ClearFix Tip - When It Goes Yellow Get a New Bottle!

ClearFix is obviously a bit like snow - when it goes yellow beware what you can use it for! To be fair you typically use so little of it at a time, unless you are making a plane per week you may never ever use a whole bottle. In my case, years will go by before you pull it out of the storage tin (which may or may not help being away from direct sunlight). Indeed as I found out to my cost when making my Vietnam helicopters, ditch it if it goes gloopy and yellow. Clearfix (though slow in drying and bonding clear plastic to normal plastic) is however the way to do aircraft canopies .. otherwise the terrible chemical affect that I do not understand ruins the cockpit look. ClearFix is a wonder chemical when clear but buyer beware avoid the yellow (see below, RHS clear and "Good", LHS gloopy-yellow and very bad!):   

I had to resort to covering up a smeared mess on one helicopter's side windscreen [reconnaissance Gun-Ship Loach, if you really wanted to know] with Tamiya X-25 transparent Clear Green. Note, authentically it was used on top horizonal window covers of Vietnam Huey's and Loach's alike to cut down on glare from the sun above [?] I am guessing - but I don't think side windows were typically covered - but I think the "look" seems to work (see below, my Italeri 1/72 "Little Bird" festooned with decals - grinning shark mouth underneath):  

You have to be careful when handling Italeri as they are delicate, but beautifully made!

Canopy Capers (Airfix Fw190 WIP)

Calm, calm, calm. I approach the Fw190 canopy with trepidation .. I cannot use conventional glue as that would end up in one unholy mess resulting in painting over the canopy, hence I use ClearFix. A slow sticking fragile glue that does not smear canopies. Actually the Fw190 has a large part of the rear canopy to paint over (see below, aka the black part):

Now I had bit of a struggle to get the canopy on. The 'blooming canopy' part was being pushed off by a chunky piece of rear cock-pit detail. Hence I had to shave this back until the full canopy fit nicely over it, luckily the "shaved part" was totally hidden by the painted part of the canopy. A bit like the front cockpit detail (chair/instruments and control stick) fantastic detail that ends up hidden in 90% of the possible configurations - closed cock-pit with pilot at helm (see below):

The black primer over the canopy trimmings was then covered by the dark grey paint (see below):

The glue and paint in these kits goes a long, long way. In addition to this kit I have put together some eighty odd Saxon and Norman 25/28mm plastic figures.

:)

Decals beckon next!