A cleanly installed, crisply painted and accurately shaped canopy has a big impact on the visual appeal
of an airplane model. The subtleties of the profile and proportions of the glass areas make the canopy shape an important
factor in whether a model captures the character of the original plane. A blemish free, properly placed installation
with opaque framing with crisp edges completes the effect of overall realism.
Reshaping Kit Canopies
. Incorrectly shaped canopies can be reshaped by carefully filing or wetsanding to a more accurate profile,
followed by wetsanding the scratches with progressively finer grades of sandpaper.
. Finish polishing with plastic polish.
. Those with incorrectly placed framing can be treated the same way. Then rescribe and/or paint the framing
in the correct locations.
. Some "too heavy" framing can be toned down using the techniques above. Just stop before it's removed entirely.
. Coat the inside of the canopy with Future floor wax to increase and enhance clarity.
. Be careful to avoid flexing the canopy to prevent stress cracks.
. Make sure the canopy is thick enough to accommodate the work required.
Vac-formed aftermarket and kit canopies
. Canopies by Falcon/Squadron are more accurate in profile than those they're meant to replace, but check
first to make sure they'll fit the kit you're building.
. Carefully cut the canopy from the carrier using a series of shallow cuts with a #11 X-acto blade.
. Remove the excess plastic and fit the canopy to the model by gradually trimming the edges with a FRESH
#11 blade. Check fit frequently.
. Avoid sanding or filing with coarse grits or teeth. The softer plastic does not respond will to aggressive
treatment.
Attaching Canopies
. Check your references to determine how the canopy installation looks on the real airplane. Don't add
fillets where they should not be.
. Attach closed canopy or, on open cockpit models attach the fixed portions of the canopy before painting
the model.
. Adjust the fit of the canopy by trimming, sanding or filing the edges as necessary.
. Some gaps around an injected kit canopy can be fixed by gluing a shim on the canopy's edge or cockpit's
opening. Make the shim larger than necessary, then adjust the fit by trimming as necessary.
. Some vac canopies will need to have a thin flange added around the inside edge of the cockpit opening.
. Attach the canopy with watch crystal cement or five minute epoxy. Depending on the application, either
tack in place or cement around the entire edge.
. Fill the gaps with Micro Kristal Kleer or similar Elmer's Glue-like products. Thin as necessary with water
to allow it to flow into the joint. Smooth the excess with a wet finger or moist paper towel. Touchup after
drying as necessary.
Masking
. Mask with Bare-Metal foil, quality masking tape and/or a liquid masking agent depending on the application. In
general, foil works best on small models or those with complex framing. Tape is best on models 1/48 and larger.
. Foil-apply an oversized piece of foil to the canopy, press into place with your finger or a cotton swab, then
trim out the framing with a fresh #11 blade. Lift the piece to be removed carefully with the blade's tip and peal off.
Rub the foil's adhesive off the framing with your fingertip. Burnish the foil edges down lightly with a paper cotton
swab stick sharpened to a point.
. Tap-lay a strip of tape on a glass working surface. Trim off the edges using a steel ruler as a guide. Cut
the tape into strips 1/32 to 1/16 wide. Apply thin strips of tape around each glass area, overlapping at the corners.
Use dividers to measure the necessary lengths of the tape. Cover the remaining glass area with pieces of tape
or fill with a masking agent. Burnish the tape edges with a toothpick or swab stick.
. Openings at the rear of some sliding canopy sections can be filled with thin rolls of artist's kneaded
rubber eraser or bits of tape.
Painting
. Before spraying, check the masked edges one last time.
. Spray the interior color on first, bulding up thin, dry coats of paint - just enough to cover. Spray
perpendicular to the masked edges. Do not flood or saturate the area.
. To ensure framing opacity, spray black or grey over the interior color.
. Spray the exterior color on last, building up thin, dry coats of paint - just enough to cover.
. Remove the masking ASAP after you clear coat, to avoid chipping.
. Cut lightly around the edges with a fresh #11 blade before removing the masking material.
. Clean the foil adhesive off with rubbing alcohol - a fine point cotton swab can be made for this
purpose by wrapping a little cotton around the edge of a toothpick.
. If necessary, touch up the framing edges with a 10/0 paint brush.
