Vlnitý plech (2,5 x 0,83)

Corrugated sheet metal cast in polystyrene

A thin white sheet carries a regular wave across its whole area, imitating trapezoidal or corrugated sheet metal. The format of the sheet is 15 x 30 cm and the figures in the name describe the profile: 2.5 mm spacing between neighboring corrugations and a corrugation depth of 0.83 mm. In 1:35 scale one corrugation therefore corresponds to roughly nine centimeters of real sheet, which fits ordinary farm and industrial roofing.

Where it is useful

Most often for the roofs of sheds, workshops, shelters and station ramps, for yard fencing, for the facing of a kennel or for a makeshift cover over a building broken open by a bomb. The material is also rewarding for cargo beds and equipment boxes. Because it is smooth polystyrene, it takes paint without further preparation and rust can be built up on it with pigments or by the salt method.

How to handle the sheet

It is cut with a sharp knife along a straightedge, ideally with several light passes along the crests of the corrugations so that the profile is not crushed. Thin strips can even be cut with scissors. A bend comes from slow pressure over the edge of a table; warmed over hot water it can even be shaped into a slight sag of a roof. It is joined with liquid cement for polystyrene, which dissolves the joint, so once dry it holds firmly and the seam disappears.

A practical note

Always orient the corrugation according to the pitch of the roof before you cut, because once it is cut across, the direction of the corrugation can no longer be turned. Torn edges look better on a model than a perfectly straight one.

Do not throw the offcuts away; narrow strips of corrugation are excellent for patches, for eaves trim and for sheet metal engine covers.