1.1 ) Injected Plastic

Plastic is the most common material used for model kits. Molten plastic is injected into metal moslds to form, thus creating parts attached to spurs. Larger parts ( ex. tank chassis, airplane fuselage, ship hull ) are moslded as individual parts. Parts detailing will be dependent on the mold's craftsmanship and injection quality.

Example 1 : 1.48th German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter plane attached to plastic spurs with fuselage, upper & lower wings, landing gear, propellers, cockpit.

Example 2 : Bf-109 model with its tail section, wheels, engine cowling, and clear canopy. To cut the parts from the spurs, special modeling nippers are used.

Cost of plastic model kits are factored by the manufacturer quality, world petroleum prices and international currency exchange rates.

Plastics are byproducts of petroleum, thus changes in world oil prices will impact its pricing. International currency rates also contribute to price fluctuations in foreign products ( ex. Tamiya of Japan, Heller of France, Italeri of Italy ).

Custom metal mold used in plastic injection. Some molds can cost thousands of dollars due to its detailing.

Clear and color plastic pellets are used for parts creation.

Injection machine forces molten plastic at high pressure into the mold.

Resulting sample, a black plastic cap.