Dear fellow Dublin modelers,
I am looking at importing a box of 40 sheets of 3mm Depron and a box of 20 sheets of 6mm white “modeling grade” Depron from the continent.
I myself will need only a quarter of a box of each thickness for my own use, so I am looking for a few other modelers (in the Dublin area) to share with me (at cost) the remaining ¾ box of each thickness.
This imported foam is going to be "display board" quality Depron (made from lighter white ‘virgin’ foam) and has a smoother heat–hardened surface, that give a superior surface for painting and makes the foam stiffer and more ding-proof.
This Depron is not the more commonly available "insulation board" Depron. The latter is made of coloured, recycled foam, which makes the foam slightly denser and a bit more brittle too.
The size of the sheets will be a very useful 1200mm x 800mm. Big enough to make park size model wings in one piece if one wishes to. The price for each of the 3mm sheets will be around 4 Euros and the price for the 6mm sheets will be around 8 Euros.
A simple check for Depron prices on the internet will confirm what I am claiming above. The price I have mentioned is still 40% of the price charged by model shops (and remember I am not making any profit on this “venture”). We are simply getting Depron at what it will cost us, including delivery to Dublin.
Not cheap (or dirt cheap as some of you might expect), but remember, Depron of this quality is not a cheap material to start with, and those prices are for Depron delivered to Dublin from the continent.
If anyone knows of a better price than this (for the same quality Depron) or can recommend (from actual experience) a better material to buy than this, then please tell us about it.
Gediplac’s lack of rigidity and relatively rougher surface finish, does not make it a better alternative to this type of Depron IMHO, but having said that, I will still buy Gediplac if it is much cheaper than Depron, or is the only alternative available to me.
I am only going through this labourious exercise because I hate to pay Irish prices for my Depron. (Irish price= A1 size sheet of 5mm Foam board -in Dublin- selling for 6.80 Euros. The same size (and thickness) sheet in the US costs only 76 cents European.
Which always begs the question as to why don’t Irish outlets buy their foam board in the States (retail) from Dollar Tree and the likes and ship it over to the Emerald Isle? A container will only cost them $1 per Cubic Foot between the US and Europe. I am afraid that the answer is they do, but they still want to make an enormous profit selling it here.
The prices for Depron in the UK are a bit better but unfortunately UK Depron sellers will not ship any sheets bigger than 500mm x 350mm ( because of a Royal Mail restriction). This is a sheet size that is totally useless for the size of models, I, and most people build.
Since I don’t have a car, and I therefore won’t be able to deliver this Depron around town, I kindly ask each person who wants to buy some of that Depron to also be prepared pick up his share from my place at Sandymount, which (I think) should be fairly central to all.
Another thing I would like to see, are firm commitments from fellow modelers for this sharing “venture” with full deposits for the amount of Depron they are intending to buy. If you prefer to wait for the foam to arrive here firsts and then make up your mind whether to buy or not, then this “venture” might not go ahead because not enough shares were sold beforehand.
If you say you don’t know me or trust me to give me your money upfront, then that is OK with me, just nominate someone (from among yourselves) who you all know and trust and I will send him my share of the money and ask him to buy the Depron on our behalf.
However due to not having a car, I will still ask that the Depron be delivered to my address (or an address close enough for me to walk to) so that I can collect my share.
If you are interested in this “venture” please let us know.
MM
