DavidF Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 All, I want to start building up a stock of blank styrene materials but don't know where to start. For 1:48 WWI and WWII aircraft can someone suggest the most commonly used shapes, sizes and thicknesses for building up interior detail, gap filling, etc? Much appreciated! -dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Aldrich Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Dave, Not sure about anyone else, but I have a old model box filled with different sizes, shapes, and sheet. I seem to ALWAYS pick some form of Plastistruct or Evergreen every time I go to my LHS. I look at it like packratting. It is better to have and not need than to need and not have. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesWalden Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Got you beat Mark. I have a plastic roller cabinet with three drawers of the stuff. The top drawer is for odds and ends. The next drawer is for flat stock and the last drawer is for shapes (round stock, tube, channel, I-beams, sheets, etc.) You just can't have too much plastic. I also keep a lot of odd shaped things from other kits that I've built (I dabble in Sci-Fi) too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted December 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Thanks guys. Is there any particular diameter styrene rod or thickness of styrene strips/sheets that you reach for more than others? Just not sure which sizes I might need more often. Since I don't have a local hobby shop and have to order most of my stuff online, I naturally want to buy what I would use most often in the beginning. -dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Aldrich Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Dave, Evergreen sells a rod and tube assortment EVG217 Rod & tube assorted and a sheet assortment EVG9008 Plain assortment. You might care to start with those and see what YOU use. For my armor building, lots of what I use is based on what I am doing. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted December 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Thanks Mark. Haven't seen the assortment packs before, but makes sense that they would have them. I'll check them out. -dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghodges Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 (edited) I'm a 1/48 a/c builder with a good stock of Evergreen and Plastruct for scratchbuilding. I've found the following sizes most useful: Strip plastic in .02x.02, .02x.04, .04x.04. These work well for interior stringers and ribbing details in 1/48. If you plan for some "beefier" detailing, buy some "planks". Thses are generally marked in HO scale sizes such as 1'x6', 2'x4', etc.; and you can do some scale conversion math to figure what size planking would fit your needs. Tubing and rod: anything from .01 up to .05 can be useful, especially for gun barrels. Aluminum, brass, and steel tubing in similar sizes are useful, especially if they can be joined "telescopically". Don't forget that common soda straws come in various sizes and can be used for larger piping such as intake and exhaust ducting. See my link to "steel tubing" in the "tips" topic below for another source of useful stuff! Wiring: a trip to your local hardware store can supply several spools and a lifetime supply of solder wire, in several different diameters. This is great for wiring and hoses. It can also be rolled flat with a hobby knife handle for flat wiring needs. If you can find an on-line source for Detail Master wire (for wiring car models), buy a variety of their thinnest and medium sizes. They come pre-colored in black, yellow, red, and blue; which make for great detailing inside gear wells and avionics bays. Common copper wiring is useful too. Strip the plastic covering for use as cockpit coaming cushion, and use the copper wiring as applicable. You need an assortment of U-beam, I-beam, and H-beam. In general, the smaller ones will be more useful than the larger ones for plastic modeling. The larger ones are designed more for building scale buildings. The smaller ones can be used to make foot channels and gussets. Buy the smallest sizes they have available. Sheet plastic: I'd purchase ONE pack of assorted styrene sheets from Squadron, just to get some very thin plastic sheeting. For general purposes, go to any hardware/department store and buy the THINNEST plastic "for sale" sign they have. It gives you a much larger sheet at a much lower price than buying anything from a hobby source. Hope this helps! Best of luck with your hunt! GIL Edited December 31, 2009 by ghodges Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimHortman Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 I honestly have a ton of the stuff in all sorts of sizes. I don't often use the tubing or the I beams, but I am always using the sheet plastic for various projects. Someday I will have it all organized and in one place, so I don't have to keep trimming off a new sheet everytime I need some (because I can't find the one I already started!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesWalden Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 I put mine in a seperate plastic bag. I go there first and if there isn't the size I need I use new one. The same can be done with strips, tube, rod, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonL Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I frequently grab some PLASTRUCT stock at the LHS. One of my best finds on that rack was an assorted bag of scrap cuts of all kinds of weird stuff: sheet, rod, tubing, I-beams, clear sheet, the lot. Probably a great starter set if they've got one for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewahl Posted January 3, 2010 Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 When the LHS near me closed in September 2008 and their prices were way down, I went to the Evergreen display rack and bought as many different sizes of strips, rods, tubes, shapes, and flat sheets as my wallet could afford. I've been using those shapes and sheets in building my Discovery Space Pod Bay diorama. You never know what you need until you don't have what you need. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidF Posted January 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 I'm sure your spot on Ed. I ordered a few assortment packs plus some specific sizes to start with. But I'm sure when I need something, I won't have that particular size B) Thanks for the suggestions and info guys! -dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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