I recently purchased the new Airfix 1/24 Sea Harrier FRS. 1 Kit, and to my dismay found the canopy has a molded in MDC (Miniature Detonating Cord). Even in 1/24 scale this is terribly over scale, and to make matters worse it is not molded raised on the inside of the canopy, but recessed!
If it were raised, at least I could sand it off and polish the canopy clear again, but I am stuck for ideas on how to remove a recessed molding, does anyone have any suggestions?
I have tried to fill it with Microscale Kristal Klear, but this was obviously not going to work and I managed to clean it off before it set.
hi,
mdc is implanted into the “glass” on most fast jets as it is more of a shaped charge,ie;the blast goes in a certain direction,(i’m a aircraft armourer)
ive heard that johnsons kleer(in u.s future)can be used;
hold the canopy verticall & with a fine brush,apply the kleer,letting the polish flow down the “crack”.but only use small amounts & more than 1 go may be needed.
hope this helps,
merv
Thanks Merv,
Incidently I too am an Aircraft armourer, although I’m working as a photgrapher in the RNZAF since our strike squadrons were disbanded a year ago. I spent the two and a half years leading up to the disbandment working in the seat bay on MK 10L seats from our Macchi 339s. Before that worked on Pylons/racks and before that on 75 sqn servicing the A4K Skyhawks.
The main problem with the MDC in the AIrfix kit is it’s size, nearly 1mm wide and about .5 deep. I have tried sanding the surounding canopy down, to reduce the depth, but can’t go much further due to the thinness of the remaining plastic. I will try and fill it with Johnsons Kleer, as I have some of that, it seems the best option so far. Luckily I have two canopies as the front windsheild section was broken when I purchased the kit, and the importer sent me a full set of clear sprues, including another canopy section, so if I stuff one up I have a fall back.
Thanks again,
Phil
hi phil,
just been onto “hannants.co.uk”,flightpath do a frs1 detail set in 1/24 scale,i’m on a web tv,so i could not gt all the details,
its about £52.00(approx nz$153)
dont know the flightpath site tho,hope this helps,& remember;armourers do it with a BANG!lol
merv
nzgunnie, I hope you’re still out there!, I’ve been thinking about your problem, MDC is or can be, a stuck on strip, usually with a clear adhesive, something like bathroom sealant. So, try this, curl a thin strip of pale grey painted plastic card to fit the indentations. stick it in, maybe a bit at a time, with something like Humbrol Clearfix. The adhesive on the real thing causes distortions to the canopy clarity, maybe you can get away with it in 1/24 scale?
Albertsponson - Best idea yet, it might be worth try. I have a spare canopy anyway (since the front windshield was broken on the Kit when I baught it, and Airfix sent me the whole clear sprue as a replacement).
I have found a company that produces a cockpit set that includes a new vacformed Canopy, they are called Heritage Aviation, but I can’t get a response to any of the emails I send them. Anyone know of another company that sells the Heritage aviation products?