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Professional plastic modeling materials from Plastruct and Evergreen Scale Models for scratch-building and detailing. This collection features polystyrene sheets, rods, tubes, I-beams, channels, and structural shapes in multiple scales. Perfect for enhancing HO Scale scenery and N Scale projects. Explore more at Plastruct and Evergreen Scale Models.
Plastic modeling materials represent the fundamental building blocks for scratch-building custom structures, creating unique details, and modifying commercial models to achieve personalized results. The Hobby Plastics collection at MPM Hobbies provides comprehensive selections of precision-manufactured polystyrene and ABS materials from industry-leading suppliers Plastruct and Evergreen Scale Models. With 115 specialized products including sheets, rods, tubes, structural shapes, and specialty materials, this collection equips modelers with professional-grade components for projects spanning all popular modeling scales from N scale through G scale. These versatile materials enable creative expression while maintaining the dimensional accuracy and surface quality essential for realistic modeling results.
Polystyrene sheets form the foundation for countless scratch-building projects, providing smooth, uniform surfaces ideal for constructing walls, roofs, floors, and large flat components. Evergreen Scale Models offers precision-extruded sheets in thicknesses ranging from ultra-thin .010 inches to substantial structural thicknesses, with both opaque white and transparent options available. The transparent sheets prove invaluable for creating windows, skylights, and glazing applications where realistic light transmission enhances visual authenticity. Plastruct complements these offerings with specialty textured sheets including stucco patterns, tread plate, and water effect surfaces that replicate specific materials without requiring additional finishing techniques. The consistent thickness and flat geometry of these sheets ensure accurate assembly and professional results when constructing buildings, vehicles, or custom display bases.
Round rods and tubes provide essential structural elements for framework construction, mechanical details, and cylindrical components ranging from pipes and railings to smokestacks and support columns. Both Plastruct and Evergreen manufacture precision-extruded rods in extensive diameter ranges, with Plastruct offering convenient multi-piece packs that provide economical material supplies for larger projects. Hollow tubes enable realistic pipe installations and reduce weight in applications where solid rods would prove unnecessarily heavy. The perfectly circular cross-sections and consistent dimensions of these products ensure proper fit when components must align precisely or when multiple pieces combine to create complex assemblies. These versatile materials accept standard modeling adhesives readily and can be cut, drilled, and shaped using conventional modeling tools.
Structural shapes including I-beams, channels, angles, and specialized profiles replicate the steel and aluminum components used in prototype construction, enabling modelers to create authentic industrial buildings, bridges, and mechanical equipment. Evergreen's extensive selection of I-beams, angles, and half-rounds provides the fundamental shapes required for framework construction at various scales. Plastruct expands these options with specialized profiles including channels, zee-sections, and tee-shapes that match specific architectural and engineering applications. These precisely formed shapes maintain consistent dimensions along their entire length, ensuring that assemblies align properly and that repeated elements like bridge trusses or building frames exhibit the uniformity characteristic of manufactured components. The availability of multiple sizes within each profile type allows modelers to select appropriate scales for different applications and modeling scales.
Open web trusses represent sophisticated structural elements that add visual complexity and authentic engineering details to bridges, industrial buildings, and architectural models. Plastruct manufactures Warren-pattern open web trusses in multiple depths, replicating the triangulated designs used in prototype steel construction. These pre-formed components eliminate the tedious individual assembly of truss members while maintaining the open framework appearance essential for realistic representation. The consistent geometry and professional finish of these trusses enable rapid construction of impressive structures that would require extensive scratch-building effort using individual structural shapes. These components prove particularly valuable for railroad bridges, industrial crane structures, and architectural applications where exposed structural frameworks contribute to visual authenticity.
Specialty plastic materials extend modeling capabilities beyond basic structural components to include unique textures, optical effects, and specialized surfaces. Plastruct's fiber optic strands enable realistic lighting effects for instrument panels, building interiors, and special lighting applications where conventional LEDs prove too large or inflexible. Water effect sheets provide pre-textured surfaces that replicate agitated water, calm water, or ice formations without requiring liquid casting materials or complex finishing techniques. Textured sheets including stucco patterns and tread plate surfaces deliver authentic material representations that enhance realism while simplifying construction. These innovative products demonstrate how specialized materials can solve specific modeling challenges while expanding creative possibilities for unique projects and custom details.
ABS plastic materials offer enhanced impact resistance and durability compared to standard polystyrene, making them ideal for components subject to handling stress or mechanical loads. Plastruct's ABS product line includes sheets, rods, and structural shapes that provide the same dimensional precision as polystyrene materials while delivering superior toughness for demanding applications. ABS materials prove particularly valuable for operating mechanisms, removable components, and structural elements in display models that experience frequent handling. The material accepts standard modeling adhesives formulated for ABS plastics and can be machined, drilled, and formed using conventional techniques. The slightly different surface characteristics of ABS may require specific priming approaches when painting, but the enhanced durability justifies material selection for appropriate applications.
The extensive range of sizes available in plastic modeling materials enables their use across multiple modeling scales, with dimensional selection determining the prototype size being represented. A specific rod diameter might represent a small pipe in HO scale, a substantial column in N scale, or fine detailing in O scale, demonstrating how the same physical material serves different representational purposes depending on scale context. Modelers working across multiple scales can maintain efficient material inventories by understanding these relationships and selecting sizes that serve multiple applications. The collections available through HO Scale Plastruct, N Scale Plastruct, O Scale Plastruct, and G Scale Plastruct provide scale-specific selections while the comprehensive Hobby Plastics collection offers the complete range for multi-scale modelers.
Successful work with plastic modeling materials requires understanding appropriate cutting, joining, and finishing techniques that preserve dimensional accuracy while achieving clean, professional results. Precision cutting tools including razor saws, knife blades, and specialized plastic cutters produce clean edges without crushing or deforming material. Solvent-based plastic cements create molecular bonds between polystyrene components, resulting in joints stronger than the surrounding material when properly applied. Cyanoacrylate adhesives offer rapid bonding for assemblies requiring immediate strength or when joining dissimilar materials. Surface preparation including sanding, filling, and priming ensures that painted finishes exhibit the smooth, uniform appearance characteristic of professional modeling work. These fundamental techniques apply across all plastic modeling materials and scales, making skills developed on one project transferable to future endeavors.
Plastic modeling materials integrate seamlessly with scenery construction and detailing projects, providing custom components that complement commercial products while enabling unique personalization. Scratch-built structures constructed from plastic sheets and structural shapes can incorporate specific architectural details, dimensional requirements, or prototype features unavailable in commercial kits. Custom details fabricated from rods, tubes, and specialty shapes enhance commercial structures and rolling stock with personalized modifications that reflect individual modeling interests and prototype research. These materials prove particularly valuable when creating industrial complexes, urban scenes, or specialized structures for layouts focused on specific industries or geographic regions. Complement your plastic modeling materials with scenery products from our HO Scale Monroe Scenery, HO Scale Bowser Scenery, and HO Scale Tichy Scenery collections to create comprehensive, detailed environments that showcase your scratch-building achievements.