Two tools in one hand, for people who paint tiny models
The miniature wargaming and modeling community is passionate and detail-focused. Painting and assembling tiny models takes a secure grip and steady control, and hobbyists often juggle several tools to get the job done.
The Hobby Helper was conceived as a must-have tool for this community. It combines a miniature painting handle with a pin vice (also spelled pin vise), so users can drill into their models, hold them securely, and quickly remove and replace different models or parts.
The client came to CADLETE Designs to design the product and help bring it to market, starting with prototypes good enough to put in front of Kickstarter backers.
The goal
A tool hobbyists would genuinely want, validated by the community through crowdfunding and ready to scale into production once demand was proven.
Good enough to back on Kickstarter, ready to mold afterward
The prototypes had to sell the idea to a demanding community, and the same design had to go straight into tooling once the campaign closed.
Two tools in one
Combining a painting handle and a pin vice meant designing a mechanism that grips models securely and still allows quick swaps.
Comfort over long sessions
Hobbyists use these tools for hours, so the ergonomics of the handle mattered.
Prototypes that sell the idea
The prototypes would present the product on Kickstarter, so they had to be high quality and fully functional.
Scaling to production
After the campaign, the design needed to move straight into injection molding.
From CAD to Kickstarter to 500+ molded units
Six stages, shown with the real CAD, 3D printed MVPs and injection-molded parts from this project.
Stage 01 · Complete product design
The whole product in CAD, designed for molding
We designed the full product: the enclosure, the internal mechanism and the overall architecture.
The design followed plastic injection molding guidelines from the beginning, so manufacturability was built in long before the campaign.
- Product design
- 3D CAD
- Injection molding guidelines
The Hobby Helper in 3D CAD. Stage 02 · Mechanism design
A grip that holds firmly and swaps quickly
The mechanism was developed to hold models securely while allowing easy removal and replacement of different models or parts.
Users can drill into a model with the pin vice and hold it securely while they work.
- Mechanism design
- Pin vice
- Quick model swaps
Mechanism parts and drill bits. Stage 03 · Ergonomic design
A handle made for hours of painting
We developed the handle form for comfortable use during long painting and modeling sessions.
The photo shows a production handle held the way a painter would hold it.
- Ergonomic design
- Comfortable grip
The handle in the hand. Stage 04 · 3D printed MVPs
High-quality 3D printed prototypes as MVPs
We produced a series of high-quality 3D printed functional prototypes and sent them to the client to use as MVPs.
They were real, working tools, shown here with a 3D printed storage case from the same prototype series.
- High quality 3D printing
- Functional prototypes
- MVP
3D printed prototype parts. 
The 3D printed storage case. Stage 05 · Kickstarter
A successful Kickstarter, run on the MVPs
The client used these MVP prototypes to run a Kickstarter campaign, and it was a great success.
The campaign did what crowdfunding is for: it proved that the miniature painting community wanted the tool before any money went into production tooling.
- Kickstarter campaign
- Community validation
Stage 06 · Injection molding and production
Injection molds built, 500+ handles produced
Following the campaign, we built the plastic injection molds and produced more than 500 Hobby Helper handles through injection molding.
Because the design had followed molding guidelines from day one, it went from campaign to tooling without a redesign.
- Injection mold development
- Injection molding
- 500+ units
Injection-molded parts from production. 
Assembled production handles.
Backed on Kickstarter, then molded in production
The Hobby Helper went from a product idea to 3D printed MVPs, a successful Kickstarter campaign, injection molds and more than 500 handles produced.
What we delivered
- The complete product designed, including enclosure, mechanism and ergonomics
- A design ready for injection molding from the start
- A series of high-quality 3D printed MVP prototypes
- A successful Kickstarter campaign run by the client using the MVPs
- Plastic injection molds developed
- 500+ units produced through injection molding
Questions about this project
How do you prepare a product for a Kickstarter campaign?
Design the product for manufacturing first, then build prototypes that look and work like the real thing. For the Hobby Helper, CADLETE designed the complete product to injection molding guidelines and 3D printed high-quality functional MVPs, which the client used to run a successful campaign.
What happens after a Kickstarter campaign is funded?
The product has to be manufactured for the backers. Here that meant building plastic injection molds and producing more than 500 handles. Because the design followed molding guidelines from the start, it moved into tooling without a redesign.
Are 3D printed prototypes good enough to show backers?
Yes, when they are high quality and fully functional. The Hobby Helper MVPs were 3D printed, worked like the final tool and were used to present the product on Kickstarter.
What is a miniature painting handle with a pin vice?
A painting handle holds a miniature so the painter never touches the model. A pin vice (pin vise in US spelling) is a small hand drill used to pin parts together. The Hobby Helper combines both: users drill into a model, hold it securely and swap models or parts easily.
Can CADLETE manufacture my crowdfunded product?
Yes. For this product CADLETE handled design, mechanism, ergonomics, 3D printed MVPs, injection mold development and injection molding of 500+ units.
Will my product idea stay confidential?
Yes. CADLETE signs a non-disclosure agreement before any technical information is shared, so your design files and IP stay yours.
