kerklein2

I am building my four star and i really dont like the canopy. I found a website with a canopy mod but i am not exactly sure on how to go about doing it. If anyone has done this before, or has other ideas for a better canopy, let me know. I am in the process of covering the model and i would like to get the canopy finished soon. Thanks, Shaun.

Canopy Mod Website [link=http://www.renderwurx.com/rc/sig4star/]http://www.renderwurx.com/rc/sig4star/[/link]

Swager

My Feedback: (1)

Ohhh! I believe that is Cobra's 4 Star.

Someone answer this post so I can heed the info also!!

kerklein2

Somebody please answer!!

Hurricane90

Here's a picture of my 4*40. This was my first plane and I just used my imagination. I too hated the way the stock canopy looked. So I just started cutting the canopy a little at a time until I got the shape I wanted. I left he back of the canopy as is while i cut the front down to achieve the desired height and they trim the sides and back to get the lines parallel with the fuse and the deck. It's not quite as low profile as the one in this website but it suited me at the time. I may even take it off and shave it down some more now that I have a little more experience with building. I used black RIT dye to tint it also.
I know that isn't a lot of helpful stuff but you truly just need to use your imagination and shape it the way you want it. If you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer what I can.

leftnut

My Feedback: (1)

i paint mine like hurricane's
trim it lower and use screws to hold it down.
add rubber tape at the rear to prevent it from cutting into the film.
i've also made the rear deck shorter to match the rear of canopy
if i wanted to add a pilot.
trim a little bit at a time.

kerklein2

Thanks for the advice guys. Anyone else modded their canopy? Or four stars in general?

mobi

OK

It's easier than it looks. First take a look at the pictures I have supplied. The stock canopy is in it's normal position next to the cut down version mounted (reversed) on the plane. The last is a close up of the original canopy.

First, envision what the canopy will look like after modification.

Take the original canopy and cut off the front of the canopy along the line so there is no lines left on the canopy.

Look closely at the rear of the canopy and find the thin cut guide line for normal installation. Cut along this line.

Your done!

Take the canopy and turn it 180 and place it on the plane. You may need to round the edges and do some mirror trimming to get a better fit. Apply a little down pressure on the canopy to make it conform to the fuselage and used six small screws to hold it on. I find glue is difficult to use and it makes a mess!

Does make any sense?

Hurricane90

kerklein2,

Here is the link to another thread discussing the progress of someone's 4*. The link should take you to the 3rd page of the thread where there are pictures and a description of how this person modified the canopy. That should help a lot.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_18...mpage_3/tm.htm

Hurricane90

Mobi, looks like we posted at the same time. Well, with both of these postings, kerklein, you should have a good idea of how to do this.

kerklein2

I think i got it. I already covered my turtledeck, so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to use screws or not. Is it OK to screw in to the stringers??? Thanks, Shaun

Hurricane90

I put one screw in the very top stringer at the rear of the canopy and then one on each side of the canopy toward the front. Seems like a lot of people do two on each side on the bottom of the canopy. Do it however you want, it doesn't take much to keep it on. It isn't going anywhere. Just be sure to check for look screws every time you go out the field.

Hurricane90

kerklein2,
I noticed that you posted a reply on the thread that I linked you too. By the sound of it, it looked like the post was intended for this thread. You asked about tinting the canopy. You can either do a search and find a lot of threads that discuss this topic or just click on this link and a guy on there does a good job explaining what to do.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_19...tm.htm#1925824

Hurricane90

I just noticed that you were already posting on that first link that I sent you. Sorry if I'm repeating everything that you have already seen.

kerklein2

Thanks, thats some useful info. Where can I get this Ritt dye that everyone has mentioned? Thanks, Shaun.

Hurricane90

I got mine at Albertson's grocery store. I'm sure you could find it just about anywhere. I'm pretty sure that it is spelled RIT dye, but that doesn't really make any difference. It is used for dying clothes so look in the clothing section.

DrFun

My Feedback: (4)

Swager,

The link kerklein put was the original 4* that I copied with permision of Tom Pierce with minor changes and less the cowl.

For the canopy, I also cut the stock canopy but to the contreary of everyone I did not turn it 180 degrees. With out turning it I think it will match the rear turtle deck better. I did remove that bubble look.

I put it the same way as stock take a look at the follwoing picture and linked thread for more pictures.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_11...tm.htm#1120607

kerklein2

Thanks for all the help guys. I think im going to cut and tint my canopy tonight. Working on the trim on the fuse as i type this. Thanks, Shaun.

kerklein2

Well i just cut it. I think its ok....there will definitely need to be screws to hold it down cause it doesnt fit the shape exactly. Is this what yall had to do?

Hurricane90

The back fit really well but the sides try to flair out a little. I had planned on using screws from the beginning. It's not bad but it was enough that it pretty much determined where to put the screws.

kerklein2

Yeah, mine is the same way. The back lines up good, but the sides pop out. The fron is also at such an angle that im not sure how im going to secure it. How did you guys secure the front?