Etch Slide Change Parts 5

U-STAR Etch Slide Change Parts 5 photo-etched detail parts

In the package you will find a thin metal fret in which small technical parts have been created by photo-etching and are held on fine bridges. The modeler cuts them out gradually, according to what is needed at the time. The set is an accessory to a model, not a kit. The number five tells this variant apart within the universal range; the individual frets differ in the shapes and the motifs of the parts.

Etched metal offers what injection-molded plastic in principle cannot: a very small thickness and a sharp edge. Where a plastic detail would look rounded and massive, an etching gives a clean result that is believable in scale. Universal frets are moreover not bound to one particular model; you choose a part by shape and size and use it where it suits. That freedom is the main asset of this kind of accessory.

Use

• Release a part by cutting with a scalpel against a hard surface, not by twisting or breaking.
• Remove the remains of the bridges with a fine file, so that the part sits on the model with no gap.
• Make bends over an etching bender or a straight edge, with a calm movement in one step.
• For gluing use cyanoacrylate glue, and on larger parts two-part epoxy with a longer setting time.
• Before painting, degrease the metal and lay down a base suitable for a metal surface.
• Leave unused parts in the fret, as outside it they are easily lost or twisted.

Who the set is for

For modelers of sci-fi equipment and robots who like to add their own details, and for those who use universal etchings across themes. A sharp tool, tweezers and patience are assumed; working with very small parts is not suitable for complete beginners.

The package contains only the photo-etched parts. Glue, paints and tools are not part of it. Photo-etched parts have sharp edges, so work carefully and keep them out of reach of children.