonomic
- edge-on-edge cutting design
- plastic only
- None
The Hero’s Journey:
Modelers who need a clean and precise cut when removing parts from a plastic sprue, but don’t want to spend too much on the purchase, would appreciate these nippers.
Critical Hits
$20. For a Jackson (plus shipping), you can have a very good pair of sprue cutters. Let me be clear; these are NOT the cheapest nippers available. In fact, you can buy nippers in bulk on Amazon for less than $10. Also, the official Bandai entry level sprue cutters cost less than that as well. On the other hand, you could buy very expensive nippers. The GodHand brand nippers (perhaps the Rolex of nippers) run anywhere from $40 to $80, depending on model and source. The difference here is, the Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers perform beyond what you might expect for their $20 price tag. Put differently, the price-to-performance ratio is well in favor of the buyer on these nippers.
Saves
This whole discussion hinges on an important question: What are sprue cutters supposed to do? Essentially, the pliers-like tool is used to detach miniature parts from the injection molded sprue they often come attached to. They remove the parts from the sprue in a clean way that minimizes stress to the plastic. The also minimizes the amount of material left behind. This means you’ll be less likely to break or deform delicate pieces on your model. As an added benefit, you will have less sanding to do!
The Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers perform their intended task better than the average sprue cutter. I believe this is due to some elevated design considerations. The cutting blades are sharp and hard (Rockwell hardness of 58 +/- 2). Thus, the blades will not deform over time and you can expect the same crisp cut over many repeated uses. The Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers also benefit from a 10 degree cutting angle. This cutting angle allows you to trim the flashing from the sprue gate to nearly level with the model piece. As hand tools go, nippers are fiddly little things by necessity, so they can fit into small spaces on a miniature scale. The Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers have a grippy texture, which reduces the chance for slippage as you perform fine motor skill tasks.
Fails
That is not to say that the Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers are perfect. Other products on the market try to address the fiddly nature of nippers by providing more robust, ergonomic handles. Micro-Mark does not take that extra step with these cutters, possibly to keep the price-to-performance in your favor.
Another feature on more expensive nippers is a blade and anvil design. A blade-to-blade design may pinch the plastic more than a single sharp blade cutting against a flat surface. In some cases, that results in more deformation and discoloration of the plastic. While this is more concerning to modelers who do not plan to paint their miniatures, this is still one feature that the Micro-Mark pliers lack.
Finally, the Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers are rated for plastic only. Certain resin-based miniatures may cause extensive wear on the blades. In addition, metal parts are absolutely not suitable for use with these nippers. With the increase in resin printed miniatures on the market, this can be a limitation on the usefulness and lifecycle of these pliers.
Critical Misses
There are no serious design flaws or limitations to the Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers, which may speak to why their price-to-performance ratio is so fantastic. There’s really no compelling reason to avoid this product.
The Hero’s Journey
Who is best suited to buy the Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers? Someone who needs clean separation between miniature parts and plastic sprues, with minimal deformation and discoloration, at a price that won’t break the bank
Who won’t benefit from Micro-Mark sprue cutting pliers? Modelers who are working with non-plastic kits, or do not need a low degree of remaining flashing on plastic parts. An entry-level nipper, or even an xacto knife, might suit your needs better. Similarly, Neanderthals who prefer the pleasure of twisting parts off of sprues will not find value in these pliers. But, please…don’t be that guy.
