Plasticard Basics

 

Since information seems to be vanishing off the net these days, or becoming increasingly hard to find, I figured I’d throw some basics up here for easy reference.

Plasticard or Polystyrene Sheeting is a great material for kitbashing or terrain building. It can be somewhat tricky to get a hold of, often found in model building stores or architecture supply, and can be found under a variety of names and in a variety of thicknesses. As for its working properties, its a flexible plastic (depending on thickness) that’s reasonably easy to cut, glueable with regular plastic glue, sandable, and drillable (using drill bits for metal).

Adding extra details to an Enlightened Saucer

Many companies also sell different smaller profiles for detailing, such as strips, rods, and even I-Beams. You can make most of these yourself, though that does tend to fall under more advanced cuts

Thickness

0.5mm or less: This is almost exclusively for surface detailing. Very bendy, easy to cut.

1mm: Still fairly flexible and easy to cut, but sturdy enough for construction. If you’re constructing 3d objects out of this thickness, watch out that you don’t use too much glue, the vapors can cause it to melt.

1.5mm: If you want a reasonably rigid material start here. Good for general purpose construction, though harder to cut if you want to make complex or curved shapes.

2mm: I generally don’t bother going this high since at this point it becomes annoying to cut, but if you absolutely want a piece to not bend, this is it.

Cutting Plasticard

Bend and Snap!

While you can cut directly through the material, there’s a trick to it that makes it much easier and gives a better result. Score the surface with a knife and snap along the resulting groove. This can be difficult at higher thicknesses or with complicated curves. In this case you can cut the line again to deepen it or use pliers to snap pieces off (on the side that will be lost, since this can cause some tearing). To get straight lines, buy a ruler with a steel edge, and optimally rubber inset on the underside to reduce slippage. Hold down the ruler firmly with one hand, then lightly cut along the steel edge. This takes a bit of practice, but will lead to great results.

Advanced Topics

I’ll just give a quick overview here as a teaser at what’s possible. If you’re interested in more detailed guides let me know.

Laminating

In some cases it can be helpful to glue together multiple pieces of plasticard to make a thicker piece, but plastic glue can cause problems here. If you use too much you’ll partially melt the plastic, causing deformation or warping. It helps to use thicker plasticard (1.5mm+), less glue, and clamps while you’re glueing.

Panel Lining

Using a tool called a scribe, it’s possible to scratch lines into plasticard. This can be used to make vents, panel lines, and other surface detailing. A scribe can also be used to cut very thin profiles of plasticard, since unlike a knife a scribe scrapes away a section of material, preventing bending normally associated with a cut.

Right Angles and Construction

Build yourself a Jig to hold you pieces in place. Mount 2 pieces of wood at a 90 degree angle, then add some steel sheeting to the surface. You can then place the plasticard to be glued on there, hold them in place with magnets, and run glue along the surface.

Closing

Let me know if you need more detail on anything!

No AI was used here.