IPMS/USA Product Review: The Small Shop Standard Rolling Set

The Small Shop

Standard Rolling Set

Reviewed By Andy Renshaw, IPMS# 35806

MSRP: $27.95
Website: www.thesmallshop.com

The Small Shop, the makers of the "Hold-n-Fold" photo-etch workstation, have added a new tool to their lineup, the "Standard Rolling Set".

This set comes with a milled aluminum base and a total of twelve rollers in metal and wood.

Wood - 3/4", 5/8", 1/2", 7/16", 3/8", 5/16", 1/4" & 3/16"

Steel- 0.125", .09375", .078" & .0625"

The milled base has a series of rounded cutouts that many of the smaller rollers will fit into. The base is not needed for the larger diameter rollers.

Instructions are included with easy to understand descriptions and illustrations to show the many different ways that the rollers and base can be combined to form the part needed. I tested the tool on a couple of fairly common PE items, machine gun cooling jackets. One is a 1/48 World War One-era jacket for a German gun I believe, and the other is a 1/35 M2 jacket. With both parts, I started by laying the flat PE part over one of the milled groves that was larger than the end diameter I wanted. I pressed the roller into the grove, curving the PE part, thus starting the process. Over the next several minutes, I moved the part to smaller grooves and rollers, rolling the part around the rod. I did find that toward the end I needed to use a slightly smaller roller to get the PE to close completely into a tube.

The 1/35 M2 part was done the same way, except more care was needed as the finished part should be slightly conical in shape. This was accomplished by using the smallest diameter rod needed to close the small end; then using larger diameter rods to roll the other end, working carefully with the part to get a conical shape. One nice addition that Small Shop may consider is a set of conical rollers to use with this set.

Now having used this tool, I would not be without it. It opens up a whole world of possibilities with various details that I tend to avoid do to the difficulty getting a smooth tube out of flat PE parts. I’m also thinking of trying to roll some sheet plastic as well for various scratch building projects. An excellent addition to any modeler’s toolbox and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the Small Shop for the review sample.

[Editor's Note: The Small Shop is offering a coupon code for IPMS Members to receive a 10% discount on all products (not including shipping). Please click here for complete details.