The canopy assembly is pretty tricky but doable.
No matter if you want to use a canopy with clear "glass" or a closed canopy with tinted windows you'll need to cut out very thin frame pieces and glue them on top.
First you cut out the canopy part itself and use it as a guide to cut pieces of clear sheet that match the windows.
Then you pre-shape the canopy.
Flatten it again and cut out the windows. Be careful and patient and use a sharp knife. It is better to wiggle it through the paper instead of really cutting through it. Start on a sharp edge and push the knife down. Then move it a bit down the line and press again. Repeat this procedure until you are 2/3 through. Then turn the part around and again start at the sharp edge, wiggling towards the point you have already cut. This ensures that your cuts stop at the edges and don't damage the thin frame.
Edge-glue the canopy together.
Use a toothpick to apply glue to the frame.
Attach the clear sheet pieces one at a time.
The edges look milky because the glue is still curing.
The kit comes with two canopy parts, one for a glass window version and one for a tinted window version without CI. You will need both to complete it. If you build the model with a tinted glass canopy you'll need to attach the frame pieces of the glass frame part and vice versa. Reason for this kind of layering: The glass part of the canopy sits a little bit higher than the rear part on the original miniature. The Revellogram Viper is wrong as the front and back part are flush. Moebius' Viper is basically better in that respect (minus the too prominent rivets they put on).
One frame piece after the other is attached on top of the clear sheet.
You may enhance the effect by glueing several frame layers on top of the clear sheet. Rhaven suggested to use thin strips of paper to close the gaps between the frame pieces. You may do so if you like. I'll leave it this way for the time being to save time.
Next step: Completing the nose. Stay tuned!
