RustyMustard
Junior Member
Hi all, i just built the Racer yesterday, figured out a cheap, quick, and easy way to do a more realistic canopy. I glanced around my shack and found a plastic toy 'egg' from a vending machine and a 2 liter bottle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_G1Nb9dzA4
First, i took the vending machine container top and drew a wide U shape for the open front and cut it out. I then painted the inside. Next, i cut one of the bottom legs off the 2 liter bottle and glued the part that the bottle rests on inside the helmet. I trimmed the face shield to shape with scissors.
Next, i cut the rest of the 2 liter bottle at the seam, and picked the cleanest part with no label glue to use and cut out as much clean area as i could get. I placed the bottle over the formers and positioned it till i liked the canopy shape, then traced the formers and cockpit edges. Cut outside these lines and dry fit again, trimming as needed. It also helps to mark the center of the rear former. I like to leave a bit of overlap on the front and rear to give the posterboard turtledeck something to attach to.
Next, glue your pilot in just to the rear of the slots for the power pod, apply tape to one side of the bottle and tape it to the side of the fuselage the same way you do the paper turtledeck. Make sure your center mark falls in the right place and glue it all in place.
Be careful when gluing PET bottles though, as some will shrink when hot glue is applied directly. Test a scrap of the bottle to see if the heat affects it. If it does, you can still use it, you just have to run hot glue on all the foam first, wait a few seconds for it to begin cooling, and as it's still tacky but not so hot, press the canopy into place and hold your hand on the plastic and let your hand absorb some of the heat like a heatsink. It'll be warm, but not hot and it'll prevent heat warp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_G1Nb9dzA4
First, i took the vending machine container top and drew a wide U shape for the open front and cut it out. I then painted the inside. Next, i cut one of the bottom legs off the 2 liter bottle and glued the part that the bottle rests on inside the helmet. I trimmed the face shield to shape with scissors.
Next, i cut the rest of the 2 liter bottle at the seam, and picked the cleanest part with no label glue to use and cut out as much clean area as i could get. I placed the bottle over the formers and positioned it till i liked the canopy shape, then traced the formers and cockpit edges. Cut outside these lines and dry fit again, trimming as needed. It also helps to mark the center of the rear former. I like to leave a bit of overlap on the front and rear to give the posterboard turtledeck something to attach to.
Next, glue your pilot in just to the rear of the slots for the power pod, apply tape to one side of the bottle and tape it to the side of the fuselage the same way you do the paper turtledeck. Make sure your center mark falls in the right place and glue it all in place.
Be careful when gluing PET bottles though, as some will shrink when hot glue is applied directly. Test a scrap of the bottle to see if the heat affects it. If it does, you can still use it, you just have to run hot glue on all the foam first, wait a few seconds for it to begin cooling, and as it's still tacky but not so hot, press the canopy into place and hold your hand on the plastic and let your hand absorb some of the heat like a heatsink. It'll be warm, but not hot and it'll prevent heat warp.
