Curt B Posted October 30, 2020 Share Posted October 30, 2020 Hi All, I've started working on the latest and greatest Tamiya 1/48 Spitfire Mk. 1, and I've found some disconcerting aspects of the plastic. I've never before had a Tamiya kit that I thought was molded in/with substandard plastic, but this one appears to be the first. Thus far, the part fit and engineering look pretty much top notch, BUT, the plastic, while in the 'standard' Tamiya medium gray color, seems to be the softest plastic I've ever encountered in ANY model kit, not just Tamiya. The plastic almost feels like it's some sort of sort vinyl. Every piece, from the smallest to the largest (wings/fuselage) can be twisted, bent, etc. Not that you can't do that with 'regular' styrene, but this feels way too pliable. Again, thus far, this softness does not appear to have affected the ability to glue parts together using Tamiya plastic cement, but I'm curious if anyone else has noticed this, or did I happen to get an odd run of moldings with less than ideal styrene composition? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Curt B Posted November 4, 2020 Author Share Posted November 4, 2020 (edited) Well, plastic status notwithstanding, I'm making some headway on my Tamiya Spitfire Mk. 1. Still waiting the cockpit details, and I need to put the decals on the instrument panel, and figure out where my Anyz stencils will make the biggest bang for the most impact. I've been happy with the fit thus far, though I did have to make some minor adjustments on some of the cockpit parts to make everything sit down correctly. Edited November 4, 2020 by Curt B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WymanV Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 I'm at the decal stage with my build and I haven't noticed anything unusual about the plastic. Seems to be the same as any other Tamiya kit I've built over the years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChesshireCat Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 my decal sheet was trash in five months of dry storage (very dry). Yet the plastic looks pretty good. Took a look at my 109g6, and the A team must have done the decals. They are much older and still perfect gary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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