Install a Sliding Canopy

Install a Sliding Canopy

Many scale modelers simply can’t leave well enough alone. They often find ways to improve their scale projects. With the VQ Warbirds  Corsair ARF as a base model, A complete makeover to add lots of details is fun, but to kick it up a notch, a sliding canopy is one of the several sub projects that add life to the model warbird.

1

Here’s the Starting Point of the ARF Corsair

The Corsair comes with a molded-in floor allowing for only a pilot bust but I cut it away to installed a full-depth depth cockpit. I used the parts from a Ty’s Models cockpit kit, available from VQ Warbirds, to add a little extra detail to Pappy’s “office.” With all that taken care of, it was time to work on the canopy.

SLIDING CANOPY

I felt it was a shame to hide my scale Pappy under a full canopy so for this project I wanted the canopy to be functional. In the past I have only ever made canopies open manually, but for the Corsair, I went the extra mile and make the canopy open with my transmitter.

The canopy alone is very flimsy and brittle and running it under warm water before cutting helps ease trimming. I wasn’t confident that it would hold up so I ordered a replacement from VQ Warbirds which is identical in size and shape. I needed to stiffen the canopy frame so it would hold its shape while opening and closing. Using the original, un-cut ESM canopy, I taped it to the fuselage and made a simple external balsa frame to keep the canopy’s shape once I removed it from the fuselage.

4

External Bracing in place

I then removed the balsa cradle and canopy from the fuselage and sprayed the inside with some universal mold release. I then laid in two layers of carbon fiber cloth and allowed the epoxy to cure overnight. After popping it out of the canopy, it was trimmed to shape and became the perfect internal frame for my sliding canopy.

5

A little spray of mold release inside the canopy prevents the layup from sticking in place.

6

After the resin cures, the carbon fiber molding pops right out.

7

Nice and smooth and it fits the canopy shape perfectly.

8

Carbon fiber framework cut to shape.

For the guide rails, I used some slotted square brass rails and carefully installed them in the fuselage sides and along the inside edge of the cockpit opening. Ball links are used to capture canopy inside the rail and allows it to move with the use of a single, long-stroke air cylinder located forward of the instrument panel.

2

Guide Rails made from K&S Square Brass Tubes slotted with a Moto-Tool and Cutoff disk.

3

Guide Rails in position.

This arrangement gives a “push to open” and a “pull to close” operation. I cut the carbon fiber frame to shape with a Moto-Tool and a cut-off disc and then I glued the clear canopy to the inside of the frame. The canopy be removed from the rails by unscrewing the ball links which pass through the frames.

Operation

If I had more channels on my transmitter I’d put the canopy function on its own switch.  At the time I built the model, I only had an 8-channel radio so I slaved the canopy function off the flap channel with a Y-harness.

10

Internal Drive setup to open and close Canopy.

I set it up so canopy does not open during landings (with one notch of flaps dialed in.) The model doesn’t need full flap to land. After landing I add another notch of flaps and the canopy sides open. The flaps do move down a little bit more but it only on the ground and does not affect anything else. With a 10-channel radio, it would be simple to assign the canopy function to its own channel and open it on command.

13

Which way to the front!?

Having this bit of animation added to any scale plane greatly increases it realism and sends the “Wow Factor” right off the charts. For a little bit of work, you get a lot of attention. Give it a try, you’re buddies will be amazed!

opener inset Canopy closed 14

Canopy all buttoned up, ready for takeoff.

13b

Doesn’t look like an ARF anymore! Weathering helps a lot too!

 Article and photos by Sean McHale

 

3 Comments

  1. Great idea and a way to make a siliging canopy. Thank you

  2. It is wonderful to know how we can build an sliding canopy. Thank you for shering this knowledge. I’ll be happy to do it with my P 51 M. Again, thank you.

  3. Great info. Good job on breaking it down and making it look easy. Can you do another on how to build a sliding canopy on a 5th scale Mustang D model? I have been struggling with it. The frame lay out is different on the Mustang.

    Thanks!

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