The Ship Model Forum

I was thinking of scratch building some 1/350 scale aircraft tow bars for a carrier from very thin styrene strip.
Since the styrene strip is white, would there be any need to paint it or not?
If I don’t paint the tow bars, will the bare white styrene get discolored over time?

EJM,
If it were me, I would spray the finished tow bar (after painting the ends & applying decals, if any) with a flat, clear spray. I don't think that such small items would discolor over time, but that's just my opinion.

Hope this helps,

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HMS III
Mocksville, NC
BB62 vet 68-69

Builder's yard:
USS STODDARD (DD-566) 66-68 1:144, Various Lg Scale FC Directors
Finished:
USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62) 67-69 1:200
USN Sloop/Ship PEACOCK (1813) 1:48
ROYAL CAROLINE (1748) 1:47
AVS (1768) 1:48

Speaking from (bad) experience, yes, paint it white first. You can spray paint the styrene stock before cutting and assembling, which makes it easier.

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We like our history sanitized and theme-parked and self-congratulatory, not bloody and angry and unflattering. - Jonathan Yardley

For the same reason we paint the grey onto plastic that's already grey...cuz at the very least, if you don't paint it, it just looks like plastic.

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