HobbyZone Modular Workshop System OM05xb Paints 41mm Module Review

By Michael Benolkin

Review

Here's a look at a quick and easy addition to your workbench. This is the OM05xb Paints Module which works by itself or as part of the HobbyZone Modules Workshop System. The kit consists of nine wood parts (base; left riser, center riser, right riser, four shelves, and back) plus four magnets. The wood parts are nicely machined and the whole rack dry-fits together so nicely, you could almost not use glue.

First, insert the magnets into the pre-drilled holes in the left and right risers (one each) and two for the base. The magnets are not marked for polarity, so I inserted two from the top of the base and one each from the left side of each riser. I gently hammered each one into place. Using a module I had built previously, I identified which surfaces needed to be where and glued up the case.

I used Gorilla non-foaming Wood Glue (white glue) to assemble the rack and I followed the instructions with no problems. When all was together, I let the module sit while the glue dried. When I first started building these modules, I used clamps but that turned out to be unnecessary. Glue will ooze out of the joints when the parts are pressed together, but I use a damp cloth to remove excess glue. Using Gorilla non-foaming Wood Glue, I have yet to have a glue bond break, even when a module or drawer is loaded with weight.

The resulting assembly is rock-solid and ready to magnetically snap onto another module. The OM05 series of modules are designed as paint racks. This one (OM05xb) has 41mm openings and the rack can hold 20 bottles. This rack is made specifically for the Tamiya 23ml paint bottles which are 41mm in diameter. Tamiya uses two different sized bottles - the larger 23ml bottles and the smaller 10ml bottles which fit in the OM05b 36mm rack (along with Testors Model Master and a variety of other brands).

Here's the OM05xb with the 23ml bottles in the upper shelves and the 10ml bottles on the bottom row to show the size difference. The nice thing about these modules is that you can mix and match these to store the types of paints, washes, pigments, etc., that you want within reach. These modules are just under 12 inches long and about 6 inches in width and depth.

You can see these and other modules at the HobbyZone website ( www.hobbyzone.biz) and on their eBay Store. Stay tuned as we build up other modules and see what we can do with them to organize the bench!

My thanks to HobbyZone.biz for this review sample.