Canopy
As I want to try and build this kit quickly and I know I will need to dip the canopy in Future, I decide to tackle this immediately to give the Future time to dry before masking it (check out your TB for a step-by-step guide by Gary on how to do this). Of course I need to remove the molding seam from the canopy before Futuring. As an aside, Tamiya provide two complete canopies, one tinted (as seen here), and the other clear. The reference I have for the “Artic Bandit” F-16’s show the canopy is tinted, whilst the rear section (the bit which is fixed to the fuselage) is clear.
Getting rid of the moulded canopy seam line…
A note from Geoff: Gary is about to show you his way of removing the mould seam line down the canopy but, as ever with modelling there are usually several ways of doing this. Check out the new HD video demos in your Techniques Bank for how I do this and if you are unsure, then at least you have a choice of which way to go.
First step to remove a canopy seam is to scrape away the main part of the seam with a sharp blade, drawn carefully over the seam lengthways. The tape is to protect the other parts of the canopy from accidental slips
Once the seam is removed with the blade, 1200 wet ‘n dry is used to sand away the scratches left by the blade. Here you can see the tape serves to limit the scratching done by the sanding.
After the 1200 sanding, I progressively use finer grades of abrasive. Switching here to Micro Mesh polishing pads, I start with a grade of 3200. Already you can see the cloudiness clearing on the canopy. The Micro Mesh pads are available from Micro Mark
Continuing to work thru the polishing pads here we the result after using the 8000 grade pad. The clouding is virtually gone.
Once I switch to the final grade, 12000, I remove the protective tape and buff the entire canopy to a high shine. This canopy is now ready for a coat of Future and then into a dustproof container to dry. The rear canopy part likewise had a seam and received the same treatment. Oh, BTW, if you wondered how long this whole “remove the canopy seam” sequence took, it was about 10 mins (including stopping to take photos).