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'Grace' type two-seat Spitfire in 1:32


Iain

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Very nice work, Iain.

 

For your canopy conundrum, how anout a short phone wire peg at about 2/3rds aft of the front edge with a couple of 0.3mm locating holes in the rail to locate into for fore and aft positions?

Apart from re-moulding a narrower canopy with more 'clamping action' induced (difficult to predict the usefulness on curved sloping surfaces), or a fully working micro-engineered rail, I can't really see any other solutions.

Edited by Chek
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You're all way over-thinking this/imagining issues that aren't there...  :)

 

The canopy *is* a snug fit (after lots of pattern tweaking) - which is why it has a tendency to sit a little higher at the rear in the 'closed' position - hence my wanting to 'locate' a little more positively in the vertical plane.

 

I'm probably just going to add some stretched sprue to aid location on the rails...

 

... at the weekend.  :)

 

Iain

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all - long time, no speak!

 

I've mostly been pulling my hair out trying to get the canopies to look OK in the closed position - originally I was just going to have both canopies open, which would have been a lot simpler!

 

Booked today as holiday so I could immerse myself in the canopies.

 

The master patterns have now been through a large number of tweaks and re-shapes to get something that looked OK - the tricky area being the fit of the rear sliding section to the tunnel between the cockpits.

 

Once happy on with some test mouldings I then had to get some fresh mouldings I was happy with - again!!

 

So - here's were we're at - some good mouldings (I noticed earlier there is actually less optical distortion in my vac mouldings than there is in the front sliding section - as provided by Mr Tamiya!).

 

The tunnel section has been bonded in place - and filler applied along the joint ready to blend in once dry.

 

The rear sliding section has had stretched sprue 'rod' bonded in place that engage with the canopy rails and hold the rear sliding section in place now - both opened and closed.

 

Some decal damage has occurred during this work, so I have a couple of Squadron Code letters to re-apply (fortunately I have spares).

 

48b427_439f09bbfff149c991abe68d38da0f70~

 

48b427_f33e1db41f1340f8ad1391befc16cac6~

 

48b427_4004ad5c519e4240a18a76aae430e97f~

 

48b427_adf0863436bd49fcb4829d5c4041be5f~

 

Model photos are on one of the circular base/clear dome combinations - and it fits perfectly...

 

48b427_234f8b556f564edfb75bf37b8b5ee20d~

 

48b427_19e0bc1b449b49818c935966adf9d878~

 

48b427_96d6ee258cc6400ebea47ef86d158b66~

 

48b427_8c05f8d7c5844facaf5806ad6b7ee0d5~

 

Hopefully some more progress over Easter weekend - I need to get this finished as I've got other projects backing up...

 

Blue Skies,

 

Iain

 

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HI Guys,

 

Having seen this model in the flesh, I can attest to the work Iain has put into this model, the photos do not do it justice.  It is stunning.  I think Wunwinglow will agree with me, it left both of us gob smacked!

 

Regards,

 

Bruce Crosby

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  • 2 weeks later...

It will live with my client - hopefully delivered end of May!

 

Lots more progress - but, like lots of things on this project, doesn't look like much!

 

Central tunnel bonded in place with thin cyano - and blended with plastic filler - followed by a number of layers of Halfords Filler Primer - applied with the airbrush after masking the glazing:

 

48b427_54414a5d90b6476983b9b0e18ae17dab~

 

48b427_a329040d00bd45788546428a4105b846~

 

Very stressful as any scratches on the clear part would have taken me back to square one and having to mould/fit another one!

 

After two weeks of careful sanding and polishing we were ready to do the frames and retouch the surrounding camouflage:

 

48b427_a6e47cad1ca6480eb4c0b551f434427e~

 

48b427_86e0f6cb1a804ac4aa4a306a27ec3e0c~

 

And the kit canopy (front one) masked and painted:

 

48b427_b2c2ac9b05aa403bb0dfc5450cc4d286~

 

And yet *another* rear canopy moulding - pattern modified again and a new blown canopy vacced using a slightly thicker PETG this time (0.75mm/30 thou).

 

48b427_f7a8363cc7624d1eb6583f4ea352a444~

 

48b427_598d0acc764c416ba4e4f3f4c70924e1~

 

Fit is now the best I can get using the materials I have and allowing the rear canopy to open and close - which it does, beautifully!

 

48b427_bcd49e12805f484a94f1465af00d91a5~

 

48b427_96d7c48b9dbc4fbfb6001820f276defe~

 

If I get time tomorrow evening I'll re-apply the missing codes and mask up and spray the rear canopy.

 

She's now back in the airing cupboard so everything I've done today can harden off.

 

Hopefully we can get her finished now...

 

Blue skies,

 

Iain

 

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