Materials and Care

Every model sold here is printed in PLA. Looked after sensibly a PLA model will sit on a shelf unchanged for years; the two things that ruin one are heat and rough handling. This page covers both.

What PLA is

PLA is a rigid thermoplastic derived from plant starch. It is the standard material for display printing because it holds fine detail, does not warp or shrink noticeably once cooled, and is much tougher than the cast resin used for some display pieces. It is not food safe, it is not UV stable over long exposure, and it is not flexible - a thin part under enough force will snap rather than bend.

Heat is the one real hazard

PLA begins to soften at around 55 to 60 degrees Celsius. A car parked in the sun in an Australian summer goes well past that, and so does the top of a heater, a sunlit windowsill in a closed room, or the shelf directly above a radiator. A softened model does not melt dramatically; it sags, and it does not come back. Keep models indoors, out of direct sun, and away from any heat source.

Sunlight

Sustained direct UV will slowly dull and yellow lighter colours, whites and greys most of all. A model on a bookshelf across the room from a window is fine. A model on the windowsill is not. If a piece has glow-in-the-dark parts, brief exposure to daylight or a lamp is what charges them - that is different from parking it in the sun all day.

Cleaning

Dust with a soft dry brush, a makeup brush, or a short blast of canned air. Compressed air is the easiest option for lattice structures such as an Eagle Transporter frame or an open engine cage. If something needs more than dusting, use a barely damp cloth with plain water and dry it immediately. Do not use solvents, alcohol wipes, acetone or any household cleaner containing them - several of them attack PLA and will fog or soften the surface. Do not put a model in a dishwasher or under hot running water.

Handling

Pick a model up by its body, not by an antenna, a nacelle pylon, a weapon barrel or a landing leg. Those are the parts that break, and they break cleanly rather than bending first. If something does snap, a drop of cyanoacrylate super glue repairs PLA well and the join is usually invisible once the model is back on the shelf.

Colour and finish

The colour on these models is printed into the plastic using multi-colour PLA, not painted on afterwards, so there is no coat to chip, flake or wear through at the edges. That also means the surface cannot be touched up with paint the way a painted model can - the colour goes all the way through the wall of the part.

Not toys

These are display models. Small components are a choking hazard and thin parts are sharp when broken. Keep them out of reach of small children and pets.

If something arrives damaged

Parcels occasionally take a hit in transit. Photograph the damage and the packaging before unpacking any further, then get in touch - it is a one-person studio and it is dealt with directly.