CP thickness, is 1/2" mdf enough if I add some support "pillars" in the CP box?

[NoMoUserNames]

My original plan was to do the CP in 5/8" with a 1/8" plexi top, and 3/4" t-molding. Unfortunately, there is no longer even a single source of 5/8" mdf anywhere nearby (at least a ~two hour drive). Unless I am willing to special order it at about 3.5x the normal price that is, which I am not. My only options are 1/2" or 3/4" for the mdf. The body of the cab will be 3/4" either way, so I am confident that the cabinet itself will be good and sturdy. This is just about the surface of the control panel. CP will be the typical "4 players with a trackball in the middle" setup at about 48" wide, and 18" deep.

If I go with 3/4" mdf, I either need to drop the plexi, or it severely limits my options for T-molding (which kind of throws off the whole black/green color scheme I was going with). Not a total dealbreaker, but definitely disappointing.

If i go with 1/2" mdf, I can use 1/8" mdf, and get the color of t-molding that I wanted. But I worry about flex in the surface of the 48"x18" CP. There are a ton of posts by people saying that they don't recommend 1/2", but most seem to repeating the common wisdom, and not from their personal experience. Has anyone actually built one that size from 1/2"? If it is just an issue of panel flex, I was thinking maybe I could just cut a couple of 2x4s to act as pillars between the top and bottom of the CP for extra support. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.