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Hello all

I've done a bit of the old conversions with green stuff and left over bitz, but plasticard isn't the sort of thing I readily see in shops so I have never used it. Given the price of GW's mega armoured nobs, (£15 per model) I'm thinking it might be cheaper to do a conversion by using strips of plasticard as metal plates welded to a box of standard GW Nobz with the powerclaws and shooters made from left over bits.

I'm a complete newbie and have never used plasticard. What is a good standard size plasticard (025mm, 0.5mm, 0.75mm etc) to purchase and use (for the above conversion in particular)? And where is a good on line store to get some from (I'm in the UK)

If you have any other helpful tips or plasticard cautions I'm open for them too.

Cheers

I'm not sure what tips to offer other than "get some and play around with it".

One thing I would recommend though, if you're looking for something really cheap to get started with is (and I assume the UK has some equivilent) "for sale" signs.

You can get them here for about .80 USD each, and they're a decent 12" by 18" or so, so there's plenty of material. Only downside is that they're reeeeeaaaaal thin, so you might have to layer them over anything that might be structural.

Something like this:

This is in the wrong forum... but in any case, 0.25mm tends to be a safer bet when working with 28mm miniatures. Even if it's too thin, you could cut several out to look like more plates welded together. If you don't want to go for the welded look, remember to make rivets!

You will get a better response in the core Painting & Modelling forum, so I shall move the thread there.

You could buy one of the packs that Gale Force 9 do that has a mix of thicknesses or get sheets from one of the better online model stores like Antenocitis Workshop or the 4D modelshop. Personally I just go to the nearest model trains shop so that you can have a good look at every thickness and texture going. We have John Dutfield in Chelmsford and they have a multitude of thicknesses and everything from plain sheet to embossed chequer plate and whole forest of sections and tubes to boot.

Using for sale signs (the cheap plastic ones) from your local hardware store is a good place to get practice plastic card.

Check hobby stores, and then if you really enjoy working with it, check larger suppliers.

(its called sheet styrene).

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10151&catalogId=1500001201&langId=110&searchTerms=styrene+sheet&authToken=

http://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/cart_plastic.htm

http://www.anticsonline.co.uk/2162_1.html

best of luck!!!

Thanks folks.

Some useful info there.

.25 is plenty thick enough for what you want to do.
Things to get:
Cutting mat - A3 is a good size.
Decent scalpel / modelling knife.
A steel rule with finger guard & cork or rubber non-slip base.
Marker pen (permenant) & pin - I put the pin in a pin vice, use the marker pen to colour the approximate boundary of the piece I want to cut out then use the mounted pin to gently scribe the outline - I fine a pencil rubes off & even a fine-line marker is too thick.

I would also consider getting a Tamiya plastic scriber - see here:
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/290766028411?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=63
Great tool especially for thicker plastic.
Also plastic weld glue - the type that comes in a glass bottle with a nylon brush fixed to the underside of the lid.
Here's a tip - open bottle of glue, grab your side cutters, snip off nylon brush, find a bin & drop brush in. Apply glue with old paint brush - you get much better control this way!

If you need anything else PM me.

 bubber wrote:
.25 is plenty thick enough for what you want to do.
Things to get:
Cutting mat - A3 is a good size.
Decent scalpel / modelling knife.
A steel rule with finger guard & cork or rubber non-slip base.
Marker pen (permenant) & pin - I put the pin in a pin vice, use the marker pen to colour the approximate boundary of the piece I want to cut out then use the mounted pin to gently scribe the outline - I fine a pencil rubes off & even a fine-line marker is too thick.

I would also consider getting a Tamiya plastic scriber - see here:
http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/290766028411?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=63
Great tool especially for thicker plastic.
Also plastic weld glue - the type that comes in a glass bottle with a nylon brush fixed to the underside of the lid.
Here's a tip - open bottle of glue, grab your side cutters, snip off nylon brush, find a bin & drop brush in. Apply glue with old paint brush - you get much better control this way!

If you need anything else PM me.

Cheers, I was actually just about to ask what a decent glue to use is. I've got all the other stuff though.