How do I cut Warhammer parts off the sprue without breaking them?

The two-cut method

1. First cut, on the sprue side. Place the clippers on the gate a little way from the part and cut. This is called a relief cut, because it takes the pressure off the fragile piece.
2. Hold the part with your free hand as you cut, so it cannot spring off across the room, then lift it away from the frame.
3. Second cut, on the stub. Trim the little nub that remains flush with the part, or shave it with a hobby knife.
4. Check the face. A lump where the gate was needs a light scrape or file before you glue.

Do not cut a thin part while it is still held at both ends. In one Reddit thread about a snapped crossguard, the top reply blamed cutting the part while it was still held on the frame. Free the whole piece first, then do the tidy cut.

Which clippers

Games Workshop lists clippers, cutters or snips as the first tool for the job, meaning anything that removes parts safely and intact from the frame. The redesigned Super Fine Detail Cutters have thinner blades, a single cutting edge and a narrower nose. Games Workshop says the single edge stops pieces flying off the sprue, and that they need less force.

• Starter clippers do for a first box. The 11th Edition Paints & Tools set (£22.83, sold out at the moment) includes a pair.
• Super Fine Detail Cutters (£26.47) suit fiddly parts such as blades, antennae and hands.
• A hobby knife (£16.99) trims the stub once the part is free.

One Reddit reply puts sharp nippers (clippers) above a good brush on the shopping list. Blunt blades crush plastic before they cut it.

What goes wrong

• The part snaps. You cut too close to a thin piece, or you twisted it off. Use the relief cut and never twist.
• A gap appears later. A leftover stub stops two parts closing. Nail clippers leave lumps too: one builder who used them got an obvious gap. See gaps and seams.
• The stub is tough. Do not keep squeezing. Switch to a knife, cutting away from your fingers.

What you need on the table

Games Workshop's own building list is short. It names clippers or cutters to remove parts, a mouldline remover or files to clean them up, glue, an assembly handle and a surface to work on. A rolled painting mat does for the work surface. The next job after cutting is cleaning, covered in removing mould lines.