do i really need plastic styrene?

do i really need plastic styrene to make my own bodykit?or can i jst slap some putty on? ?_? tyty

without styrene, you will use more putty and it will be more difficult to have nice looking mod.. for 1$, yes it's a must have.

Do as you like, but the plastic will be a cheaper material and will make it loads easier. If you don't want to spend the couple bucks for plastic, or take a few minutes to make the trip to the hobby shop, be prepared to spend many dollars on putty and spend many, many hours sanding.

Buying plastic stock assures you that you have consistent parts from side to side. Using putty only can cause some asymmetry in body kits unless you like to do a lot of measuring.

i always wondered the same thing. could i make good looking serious mods with out the styrene? well, i invested in some styrene sheet and rods, and well. that answered my question. it makes things so much easier. plus, tamiya putty is 6 bucks a box. you want to use as little as possible. lol

how do u actually use the styrene for the bodykit? can anyone post some pics please? thanks :D

well i must just agree with the others. but when i was working on the body on the Shelby Series 1 i only used styrene as frames to make sure the putty got the right edges and sow on and then i took them away and putted on mor putty:P but i can tell! it was a H*ll of a jobb to sand everything down. and to my next project my supra i will try to use as mutch styrene as possible.

you can do nice mod without styrene, but it will take you lot more of time, and will cost you more in putty.. as said, it will be near impossible ot have 2 sides identical with only putty.. It's possible, but you will spend the year on that project while you can make it in few weeks with styrene.

don't be cheap, it's only 1$ (will cost you less than extra tube of putty) Even my crappy HS have it

i cant find any hobby shops near where i live XD anyone that live in the uk know any sites ? :)

i jst found my old initial d 86 body, so atm, am trying to make a widebody for that :)

how do u actually use the styrene for the bodykit? can anyone post some pics please? thanks :D
Styrene works as a bone of a body kit, so to speak.
You look at a real body kit, and brake it down into a collection of flat planes in your mind. Then, cut out those pieces from a styrene sheet. Once the boxy shape is made, you use minimum amount of putty to add curved surfaces. It saves time and putty. Also, most body kits are symmetrical, and if you cut out a set of identical templates, you can achieve symmetry easily.

so abit like this?sorry for the retarded writing, i cant write with a mouse :D

http://img19.exs.cx/img19/332/untitled726.jpg

hmm btw, i put some on my 86 the other day, went to sand it today, and it started peeling off ?_?

so abit like this?sorry for the retarded writing, i cant write with a mouse :D

http://img19.exs.cx/img19/332/untitled726.jpg

hmm btw, i put some on my 86 the other day, went to sand it today, and it started peeling off ?_?
What kind of putty do u use? If its tamiya epoxy putty then you have to kneed the two parts together then apply wait a day or so then sand with 200 grit sand paper.

its not a famous brand, it just says modelling putty on it O_O

Plastic styrene is very usefull for a lot of things!, I suggest you pick some up. You'd be suprised how much you use it, once you have some.
As for putty i use Squadron green putty. it works great and is cheap. I'd say most every model store carries it.
http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=SQ9050

And this is a pretty good online store , since you dont have any shops near you.
http://www.squadron.com/Index.htm

As for putty i use Squadron green putty. it works great and is cheap. I'd say most every model store carries it.http://www.squadron.com/Index.htm
I was told that shaping and sanding that the grey Squadron putty would work the best.

My hometown didn't have any hobby stores that carried anything useful for modelbuilding. I had to order my first styrene off the internet, and it cost a ton in shipping. Now there's a store down the street that carries it, and I love working with it.

It works great for roll cages:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3237/111179tony_model_interior_3-med.jpg

You can bend it by heating it slightly. This is just straight styrene, glued together and then painted.

I also built a cowl hood and parachute mount for this car:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/3237/111179tony_model_3-med.jpg

I cut out a peice of styrene that followed the factory lines on the Mustang's hood, bent it to the angle and height I wanted using heat (a candle) cut out side pieces, glued it all together and sanded it out smooth. You just gotta be careful heating it because it will melt and deform.

so u have to put glue on the surface before you putty over it ?_?

so u have to put glue on the surface before you putty over it ?_?
No, not necessarily...you'll have glue the strips of styrene together and then glue it to the body. Then, you add the putty directly to the styrene and mold it into the desired shape. Understand what I'm saying?

lancerevoRS, go to this link here (click this underlined text) (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=166816) and read this thread. Unfortunately, Ratdat is no longer around (so please don't top the thread!), but it will give you a good idea on how to use the plastic and putty to make body kits. That guy was amazing, and you will see how a master did it from start to finish. Also, search for his Auster (in the in-progress sub forum, type "Auster" in the search window), it will probably also be great help.

Hope this helps.

cool! thanks, so glue styrene then putty, okie, :) tyty

Think of the styrene as being like the pieces that came with the kit; you gotta glue it on and make it fit with putty. It's the same material.

ahh ok, hmm i sound stupid, but hey wt the heck, is plastic styrene like really bendy??

Thin styrene has a little give to it. I would recommmend (VERY CAREFULLY) heating the styrene and slightly bending it into a shape, if needed. But be VERY CAREFUL as not to light yourself on fire or more importantly melt the styrene.

so those plastic styrene is actually hard? crap

It's just like the plastic your models come as. Comes as sheets. You cut out shapes and strips, create a frame, glue it all together, putty, sand, and you have a body kit.

Go try it, then come ask more questions. Nothing is gonna be able to explain it better than your own first hand experience.

Go try it, then come ask more questions. Nothing is gonna be able to explain it better than your own first hand experience.
:cheers:

yea, planning on getting some plastic styrene when i have my half term, and am gonna build a bodykit for my old nsx (or try to anyways) :D thanks for all the replies :)