Gotha Go 244 - 1974 Revell - Italaerei build... with trepidation!
- Thread starter southerndoug
- Start date
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fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Several different ways to glue the canopy in place. Good old fashioned PVA white wood glue but some brands don't set totally clear. G-S Hypo cement dries crystal clear but is a bit stringy and can go every where if you not careful. Bostik hard plastic glue not quite as clear as the G-S Hypo but not as stringy. Ultra Violet setting glue sets crystal clear if you get the right stuff but the chemical reaction can get hot when it's curing under the UV light so I avoid using it on vacuum form canopies.
Best I have used so far is Deluxe Materials Glue and Glaze it sets crystal clear is water washable if you get a blob on the paintwork and dries in about 30 minutes but needs to sit overnight for it to cure and allow handling. When cured it can be painted.
There are other types of canopy glue but these are the ones I have used. Hope this helps.
Best I have used so far is Deluxe Materials Glue and Glaze it sets crystal clear is water washable if you get a blob on the paintwork and dries in about 30 minutes but needs to sit overnight for it to cure and allow handling. When cured it can be painted.
There are other types of canopy glue but these are the ones I have used. Hope this helps.
Crimea_River
Marshal
In my opinion, if you want to straighten misalignments while gluing the vac formed canopy, then a gel CA glue is the way to go. I would spot-glue with tiny amounts of gel and then use a thinner CA run along the seams to finish it off.
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Arent you at risk of clouding the canopy with the CA fumes.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Usually not. The plastic used for vac-forming is not styrene and shouldn't cloud. However, it's a good point and it would be a good idea to test it first using some of the excess material.
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
I tried using CA when glazing a brass kit built railway coach using cut down clear packaging which is the same as Vac form stuff and had problems with clouding. I couldnt for reasons of the build of the coach use anything else because I couldnt hold the glazing in position (I shouldnt have soldered it up before glazing) I eventually had to polish the glazing with toothpaste on a cotton bud but it never has been a job I am happy with.
Good work so far!
- Thread starter
- #48
southerndoug
Airman
A few more moments of modelling has resulted in a bit more progress of the build that never seems to end! Wings, tail booms and engine nacelles assembled (please excuse attempt at preshading - I really just wanted to play with my airbrush a bit!).
The "Looks like glass" product that I mentioned last time did wonders to the scratched canopy, but after 3 days drying, when I used some Tamiya tape to start masking, the tape left a noticeable imprint on the canopy that wouldn't budge. So I cleaned it off with alcohol, and will try again. Seems to have worked well on the vacformed canopy though:
Tweaked the cockpit a bit more, adding side consols and a bit of internal weathering/dirt:
More action required with filler on some really fiddly parts, including the wing struts:
And even though I'm getting a bit jaded, and initially thought I could live with the horrible door support structure.... turns out I couldn't, and have spent far too long adding structure to the extremely flimsy doors:
That's it for the moment!
The "Looks like glass" product that I mentioned last time did wonders to the scratched canopy, but after 3 days drying, when I used some Tamiya tape to start masking, the tape left a noticeable imprint on the canopy that wouldn't budge. So I cleaned it off with alcohol, and will try again. Seems to have worked well on the vacformed canopy though:
Tweaked the cockpit a bit more, adding side consols and a bit of internal weathering/dirt:
More action required with filler on some really fiddly parts, including the wing struts:
And even though I'm getting a bit jaded, and initially thought I could live with the horrible door support structure.... turns out I couldn't, and have spent far too long adding structure to the extremely flimsy doors:
That's it for the moment!
Some nice progress though, keep at it
Crimea_River
Marshal
Great work.
fubar57
General
Very nice
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Lots of work, but well worth the effort.
Nice work so far!
- Thread starter
- #55
southerndoug
Airman
Mein Gott! It's starting to look like an aircraft, not a shipping container! Wings and tailbooms join the fuselage, finally. The cockpit canopy has been giving me grief, with the addition of internal support structure, a throttle/prop pitch quadrant, and a revamped primary flight instrument cluster. Hand painting has been less than spectacular. Dry fitting shows some extra problems coming my way as well, with gaps at the nose where it joins the lower window. I have abandoned the vac-formed canopy.
Anyway, slowly getting closer!
Anyway, slowly getting closer!
Looks good
Grant Barr
Senior Airman
Noice!!
Love it!
Crimea_River
Marshal
Great progress. Looking forward to seeing more of this beauty.
