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Thread: Canopy frames on Ares and other minis

  1. #1

    Default Canopy frames on Ares and other minis

    Does anyone have a better way of painting the canopy frames on the WoG and other minis? I get too many excursions (nice way of saying "errors") free painting with a brush, so I have started using the smallest pens I can find. I have also gotten good results by laying down borders with 1/64 and 1/32 inch self adhesive graphics tape. But I get equally good results simply applying graphics tape or slices of signmaker's vinyl to represent the bars.

    Ron

  2. #2

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    Ron, I've long wondered about the feasibility of some decal manufacturer creating one- to three-piece canopy frame decals. Bypass all the fighting with fine-motor skill, soak, slide, clearcoat and done...

  3. #3

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    I build 1/144 models for WWII, and I hand-paint the canopy frames. I use acrylic paint, and one trick I use is to scrape off any excess paint with a piece of styrene plastic. I do this as soon as the paint dries, before it has time to completely cure. Works well enough for me.

  4. #4

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    A dip in future floor wax then care full brush work.

  5. #5

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    What are you suggesting, Darell, coating the canopy with wax, scratching the wax off in the position of the canopy frame, painting in the frame and then removing the remainder or the wax?

  6. #6

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    Future is a strong clear coating used to smooth out a rough/matte paint surface ready for applying decals or to protect from fingerprints or to make clear canopies sparkle and fill in tiny imperfections. It would be impossible to scrape away precise lines or sections of Future once it is applied (you wouldn't be able to see it!).

  7. #7

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    Scale modelers will use coloured pencils..... if the frame is aluminum then a standard graphite pencil is perfect..... coat with matt varnish.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by FarEast View Post
    Scale modelers will use coloured pencils..... if the frame is aluminum then a standard graphite pencil is perfect..... coat with matt varnish.
    Thanks for that bit of info James, it could get me out of a problem I'm about to encounter.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  9. #9

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    Not a problem, I have a set of technical pencils from 12H through to 12B on my work bench along with a selection of Faber-Castell coloured pencils for weathering and high detail work.

    Also graphite pencils 6 - 8B are also very good for colouring tires of period aircraft. Again you'll need to seal it in with a varnish.

  10. #10

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    What on earth do you use a 12H for James?
    As a scalpel maybe.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  11. #11

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    Brilliant! Some great ideas here to try. The pens and pencils are appealing because you can keep adding and correcting. The undercoat of Future (water-soluble acrylic floor polish) should allow you to safely remove other things you might apply without tears.

    I am intrigued with {Restricted}'s idea of having decals made to represent the canopy frames. A waterslide decal that fine in dimensions (we are talking maybe a hundredth of an inch or .025 mm) would be mighty delicate. A graphics or sign shop with a computerized vinyl cutter could easily scan a scale drawing for you and generate a sheet of peel-off frames in any of several thicknesses. Just occurred to me that the same process is used by several kit firms to generate canopy masks for painting 1/72 and 1/48 models. If you do that in 1/200 and discard the actual bars, you would have a nice set of removable masks. Another thought would be to have your graphics shop just slice a few widths, which you could apply and then trim as needed with a scalpel, incredibly keen vision, and a rock-steady hand.

    We used the same basic technique but with the rubberized mask material used in sand-blasting (Hallowe'en tombstones, anyone) to make sheets of alternative limber holes for WWII fleet submarines. Just before learning about the dandy Riich Models 1/200 kits of the GATO.

    Ron



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