1/32nd scale Mosquito FBVI conversion.

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Thanks very much John. Nothing further to report at the moment, as I'm trying to get the Harrier picture finished. I hope to get back to the Mossie in the next couple of days or so.
 
Thanks Bob. Haven't progressed any further, as I'm still working on the Harrier painting (it's being a tw**), and trying to cope with 'normal' life - plus the bl**dy Arthritis . Darned change in the weather!!
 
Just tuned into this one again, Terry, to see the progress you've made since my last post. Hope you're able to resume the build in the near future. I'm following with interest your scratch building detail, as I've had the 1/24th Airfix FBVI on my shelf for nearly a year now and hope to get cracking on it sometime in 2012, so the more hints I can get the happier I'll be. :)
 
Thanks Gerry. Coincidentally, I've been faffing about with the kit today, and hope to get some more detail work done for the cockpit over the weekend. First I want to mould another canopy though, as I now have some thicker clear sheet, which I hope will mould more cleanly, avoiding distortion along the lower edges.
I'll post some more pics when there's something to show.
 
Airframes said:
Thanks Gerry. Coincidentally, I've been faffing about with the kit today, and hope to get some more detail work done for the cockpit over the weekend. First I want to mould another canopy though, as I now have some thicker clear sheet, which I hope will mould more cleanly, avoiding distortion along the lower edges.
I'll post some more pics when there's something to show.
Click to expand...

Hi Terry,
I will appreciate if you could let us know the quality and the thickness of the clear sheet you are going to use.
I'm very curious because, besides many attempts, I was unable to do a better Stuka canopy after the one shown here
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/start-finish-builds/italian-stuka-hasegawa-kit-1-32-a-30701-3.html
My skills in this matter are limited and this very likely the reason why I failed, but I think that a role was also played by the material used.
Many thanks
Albert
 
Alberto, I've been heat moulding canopies for probably 40 years, and can honestly say that the success rate is variable, to say the least!
About one in five can be perfect first time, but some might require numerous attempts. (Remember this is not vac-from, but heat only).
The clear sheet I used for the first two is fine, although due to rapid cooling between removing from the heat source and 'plunging' the mould form through the sheet has caused problems at the base of the canopy (where the waste material will be removed), this is mainly my fault, due to poor preparation in setting up the way of moulding. Further attempts should cure this.
However, i need to use a slightly thicker sheet for two reasons:
1) Thicker sheet will cool less quickly, allowing more time (in fractions of seconds!) to complete the 'plunge'.
2) The thicker sheet will give more rigidity to the moulded piece, and also a very small increase in overall dimensions/area, needed to fit the aperture of the cockpit opening which, due to 'custom' carving, is not a specific size.
(Hope this makes sense!?).
I can't provide actual thickness of the sheets, as they are from materials I have had for some time, and have forgotten their gauge. I tend to judge things by feel, experience, and trial and error - a bit like the 'Engineers Rule' - if it looks/feels right, then it probably is right!
 
Dang me Terry, just stumbled on this one and wondering how I missed it. Must have been on holiday or something. Brilliant build me old mate and the painting....Wow.
 
Airframes said:
Alberto, I've been heat moulding canopies for probably 40 years, and can honestly say that the success rate is variable, to say the least!
About one in five can be perfect first time, but some might require numerous attempts. (Remember this is not vac-from, but heat only).
The clear sheet I used for the first two is fine, although due to rapid cooling between removing from the heat source and 'plunging' the mould form through the sheet has caused problems at the base of the canopy (where the waste material will be removed), this is mainly my fault, due to poor preparation in setting up the way of moulding. Further attempts should cure this.
However, i need to use a slightly thicker sheet for two reasons:
1) Thicker sheet will cool less quickly, allowing more time (in fractions of seconds!) to complete the 'plunge'.
2) The thicker sheet will give more rigidity to the moulded piece, and also a very small increase in overall dimensions/area, needed to fit the aperture of the cockpit opening which, due to 'custom' carving, is not a specific size.
(Hope this makes sense!?).
I can't provide actual thickness of the sheets, as they are from materials I have had for some time, and have forgotten their gauge. I tend to judge things by feel, experience, and trial and error - a bit like the 'Engineers Rule' - if it looks/feels right, then it probably is right!
Click to expand...

Hello Terry,
many thanks for your answer.
As I mentioned somewhere already, i'm a returning modeller that re-started this wonderful hobby only four years ago, when I retired from business.
No comparison with your and many others multi-years experience, but I like to experiment and specially with this canopy, I had almost no alternatives.

Besides my little experience and my limited skills, I'm still convinced that not only the thickness but also the material of the plastic sheet play its own role.

For my Stuka canopy, I tried several thickness/materials.

The one that worked almost well I got it as "bonus" from an Italian kit supplier when I sent him an order.
There was no envelope, so no marking on, but the sheet had a protective film on both sides.
It was an A4 format with a thickness of 0.57 mm (0.022")
After some research I found that these sheets are available from SBM and material is called Acetate.
vivak

Besides the above, as the only sheet I had was gone, I also tried the following with very poor results:
Evergreen Sheet Styrene - 0.4 mm thick (0.015")
Plastruct Styrene - 0.3 mm thick (0.010")
A4 size sheets normally used for binding - 0.18 mm thick (0.006") - material unknown.

Eventually, I decided to keep as good the canopy I made: after deep in future it looks muck better. I will repaint the outside with the airbrush and post pictures in the relevant thread.
Cheers
Alberto
 
Alberto, I get my clear sheet from the local model shop, and it's clear styrene as far as i know. i have used acetate too, and it worked fine. I'll measure the sheets I have and let you know the thickness.
I find that sometimes a thicker sheet can give better results but, depending on the size and shape of the item being moulded, the opposite can also be true.
The Mosquito canopy in this scale is approximately 70mm x 35mm x 18mm, so I think a slightly thicker gauge will give me a better result.
 
Just measured the sheets Alberto. The original I used is 0.5mm, which works, but would be better a touch thicker, maybe 0.75mm or 1 mm. The thicker sheet I have is probably too thick, at 1.5mm.
 
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