Masking Canopies

I mostly use Parafilm for masking complex shaped areas and canopies.

Takes a bit getting used to but a roll lasts a long time. Most chemical and/or medical supply shops will stock.

You can also use paper & a soft pencil to get an impression of feint canopy lines & transfer these onto some tape laid on sheet of glass, plate or whatever. Carefully cut out & bingo a canopy mask!

So far, I've never had a problem with Tamiya tape and a Futured canopy, regardless of how long it stays taped up. I've had it on for weeks.

Hi All;  I have done a couple of builds using the masking tape and blade technique. Canopies of varying complexity. The method works well and can be quite time consuming. What I found was that if you, like me, work a workaday week, and leave the work for lengths at a time, that the tape began to mix or blend in a fashion with Future floor polish coat from dipping the canopy. And believe me the Future had plenty of time to dry as another week came and went after dipping. It appears to be a function of how long leaving that mildly sticky tape actually burnished onto the canopy surface.

Now, this was compounded by the time it took to mask the entire canopy before painting. Depending on the complexity, some tape work began to REALLY stick to the canopy with some pitting/distortion of the Future layer after painting and removing the tape. So, I recommend doing partial masking and get the frame painting done and off of the canopy in a reasonable amount of time. I am going to give this approach a go, because I have begun a 1/48 Heinkel He-111 with the whole nose bubble canopy  to do. Talk about glutton for punishment!   I have never tried a commercial Edouard type mask. Since the next kit I wish to tackle is the 1/48 Me 110 with the "greenhouse" canopy, maybe I'll try it.

If it works through OK maybe I'll post a followup with pics.

Dave

Spring Creek, NV

Tamiya tape and a #11 blade.

Thank you for your replies.

I haven't completed a model 14 years, started plenty.

I have nearly finished 4 1/72 kits this year.  I am up to masking and painting a Bristol m1-c, a Banshee and  2 wildcat.

Stephen

I cant add anything beyond what was said on masking...but welcome to the forum.

Hand masking is an art. Some can do it but most can't.

Precut aftermarket canopy masks are worth their weight and price!

Liquid masking is also nice as well. In some situations, you are required to use it with the precut masks to cover larger irregular shaped surfaces.

Each canopy is a unique challenge and that requires a different approach. Sometimes it makes more sense to hand pain the framing, other times it requires masking and still there are times when using either tape painted to lay over the framework or decals is appropriate. Yes some kits have decals so you don't have to paint the canopy framework!

kevin nailed it.

Save money or go fast. Up to you. I follow the same moto my dad had. "I have more time and patience than I do money".

First of all, to the forums!

What I do to mask canopies is cut thin strips of masking tape, when I say thin I mean 1/16 of an inch, and outline the framing.  The thin tape will conform to curves.  Then fill in the rest of the window with more tape or a liquid mask.  This is quite time consuming. 

Or you could buy an aftermarket mask from companies such as Eduard if they offer a mask for the particular subject you are building.  These are precut masks that are like stickers that cover the windows.  This way is much faster and easier. A few extra bucks are needed though.

Hope this helps.