Flip R-5
Photo-Etch Bending Tool

RB Productions

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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I don’t know about you but I have always wanted to use those petite photo-etched parts on my models.  I have to confess though that I have tried to do so on a couple of occasions only to be beaten by bending and folding process required to prepare them.  In my case it was more bend, fold and mutilate so I gave it away. 

Since that time we have seen huge weighty and mega expensive (to my mind anyway!) folding tools released onto the market but, given my previous fruitless attempts, I was still not tempted into purchasing a tool to try again.

That has all changed now and I am happily bending and folding etch-metal parts and adding them to my models – believe me nothing looks better than a 1/48 scale cockpit that has been enhanced with etch-metal parts!

So, what bought about this about face in my attitude to etch-metal parts?  A bending tool, not just any old bending tool, but an RB Productions RB-T002 “Flip-R5” bending tool.

The Flip-R5 is simplicity itself and is essentially a tiny version of the bending machines found in sheet metal workshops the world over.  It consists of just three parts made from stainless steel roughly a half a millimetre thick.  The tool itself is realised using the photo-etch process and comes to you on a flat frame.  Simply remove the parts from the fret, make two folds, assemble the parts and you are in business and ready to tackle the best that the likes of Eduard can throw your way.

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The tool is composed of three parts:

• The base with fold-up ears on each end (these act as hinges as well as angle guides).

• The bending attachment.  This part clips into the above mentioned hinges and is operated to make the folds.

• The bending guide which holds the part to be folded in place and has a straight edge one side and a series of tongues on the other.  The bending guide is reversible so you can use either the flat edge (which is marked in millimetre increments) or the other side which has various “fingers” to enable you to do complex bends.  

The assembly process is easily accomplished and you are guided in his task by the excellent set of illustrated instructions that accompany the tool.

When assembled the tool is small and compact which highlights its only shortcoming in that the maximum fold you can make using it is 5cm – the length of the bending guide.  To be truthful, seeing that I only use it for 1/48 scale aircraft this is not a limitation for me but if you wanted to fold something big like a 1/350 scale radar array for a ship or its rails, you will want a bigger tool (RB Productions also market a 10cm model aptly titled the “Flip-R10”).

I have included scans of the tool itself in its unassembled and the assembly/how to use instructions that come with it in this review.  I have also included some colour images that I shamelessly stole from the RB Productions website that show a step by step process on using the tool.  You can also view a video on how to use a folding tool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNxihh-86kc in this case the video shows the larger “Flip-10” tool but the process is the same.

The tool is available direct from the RB Productions E-Bay Store page at http://stores.ebay.ie/radub

Highly Recommended!

Thanks to RB Productions for the sample

Text Copyright © 2008 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 21 February, 2008
Last updated 21 February, 2008

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