RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

..I mean this symbol on Tamiya 1/16 plastic sprues: " >PS<" ? I imagine it could mean 'polystyrene', or 'plastic'. But it's not clear. You might wonder why I ask, well, in the King Tiger build manual I've been leafing through, in the "Read before assembly" section- to be precise, it states: (following the symbol of a blue smear).."Portions indicated in blue require cement. If no cement is specified, apply plastic cement." Tamiya produce three cements. One for ABS, one just..er.. 'Tamiya Cement', and another 'extra thin cement'. What the manual fails to point out, is which cement qualifies as 'cement' and which as 'plastic cement' in the instruction. What's the distinction anyway?
Elsewhere, I've read that Tamiya use a mix of ABS and styrene based plastics in their 1/16 models. What the build manual fails to point out is: where? Hence the question about '>PS<'. Bonding ABS requires and ABS solution, as it's pretty hard compared to styrene. I don't want bits falling off when I get round to assembling this; my first Tamiya RC tank. I'm guessing the running gear (wheel caps etc) and rear panel may be ABS as they will take some stress.

Oops, forgot to ask whether these Tamiya side-cutters with extra fine jaws, are worth the £25-£30 I've seen them priced at. Tamiya sprues, and sprues in general have the annoying tendency to display evidence stretch or stress in the tabs locating them on the frame, if not cut with a razor sharp tool. Sometimes even with one. Thereafter cleaning the part up apter separation (bit like the old umbilical cord ), can leave a dint, or mark in it.
I presume the Tamiya tool can ensure a cleaner cut. Or can it?

Not sure about the PS mark, but as for the super dooper side cutters...............if you cant cut your expensive Tamiya parts off the sprue without leaving a mark after its dressed correctly, then buying an 8-Million dollar pair of pliers wont help !!

I would safetly assume Mr 43'rd that you are by far skilled enough to cut bits off your sprue and turn out a magnificent build without the aforementioned 'Snap-On' tool accessory

Hi
Yep the PS mark is polystyrene. The Tamiya glue the standard one is for general plastic the extra thin is very good for the smaller PS bits. There ABS glue is very good BUT takes a long time to cure and harden. The side cutters are the best on the market I think!! I have 3 pairs they last for ever . Brian...

HERMAN BIX wrote:Not sure about the PS mark, but as for the super dooper side cutters...............if you cant cut your expensive Tamiya parts off the sprue without leaving a mark after its dressed correctly, then buying an 8-Million dollar pair of pliers wont help !!

I would safetly assume Mr 43'rd that you are by far skilled enough to cut bits off your sprue and turn out a magnificent build without the aforementioned 'Snap-On' tool accessory

Well, thanks for the vote of confidence in my kit building prowess, HB . However..when I built the Tamiya 1/35 Cromwell kit I noticed that no matter how diligently I tried to extricate parts from the sprues (mostly using a Tamiya modeller's knife), every now and then, the linking tabs were particularly thick and strong, and paring them down for a smooth finish could leave an annoying blemish, or unexpected dint where the tab had been 'stressed'. That seemed to depend on the direction the blade cut the tab. Mostly, it wasn't a problem..but I did think that perhaps ultra sharp side-cutters might be more effective at removing parts from the sprue.
I wonder what advice Sweeney Todd might have offered on the subject

brizo58 wrote:Hi
Yep the PS mark is polystyrene. The Tamiya glue the standard one is for general plastic the extra thin is very good for the smaller PS bits. There ABS glue is very good BUT takes a long time to cure and harden. The side cutters are the best on the market I think!! I have 3 pairs they last for ever . Brian...

Thanks for that, Brian. I think I'll invest in the Tamiya model, after the recommendation. For additional justification, (re:the price) I'll kid myself that they'll also be handy for a precision manicure and pedicure I'd pretty much worked out what the respective cements were about, but it's always reassuring to get a confirmation

I don't know about justifying the cost of the Tamiya cutters, but I've been using a set of cheap side-cutters I got from the local electronics shop. Since they only ever get used on plastic sprue, the edges are still as sharp as the day I got them and always give nice square cuts. The £30 ones don't look all that much different to the AU$10 ones!

I use the Trumpeter sprue-cutters. I believe they are about €12.- or thereabout.

And, yes. Tamiya tends to mark their sprues with the plasic-type it's made from. They do that for áll their products, even RC-cars. PS = Polystyrene, PC = Polycarbonate, etc. ABS and PVC speak for themselves, I guess...

Jay-Em wrote:I use the Trumpeter sprue-cutters. I believe they are about €12.- or thereabout.

And, yes. Tamiya tends to mark their sprues with the plasic-type it's made from. They do that for áll their products, even RC-cars. PS = Polystyrene, PC = Polycarbonate, etc. ABS and PVC speak for themselves, I guess...

Thanks, Jay-Em, that's a useful snippet of info to add to the knowledgebase Until lately, and unlike many here, my knowledge of Tamiya related matters was fairly limited; having only ever built one of their models- the 1/35
Cromwell. What's obvious to old hands (and therefore sometimes overlooked, or assumed- in threads), is often not so obvious to newbies, or those lacking experience of specific products. All the more important, then, to highlight significant 'factoids'..

Mick,
I would never give up or sell my side cutters. I'm far to attached to them. My 1st pair I bought 15 years ago now. I must admit they are just about done for now because I use them for wire cutting. But there still as sharp as when I bought them. Brian...