STRIPS 0.30 X 4.00 X 350MM – STYRENE STRIP – (10 UNITS)

Styrene strip 0.30 x 4.00 x 350 mm from AK interactive

The pack contains ten pieces of plastic strip of rectangular section, 0.30 mm thick and 4.00 mm wide, each 350 mm long. The material is polystyrene, that is the same plastic injection-molded kits are made of. It is neither a model nor a set of parts for a particular kit, but a raw material from which you cut the parts yourself.

Its thin, wide section makes this size a material for flat elements. A strip three tenths of a millimeter thick can be bent around a curve even without heating, so it readily follows the rounded sides of a fuselage, a cowling or a cylindrical superstructure.

What the strip is good for

• wall paneling, planked surfaces and decking in a diorama
• trim, strips and cover plates over seams and transitions between parts
• stiffeners and ribs on the inner side of larger plastic surfaces
• adding elements missing from a kit or damaged during building

Cutting and gluing

Cut the strip with a sharp modeling knife against a metal ruler: make several light passes rather than one heavy one, otherwise the thin material will buckle. Then true the cut with fine abrasive paper. It is bonded with liquid cement for polystyrene, which flows into the joint by capillary action and slightly melts the plastic, so the joint holds firmly and can be sanded once dry. For a joint with resin, photo-etch or wire, reach for super glue. The material is normally sanded, filled and painted in the same way as a kit, including priming and spraying.

Who it is for

• builders who add their own parts and structures to a model
• makers of dioramas and scenery
• modelers repairing older or incomplete kits

This is a building material, not a finished model. Glue, paints and tools are not included in the package.