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I've always wondering what some of the models online do when it comes to making the aircraft canopies cleaner and shinier. I know many go the route of dipping it in future, but I've read where guys will use auto polishing compound to make their canopies look like glass.

Care to share your tips and tricks of the trade??

Mike

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They don't sell Future or 2000+ grit sandpaper where I live (or at least, I haven't seen them yet), so I use Tamiya compounds. If there are no major scratches or seam line to take care of, I start with Tamiya Fine Compound on a clean piece of kitchen tissue. I let it dry for a while, then wash away the excess and then use Tamiya Finish Compound. This is usually enough, but if I really wanted it to shine I would then go on to use Hasegawa Ceramic Compound after the Tamiya Finish, and then finally Hasegawa Coating Polymer (identical to Tamiya Wax, I think).

This is the canopy from my F-15E after the above process.

IMG_0139A.jpg

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To me polishing canopy's out is a waste of time. Reason why I say that is the only time you see a beautiful scratchless canopy on an A/C is either when its brand new from the factory or when the canopy gets a crack and needs to be replaced. 99% of all aircraft I see have really grungy canopys. So I dont even bother. I think it makes the model look more authentic too. Just my opinion though. JOSH

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To me polishing canopy's out is a waste of time. Reason why I say that is the only time you see a beautiful scratchless canopy on an A/C is either when its brand new from the factory or when the canopy gets a crack and needs to be replaced. 99% of all aircraft I see have really grungy canopys. So I dont even bother. I think it makes the model look more authentic too. Just my opinion though. JOSH

I don't know if you ever were around A/C but a clean shiny canopy is very important to a pilot. Plane captains spend a lot of time polishing canopies. The display A/C at museums and other display areas may have grungy canopies but A/C in everyday use will have a clean shinny canopy. :salute:

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Phantom I respectfully disagree with you, I work around A/C everyday and none of them from my perspective look brand new. If you look at a canopy even if its only a couple of years old it has scratches and swirl marks all over them. The Harriers I work around everyday are bad, I almost wonder how the pilots can even see clearly out of them. Same with all of the other aircraft I have seen. The windscreens take the brunt of the damage but if you look up at a canopy from the ground in the light the canopy's are nasty looking. I'll see what I can do to get a picture of this tomorrow. I know a lot of it is swirl marks but at the rear of the canopy's no one seems to care and they don't get cleaned.

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Phantom I respectfully disagree with you, I work around A/C everyday and none of them from my perspective look brand new. If you look at a canopy even if its only a couple of years old it has scratches and swirl marks all over them. The Harriers I work around everyday are bad, I almost wonder how the pilots can even see clearly out of them. Same with all of the other aircraft I have seen. The windscreens take the brunt of the damage but if you look up at a canopy from the ground in the light the canopy's are nasty looking. I'll see what I can do to get a picture of this tomorrow. I know a lot of it is swirl marks but at the rear of the canopy's no one seems to care and they don't get cleaned.

That last sentence makes me wonder if it is indicative of the local unit and not a USMC wide problem. Could also be from not using the recommended procedure for canopy cleaning and polishing. I can see them getting some swirls etc. and neglected a bit while deployed to a war zone but otherwise there is no excuse. Here's what a good canopy should look like:

AV-8B Canopy

I've been an aircraft mechanic for 30 years and can honestly say that the military types that I've worked on with canopies, CT-133, CT-114, CF-18 were kept in very fine optical condition. I've seen canopies replaced due to even minor scratches affecting visual acuity. The last thing a fast jet driver needs is to be distracted during a mission due to a bad canopy.

For the OP, you would be safe in making your canopies as clear as glassplastic. The canopies themselves are stretched acrylic while the windscreens are mostly glass with a few exceptions.

Cheers,

John

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Devilleader, I to have seen several different jets that had, what seemed to me, a lot of swirl marks. I even saw several A-10's that had part of the front windshield turning yellow while rest was still clear. I think when it comes to modeling having a clear canopy is much more welcoming then a dirty one. Btw, you have pm since you work on harriers ;)

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Depends on the subject. WWII, and subsequent conflicts, probably took a toll on overall clarity. According to my refs, Cuban Sea Furies, like the one I'm working on, had pretty opaque canopies by the time they had seen some action.

Probably down to all those Havanas the pilots were smokin'...

Also, aren't some A-10s supposed to have a yellow(ish) windscreen, or is that an urban myth?

(Ah, true then!)

Edited by ChippyWho
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Devilleader, I to have seen several different jets that had, what seemed to me, a lot of swirl marks. I even saw several A-10's that had part of the front windshield turning yellow while rest was still clear. I think when it comes to modeling having a clear canopy is much more welcoming then a dirty one. Btw, you have pm since you work on harriers ;)

Thats a built in yellow tint.

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I know our flight line guys always had plenty of big, lint-free towels and big bottles of polish. And our airplanes were 30+ year old block 25 F-16s.

Same back in my active duty days on the 20+ year old F-4Ns

I think the pilot would have had words with the crew chief if the canopy wasn't clear.

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My two cents: I don't polish all my canopies, maybe I'm a bit lazy, but when I take the time to do it or it's a real necessity (ie: a seam line along the canopy's center) I use the oldest most finest sandpaper I have until no scratches are visible (even when the plastic turn opaque), then I use regular autopolish with on a clean cotton cloth (very important) to get the shine that will give you a great glass-like finish, the more you rub, the better the shine. Finally is better to wash the canopy because oil residue from autopolish attract dust and paints doesn't like it.

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I use very fine grit sandpaper from 1000 up through 12000 to remove scratches and mold lines first. I then follow up with a thorough polish using Tamiya Finish polish and plain white copier paper.

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:D, The RAAF always insisted on clear canopies, windscreens and flight deck and observation windows. It was part of an airframe fitter's before flight checks to clean and if necessary polish the windscreens, canopies and windows of any aircraft he/she was detailed to B/F in the morning. This was also done on a nightflying B/F. Framies wore a tool belt while doing B/Fs that had all their necessary tools and a large lint free cloth and a bottle of the approved perpex polish, which could also be used on glass. After the dew had been chamoised off and the canopy/windscreen checked, if neccessary out came the cloth and polish, and it was all over the canopy, not just the front half.

:cheers:,

Ross.

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I remove the seam with fine Sandpaper, I use Tamiya Polishing compound to polish the canopy(this takes a while) and then dip it in Future for maximum clarity.

Otherwise, I normally just dip the thing in future(it works a treat). If you put the dipped canopy on a piece of tissue paper to dry, it takes away the excess future.

And White Wolf, Future is avaliable in Singapore. Its called Johnsons Klear.

Aaron

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