Sytrene strips/rods.

It seems I'm out of date. Back when I was selling the stuff (come to think of it, that was 35 years ago!), Plastruct meant ABS (and Evergreen was just coming on the market). The appearance of Evergreen strips was a big development in the hobby - especially for model railroaders.

Now, Plastruct offers a much bigger range, including ABS, polystyrene, and even polyethylene. The company web page lists a whole lot of...stuff, most of it apparently intended for architectural models, but much of it applicable to aircraft, ships, and armor. Here's the link:

http://www.plastruct.com

I don't think I've ever used Plastruct polystyrene, but I'm confident that it's good stuff. Plastruct makes good products.

Sorry about that. I need to pay more attention to what at Olde Pharte I am before posting.

jtilley

There's definitely a chemical difference between polystyrene and ABS (Plastruct). Ordinary styrene cements don't dissolve Plastruct, and Plastruct has a higher melting point.

 I have styrene Plastruct pieces. They dissolve just fine with any solvent I have. In fact, they seem softer than the plastic used in the model kits I've built.

 There is definitely a difference between styrene and ABS, but I suspect you have some non styrene bits from Plastruct. 

 (Notice in the link I provided above that Hobbylinc sells Styrene, ABS and Acrylic pieces from Plastruct)

There's definitely a chemical difference between polystyrene and ABS (Plastruct). Ordinary styrene cements don't dissolve Plastruct, and Plastruct has a higher melting point. I found that out the hard way when I left some pieces of both in the attic for too long.

Maybe this thread should be moved to the Scratchbuilding fourm.

To your specific question, if you have a hobby shop in your area, stop in and see if they carry either Evergreen or Plastruct.  The HobbyTown near me carries both.

For rod stock, you could also stretch some sprue, depending on the lengths you want.

jtilley

Plastruct brand plastic is a different kind, called ABS. 

It stands for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Holy crap, I think I got carpel tunnel just typing that. Ha. Anyway,evergreen used to send free samples to check out,don't know if they still do that.

The plastic generally used in kits is polystyrene. "Styrene," so far as I know, is just shorthand for polystyrene.

In the U.S., at least, the most common brand of polystyrene sheets, strips, structural shapes, and rods is Evergreen. The company makes hundreds of different sizes and shapes. If you have a good hobby shop nearby, it may well have a rack of Evergreen stuff.

Evergreen plastic handles about like the plastic in most kits. It sands, cuts, and glues about like kit parts -  and the usual styrene adhesives work on it.

Plastruct brand plastic is a different kind, called ABS. (Somebody will have to remind me what ABS stands for; I forget.) It's good stuff - slightly stronger and stiffer than styrene, and with a higher melting point. (That sometimes comes in handy.) Most styrene adhesives don't work on ABS. Plastruct makes its own brand of adhesive for the purpose; dealers who sell Plastruct usually sell the adhesive. And Plastruct adhesive works fine on styrene.

Hope that helps.