Search the Community

Gidday All, my modeling passion is mainly warships in 1/600 scale, most of my models to date being Airfix ship kits. Unfortunately 1/600 is not a common scale now but I find it suits me. And disappointingly it seems that many of the kits are no longer being produced. Those of you familiar with Airfix ship kits will know that their detail is often somewhat bland, even crude by many standards. However they were often quite cheap, in my part of the world anyway, and hence they suited my mediocre skill level and limited budget, so this is an observation, not a criticism. I bought quite a few Airfix ship kits a number of years ago when they were still available, and modify most of them now as I build them. And while I do so I'm replacing many of their small parts with those I scratch build, such as light guns, Carley floats, DC (depth charge) throwers, anchors, screws etc. The parts I make are still a bit crude and can never compare with PE items, bought AM items and now 3D printed parts, but I enjoy making them. Plus it saves me a bit of money, something I have to consider now that I'm retired. I've wondered if other modelers are in a similar situation to me and would be interested in how I make some of these items, so hence this thread. I intend to keep each item in a separate post, plus leave this initial post as a sort of index which I can update by editing. I also intend this thread to be informative, so if anyone has any other ideas please feel free to make suggestions. Anyway, here goes . . . In order of posting, below are the methods on how I make:- 20mm single Oerlikons Depth charge throwers Quad 2lb pompoms Octuple 2lb pompoms USN single 5-inch/38cal turrets

Gidday All, my modeling passion is mainly warships in 1/600 scale, most of my models to date being Airfix ship kits. Unfortunately 1/600 is not a common scale now but I find it suits me. And disappointingly it seems that many of the kits are no longer being produced. Those of you familiar with Airfix ship kits will know that their detail is often somewhat bland, even crude by many standards. However they were often quite cheap, in my part of the world anyway, and hence they suited my mediocre skill level and limited budget, so this is an observation, not a criticism. I bought quite a few Airfix ship kits a number of years ago when they were still available, and modify most of them now as I build them. And while I do so I'm replacing many of their small parts with those I scratch build, such as light guns, Carley floats, DC (depth charge) throwers, anchors, screws etc. The parts I make are still a bit crude and can never compare with PE items, bought AM items and now 3D printed parts, but I enjoy making them. Plus it saves me a bit of money, something I have to consider now that I'm retired. I've wondered if other modelers are in a similar situation to me and would be interested in how I make some of these items, so hence this thread. I intend to keep each item in a separate post, plus leave this initial post as a sort of index which I can update by editing. I also intend this thread to be informative, so if anyone has any other ideas please feel free to make suggestions. Anyway, here goes . . . In order of posting, below are the methods on how I make:- Carley Floats Screws and shafts Hawser reels Bollards and fairleads

First issued about 2011,which horrifyingly makes it about a decade old now,another kit that has been given a "spruce up" faces re-painted using oil paint,washes and extra details added,a very enjoyable experience all round. Removed the figures and added new washes to the base. Name plate given a semi gloss coat. The "Happy" couple The Bride The Groom B\W shots Thanks for looking in Andy

Hello If you paint a solvent/cement onto your styrene (HIPS/Plasticard) model, it briefly dissolves the outer surface and when it evapourates it leaves a nice smooth finish. Do you have any tips about how to do this? I have tried Slaters MEK-PAK but it's pretty agressive and doesn't smooth itselve out very well as it dries. I also tried Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, but that seems almost weak and doesn't do a particularly good job of smoothing. I tried pure acetone but rather surprisingly, as I was led to believe that it was the strongest solvent out there, but that doesn't dissolvethe styrene at all! Cheers J PS Also what happens if you paint your solvent/cement onto your styrene model TWICE? It seems that the new deposit of smooth styrene that forms after the solvent evapourates is slightly different from the original, virgin styrene. For one thing it seems to be slightly harder than the virgin styrene when you are sanding it. Also, one of my test samples seems to have formed an outside layer that then cracked and ended up looking like a surface of old paint(!). I've not been able to replicate this, so I don't quite know how that happened...

Hi all. Need to pick some experts' brains. Today I received some 1mm Evergreen styrene rod so I can make the tarp frame for my M1083 (tried going for 1.2, but I figured it wouldn't make much difference). What I wasn't expecting was for the rods to be so...floppy. they bend very easily, to the point that I probably wouldn't be able to add a canvas to them even with very thin green stuff. They hold the rough frame shape, but still suffer from flex and a bit of warping. Does anyone know if there's anything I could apply to them to reinforce the rods. Perhaps coat them with watered down PVA or something similar so as not to make them overly thick, but which would harden? Thanks in advance. Gaz

Hi all. Need to pick some experts' brains. Today I received some 1mm Evergreen styrene rod so I can make the tarp frame for my M1083 (tried going for 1.2, but I figured it wouldn't make much difference). What I wasn't expecting was for the rods to be so...floppy. they bend very easily, to the point that I probably wouldn't be able to add a canvas to them even with very thin green stuff. They hold the rough frame shape, but still suffer from flex and a bit of warping. Does anyone know if there's anything I could apply to them to reinforce the rods. Perhaps coat them with watered down PVA or something similar so as not to make them overly thick, but which would harden? Thanks in advance. Gaz

