I am currently building an Academy 1/72 F15E Strike Eagle. I am to the point of finishing the canopy and was wondering why the model makers do not make the canopy in two pieces. One piece being the clear canopy itself, and the other being the canopy framing which usually has to be painted. I guess it would be similar to car model windshields or motorcycle windshields. With all the new tooling being used, would it be that hard to make this happen? I hate doing canopy painting as I am sure a lot of model builders hate it also. I know moving up to 1/48 or 1/32 would make it easier, but I do not have to the room to display larger models. Just a thought.
Just a Thought about Airplane Canopies
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urumomo
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It would need to be out of super thin , super fragile PE .
Especially in 1/72 .
The modeler would have to bend and attach it with zero gaps .
There is a very tiny market for that . Not cost effective for a manufacturer to do it .
Just be glad you're not building this thing :
Especially in 1/72 .
The modeler would have to bend and attach it with zero gaps .
There is a very tiny market for that . Not cost effective for a manufacturer to do it .
Just be glad you're not building this thing :
Like I said, just a thought. I know it is a pipe dream, but sometimes pipe dreams are nice to think about! And Yes, I would never attempt a model with a canopy as pictured above.
Pantherman
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Think I would like to have a crack at that. What's it called? Pantherman
Pantherman
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Going on the list now. Thanks Urumomo. PM
urumomo
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Jim62
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Good grief that would probably take me a month to mask that canopy. I find canopy masking to be intense and take many breaks while trying to get a good mask on a canopy. Wearing reading glasses while looking through a small lighted magnifying lamp wears on the eyes quickly. Currently letting some micro mask dry on a canopy now for a bit then up to the bench to do more.
Mycatistypingthis
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Mikromir also did something with their Fokker G 1, the body is all transparent because they thought putting the panes in would be a bear. I don't like that, but do get why they did it.
BlackSheepTwoOneFour
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Greenhouse canopies are fun to mask…. NOT!
the Baron
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Some airplane kits are engineered that way. I'm thinking of a 1/48 P-51D kit that had the bubble separate from the bottom frame. I think there's at least 1 P-47D bubbletop that was made that way, too, and maybe a Hawker Typhoon. It's not unheard of. But we need to remember that it takes some additional engineering and tooling to produce 2 pieces instead of one, and that adds to the cost of the model. That weighs in the decision of how to tool the kit.
As far as painting canopies goes, like anything, it just takes practice, repetition, to get it to the point where it's not too bad. I.....stick, with the basic masking with low-tack tape (pun intended). I went through testing various tapes, and also pre-cut masks, and decided that for me, plain ol' Tamiya tape and a new Nr 11 blade are best. Others will have their own experience, of course.
