U CHANNEL 4.0 WIDTH X 350MM – STYRENE U CHANNEL – (3 UNITS)

The plastic U channel 4.0 mm x 350 mm (AK interactive)

A styrene section with a profile in the shape of the letter U, 4.0 mm wide and 350 mm long. There are 3 pieces in the package. It is not a kit nor a part for a particular model but a blank, out of which a modeler cuts and builds structural elements of their own. A U channel has two parallel walls and a joining base, so it suits everywhere you need a channel, a rail, a track or a socket for something to slide into.

What the section is for

The typical use is building superstructures and frames, completing missing or damaged elements on older kits, making stiffeners and ribs inside a hull, rail guides, gutters, window and door frames on buildings in a diorama, or strengthening glued joints from the inside. Because it is styrene, it behaves in the same way as the plastic of ordinary injection-molded kits — it can be cut, sanded, shaped with heat and glued with the same products.

Tips for the work

• Cut with a sharp modeling knife or a fine-toothed saw; a coarse saw tears styrene.
• Glue with a thin cement for polystyrene, which runs into the joint by capillary action — the joint is then stronger than with cyanoacrylate glue.
• Before gluing, level the cut edges on abrasive paper, so that the section sits down over its whole face.
• Glue longer straight runs held against a rule or a square, otherwise the structure will twist.
• Degrease before painting and lay a primer on — without it, paint holds less well on smooth styrene.

Who the profile is for

• Modelers who build their own parts and conversions instead of bought sets.
• Builders of dioramas, where the structures of buildings and industrial elements have to be made.
• Repairers of older or part-built kits with missing parts.
• Builders of ships and equipment, where there are many repeating strips and frames.

The material is supplied as a blank without glue and paints. Glue, paints and tools are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.