Rectangular styrene tube differs from box section in having one side longer than the other, and that is exactly what makes it copy real chassis rails and superstructure bearers. Sections run from 3.2 × 6.3 mm to 6.4 × 9.5 mm, the wall is around 0.6 mm and the usual length is 375 mm.
Stood on edge, the section is stiff in the direction of the load and will not twist, which is precisely why builders of lorries, trailers and construction plant keep coming back to it.
Profil obdélníková trubka 3,2 x 6,3 mm
1.08 €
Profil obdélníková trubka 6,3 x 9,5 mm
1.60 €
Squere Tubing (1 pcs) H-3,2mm W-3,2mm I.D-2,2mm Wall-0,6mm L-375mm
1.20 €
Rectangular Tubing (1 pcs) H-6,4mm W-4,8mm Wall-0,6mm L-375mm
1.72 €
Rectangular Tubing (1 pcs) H-7,9mm W-6,4mm Wall-0,6mm L-375mm
1.80 €
Rectangular Tubing (1 pcs) H-9,5mm W-6,4mm Wall-0,6mm L-375mm
1.96 €
In the ratio of its sides. An oblong section is stiffer in one axis, so laid on edge it carries more than a square of the same size while taking up less width. Full-size, it is what chassis rails, cross-members, superstructure railings and semi-trailer frames are made from, so the model gets the correct proportion straight out of the pack.
Decide first which face will be uppermost. A vehicle chassis carries the taller side vertically; railings and edge trims lie with the wider side up. The difference is clearly visible on the finished model, because the shadow falls into the edge differently either way.
A 3.2 × 6.3 mm section is a bearer of roughly 11 × 22 cm in 1:35, the usual chassis rail of a medium lorry. In 1:24 and 1:16, where detailed trucks and tractors are built, the larger series up to 6.4 × 9.5 mm come into their own. For slighter structures in small scales, use square tube or the slim I sections.
The cut ends of a frame are usually visible. Either blank them with an offcut of styrene sheet, or deliberately leave them open where a real duct would enter. Both are accurate; the point is to decide before the whole frame is glued up.
Frames built from rectangular section turn up most on lorries and construction plant, so the kits that use them are in the car and vehicle model kits.
