Gunpla Nippers: Single-Blade vs Standard Plastic Model Nippers

For Gunpla, buy nippers made for plastic models or single-blade nippers, the two types Bandai recommends. Plastic model nippers have thinner tips than nippers made for metal, so they reach into tight spots on the runner and cut cleanly without crushing the part. Single-blade nippers give the cleanest cut but need a gentle hand.

Bandai’s notes on tools put it plainly: use plastic model nippers or single-blade nippers, take care not to cut your fingers, and buy them at a hobby shop or DIY store. Its beginner guide calls a modeling nipper the one tool you need to trim the runner from each part.

Single-blade vs standard plastic model nippers

Bandai names both types. The rest of the table is our summary of how the two designs are used; check the maker’s instructions for any limits on the runner thickness a pair is made for.

Why not metal cutters or scissors?

Electrical side cutters are made for wire. Bandai explains that plastic model nippers have thinner blade tips than metal nippers, so they slip into narrow gaps between runner and part, cut cleanly and do not crush the plastic.

Scissors are worse. Airfix tells beginners to avoid them because they can stress or snap the plastic.

Nippers for plastic models

Shop nippers for plastic models→

Opens eBay in a new tab. Check condition, seller feedback and returns.

• Single-blade nippersBrowse →
• Gunpla nippersBrowse →

How to cut parts cleanly

Wikipedia describes the gate, the small nub where each part joins the runner, and the usual cleanup: cut the part free, then clip, carve or sand the remaining tip for a clean surface. A two-cut approach keeps stress away from the part:

1. First cut: snip the gate a few millimeters away from the part, freeing it from the runner.
2. Second cut: trim the remaining nub close to the part with the flat side of the blades toward the part.
3. Clean up: shave or sand any remaining bump flat.

When you can skip nippers

A few kits are designed to be built by hand. Bandai says Entry Grade kits need no tools because the parts can be taken off the runner by hand, and Wikipedia describes the first 1/48 Mega Size kit as using gates thin enough to break without plastic cutters. For every other grade, Bandai’s guide calls a modeling nipper the one tool you need.

Even on a hand-built kit, nippers help with the leftover nub. A clean cut leaves less to sand.

Caring for your nippers

• Cut plastic only. Wire, metal and thick runners dull or chip fine blades.
• Keep the tips closed when stored, and use a cap if one is supplied.
• Never twist while cutting. Close the blades straight.

Which nippers to buy first

For a first kit, such as an Entry Grade or a High Grade, a basic pair of plastic model nippers is all you need. If you build often and want parts that need less cleanup, add a single-blade pair for the final cut and keep the first pair for cutting off the runner.

Nippers come in most Gunpla tool sets, but check the description says they are made for plastic models. For the next tools to add, see sanding sticks and Gundam Markers, and for using them on a first kit, the build guide.