builders skip

[chicken man 257]

I'm thinking of having a go at making a builders skip out of balsa wood.question 1 = would balsa wood be strong enough to be played with.question 2= does anybody know what size I would need to make it for a 1/32 scale.im thinking if a midi skip or maybe the 1 from the britains skip lorry.thanks in advance

[Stabliofarmer]

1) No, balsa wood is very flimsy, and once snapped you have the risk of splinters/sharp edges. 1mm or 1.5mm thick plasticard is a much better option, it will bend, and if it does snap is less likely to cause injury. Use a chemically bonding adhesive such as EMA Plastic Weld to get a joint that is strong enough to be played with. 

2) Do a Google search for 'Skip Dimensions' plenty of easy to interpret results in the image section. 

[chicken man 257]

hi thanks for the advice how do u cut plasticard.does EMA take long to set 

[844john]

The easiest way I've found for cutting thicker plasticard is to lay a ruler along your cut line and score it several times with a craft knife, then gently bend it and it will snap cleanly along the line. If there's a slight shoulder from the knife this can be sanded flat with a file or fine emery paper. Plastic Weld grabs almost instantly, but is much stronger if left for a few hours. The beauty of it is that you can just butt the pieces you're joining together and then run the glue along the join with a paint brush and it is drawn into the joint.

[chicken man 257]

thankyou