So Pop dropped off a surprise for me last weekend.



A Revell CSS Alabama kit from the early 1960s.  I remember buying it with him when the 2 Guys on Rt 22 in Elizabeth, NJ, was going out of business.  He's kept it intact all these years.  At 84, he figures it's time to punt on that one, I guess.

Now, I have not built a model since the early 1970s, when I used to like to shoot them afterward with my Daisy 1894.  I would like to treat this one with a bit more respect.

I don't want to go crazy, but what would be a reasonable set of tools and glue/paint for that kit?  Plus, anything particular to be wary of with a kit of that age?

Basics:

#1 hobby knife and a few spare blades,
nail clippers or small side cutters to use as sprue cutter,
glue for styrene plastic(there are many kinds these days, I like the thin watery kind, but thick tube type works - use a toothpick )
sandpaper or emory boards for sanding.
3-4 small paintbrushes
acrylic paint (model master, tamiya, etc)

The rest you should have, q-tips, toothpicks, papertowels, etc.

Old kit?
The plastic may be brittle.   Any decals may be not usable.
Molded detail may be soft.

Look this kit up online and see if there are any videos on it.  You might get some good pointers that way.

Good Luck.