Thomas Mayer
Anything wrong with the kit´s canopy?
And no: i am not aware of any other aftermarket canopy for this kit, sorry.
Thomas

Aghis Barberopoulos
MDC/RB had problems during production, I received 2 replacement canopies, but they still have bubbles in the casting, and they are too thick...I would not use them on 1/32 scale.

Thomas Mayer
Doesn´t sound too good... I have heard about some trouble with the clear resin canopies, but it should not take two replacement canopies with the problem still lingering on.
So, now that you have two replacement sets of the resin canopies how about taking them as masters to do your own vacu formed canopy?

Aghis Barberopoulos
You are right, that is my only choice. It is just that I have never done it before, so it is a challenge, and a demanding one at 32 scale... any expert advice would be welcome.

Thomas Mayer
I never did this, too. And due to the canopy´s shape I think this has to be done in two parts: an upper and a lower one.
Anybody here to rescue?

Jim Hatch
I have this kit, and the canopies are excellent with no bubbles etc.

Aghis Barberopoulos
Hello Jim, you are very lucky, believe me! The excuses I received from MDC were unbelievable-that the bubbles were formed after production. The canopies are far too thick and the initial 2 copies were asymmetric too. Then they sent me an improved copy- a symmetric one at least! This is why I am surprised that your canopies are 'excellent'. Can you tell me when you bought the Kit ?

Christian Lehmann
Hi Aghis,
did you ever make conopies by yourself? It isnt so difficult how it sonds. I made the rear part of my He 219 canopy by myself because the original Tamiya part cracked. Nobody realized it until now. You only have to invest some time to make the stamps. I made them from balsa wood as core and two component car putty ( dries rapidly) for the surface. I sanded the putty with different grains and polished it finally.
If you get no industral produced replacement parts this may be the ultimate solution.

Jim Hatch
I bought this about 2 years ago. There aren't any issues with the parts at all, but I haven't tried to fit anything. The moulding is absolutely fine.

Aghis Barberopoulos
Hello Christian. Can you give me more details for the material you used for the clear part ? Is it two part transparent resin ? Is it clear enough ? How do you apply it ? It would be great to have a way to tackle problems like these!

Aghis Barberopoulos
@JIM HATCH: The parts castings are beautiful. Some issues I expect with the fitting the wings to the fuselage, and the fuselage halves together - the joining is not so perfect... but the real issue for the 234 is of course its nose! Anything less than perfect would ruin the model 🙁

Jim Hatch
@Ahgis: That's true. It's going to need some serious work to get the best from it, but that's the nature of the beast with resin kits. If I line the fuse halves, then very little coaxing will be needed to make them align properly. The separate tail will need fitting to the main fuse halves first so the outer profile is correct. Any filling can be done around the centre-line.

Christian Lehmann
Hi Aghis,
I used the clear part of a blister packing which is vacu formed. When you heat it up it Evergreen too which is costly. You have to look a little bit to find a clear packing without scratches (but you can also polish it afterwards). I heated it in the hot air of a toaster( it is helpfulto wear gloves). More details you can see when you follow the attached link to 1. PMCN´s homepage). The rest you have to try ( I neded tree attempts for the canopy of the Heinkel ( I also did it for the canopy of a 109 some years ago. After cutting the drawn canopy I put it into future to protect it and give it a glossy shine. For tzhe masking of the frames you can use tamiya tape and the old canopies. Tomorrow I´lll send you a photo of the stamp I made for the Heinkels canopy. I have to take it first.
pmcn.de/weC.htm

Christian Lehmann
PS: the rivets can be imitated by using a small driller

Aghis Barberopoulos
Thank you Christian for sharing your experiences, I will have to try it for myself, since I guess it will take much trial and error. The usual approach is using vacuum forming - a process which I have never tried. The key to all is of course the perfect master mould. Oh dear, one reason I like ships is this: usually no significant transparent parts... 🙂

Christian Lehmann
the process is deep-drawing which makes it easier because you do not need a vacuum.