Is there techniques to paint aircraft canopies?

I have the best luck doing mine by hand, but you can mask with clear tape or bare metal foil or liquid mask and airbrush the whole thing. You'll find as many techniques for this as there are modelers. Welcome to the forum!

I know what you mean, lertthavorn! I like to model WWII bombers and multi-engined stuff, so there are more than enough clear parts to paint!

I used to do everything by hand and i got so-so results. I would sit, take a deep breath and hold it while i advance a little and then exhale. canopies took forever! Until i found Tamiya masking tape, that is! I like it because it keeps paint from getting under the tape becuase you can burnish the edges, and because it's almost translucent. What i do now is to cover the area with the tape, and cut away the areas to be painted with a sharp #11 Exacto knife blade. when it's all done, just slop the paint all over it! voila! a nice, clean canopy!

Oh, and Welcome to the forums!

Take a deep breath and a Valium

Well this was something new to me that I had never done until my last model a 1/72 P40 Warhawk...
Here's my secret:
I hand painted mine, and havent tried airbrushing them yet.....now on to my method.

1) Pull the canopy out....
2) Run in the kitchen grab a favorite bottle of whatever Alcohol you drink....
3) Pour a drink, come back to the bench and sit down....
4) Look at the cockpit and take a nice long sip....
5) Pick up the cockpit and take another drink...
6) Set the cockpit back down and you got it take another drink....
Repeat the above steps until you have a nicely finished bottle of crown(or whatever you prefer)....and still have a clear canopy!



Sorry I couldnt help myself, I dont have any secrets.....I did find that if I was getting frustrated the best thing I could do was set everything down and walk away.....I think I was away more than I was working. Thank God for these forums!

Hmm, good idea, I have a half full bottle of Cap'n Morgans in the kitchen calling to me.

Hey, Chris! Haven't been hearing very much from you! Dianne been keeping you up all night from her cravings, huh? How are the VWs comming? still want to hear about that!

I'm just taking baby steps back into the hobby, but I have found a couple of ways to mask canopies.

As mentioned earlier, Tamiya low-tack tape is really good stuff, it sticks well, leaves little residue, is stretchy so it is good with curved surfaces.

I've also used bare metal foil, but it isn't good for brushpainters like me. Lots of folks swear by it, so you should probably give it a shot.

There are some other things that I have no experience with, Parafilm and liquid mask stuff.

If you need any more info, you should do a search of the forums for masking techniques.

Good luck!

Don't feel bad-they're a real pain-some companies even supply pre-painted canopies. I would use scotch tape (be careful cutting so you don't scratch the canopy)-spray in light coats -lay down the interior color first. If some tape glue sticks just remove it with fresh tape. It's my least favorite chore in airplane models.

I like to use Parafilm. When stretched, you can just stick it to the canopy, than Cut out what you want painted with the ol #11. Paint, Peel off Parafilm, and your done.

I like using parafilm here is how I do my magic, first cut a piece of parafilm a little bigger than the whole canopy, then take a small burnishing tool, i got a set at an arts and crafts store for like $2 , they come in handy, anyway burnish down between the frames, cut out frames with a new sharp #11 blade then paint( note I have had success with both airbrushing and hand brushing with this ), I am new to this and canopies scared the hell out of me so i bought a bunch of extra ones from my local shop and tried different ways to paint them. I found that tamiya tape works well in place af parafilm .

I use the Scotch "frosty" (invisible) tape. Frame lines show easily after burnishing, and leave clean lines when cut with a sharp # 11 blade.


This is a HiPM 1/48 BV 141. It was damaged during my last move. Haven't found all the pieces yet !

I have a question about canopies and seams.

I am building a 1/72 scale Ju 288 (made by Huma-modell of Germany) The canopy doesn't open, so I have to do something about the seam around the edges

Also, the canopy comes in to parts. The cover art seems to imply that it isn't supposed to look like two pieces.

I take it this is all a putty situation.

BTW, I won't be using the Dragon brand putty, only that which my local hobby store uses.

