I’m nearing completion on my P-51D model, and right now I’m doing all the masking required to paint the canopy–thank god the P-51D’s bubble canopy only has about 4 struts holding it up. Anyway, I figured that if I really wanted the plane to be realistic, I should not only paint the outer surface of the struts aluminium, but the inside surface as well. Wasn’t too difficult, but of course took more time. Do you guys do the same thing? Seems like a lot of time, but hey, a lot of you guys will do that extra mile for realism.
Also, question–when I cut the canopy off of the parts tree, I lightly scratched some of the canopy. Is there a good way to sand down and then smooth the sanding such that it looks clear again?
I usually paint the inside color on the out side of the canopy before I paint the out side color that way it shows through on the inside. For the scratches you could polish the best you can with polishing compound then coat with future.
If it’s going to be out in the open and quite visible like, say, a standard canopy on a P-51B which is opened, then, yes, I’ll paint it and probably add some detail.
But if you won’t have a direct line of sight with no obstruction, especially if it’s a closed canopy, then the method that Hoot described works A-O-K…
I do the same as mkhoot, but I also paint the edge of the windscreen & sliding portions with the same color as the internal framework. These are the two edges that would meet when the canopy is closed.
Sounds like you’re building the 1/48 Tamiya Mustang, with the sprue attachment point right on the “glass” portion of the hood. Squadron’s tri-grit stick works well for removing scratches in clear parts. Wet-sand with it, and you can use regular toothpaste (not gel) to polish it before you dip it in Future.
Excellent advice everyone. Approximately what grits are the Squadron sticks? I have sandpaper on hand, and if I could use that instead of ordering new stuff online, that would be good.
Just go to the drugstore and look at the nail files in the make-up section. There are tri-grit polishing files available that are very comparable to the Squadron products, as well as various other grits. I found a wide variety, and use 'em all the time. As far as the polishing stick goes, one half of one side is very fine, the other half finer, and the other side is a buffing surface.
If the model has a closed canopy then no…But if the canopy is open yes,i also paint the interior color on the outside and then paint the exterior color over the top,saves masking twice…J.S
I’ve used the painting the inside from the outside method for years, and have never been satisfied with it, because it looks just like what it is, and is very shiny. Is there a better method for actually masking and painting from the inside? I’ve tried it, and it is incredibly risky, not to mention tedious. On wrong touch of the tape and you’ve got a canopy spayed in the wrong place and it’s hard to remove paint from the inside of a tiny canopy. Now that we have Quck Masks, the next step is masking for the inside framing, I would hope.
And who has the best selection of quick masks? Squadron doesn’t even include them in their annual catelogues.
Also, everyone should heed ChuckW’s advice. Like these files, which are about a half and a third the price of “special” hobby files from certain famous model houses. They are identical in evey way and I’ll bet all I have that they are made by a cosmetic file company for these model companies. Look for othercommon household items sold at ridiculous prices because they have the logo of a model company on them. I always get grumpy when I see common turpentine marketed as “Air Brush Thinner” at eight dollar for a half-pint. And when just about any acrylic pain will thin just fine with tap water (or distilled, if you want to make sure it’s the best medium) or common alcohol. Before you invest, check to see if you can substitute. Leaves more in the budget to buy truly neat stuff.
I say, hats off to the guys that can actually pull off painting the inside from the inside. At my present skill level, I have other things to worry about. That being said, I aspire to do that at some point. But for now, I am gonna have to live with the gloss effect.