Tinted canopies

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hey all! got a quick question maybe one of you could help me with. What is the best way to tint aircraft canopies? ALOT of jets these days have them, and it would make my models more accurate. Could someone help?

2

Tamiya makes a line of ‘clear’ colors that work well.

3

I am not sure if it is available anymore, but many years ago I bought a can of spray-on window tinting and sprayed the canopy of a 1/72nd Monogram A1-E FROM THE INSIDE. Can’t claim originality, as I had seen it suggested in a magazine. I think I recall seeing a post at one of the FSM forums where someone mentioned tinting Future with food coloring.

Jim

4

For green or brown or gray tinted canopies, clear panels and windscreens I have had success adding the water soluble liquid fountain pen/caligrapher’s ink to Future ™ floor finish and slopping on with a soft brush. Inks are available at art stores. You can contol the intensity of the tint by the amount of ink you mix with the Future ™. Be careful how much of the mixture you slop on because if it puddles you’ll get inconsistent tint.

Mongo

5

Here’s one I discovered by accident, get a permanent marker pen, in whatever colour you need. Run it around the bottom edge of the canopy, that is, the bit that sticks to the frame/fuselage. Leave it a while to dry, then stick it on with clearfix or white glue, something non solvent. It gives a subtle shade to the clear plastic & looks quite good, I used it on a 1/24 P 51 that I converted to a two seater pylon racer, it has a great greenish tint, rather like car windows. Also, check out the helicopter forum, this is a recent topic there

6

Thanks for your input! I will try all of the mentioned ideas you gave me.

Lancaster_Lover

7

Hi - The simplest way is to just add a few drops of food coloring to Future. Make sure you have a base coat of future on the canopy before oyu begin. Before dipping the canopy in, test with some old clear sprue until the tint is to your liking. The food coloring comes in all different colors and you can even mix colors. My favorite is the blue. A light tint looks awesome

8

I thin some Tamiya smoke and then dreg some pigment fron the bottom of a bottle of Tamiya Gold, but only very little and then add it to the smoke the effect if sprayed on the inside of a canopy is outstanding.