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Tool Review
Spray-Work
Spray-Work Painting Stand Set
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by: Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]

One upshot of my renewed interest in car modelling has been the chance to re-evaluate Tamiya's "Spray Work" painting stand set. In a way, for me at least, it's been a case of finding the best job for a tool (to turn the adage around). I bought a set when it first came out in 2003 – and being almost solely an aircraft modeller back then, I’ve got to say I didn’t find an awful lot of use for it and soon forgot about it.

But I’m jumping ahead. For those that aren't familiar with the set, it comprises a pair of small "lazy Susan" type turntables, and two different styles of platform.

The first is a simple bed with four small spring clips that can be positioned around the edge. The clips are quite strong and can grip sprues etc. very securely. The bed also features a number of holes of different diameters that you can insert sprues or dowels into.

As useful as the first turntable should have been in theory, I found it too small for working on the aircraft kits which were my main interest. A 1:48 WW2 fighter can barely stand on its undercarriage on it, and a 1:32 kit totally dwarfs it. And the clips and holes? - well, I seldom paint parts while they are still on their sprues (I prefer to remove parts to clean up mould lines and sprue attachments before painting), so I mount items on clothes pegs etc. with double-sided tape or adhesive putty, and this works fine for me.

However, using the Spray Work for car modelling, I found the turntable is just about the perfect size for a 1:24 (or thereabouts) chassis/underpan (a larger diameter would be awkward and get in the way), so I was already being forced to reassess a tool I’d previously dismissed.

Which leaves the second part of the set - a spring-clip holder designed specifically for model car bodies. Not surprisingly, I never really found a use for this in aircraft modelling, but it's actually brilliant for doing what it's meant for. The strength of the clip is adjustable with a series of holes, so you can set it grip a model car's body securely from the inside, allowing access to the whole of the exterior for painting. An unexpected bonus for me was that you can remove the holder from the turntable and use it as a handle to tilt the model to any angle for spraying.

I’ve never found anything else like it for gripping a body shell, and it really makes painting the exterior a cinch.

Conclusion
Tamiya's "Spray Work" painting stand set is well made and should last for years. It’s a really useful addition to the workbench for car modeller – and I think it represents good value for money with its two complete turntables and different types of platform. If you work in other genres, you may find it of more limited value, as the spring clip holder is so closely tailored to the task of hold model car bodies.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AUTO MODELER.
SUMMARY
Highs: 2 distinct types of painting stands that are ideally designed for car modelling.
Lows: Less useful for other genres - I originally bought one for aircraft modelling in 1:48 and larger - and left it unused for years.
Verdict: While "lazy Susan" turntables are widely available, the spring clip in this set that's designed for holding model car bodies is unlike anything else I've found and, importantly, works brilliantly.
  Scale: N/A
  Mfg. ID: 74522
  Suggested Retail: £17.99 - E-Models
  PUBLISHED: Jul 10, 2019
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.37%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 83.24%

About Rowan Baylis (Merlin)
FROM: NO REGIONAL SELECTED, UNITED KINGDOM

I've been modelling for about 40 years, on and off. While I'm happy to build anything, my interests lie primarily in 1/48 scale aircraft. I mostly concentrate on WW2 subjects, although I'm also interested in WW1, Golden Age aviation and the early Jet Age - and have even been known to build the occas...

Copyright ©2021 text by Rowan Baylis [ MERLIN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of ModelGeek. All rights reserved.



Comments

Excellent review Rowan. I bought the painting stand many years ago. I can certainly recommend it.
JUL 10, 2019 - 10:11 PM
Great review Rowan. Its a must have for painting car bodies, and I have found another use for the bigger stand, with a bit of help from some masking tape its great for holding small ships, whilst adding parts to it. Andy
JUL 11, 2019 - 03:33 AM
Great review Rowan. The smaller stand is definitely unbeatable for car body work, but the bigger stand is great for loading up with lots of small parts on various clips and holders, and being able to rotate it around to grab without reaching across everything. Cheers, D
JUL 11, 2019 - 07:57 PM
Rowan, good re-evaluation. Indeed, for me, as an auto modeler, the life is much better with the Tamiya stand. I also use the larger turn table for 1/35th scale armor bodies. I would definitely call it an "essential tool", right in the same league as the modelling knife, sanding stick and the glue! Gabriel
JUL 12, 2019 - 01:16 AM
Rowan, Great review of a Tamiya item that I keep on promising myself to buy, and keep on forgetting to order one. My last Sprue Brothers order (two weeks ago), I finally remembered, and guess what, they were out of stock. Joel
JUL 28, 2019 - 05:05 AM
   


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