Yack, I’m just about ready to finish my big 1/72 Monogram B-52D. Got the painting done, all the parts except one attached, and now I’m stuck. The one part remaining is the cockpit wind screen. I bought this kit from a fellow on Ebay. The kit was in good shape except for that one part, which was broken in half.
I figured no big deal, I’ll just mold my own using some clear thermaform that I got from Squadron. The instructions for using that stuff indicate to mount the original part on some modeling clay, heat it up to sagging, then pull it over the original to mold a new part. Sounds pretty easy. Perhaps my heat source wasn’t hot enough but I didn’t get the thermaform properly conducive to molding a new windscreen. So I then decided to just glue the original back together and affix it to the B-52.
Something happened to the original part with that modeling clay - it left a residue that I was unable to remove. I tried Windex, scraping with a tooth pick, and finally, the coup de grace, laquer thinner. Now the piece is opaque.
I tried ordering a replacement part from Revell but have been informed that the kit is OOP and they no longer have any replacement parts.
Does anyone have this piece that they’d be willing to part with? I’ll gladly pay for the piece and the shipping … or is there another suggestion on how to use the thermaform? I have been unable to locate any after-market parts for this kit.
It’s frustrating to be right at the end of this build and not be able to finish it…
OK… Go to Target. Find the section where they sell the nail polish and finger nail stuff. Get a pack of the pink nail sanding files, and one of the multi-grit buffing sticks (Its probably pink/gray, or white/gray)
Then, carefully (so as not to break it again), sand the piece a bit with the pink one to get the bad plastic off. Don’t sand much! You can trim the stick to a point if it makes it easier to get into corners. Then, using the progressively smoother grits on the multi-grit stick, polish the scratches out. After that, polish with Tamiya fine polishing paste (or gritty toothpaste), then dip in Future. It should be clear as glass when you are done…
This process works well for fairing clear bits into the openings, I often end up polishing a lot of the clear parts on the models I build…
I’ve had good luck with Thermaform–make sure you get a big enough piece, and find a way to hold it while supporting the edges (like with a clamp that’s as wide as the whole edge, or some other jury-rigged equivalent). Make sure the original canopy is well-supported and oriented so that smashing the Thermaform down on top of it will get the detail you need. Set the supported canopy next to a stove burner (my favorite since it’s a wide source of heat–I guess a candle might work, or maybe a toaster oven). Hold the thermaform near the heat source, avoiding burning your hands, and adjust the distance so thermaform slowly heats up (obviously, better to work your way closer than to have it instantly liquify). When the stuff starts to pucker, sag, and/or get cloudy over an area bigger than your canopy, yank it away from the heat and pull it down over your canopy. Hold it there for 5 to 10 sec to let it cool. You’ll probably have to cut the formed material away from the master, so choose your cutting location wisely.
It’s easy to screw up, so keep trying until you get one (or a few–that way you’ll have more than one shot if you split the thin plastic installing it) that come out nice–you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Since the kit isn’t really that much of an issue with a visible cockpit interior anyway, why not just fill it in, and display it as tho it had a non visible windscreen? You can’t really see a cockpit anyway there with this size BUFF, so it really isnt a big deal, right?
The other scale sizes of B-52’s that you can get (that are solid wood Mahogany) have no glass, and they look OK this way- is why I say this, BTW
Install the windscreen in the normal manner and then paint the “glass” panels gloss black. It is hard to tell the difference from any distance at. The clear glass looks pretty much black anyway.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I did try to get the Falcon canopy set from Hannants but they needed more pound Sterling order to be able to ship, and my budget won’t allow for superfluous modeling purchases at this point. … just finished one vacation, have a longer and more expensive vacation coming up, plus lots of home projects to do … ah well…
I went ahead and tried the thermaform again and was actually able to heat it up sufficient to get a windscreen from the master that was reasonable in appearance. Cut it out, glued it on, and finished the build. And good timing considering that I plan to start re-building the stairs in my house next weekend…
