Cockpit glass?

kugar13 · Post by **kugar13** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:25 am

What material do you guys use for cockpit glass?

Thanks!

kugar13 · Post by **kugar13** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:49 am

Nevermind. I found clear styrene.

Sorry about that =)

Johnnycrash · Post by **Johnnycrash** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:19 am

If you want thin glass, thin like it should be in-scale... Try overhead projector transparencies. While in a stack, they are not completely clear, but as a single layer, they are look very good. And they are very thin, about 005. This stuff works best for flat, or simple curved glass

kugar13 · Post by **kugar13** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:22 am

That is brilliant! I am always amazed by the incredible ideas you guys have!!!!

Thanks!

Sluis Van Shipyards · Post by **Sluis Van Shipyards** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:06 pm

ILM also used glass microscope slides for one of the X-Wing models' canopies.

Johnnycrash · Post by **Johnnycrash** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:44 pm

Oh. One thing I didn't mention, and you probably already know this... Glue your clear parts in with white glue, like Elmers or such. It dries slowly giving you lots of time to get it placed right. It cleans up real easy if you get it all over the place. And it dries almost perfectly clear. For those spots you missed when cleaning up. And those spots can be poped off with ease as well.

kugar13 · Post by **kugar13** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:53 am

Thanks for the heads up on the white glue! I had no idea. =)

Newbie Doobie · Post by **Newbie Doobie** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 8:37 am

I use .20" of an ich thick polyethylene sheets for mine.

This can be polished, and it can be heated to bend around complex curvatures unlike polystyrene, or glass!

Here's a useful link that I got from a very good modeler: http://www.merritts.com/store4/public/p ... oryID=1993 The crystal clear cement is the one that he uses. Thanks for the link Bob!

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 1:40 pm

Newbie Doobie wrote:...and it can be heated to bend around complex curvatures unlike polystyrene, or glass!

Says who? A suitable former (porcelain, metal) and a pencil torch, my friend, and a glass cover slide can too be smash formed.

Newbie Doobie · Post by **Newbie Doobie** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:28 pm

I meant easlily without breaking!

Sorry- I should've thought that through more before I posted it.

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:09 pm

Nah, I'm just jerking your chain.

Not that you couldn't heat form cover slides (I've done it: they're thin and small enough not to break up into pieces when heated evenly and to go soft very quickly — a few seconds, 10 to 20 with a pencil torch), but for most uses, clear plastic is way better, as the end result is flexible and won't crack when set against a not-perfectly-matching frame, not to mention the gentler burns when handling the plastic, compared to the ones gotten by touching glowing hot glass.

specialopsmodels · Post by **specialopsmodels** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:14 am

For the cockpit glass you can also use "Future Floor Wax"
all you do is dip the canopy into the "Future Floor Wax" and wipe away the excess liquid then cover the canopy and let dry for about a day.
The canopy will look Crystal clear. if you don't like the way it looks you can wash it off with soap & water and try it again.
A lot on guy's that make model aircraft use this method ...It looks great.
You can also use the "Future Floor Wax" on any clear parts too.

Cheers,

Andy

Rocketeer · Post by **Rocketeer** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:40 pm

Chacal wrote:...not to mention the gentler burns when handling the plastic, compared to the ones gotten by touching glowing hot glass.

Yeah, the burns are inevitable; you might as well try to minimize them.

incrediblefruit · Post by **incrediblefruit** » Fri May 22, 2009 2:11 pm

Or in the case of a few movie miniatures you can forego the glass completely. I did it with my falcon and amt x-wing for which I scratched up a new canopy and it looks ok to me but that's only my opinion, I also have used various clear plastics before and clear plasticcard or ohp sheets work fine.

zaphod · Post by **zaphod** » Sat Aug 29, 2009 11:13 pm

Squadron has a vast selection of vacuformed scale aircraft canopies, several of which I can see "pressed into service" for sci-fi models.
Just a thought.

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Cockpit glass?

Cockpit glass?

wow!