Heres another one.
1.Use the Pactra tape. Its good. I cant get that Tamiya tape.
2. A very sharp new #11 Exacto blade
3. Be slooowww.. Really. And be practice and practice. Really!

Often times, by removing "misalignment pins," and block sanding the pieces, filling seams in difficult places like this can be avoided.


Here's a pic of the canopy on the real thing. Hope this helps.

Here's a hint: Never assume the "factory" edge of a roll of tape is straight or clean. Before applying any tape, either masking or transparent, I always place the piece on a sheet of cutting glass and, with a straight-edge, cut the factory edge off the tape. This will guarantee a straight, clean edge.

I dip the canopies in Future and let it dry for a week (just to be sure). Then I use Bare Metal Foil to mask the 'clear' parts. when the paint is dry I use the edge of a sharp #11 to score the edge of the paint next to the canopy frame to separate the paint from the foil.

Then use a toothpick to lift the foil. If the glue from the foil sticks, use Goo Gone to take it off. Although, I still think the Captain has the right idea!

Have fun.
Chris

Hang on: The cover story of the April FSM is "How to mask canopies" by our own Matt Usher.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Pixilater Often times, by removing "misalignment pins," and block sanding the pieces, filling seams in difficult places like this can be avoided. [image] Here's a pic of the canopy on the real thing. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the pic. In this case "misalignment pins" were not an issue. The "nose" of the canopy comes separate from the top part of the cannopy.

My issue is masking the thing effectively. Because the surface is so rounded, it is like putting a piece of tap small ball; the tape 'crinkles' in the middle. I tried very narrow strips of tape, but that didn't work either.

I kind of wish I tried the Tamiya tape, but instead I got some liquid mask.

This has become its own private hell. I'm in the process now of painting the individual window panels with the stuff. The fun part is that it doesn't like acrylic paints, so I am hoping the auto primer will work before I hit it with the acrylic.

I think painting canopies is an art form.



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And I am no Artist. Well that Liquid mask stuff I got sucks. I am having partial success with clear tape cut in strips. I hope this is the last canopy that I do that has so many rounded features. I have found that the "sharp #11 blade" is not always the best thing. I have made many scratches on the canopy that I hope will be hidden by the paint.

i never could get a good masking job on a canopy, no matter what i did. I finally went the opposite way. I lay a strip of masking tape down and then paint it the color of the exterior of the plane. Then with a sharp #11 blade, and a metal straightedge, i cut strips and just put them on the canopy. Works great, and i dont have to worry about cleaning any paint that may have gotten under the mask (which it always did, no matter how much i burnished)

a variation on the use of masking tape/film:
I use some of my old water transfer decals thats left over, and airbrush them.
Ad a little micro-sol and you are in canopy heaven :)

//Claes

I use the Tamiya tape method, but instead of masking pane by pane, you try that on a 1/72 Ar555 oe He177, I mask the vertical glazing bars first. Paint them, then remove the tape, and mask the horizontal bars next.

I always start with the interior colour of the aircraft first, as when viewed from thw opposite side, it gives the impression of the inside of the canopy being painted. Then paint the exterior colours over the top.

It is not the fastest technique, nor is it my own, but it is very easy, especially on complex canopies such as the Ju288.

Karl

I use EZ-Masks, available here:- http://www.ezmasks.com/
I've never had any luck with any other method. The EZ-Masks are great. They are applied with a little soapy water and can be precisely positioned. Once they're on, you can paint away and NO paint gets under them. They're also available in pre-cut sheets with very narrow strips that can be cut to fit.

Rich

I'm still pretty new at this but this actually worked for me. As a beginner, I wanted to stick to a tight budget before spending lots and finding out that I don't enjoy this hobby. I did the taping thing using plain old masking tape or scotch tape from around the house. It doesn't seal around the edges as well as the other tape so the paint does leach a bit. After everything is dry and removing the tape, I find that using a toothpick (not the standard kind, but the ones with the double sharp ends) great for removing the areas with extra paint. I found that the double sharp end toothpicks are hard enough to scrape off the paint using the contours as a guide and yet soft enough to not scratch the plastic. I found this great cause it gave me perfectly straight lines. It worked for both acrylic and enamel paints.