Process and apparatus for forming plastics by heating an open mold and contacting the open mold with plastic particulate material to form a melted skin on the mold, and resulting articles made therefrom. Single skin molded articles may be multi-layered with or without paint on the surface. Multiple skin molded articles may be made by complementary male and female molds, brought together after the skins are made on the individual male and female molds, and may include sandwiched layers of plastic filler or expandable foam filled centers, with or without various inserts or reinforcements. Multi-layer composite articles are made with inserts and/or reinforcements that may be embedded in and surrounded by expandable foam plastic, if used as a middle layer. Resulting articles include a pick-up truck bed box, an industrial tabletop, a series of modular housing panels, an airplane cockpit door, and material handling pallets, among others.