I have a Bf-109 which is on the docket for painting, so I was wondering:
- What’s the best way to paint 1:72 canopies?
- How can I make masks on my own with masking tape?
- Is priming a good or bad idea?
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There are some You tiubr videos that may help.
You could also consider painting a piece of decal film the color you need, and then cuttng it up into strips to use for the canopy frame.
Painted decal sounds like a good idea.
You can mask with tape. Primer depending on paint brand.
I would dip the canopy in future or similar product to protect the plastic first.
By decal film, do you mean taking a piece of decal paper which doesn’t have decals on it and use that?
I found this video, and it seems to be pretty easy to do. I have some old Il-2 canopies that I can test things out with, so I’ll try that first.
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Another additional suggestion that you may want to consider: Make a small trial on another unused clear canopy parts, if any. In my case, I have an HobbyBoss 1/72 F-16B kit which I buy unintentionally, because of wrong buying selection via online store. Since I’m not a huge fan of such F-16 variant, I decide to use its’ canopy parts as my test object. If it goes below my expectation or something wrong happened, I already have a plan to make the kit as a wreckage on a vignette/diorama. Can’t wait to see your next progress, good luck man!
Regards,
Garry
You could certainly do it that way, instead of buying a big blank sheet.
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As Tank_1812 suggests, ALWAYS dip your canopy in Future (or similar) before starting, and let dry thoroughly. Cutting masks from scratch, especially on modern canopies with complex curves, is really difficult. I suggest cutting masking tape (Tamiya) into strips a couple of mm’s wide so they will shape and conform easily. Cut to the lengths needed and run them along the edge of the canopy frame. When the framing is complete, fill in the rest of the clear part with larger pieces of tape. Mask off the interior to prevent clouding from overspray, and off you go!
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What exactly is pledge?
A “thick” clear acrylic. Used to protect the floor and plastic model clear parts.
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All of the products are acrylic floor finishes. Pledge qua Pledge (originally “Pledge with Future shine”) was discontinued years ago, but there are a number of products replacing it. ‘Quick Shine multi-purpose floor finish’ is one of the more common replacements. It’s basically a clear gloss acrylic ‘varnish’ used to put a tough shine on floors — essentially gloss acrylic medium. In the modeling world, it’s used to create a smoother and more transparent finish for clear parts like canopies, sometimes as a gloss finish to create a smooth surface for decals, or used straight as a replacement for water when making washes — sometimes called ‘magic wash’ — to thin acrylic paints and inks to a high degree without getting tidemarks or having the pigment separate.
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