Blap/Goodman Super Sanding Blocks

Every once in a while, something neat comes down the line, generally from a small manufacturer who has an idea and brings it into being. Such is the case of these sanding blocks sent to me by Blap Models of Canada.

What you have are six 85 x 45 mm sanding blocks which have the sandpaper on both sides. These are held onto a 6mm thick section of plexiglas, so they are quite solid. The six grits are 80, 180, 220, 320, 400 and 600. Each block is color coded so you will not have any issues picking out the right one. You can see these colors in the image above and a small legend card is included. I have mine taped to the inside of the box lid. The color codes are in a drilled out section on both long sides of the block so they will not wear out. Except for the 80 grit, the sandpaper is wet or dry.

Now you are wondering why these are better than sanding sticks.

Sanding sticks are something that I've been using for decades and I like them over sheet sandpaper. However, they have their limitations. For one thing, they are mounted on somewhat flexible foam backing. This means that when you are sanding down parts, there is a good chance that you will not have flat mating surface. With these blocks, there is no flex so everything is flat. This is especially useful when working with resin. The size of the blocks also means that you can sand relatively large areas and you can sand somewhat larger parts directly on the block.

Since all the corners are 90 degrees, you can set the block on its end upon a flat surface and sand items square. These can be used in any other way that you use a sanding stick. If they have a downside it is their size, making them not as useful if there are issues with sanding in tight spots. But this is minor compared to how well they work. I am currently using this set on a build and for large areas like fuselage seams, these are just great. By rocking the block back and forth while sanding, one doesn't create flat areas. It seems to me that these will be particularly welcome amongst the resin kit builders out there. It doesn't replace other methods of sanding, but adds another tool that I think the more you use, the more you'll like it. If wondering about getting replacements, I've been informed that these may well be available in the future.

To see Blap's video on using these, visit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKHsKBBw-rE Please note that the price given in the video is incorrect. It is $20 plus shipping.