TAMIYA74041 - Accessory for Model - Mini Electric Drill

Echoing another reviewer, this product is designed for modelers and hobbyists. A few things to keep in mind: If you are not a modeler or hobbyist (or never even heard of Tamiya), this product is not for you. If you do not enjoy assembling parts from a set of instructions and you expect instant gratification, this product is not for you. If you are looking for a drill for building your back porch or putting holes through sheet metal, this product is not for you. If, however, you are like me and love to build hobby plastic model kits, balsa wood R/C airplanes, and get enjoyment and satisfaction from assembling things from kits in general, then this product IS for you! If you have any experience at all building model kits or RCs, you should be able to assemble this little drill pretty quickly. It is fun to build, it has low parts count, and the instructions are very clear and easy to follow as they are with all Tamiya kits. The parts you build the drill from are of excellent quality (as expected from Tamiya) and it feels like it will last a very long time when used for its intended purposes. I wanted this drill because it fit my needs as a hobbyist and model kit/RC builder. I have a dremel and other tools that I could (and do) use, but this drill is far superior for smaller and more delicate tasks. It drills perfect holes in both plastic and wood without much force and it can be used in smaller areas a dremel or larger tool will not fit into. Many hobbyists have a pin vise or two they generally use for these tasks, but let me tell you that once you have one of these drills, you won't ever use a pin vise again. This drill is a fantastic tool to have and it will compliment your other modeling tools very nicely. I also picked up the Tamiya basic drill bit set since the kit itself only comes with one bit. The kit also comes with two collets/chucks so you can fit a wide variety of bits to suit your needs. A fantastic and fun product that will pay itself off very quickly for the serious hobbyist. Highly recommended.

First off, you must assemble this drill. I knew this going in. The drill pieces together quite nicely and is very sturdy and robust once assembled. Building times will vary depending on your skill for such things, however, I found you could build this in 30 minutes or less. The grease that the package comes with is quite sparse and minimal, so much so, that there might be a shortage of this grease when they packaged it in China. Directions are detailed, and in the end, easy to follow along. Drill comes with two different size chucks as well as one drill bit. Works like a charm and can drill through many different types of plastic and lighter types of wood. Definitely would recommend. Excellent product Tamiya.

I already had a few hobby motor tools. The Tamiya drill looked like a nice addition due to its compact size. Please note: this is a kit! There are several sprues of plastic parts and several plastic packs with battery contact pieces and screws, etc. I know, they always tell you this, but familiarize yourself with the assembly sequence before beginning. You will need the basic tools shown on the instruction sheet.My assembly process went smoothly. Everything fits well, as expected from Tamiya. I popped in two AA rechargeable batteries and the drill worked right away. There are two collets provided to expand the number of bits the drill will handle.The only downside I’ve found is that the drill is either on or off. I would have preferred a variable speed drill, but that’s me. Your mileage may vary.I’m happy with my purchase and look forward to using my new drill with hobby bits down to 1mm diameter. (Unless another finer collet can be found that fits!) Highly recommended.

Assembly was fairly straight forward but the battery connection was finicky to say the least. The directions were not up to Tamiya standards. Additionally the chuck has somewhat of a wobble making drilling precisely difficult to impossible.

This little drill is a very well designed and executed tool that you also get to build. It will last forever and drill all the holes you will ever need.

I got the Tamiya drill, and like the excited miniature painter that I am, I ripped off the plastic, slid open the box and to my surprise...the drill wasn't assembled.I jokingly ran into the living room and yelled, "THE DRILL IS ON SPRUES!".I then spent the next afternoon assembling and creating a drill with my daughter, which was actually an awesome engineering project.The drill itself works great! I have been able to magnetize my minis and change out arms and such as necessary in less time than it would have taken to do it otherwise. Also, using a pushpin to start a pilot hole has helped a lot.