styrene, what to get?

[pussiwillow]

im just getting started into chopping and making custom models now, starting to get much better and was wondering what sizes and shapes of styrene do you guys use? for frame rails, roll cages, sheets for custom interior and scratch chasis making, pretty much everything i will need to do anything for model building, thank you for taking the time to help a fellow model builder

also, what do you guys use to cut doors open, and to chop the tops, i cant get steady enough for a dremel

[Abell82]

As far as what size styrene to get, it depends, on the kit, and the scale.

Personally, I would get a couple of "odds and ends"packs. I think that those will get you started, all kinds of different junk in those.

As far as cutting: Dremels are great for quick sloppy destruction, but terrible for presicion cutting.

(Through PLASTIC, anyway!! They rotate too quickly, and they end up burning/melting, as much as they grind/cut.)

For cutting plastic, you need a good razor saw, xacto, or?

Most of the time, I use the back of an exacto knife, but I do have a razor saw, and a blade, it depends on how precise,of a cut, as to what tool to use.

Go to a Local Hobby Shop, Michaels, or Hobby Lobby, ALL kinds of cool sharp objects to hurt yourself with there! Er.. I mean cut styrene with. Don't limit yourself to model tools, look in all the sections. Woodworking, pottery, scrapbooking, etc. Neverknow what you might find.

[jeffinvt]

definitely get yourself a razor saw, it will become your best friend for custom projects. X-Acto makes a good one, and Zona is another company that makes a good saw. They usually offer varying levels from coarse to fine, I would get one fine and one coarse blade for the handle. That should get you started. As for the styrene, I usually take the frame that I'm trying to modify to the LHS to compare it to styrene stock.

[MrObsessive]

All of the above recommendations, I definitely second. If you've got a good, well stocked train shop near you, check them out also as they usually have quite a number of choices to choose from in styrene plastic.

There's also different brands..........the one in my area carries both Plastruct and Evergreen styrene. As Jeff mentioned, it's a good idea to take the frame/kit with you so you can match what you need.

There's just toooooo many sizes and variances to rattle off what might be needed down the road.

[pussiwillow]

thanks everyone, this forum is very helpful, and very fast at getting back to me, i appreciate it guys, going to the hobby shop today and stocking up haha

[diymirage]

much like yourself i just got started on the modifying aswell

the only mods i have done so far have all been on my deathracer model

i opted on two different thicknesses styrene sheeting (though i forgot what the exact thicknesses were one of them was comparable to the thickness of a body panel and the other is much thinner and therefore flexable)

i also went with 1/8 inch tubing for sidebars and roll cage sections

like everyone said, i totally based it on the model i was building and went by that

here are some reference pics of my work so you can maybe get some ideas from that

here i removed the fuel tank and added some of the thicker styrene to make it look stock

i chose the thicker styrene here because it only needed a very slight curve

with tank

with styrene

the snow plow bumper is also made of the thicker styrene

i cut 4 seperate sections and glued them all together

(i first build a paper version so that once i had all the angles exactly the way i wanted them i had templates i could copy unto the styrene)

the last thing i used the thicker styrene for was the top of the gulwing door

i glued a tiny edge of the thinner styrene to part of the roof where the headliner would be and the door is basically laying on that edge. if you get the right thickness styrene it will lay flush if you do it right

then i used the thinner styrene to finish up the door and block of the tront windshield

in this picture i was not fully done forming the door but the thinner styrene is a little easyer to mold

i used the 1/8th tubing to brace the frame and expand the roll cage

they also make wicked barrels

[pussiwillow]

that is really cool, the things you can do with that stuff is literally, endless. my local hobby shop only had sheets, so i have to order other stuff online thats why i asked what everyone else uses for there 1/24 and 1/25th models

but very cool work man

[James W]

Just a little tip for when you go back to the store to get more plastic. I carry a slip of paper in my wallet that has all the Item numbers of the packages I have at home.(Evergreen has a three digit No. on it's bags) Otherwise I tend to keep buying the same stuff over and over.

If you buy Plastruct, I recommend using thier liquid cement. It bonds the Plastruct as well as other styrenes very well. SOME of the other cements will not melt the Plastruct, and that is what make the bond happen.

Maybe someone else knows what DOSE work on Plastruct.

Have fun.

[MrObsessive]

James, I've used Ambroid Pro Weld on Plastruct Styrene and it works quite well.

Plastruct's styrene is a little denser than Evergreen..............I like their .010 plastic rod for piping on seats and it doesn't snap as easily around corners as Evergreen will.

Plastruct also has different shapes in sizes that Evergreen doesn't have------for instance the half round which I use from time to time come in smaller diameters that I can't get in Evergreen. Likewise their hexagonal shaped rods come in just the right size to make lug nuts in 1/25.

[torinobradley]

One other thing to point out. Don't overlook all the stuff you have around you on a daily basis. You can harvest many, many parts and pieces from everyday objects such as lighters, plastic bread ties, hold down wires in every toy now, etc.... There are many threads here about uses for all kinds of non-model related items and what they can be turned into in our little realms...

Also, check out the train scratchbuilding supplies in your hobby shop for all kinds of bolts, lights, chains, mesh and other nifty stuff.

Look beyond what it is and see what it can become...

[MikeMc]

Lots of great advice.....my 2 cents worth...Pickup Evergreen #9002 "odds and ends " and Evergreen #217 "rod / tube asst.

These are great starter packs and give you an idea of more sizes you will need

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...=LXF884&P=M

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...LXF734&P=SM

Both for under $10. (yeah...plus shipping)

[Olle F]

Lots of great advice.....my 2 cents worth...Pickup Evergreen #9002 "odds and ends " and Evergreen #217 "rod / tube asst.

These are great starter packs and give you an idea of more sizes you will need

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...=LXF884&P=M

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti00...LXF734&P=SM

Both for under $10. (yeah...plus shipping)

That's good advice right there! I don't know how many times I have had to get a whole package of a certain profile just because I needed a tiny little piece of it. Just a couple of weeks ago, I bought a package of I-beam to make a pair of maybe 1/4" long spring shackles... As a matter of fact, I bought two different sizes, as I didn't know which one I could use. Granted, you never know what's in those grab bags until you open them, but it should be a very good start.

[pussiwillow]

awesome, thanks for the replys guys im definitely going to get those starter packs!

[Aaronw]

On the back of the Evergreen sheet packages they give the scale sizes for the different thicknesses. I always look at that when I try to figure out what size to get. If you are going to build a roll cage or grill guard find out what size tubing is used on the 1-1, find out what that is in scale then you know what size tubing to get.

Plastruct and Evergreen seem to be the most popular brands and both have websites where you can see what is available. Plastruct offers a ton of special shapes and parts. Evergreen is more focused on sheets (plain, siding, roofing etc) and strip / rod. Personally I prefer Evergreen's sheets, they seem to cut cleaner than Plastruct's.

Don't overlook the various brass and aluminum bits available. If you want to do something with bent tubing metal is a much better material to work with than plastic. Metal tubing has a thinner wall too, so exposed ends usually look more in scale if you use brass, plastic and aluminum tubing have much thicker walls.

[conor1148]

also go to electronics sections of certain stores, they have all sorts of good things there for models. like really really small wire, shrink wrap, and other things.