Painting the canopy.. yikes!

[Maglar]

Hey guys, how have all of you been doing? Ive been distracted with a 1/16 spartan hoplite but I managed to finish my P40 tiger shark (RAF) and the only thing left to do is paint the canopy and decals.. So im basically asking for some good advice because I tried it on the backup canopy and it came out bad.. really want to post it up to show all of you

 

[ccheese]

I use masking tape. Sometime you have to tape a little, paint what you've taped, allow it to dry good, then tape and paint some more. The canopy for my JU-87 took a week. Others, here will tape it all at once.

Charles

 

[Airframes]

Charles is right. Sometimes that's the only way, especially with a multiple framed canopy as on the P40. Another way is to coat the whole canopy in masking fluid, such as Humbrol 'Maskol'. Let it dry, and then, using a SHARP craft knife/scalpel, carefully cut the lines of the frames, peel away the dried fluid, which should now be a flexible, rubbery substance, and paint. When the paint is TOTALLY dry, peel-off the remaining 'Maskol'.
A word of warning though; as it dries, masking fluid tends to shrink-basck from the edges. Ensure the dried fluid is covering those areas, totally, that DON'T need painting. If not, re-coat the area(s) again.
Generally, I prefer the tape method, but a combination of both the above can sometimes be useful. The fluid is handy when the curve of the canopy, or any other part, is complex, and difficult to mask with tape.

 

[muller]

Canopies are my downfall too, I just made a dogs arse of my 109K-4!

 

[Maglar]

Just tried the tape thing, works great! Can flood the crevice with paint and it drys solid and take the tape off.. Im not risking an airbrush with how much mine finds a water to shoot under the tape

 

[otftch]

Another way is decals.I paint a clear sheet with the same color as the fuselage and use this for the frames.Sometimes its one frame at a time but the results are worth it.
Ed

 

[Wurger]

Yep....Ed is right, it is a good way as well.

 

[muller]

Good tip Ed! Might try that on my next build.

One question, would decal fluids (sol/set) cloud the canopy glass?

 

[Airframes]

You shouldn't have a problem with decal fluids M. They will wash/wipe off just as on 'solid' plastic. Humbrol's 'Decalfix' tends to leave a slightly 'stickier' residue, but that also comes off wihout problem.
Another way to do canopy frames is to paint masking tape, preferably the thin type, such as Tamiya, or even 'Sellotape'; cut to size, and apply it to the framework. A thin coat of varnish to the edges will seal it, although I've rarely had to do the latter when I've used this method. Somewhere in JU88A1's threads there's a pic of my 1/48th Ju88A5, where the canopy was done this way, and that model was built about 12 or more years ago, with no lifting of the tape.

 

[otftch]

Decal fluid (at least the microscale system) will not harm the canopy.Just be sure to wash the canopy well after the decals are applied. I also brush the canopy with Testors glosscote prior to applying the decals.This gives the decals something to stick to and will bring up some of those old not so clear ones.Another advantage is if you don't like a section you can remove it withour ruining the glass.
Ed

 

[machine shop tom]

I find that if you get a little paint onto an undesired part of the canopy, you can safely scrape it off with a toothpick. This only works if the paint is recently dried, but not overnight.

tom

 

[Njaco]

On some models I have found some decal makers have a masking tape already cut to fit the type of canopy you have. I used them on a P-40 and a Bf 110 that I had. I was able to order the exact canopy tapes and they worked well. I didn't have to worry about getting paint on the clear and fudging a free style tape job.

The ones I used were from a company alled True Details and were called 'Fast Mask/Fast Frames'.

 

[Maglar]

Thanks NJ, that seems like a great idea. But I would probably only buy one for a big plane with a lot of canopy work. These single seaters can take the tinkering of my hands

 

[Njaco]

Thats why that one is for a He 111 - that nose is murder!