I'm working on a Tamiya 1/72 scale Spitfire Mk1. On this kit, the canopy is 2 pieces- the windscreen is one piece, and the rest of the canopy is the other.
Now, if this was a typical 1/72 model with a one piece canopy, I would just mask and paint the unit as usual.
My question is, because the canopy is 2-piece, should I paint the edges of the canopy frames, before I install the pieces? I'm talking about the edges of the piece, parts that would certainly be painted if the canopy was posed in the open. But in this case, the canopy will be closed, so the two edges (rear edge of the windscreen and leading edge of the hood) will be glued together, as the canopy will be installed in the closed position.
It seems that I have two choices here:
1. Don't paint the edges, and hope that the paint on the exterior of the canopy, on the framing, will hide glue seam where the two pieces are joined.
2. Paint the edges, so there's no clear-on-clear glue joint, but highlighting the fact that the canopy is much thicker than scale.
I'm building this kit OOB, so a vac canopy is not an option. I'm starting with the fairly thick, but clear, kit canopy that has been dipped in Future, and I'll be using Testors clear parts cement on whatever I end up doing.....
TIA!
-Bill