I am working on an Ertl Li-2. I notice that the glass/plastic windows, cabin and cockpit, are no where to be found. Does someone have an idea what to use for the glass? Also, what is Mr. Cement? I find that I can glue nothing with it that will make a plastic to plastic bond. What is this stuff used for?
Peewee
Just plane white glue works well. Testor’s makes it, the same thing is called Clearfix in Europe. I don’t know what Mr. Cement is, sounds like a Gunze brand though. The white glue is the paste we all used to use in school. It works well for small windows.
the cabin windows and the cockpit windshield are not in the box. I was looking for ideas how to fabricate these parts or what I might do as an alternative to having them. I was thinking of finding a paper thin sheet of plexiglass, cutting it into two stips and then glue from inside the fuselage but what to do for the cockpit.
Peewee
If the windshield is like the DC-3/C-47, I would form one from clear sheet plastic, like the Squadron Thermoform, it has no compound curves so it should work OK. It doesn’t look like Squadron makes a Vacuform replacement for the DC-3. The kit parts may be available from Italeri, again if it is set up like the DC-3/C-47, and doesn’t have the extra side windows on the cockpit that the Li-2 and the Japanese DC-3 copies had. Just putting clear plastic inside would be difficult, what some airliner modelers do is cut a strip out of the fuselage where the passenger windows are and insert clear plastic there. Then they sand and polish down the clear until it conforms to the shape of the fuselage. Next the windows are masked off and the fuselage painting is done. That is a lot of work but it is the best appearance if it is done well.