Straight line bodies

[Dburk]

Has anyone used a Straight Line Styrene pro mod body to build a model? Was wondering how they compare to resin bodies and how realistic they are.

Thanks Dburk

[Mark]

I'd never heard of this company, and just did a search.  Their bodies are vacuum formed over a mold like Lexan slot car and R/C bodies, only in styrene.  I've sold vacuum formed styrene parts in the past (not complete bodies, mainly hoods) and I'm fairly impressed with the Straight Line bodies.  I can tell you that the body might be thin in some areas (like corners) but should be extremely consistent otherwise.  You could locate the thin areas by holding the piece up to a strong light.  Thin areas could be reinforced by cementing material to the inside of the body.  As delivered, the body should be rigid, but as you trim away excess material it will become flimsy.  Because these bodies are formed by pulling material over a mold, you won't have sharp panel lines.  But for something like a Pro Mod where the bodies are drastically reshaped compared to stock, one of these bodies might work out really well.  The prices I saw seem very reasonable too.  I don't build or follow Pro Mod, but if I did I would be intrigued enough with the Straight Line bodies to purchase one to try on a project.

One other thing: these bodies will be thinner than most resin or molded styrene kit bodies.  Painting the thinner material with automotive paints might be problematic, and the thinness/flexibility might cause problems.  You might want to communicate with people who are using these bodies on slot cars and see how they approach trimming, bodywork/paint, and assembly before starting on one yourself.