Scratch Building Bits List...

[Andy2035]

Hi all,

As I'm just starting to get back into building, I would also like to have a go at scratch building bits & bobs, I have looked around but there are so many building materials I just don't know which to get nor what sizes I need (I'm not too great with sizes)...

May I ask if anyone could help me out with making a list of essentials I should get please, I do have some various plastic cards of different thickness's, so am ok on that side of things, it's mainly the shaped plastic/metal bits I should get, I'll mainly be building 1/24th and the odd 1/35th scale models...

Many thanks for any help...

Andy...

[AlanG]

Andy. Have a look around your house/garage/place of work as well. I have gotten loads of scratch building materials from "rubbish" just waiting to be chucked out. Old electrical cable flexs are stripped down so i can use the wire for scratch building hydraulic lines or aeriels. Lollipop sticks for planking etc etc

Yes you will probably have to buy some stuff but always be on the look out for something free

[spanner570]

All good ideas from Allyne. I don't know much, if anything about shaped bits, but I do know there are lots of items like brass tube and various extrusions on e.bay.

For card work I have found the Swann Morton craft knife great to use....Get yourself a good stock of 10A and 11 blades for it.

You will get through loads working with card.

For gluing card, get some 'Aleene's'..great stuff.

Cheers,

Ron

[Guest]

Hi Mr Andy 2035, a strange name but what the hell, you have joined a great site and I wish I had found it sooner, my own ten pence worth of advice is much the same be on the look out all the time everywhere you go there will be something which when viewed from a differnt angle or mated to another piece becomes just what you were looking for, I use plastic sheet and loads of evergreen rod and tube and ema hexagonal platsic for botls ect as Mr spanner says stock up on swan morton knifes and blades they are the best I have used them for a great number of years, mind your fingers though they can bite you have fun and enjoy your model making ...if I can help with anything else stick a not on the site,

best regards Barrie ( the old guy )

[geegad]

as baz has said there are a few parts styrene sheets evergreen do a large selection...sheets tube rods.etc and the best thing that i have brought was the chopperII cuts all the angles again an again

[Guest]

Hello Mr Spanner 570,

I forgot to add another place to find odd bits and bobs which are very cheap, if you have a pound shop or poundstrecher shop near your location have a good brows around plastic tubes glasses which make good rocket engine bells bye the way and many other bits can be found look at things not for what they are now but what they could be turned into in the future on a model. The large engine nozzles on my own 50 inch long eagle model were from cut down sainsburys plastic wine glasses saved a fortune not trying to use aluminium LOOK at everything thats all around there are bits you need everywhere ....good luck

regards Barrie ( the old guy )

[mossiepilot]

Hi Andy, I've not much to add to the other guys answers but I've found that just about anything is worth having for scratch work. For dios I've noticed that the cold weather has shattered some of the bricks in my wall and these small jagged bits are now collected for rocks in my next dio. Anything and everything is fair game.

Tony.

[Guest]

Just found this thread as I was having a skim through. If you're after copper or brass tube, it may be worth trying commercial metal stockists.

It was half the price I thought it would be and I have to buy 5 metres BUT, I'm going to start building 1/8th scale motorbikes and that amount should get me at least 3 of 4 models (or 10 years whichever is the greater) :smile1: