Broithe Posted January 5 Posted January 5 This thing won't be for everyone, but I've fancied one for a while. I got it a few months ago and, trapped by the blizzard today, I've finally got around to assembling it. I'm not a great fan of drilling with the Dremel-type devices, they seem rather too 'speedy' for me, with a lot of stored rotational energy, if you do get a 'snag', so a low-powered, geared-down drill seemed like a good idea. For a while, I wondered if I could bodge up something, possibly using a battery-powered toy drill, adapted to take a Dremel chuck, but I never found a decent donor machine. When this came available on eBay, I took the plunge. 2 AA batteries driving a single-speed output. It's all up to the standard Tamiya quality and goes together via snap-fits and screws, no glue required. Fine pliers, screwdriver and a scalpel were all that was necessary to assemble it. Some spares of the metal parts were supplied (handy, as I did have a circlip escape, although I did find it again). Also, there is a small tube of silicone grease. Some assembly, particularly of the trigger-switch arrangement, was very fiddly. But, It all went together nicely in the end. The trigger switch mechanism looked a bit Heath Robinson - until the last part was fitted, and it all suddenly became much more plausible then. It does work reliably and even has a 'safety-catch', should you feel the need. Two sizes of collets are supplied and, with the batteries in, it seems to work well, with a decent amount of torque and a fairly low speed. There is a spindle-lock - you can see the detent in the output shaft in the second-last picture. All in all, it seems a reasonable device, with a good compromise between the high-speed electric tools and the hand-driven devices that were necessary before, if I wanted a low speed approach. It's much easier to keep in line than a drill that I'm also trying to power with the other hand... Obviously, it's only really suitable for plastics and wood. Unfortunately, the thread on the output shaft does not match the Dremel or any other "multi-tools" that I've checked, but the collets seem likely to be OK for what use I'll give it. Also, it is really quite small - there is a €2 coin in the last picture - those with more gargantuan hands might struggle with it. 5 Quote
Galteemore Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Now that’s rather charming. Ideal for those jobs when lugging out the pillar drill just isn’t worth it! Good for plasticard wagon making I dare say…. 1 1 Quote
murrayec Posted January 5 Posted January 5 oh, I have one of those kits, somewhere! I forgot all about it...... Eoin 1 1 Quote
Broithe Posted January 5 Author Posted January 5 40 minutes ago, murrayec said: oh, I have one of those kits, somewhere! I forgot all about it...... Eoin It seems to work quite nicely. It may even be more useful than I expected. Nowhere in the paperwork is the rpm mentioned, as far as I can see, but, based on the speed that a 2mm drill draws in a thread wrapped round it, I suspect it's around 500rpm. 1 Quote
David Holman Posted January 5 Posted January 5 Looks a very neat idea, an ideal middle path between a high speed mini drill and finger twirling a pin vice 1 Quote
Broithe Posted January 6 Author Posted January 6 It has struck me that, once fully assembled, the only remaining loose piece is whichever of the two collets is not in current use. This seems likely to be a location issue whenever a swap might be necessary. Two possible solutions seem plausible. 1, With a suitable piece of soft tubing, the spare could be located in one of the recessed screw holes at the top. 2, A deeper and more secure bespoke storage hole could be created in the empty space above the motor. Or 3, It could just hang from the trigger guard on a piece of string... (That will do for now.) 2 Quote
murrayec Posted January 6 Posted January 6 Mount the dinosaur on the top and stick the spare collet on it's tail....... Eoin 1 Quote
Broithe Posted January 6 Author Posted January 6 4 minutes ago, murrayec said: Mount the dinosaur on the top and stick the spare collet on it's tail....... Eoin The dinosaur remains an enigma. The box was not sealed, so it could have been put in there by the seller, if it wasn't inserted by Tamiya themselves. Maybe it is a homage to the illustrator of this book..? 2 Quote
David Holman Posted January 7 Posted January 7 Ordered one from Amazon Sunday evening, it arrived yesterday afternoon and put it together in front of the tv last night. The instructions took a bit of getting used to, but overall went together ok. As an intermediate drill, am hoping it will work well with plastic sheet, where my Proxxon is far too fast and melts its way through. First test later today, fitting hand rails to the tramway coaches. 2 Quote
Broithe Posted January 7 Author Posted January 7 4 hours ago, David Holman said: Ordered one from Amazon Sunday evening, it arrived yesterday afternoon and put it together in front of the tv last night. The instructions took a bit of getting used to, but overall went together ok. As an intermediate drill, am hoping it will work well with plastic sheet, where my Proxxon is far too fast and melts its way through. First test later today, fitting hand rails to the tramway coaches. If you're speaking to Jeff, tell him I don't mind if my commission on this sale arrives in pounds or euros. 1 Quote
Darius43 Posted January 9 Posted January 9 (edited) Arrived yesterday from Amazon and assembled this morning. Thing is, the dinosaur is missing… Should I get in touch with Amazon about this? Cheers Darius Edited January 9 by Darius43 2 3 Quote
Horsetan Posted January 9 Posted January 9 On 7/1/2025 at 11:56 AM, Broithe said: If you're speaking to Jeff, tell him I don't mind if my commission on this sale arrives in pounds or euros. Will Lebanese or Egyptian pounds do? 1 Quote
murrayec Posted January 9 Posted January 9 4 hours ago, Darius43 said: ......Thing is, the dinosaur is missing… One could go off script and use an elephant instead, it's trunk would be just as handy as the dino's tail....... Eoin 1 Quote
Broithe Posted January 9 Author Posted January 9 6 hours ago, Darius43 said: Arrived yesterday from Amazon and assembled this morning. Thing is, the dinosaur is missing… Mmm, mine came from eBay. Maybe Jeff is a bit short of cash and worried about being able to afford my commission? Quote
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