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Tri-ang Polystyrene Cement


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Here's a chance find. At the bottom of a shoebox from a house clearance, (obtained by the kind agency of a relative and just delivered) an unopened tube of 'Tri-ang Model-Land series by Rovex Scale Models Ltd etc. Frog Plastic Kits etc. Polystyrene Cement'. It has lost 50% of its volume, presumably by slow loss of solvent through the crimped end of the lead tube, but is still flexible. I should think its stringing potential would see it immediately wreck any kit was waved it.

 

Is it rare? Or possibly staggering along at the edge of extinction as the last example extant?

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I feel like Id see that in an ebay listing with the words "LOOK" "RARE" above a dark, blurry, upsidedown photo with a discription seemingly written by a child barely grasping the concept of English grammar.

 

While I cant give an informed estimate to your question, I would assume being such a common item of the day, probably anyone who intends to collect an example for personal reasons already has, whether in better condition or not.

Id keep it as an oddity as it now has an attached story to you and your chance find.

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I have a bottle of Frog silver dope, unopened as one of two bought in about 1955 in a rush of enthusiasm in rubber powered kits with tissue covering, by my father!, also the Tri-ang bottle of oil, but that's been refilled over the years many many times!

Value is in the eye of the beholder, collecting cameras I collect all the bits that went with them, so the same can apply to models.

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Bet the smell is lovely, oh! the smell of that old glue, bet it works better than the modern stuff. I've still got some old airfix kits made some 50 years ago, using polystyrene comment Britrix 77?, they been airfix tank wagons have lasted cause they have stayed together. Not like some made about 20 years ago which have fallen apart, the old glue seemed to weld the plastic together.

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The old polystyrene cement was pretty drastic stuff (rather like today's Revell 'Contacta', which I use for serious sticking). It probably contained some nasty solvent which is prohibited today....

 

I seem to recall a pretty awful one sold by Woolworths.

 

('Woolies' used to be a treasure trove of good/excellent products at reasonable prices. Was this the first chain to decide to go 'upmarket', become useless and then go bust?)

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