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"Plastic or Lead?" Topic


18 Posts

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2,053 hits since 23 Oct 2012
©1994-2025 Bill Armintrout
Comments or corrections?

Windward23 Oct 2012 3:11 p.m. PST

I'm building up some BattleFront M-10s with the plastic Sherman track sprue that contains a plastic long 76 barrel. I also have lead barrels, which should I use?

Gear Pilot23 Oct 2012 3:54 p.m. PST

THin peives of plastic like barrels make me nervous (worried about durability), so I would go with lead personally.

Who asked this joker23 Oct 2012 6:44 p.m. PST

Lead. Easier to replace if something breaks.

Beowulf Fezian23 Oct 2012 6:45 p.m. PST

I used the platic one because:
-It does not bend
-Unlike metal, plastic does not warp
-Plastic is better molded.

Agesilaus23 Oct 2012 8:23 p.m. PST

Pewter

Pictors Studio23 Oct 2012 8:38 p.m. PST

I'm with beowulf. A lot of my metal barrels have had the paint flake off of them where they have bent a little bit. With plastic they won't bend as easily and whle they might break if forced enough they are more easily repaired.

A better solution than either would be to find a piece of wire of about the same thickness, cut it to size, or at leas the size to where you could bury it into the turret, then clip off the plastic end of the barrel and glue it onto the end of the metal wire.

Then you will have a barrel that is not going anywhere and with the plastic turret it should be a breeze to drill it to put the steel into place.

normsmith23 Oct 2012 11:23 p.m. PST

less chance of damage to plastic if dropped etc.

MajorB24 Oct 2012 1:56 a.m. PST

-Unlike metal, plastic does not warp

Just keep it away from excessive heat.

Martin Rapier24 Oct 2012 2:36 a.m. PST

Plastic. I have zillions of plastic tanks, and I can't think of any that have bent barrels, unlike the metal ones.

If you happen to snap one off (happens occasionally), just glue it back together again.

Poniatowski24 Oct 2012 5:10 a.m. PST

Both… it depends on the situation/model.

mysteron24 Oct 2012 5:17 a.m. PST

Use the plastic. Plastic is more durable than what most people think. Resin barrells are another matter .

Keep the metals as spares

Charles Christy24 Oct 2012 8:04 a.m. PST

Plastic = thinner and more realistic looking, easy to work with…

And if you're buying PSC kits you get loads of spare 76mm barrels (unless you build the 76mm variant) but often will have spare plastics in case one does break.

Hauptmann612 Nov 2012 8:14 p.m. PST

Brass tube.

hoosierclyde13 Nov 2012 11:53 a.m. PST

I have used both brass tube and rod for various gun barells, and been very happy with the results.

Bandit13 Nov 2012 1:29 p.m. PST

People make wargaming miniatures out of plastic? So weird.

Cheers,

The Bandit

Soldat16 Nov 2012 7:28 a.m. PST

I agree with Hauptman replace with brass tubing.

spontoon18 Nov 2012 8:05 a.m. PST

For a 76mm gun plastic seems fine. I tend to replace all plastic/resin barrels under that with wire. Theplastic or resin ones always snap off at the most inopportune moments.

John D Salt22 Nov 2012 11:54 a.m. PST

"One word: Plastics'"

All the best,

John

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