if you are going to be doing scale to the real tornado, you will need two different canopy cylinders. i believe the real jet does have two different canopies. anyways, i work on real f-16s and i know that the pivot for the jet is very short, behind the seat. the further back you put the cylinder, the shorter it will need to be. also, for an aircraft like the f-15 ar 16 two seater for that matter, the canopy has its canopy cylinder between the two cockpits, the -16 has its right infront of the back seat ashm (hud). hope this helps. and yes, you will need a canopy frame to put a opening canopy on your jet, there needs to be a positve lock when the canopy is down, and i dont think you will be able to get a sturdy lock with just plastic. Nick