Every now and then, someone posts a message on toytractorshow.com’s Toy Talk wanting to know how to get started customizing toy tractors.  There are probably as many answers to this question as there are people in the hobby.  As far as I know there are no books you can read or classes you can take that will teach you how.  The Toy Tractor Times, the Toy Talk website and other toy magazines are probably your best resource for tips and ideas.  So, for the start of the year, I thought I would go back to the basics and write an article on some of the tools and supplies that are necessary to get a good start in the custom tractor building hobby.

Getting Started

The first thing you need to customize tractors is someplace to work on them.  A complete workshop is not necessary, but a workbench with good lighting is a good idea.  An old desk or table will also work, provided that it is OK if it gets dirty and scratched up. If you also plan on doing your painting there, make sure it is in a well ventilated area with relatively little airborne dust that can end up in your wet paint.  

Tools

Once you have a place to work on your projects, the next thing you will need are some tools to work on it with.  The tool I probably use the most in customizing toys is my rotary tool, which are often referred to by the brand name “Dremel”.  Although Dremel is the most famous brand, there is a multitude of other brands out there that will work just as well.   There are a wide variety of useful attachments and bits available for rotary tools, but there are a few that are, in my opinion, essential to any toy customizer: 

	Cutting Wheel - This is a metal disk with teeth on it for cutting.  These work great for cutting through metal or plastic.
	Reinforced Cut-off Wheel – These cut off discs are reinforced with fiber, and although more expensive than the regular discs, they last much longer and are well worth the expense.  They work well for cutting through metal axle rod or grinding metal.
	Sanding Drums – These are essentially just sand paper wrapped around a cylinder.  Like sand paper, they are available in a varying degrees of coarseness.
	Round Cutting Tool – I prefer the 1/8” size for grinding out rivets that are not easily drilled, like those that hold on wheels or that protrude above the surrounding surface.

Another “must-have” component with any rotary tool set is a pair of safety glasses.  The rotary tool spins at high speed and objects frequently will fly off toward your eyes.  When using a rotary tool, ALWAYS wear your safety glasses for protection. 

Another essential tool is a drill.  Fortunately, most households already have at least one of these.  Since most of your drilling will be with the smaller bits, especially if you primarily work with 1/64 scale, a high power drill is not necessary.  You will also need a drill bit assortment.  A small, 15 piece set will suffice for a beginner, although a larger set with increments of 1/32” or 1/64” can come in handy for the more advanced builder. 

During your various projects you will likely run into pieces that, for whatever reason, you cannot hold with your fingers. There are several tools that can come in handy in these situations.  A pair of needle-nose pliers will help you hold, shape or bend small parts.  For even smaller parts or decals, a pair of tweezers come in handy.  On the other end of the spectrum, a small vice will help you hold larger parts, or hold metal that gets hot as you cut it.  A few other tools that I would consider essential for customizing are a modelers knife, often referred to by the brand name “Exacto”, a small screw driver set, and a 6” ruler. 

Building Materials

Many customizing projects require a little (or a lot) of scratch building.  In addition to the proper tools, for this you will also need the appropriate materials.  Popular choices for building materials are brass and plastic tubing, steel rods and wood.  Because there is such a wide variety available, I don’t recommend going out and buying one of each.  For a beginning builder, buying only the pieces you need for a specific project will suffice, and over time you will build up a supply of surplus materials that you can use when needs suddenly arise on future projects.  

	Brass is a popular choice because it is strong enough for model projects, yet easy to work with.  Brass tubing is available in a variety of shapes and sizes from hardware and hobby stores.
	Styrene Plastic, often sold under the “Plastruct” brand name, is also commonly used for models. It can be found in most hobby stores in an even greater variety of shapes than brass.
	Steel rod is available in many hardware stores in a multitude of different diameters.  These rods work well in instances where a high-strength, solid rod is needed; axles for instance.
	Wood can also be found in various shapes in sizes.  The two most common types are Balsa wood and Bass wood.  Balsa wood is lighter and easier to cut, but is not as strong as Bass wood.

Other building materials can be found virtually anywhere around the house.  I frequently use toothpicks, paper clips, push pins, coat hangers, coffee stirrers, popsickle sticks, and a multitude of other household items on my custom projects. Keep an eye out for items that you or others in the house might be throwing away that may contain materials that might be of use on your models. 

A good source of parts for customizing are other toy cars, trucks and tractors.  Vendors at toy shows often have "junk bins" where you can pick up damaged, or sometimes just unwanted toys for only a few bucks.  I also frequently visit the clearance aisle when I am at the store to look for any toys that might have parts that I might find useful on future projects.  Parts to keep an eye out for are seats, steering wheels, exhaust stacks, lights and especially tires and wheels.  I also make a point to keep any parts that I take off of my custom projects that might be useful on another project later on. 

Glue, Paint, Etc…

So now you’ve got your parts and are ready to attach them to your tractor.  The easiest way to do this is just common super glue.  It will work on virtually any material and is strong enough for most custom models that will spend the majority of their time sitting on a shelf or in a display case.  Super glue is available in both liquid and gel, and there are instances when both are superior to the other.  One drawback to superglue is that most will form a white film around the area that is glued.  You can usually clean this up by wiping a small amount of Vaseline on the area with a cotton swab.  In addition to glueing, brass can also be bonded with solder, which is a method that uses a soldering iron to heat up a soft metal and melt it around a joint.  When done right, this will usually form a stronger, longer lasting bond than glue, but unless you have prior experience using a soldering iron, it is technique that is probably better to try once you get a little more building experience. 

At some point during your model construction you are most likely going to need some paint.  It is a good idea to get a set of small bottles of model paints in commonly used colors.  Gloss and flat black, red, orange, white and silver are frequently necessary for painting details on custom models.  These details can be painted on with a fine brush, or by dabbing the tip of a toothpick or push pin into the paint.  Colors that match the paint of your favorite tractor brand can frequently be found at farm supply stores.  They are generally available in spray cans or quarts.  I prefer to spray paint whenever possible because of the superior finish, and since the spray cans are generally less expensive than the quarts, I suggest just getting a spray can.  If you need a small amount of paint for touch up or detail work, you can spray it onto a paper plate or piece of cardboard to get a little to brush on.   Another painting option is to use an air brush, but like the soldering this is a more advanced technique that might be too much for a beginner.

Probably the most important things you need for customizing tractors are not something you can buy.   Nearly every part you put on your tractor will be built from scratch or modified in some way.  To figure out how to do that, you will need a little bit of creativity and resourcefulness.  Fortunately these are traits that nearly all of us possess in varying degrees.  And, since there are bound to be things that you are unable to figure out for yourself, you will also need friends and colleagues to help you along the way.  Again, you are in luck because, in general, those in the hobby are willing to share their knowledge and offer advice. 

So that is the long answer to the question of “How do I get started customizing toy tractors”, the short answer: If you are reading this, you already are.  Welcome to the hobby.