Kulatý profil 0,75 mm

Lines, hoses and cables in a single size

A thin rod three quarters of a millimeter across tends to be the first choice when lines missing from the molding have to be added. In 1:35 scale it becomes a pipe about 26 mm across in reality, in 1:48 roughly 36 mm and in 1:72 about 54 mm. That matches fuel and brake hoses, the wiring run along an engine and thin braces.

Compared with metal wire, styrene has one fundamental advantage: it bonds directly to the plastic of the model and the excess can be sanded away to nothing. Against that stands its lower springiness, because a bent piece straightens out again in part over time unless it was shaped with heat. The surest way is to shape a longer run, let it cool and only then cut it to length.

A thin capillary cement suits the gluing, brushed into a joint that is already held together. The part stays exactly where it belongs and no crater of excess material appears. On longer straight runs it helps to fix both ends first and to add the intermediate mounts afterwards.

The material is painted with the same products as the rest of the model and takes even a lacquer system, provided the first pass is kept to a mist. It is worth keeping the offcuts, as they will serve again as pins in drilled holes.

Clamps and clips can be suggested with a narrow strip of self-adhesive foil wrapped around the rod, or with a small thickening made from a drop of thicker cement. Painted a dark shade, such a detail reliably gives the impression of a hose fixed to the structure. Lines look convincing when they do not follow the shortest path but drop in a slight sag and change direction only at the mount, exactly as a real hose behaves under its own weight.