Saw some posts on forming a canopy, so I thought I would post my experiences in trying to form the perfect canopy! If any of you know me then you’ll know I am a perfectionist, it can be miserable because NOTHING is good enough! This may help some in their quest for a truly clear canopy. If you are happy with something that looks kind of clear then make a plug out of anything you want and get forming! For others that want to make a canopy that is of a commercial quality, it can be done in your kitchen. With some luck and paying strict attention to the details, you can do it. I needed a canopy for my current project, an F2G Corsair. I redrew the Royal Corsair plans with all the changes needed for the conversion.

I used PETG for this canopy, very strong and forms well and it can make a very clear shiny canopy if you have the proper plug. I have used .030 and .040 PETG, they both work well, use .030 for the smaller stuff. I get my plastic locally from Piedmont Plastics [link=http://WWW.piedmontplastics.com]Piedmont Plastics[/link], it comes in sheets .040x48x96 for $21.76 each. When you consider that Lone Star Models sells a 12”x24” sheet of this for $3.75, that would come to $60! I can make 16 canopies for $21, when you first start though you won’t make 16 usable canopies!

1. First we have to make the plug, I prefer plaster because it is easy to work with. Here is how I make mine. I first make the top of the fuselage with a 1/16” ply piece stuck in the top that has the profile shape of the canopy. It is then covered with Monokote and the canopy is sculpted in clay. This allows great freedom to make changes until I am satisfied with the final shape.

2. We need to make a mold from this clay plug to make our final plaster one. I made a small dam around the sculpture, sealed the base of the form to keep the plaster from going under it. Cover this with a thin coat of plaster, I like to brush on a thin coat and then dip paper towels in the plaster and lay them on to build it up quick.

3. When you pull the plaster off of the clay form this is how it should look if you did it right. Grease the inside lightly but completely with Vaseline and fill it with plaster.

4. When that dries just break the mold off of the plug, that way it won’t get damaged.