Hello I am building a model with an pretty strong spring in it, and I am extremely disappointed with Plastic Fusion ! (from Super Glue corp) On the upside, my Plasticard / HIPS styrene is mechanically stronger that I thought it would be an is fine. Bonding using EMA Plastic Weld cement is okay, but not brilliant. The problem I have is that any joint is nothing like as strong as the virgin material and thing can always be snapped off again at the original join. BUT after the rave review in this video by CustomsByZ ("Tutorial: The Basics of Working With Styrene" on YouTube)... I am extremely disappointed with Plastic Fusion from Super Glue corp! Even waiting a full 24 hour later the joint is just too weak. I have tried thee times now. - Yes I am mixing it up very thoroughly. - Yes I am doing so at a reasonable temperature (19deg) - Yes I am mixing it on card and using a the wooden spatula provided - Yes I am being careful and think I am getting the proportions about right - Yes I am working with clean (freshly filed) surfaces. However the resulting bond is little better than EMA Plastic Weld solvent - which is particularly irritating after all that time spent mixing the glue. Moreover and the setting time is also longer than expected. It says sets in "5-10 minutes" but that's a massive exaggeration, as in 10 minutes it's still pretty gooey and sticky. After 25 minutes it's pretty much a solid, although even after an hour I can still sink a fingernail into it. But either way it never, EVER gets as strong as solid the styrene itself! Not even close. Although I don't expect them to be as strong as an epoxy resin, I have now order some Tamiya Extra Thin cement and some Mr Cement S to see if either create something stronger than EMA Plastic Weld. Background I am layering up my 1mm Plasticard sheets using EMA Plastic Weld produce solids of 3-4mm and I am then joining those solids together at 90 degrees. To get clear, I am looking for joints of high mechanical strength, in order to resist the springs I am working with. The base styrene is strong enough for my purposes, although I had ordered up some ABS in case it wasn't. But I am now concerned that it's harder to glue ABS than styrene so that may prove to be a mistake. Of course what is so nice is that some sort of bond happens in c.10 seconds, but anyone know how long I should give the styrene to dry in order to achieve say 95% of maximum strength? Back to epoxies, I don't mind mixing up epoxy glues for say 30 seconds, even 1 minute (if I have to), but I do mind waiting for much longer than say 2 hours or so. Waiting for glues to dry is a serious problem for me as it interferes with the prototyping process itself. - What is the strongest glue for styrene that also sets fast - i.e. within 2 to 4 hours? Many thanks P.S. I am now wondering if maybe I have a bad batch of Plastic Fusion. What was worrying is that the very first thing to come out of one of the tubes was a transparent oily substance. So this may have been the problem with my first attempt. Fwiw, my attempts have all been using about pea-sized volumes of epoxy glue, and the epoxy looks what I assume is 'normal' (not streaked etc). I cant find any expiry date on the packaging... I got it off an eBay merchant "Motorway Hessle LTD" who have a good rating on eBay (99.8% after 71,162 feedbacks) :^( The Plastic Fusion glue I bought: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Glue-Epoxy-10-Minute-Plastic-Fusion-2-Part-Bond-Plastics-Glass-Rubber-/261508621516?

Hello I am new here. I am more of an 'inventor' than a model-maker. I am looking for the best materials with which to do quick prototypes in order to test the functional qualities of various designs of new/inventive products. I recently watched this video: "Tutorial: The Basics of Working With Styrene" by CustomsByZ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3gabIJ3Ono And I was rather inspired by it - I had forgotten how quick it is to knock up designs in styrene! However, given that I am more interested in mechanical function than in appearance (e.g. the ability to take paint), is there a better material for me to work in? i.e. I know styrene is rather soft so I am wondering if there are any other plastics that are available in reasonably cheap sheet and extruded form, that are similarly easy to work with (particularly to quickly form a very strong bond) but which have better/stronger mechanical properties? For now I will not be vacuum forming (unless wait, can I do that at home in my oven??), but will be cutting (with sharp X-Acto blades or similar / hack saw), filing, sanding, drilling. e.g. I just bought: A. Plasticard a small pack of Plasticard white styrene sheets "a quality virgin grade material" (from Station Road Baseboards ) http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TWOHJE0/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item B. EMA Plastic Weld And I am planning to bond it with "Plastruct EMA Plastic Weld - Liquid Polystyrene ABS Cement" http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121672870352 (as I couldn't find any "Ambroid Pro Weld" described in the US-based video - but I understand that they are both Methyl Chloride based, yes?) C. Plastic Fusion For stronger bonds I have also bought Plastic Fusion epoxy glue from Super Glue which apparently sets in 10 minutes http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261508621516 but obviously it's slight pain mixing it up. QUESTIONS: - How does ABS compare to Styrene, mechanically? - HIPS (High Impact PolyStyrene) vs. regular "styrene"? Are there any other plastics I might consider if I need something stronger/more springy etc but which are reasonably easy to machine and easily available e.g. - Polypropylene sheet - PE (Polyethylene High Density) - Nylon6 sheet - Acrylic ?? Also what are the pros & cons if/when I need some thing transparent: - Polycarbonate - PETG (Poly-Ethylene Terephthalate Glycol) - Perspex Acrylic - Acetate - Axpet Polyester Sheet Acrylic ?? And how well do all the above respond to extremely strong quick-setting glues/solvents/cements? On reflection, I think I need quick primer on material for model & prototype building...! Any quick thoughts? J