Hasegawa | TL12: Trytools Riveting Template
Reviewed by Rato Marczak
Rivets...again. This time about a very useful tool to make those boring rivet lines. In those situations where you cannot use pounce wheels (like fastened panels and flushed rivets) you have a number of alternatives (see our previous article on the subject). Whatever is the tool you're planning to use, an important aspect is how to keep the rivet spacing consistent. In general, photoetched templates are the best choice. We have already reviewed MDC's riveting template. This one is another tool, to be used as a companion to Hasegawa's rivet embosser. It is a stainless steel photoetched product, and it brings four templates etched to fit most tools to make individual rivets you can think of. Each template has a straight side useful for rescribing, while the other side has circular indentations spaced by 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm and 2.5 mm. I guess this will be enough for most 1/32 and 1/24 applications.
The TL12 set.Of course you can skip alternating slots to obtain different spacing patterns. A piece of tape will keep them in position while you emboss the rivets. The templates are very flexible and will conform easily to most model surfaces. Do not bend them too much, however, as they can be permanently deformed. And being made of Cr-Ni steel, it will surely endure thousands of rivets.
Detail of the templates (still not removed from the attaching leg).
These tools will allow you to enhance many areas of your models, without the boring visual measurement necessary when using ordinary rulers. Fasteners around maintenance panels and cowlings as well as flushed rivets in general are good examples. It is not easy to use them around tapered objects, like nosed and conical fuselage sections, though. Except for that, TL12 is a handy tool. My only complaint is length of the templates: they could be longer to minimize repositioning when scribing large areas like wings.
Recommended to everyone working with rivets and rescribing.
© Rato Marczak 2005
This review was published on Saturday, July 02 2011; Last modified on Wednesday, May 18 2016