Kulatý profil 0,88 mm

Plastic wire where a thin tube has to be seen

Just under a millimeter across is the size that on a model stands for a pipe, a rod or a grab handle. That is why this profile is among the most frequently reached-for items of the whole range. It finds a use everywhere something thin has to run along a surface or stick out of it.

On military vehicles it becomes the hydraulic lines along the arms of excavators and cranes, light mounts, rod antennas and grab handles on turrets. An aircraft modeler makes struts, the tube frames of landing gear, the barrels of small arms and antenna masts from it. On ships it serves as railing stanchions, a mast yard or exhaust pipes. It works well as a pin when joining parts too: a hole is drilled in both parts and the rod strengthens the joint while fixing the exact position.

Against metal wire styrene has two advantages. It is glued with a common liquid cement for plastic models, so cyanoacrylate glue and soldering are not needed, and it takes paint without any special surface preparation. The disadvantage is lower stiffness; for long unsupported runs brass is the better choice.

A practical tip: to bend the rod to a right angle without breaking it, warm it briefly over a source of warm air and make the bend only at the moment the material gives. Guide the cut with a sharp scalpel by rolling the rod on the mat, so that it is severed square and does not flatten. If you need several pieces of the same length, prepare a simple stop from an offcut of plastic; measuring by eye always drifts apart on repeated parts.