About Plane Canopy

Cristi

New Member
Could someone please explain me how to ,,vacum form" a plastic canopy for the model? i`m planing to build a romanian mig 23( Fly model repaint) and i want to make it look perfect.
 

Rogerio Silva

Active Member
Maybe this will help: paperinside.com/2008/02/29/super-tucano-canopy
In there you'll fins some additional refference. The page is by the great Brazilian Claudio Dias, who is also a member here.
I hope it helps!
 

zathros

*****SENIOR ADMINISTRATOR*****
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
There is a way that I do it. I get a strong two part epoxy and roughly shape the canopy to how I want it to look, you can also use a block of Balsa wood.. If you can build the canopy from paper, do that first, and use it as an armature, filling up the framework with the epoxy. If you use Balsa wood, make a hole on the bottom and glue in a stick. Make sure you mount the piece to a strong stick, or rod of metal, so that you have a way of holding the piece.

When the epoxy has hardened, you can lightly sand the canopy to it's final shape. When done, using a piece of clea plastic off of a plastic box or plastic from a blister packaging. Head the plastic holding it with pliers, or good gloves till the whole sheet gets very soft. A blow drier works well for this. When it gets extremely soft, pull it over the solid core plug that I explained in this first steps, and when that cools, You will have a canopy. You will only have to trim off the rest of the plastic sheet you are not using. After you do this a few times, you will be able to bang these out.

The video below shows a good method. :)

[YOUTUBE]XFapCdlEpbo[/YOUTUBE]
 
Top