Darius" AN-2

[Nick M]

Darius,

Nice job on the AN-2. Tell us about the plunge forming method you used on the canopy.

[pingu1]

Excellent model, Darius. The Bilek/ Italeri An.2 is a kit which fights back with a vengeance. Did you use the kit parts for the undercut bits of the canopy?

Cheers,

Chris.

[Darius at home]

Darius,

Nice job on the AN-2. Tell us about the plunge forming method you used on the canopy.

Nick

Essentially I used the cut-off solid canopy from the kit as a "male" former for a "female" canopy. I used a sheet of clear acetate (cut from an old report cover) securely fixed over an opening that was the same plan shape as the canopy former - only slightly larger - in my case the wooden lid of an old cigar box. After fixing it to the lid I heated the combination over the oven hob using bar-b-cue tongs to grip the box. The plastic turns "floppy" very quickly at which point the box was quickly removed from the heat and the canopy former pushed through the clear plastic and the hole in the lid, thus forming the canopy.

This is clearly a hazardous procedure, which runs the risk of burning down the house, so I have since acquired an old Mattell vac-forming machine, which is much safer to operate.

:)

Darius

Edited June 5, 2006 by Darius at home

[Darius at home]

Excellent model, Darius. The Bilek/ Italeri An.2 is a kit which fights back with a vengeance. Did you use the kit parts for the undercut bits of the canopy?

Cheers,

Chris.

Thanks Chris, although the model is not the 1:72 Italeri/Bilek kit but a somewhat larger 1:48 scale kit of Russian origin.

:)

Darius