Tamiya America Extra Thin Cement TAM87038

Tamiya America Extra Thin Cement, TAM87038

Sold under the Tamiya America catalog number TAM87038, this bottle of Extra Thin Cement is the same trusted styrene welding liquid distributed for the North American hobby market. It is a fast acting, solvent based adhesive made for polystyrene kits, the plastic behind Gunpla, scale aircraft, tanks, ships and cars. Rather than bonding on the surface, the cement dissolves a thin skin of the plastic so mating parts melt together and set as a single unbroken piece, a joint that outlasts the kit itself.

Low Viscosity, High Precision

What sets an extra thin formula apart is how it moves. The liquid is thin enough to be pulled into a closed seam by capillary action the instant the brush touches the edge. You clamp two halves shut, run the applicator along the outside of the join, and the solvent races into the gap without you ever needing to open the assembly back up. Because the cement hides inside the seam, the visible surface stays free of the cloudy smears that thicker glues leave behind.

The slim brush built into the cap is tuned for control. It carries a light, even load that suits fine pegs, thin armor edges and the cramped interior angles of a mobile suit skeleton, where a heavy applicator would flood the part.

Welding Seams Out of Existence

This cement is the backbone of seam free building. Brush both surfaces, press the parts together until a small ridge of melted styrene beads along the line, and let it cure. That ridge is filler produced from the kit plastic, so after a day of hardening you sand it flat and the seam is gone under paint. The same method quietly fills minor gaps on weapon housings, thrusters and joint covers with no separate putty required.

• Tamiya America TAM87038 catalog packaging for the North American market
• Fine applicator brush for accurate flow control on small parts
• Thin solvent draws into seams by capillary action
• Chemically welds polystyrene into one continuous solid part
• Built for seam removal, gap filling and clean styrene assembly
• Quick flash off with a firm cure over roughly one day

Bench Practice

Store the bottle upright with the cap firmly closed so the volatile solvent does not evaporate between sessions. Provide steady ventilation while you work and allow each glued joint to rest undisturbed until fully cured before sanding or handling. The narrow bottle stands securely on a busy workspace and the integrated brush keeps everything in one tidy container.

For builders who want the exact Tamiya formula in familiar Tamiya America packaging, TAM87038 delivers the same precise capillary flow, invisible seams and rock solid styrene welds that define a clean finished kit.

Where It Earns Its Place

This bottle proves its value most on parts that other glues struggle with. Long fuselage halves, kit weapons split down the middle and armor plates with visible mold lines all benefit from the melt and fuse action, because the join becomes genuine welded plastic rather than a fragile surface bond. The thin solvent also lets you correct small alignment issues while the plastic is still soft, nudging a panel a hair before it locks. With its precise brush and reliable capillary flow, TAM87038 stays in constant rotation on the bench, handling everything from a quick snap fit reinforcement to a full seam free build headed for paint.

Popular alternative: Tamiya Extra Thin Cement Quick Setting 40ml. Browse our full range of model cement & glue.

• Scale: 3