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Help! White Spirit's clouded by Betty canopy


SeaVenom

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99% sure it's knackered and will need replacing, petrochemicals and plastics (which are also petrochemicals...) aren't generally a good mix. If you can't get a replacement from the distributor/manufacturer, you may find an aftermarket vacform one. Or possibly someone here may have a spare, ask in the Wanted section if you've got 100 posts. Failing that, a bit of smash moulding may be in your future!

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I've had a similar experience before and there was no solution, I had to replace the part. You may try sanding the area and then going through the whole process of using finer and finer grades, then toothpast and finally Klear to restore transparency, may work, may not. Worth trying as if it works you've saved the canopy, if it doesn't you are in the same poisition as before so no harm done.

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On 1/24/2019 at 7:21 AM, stevehnz said:

Have you tried dipping it in Klear, nothing to loose by the sound of it & it may just fill & even out the damaged surface?

Steve.

 

Might be worth a try.   I've never used it (I think it's called Johnson's Clear  over here).   

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On 1/24/2019 at 2:21 PM, Stealthman said:

What's the make of the kit? You could possibly get a replacement part from the Manufacturer

 

 

It's a Hasegawa G4M2 Betty.   I think you might agree that getting a replacement from them is pretty much a lost cause.

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On 1/25/2019 at 1:18 PM, Giorgio N said:

I've had a similar experience before and there was no solution, I had to replace the part. You may try sanding the area and then going through the whole process of using finer and finer grades, then toothpast and finally Klear to restore transparency, may work, may not. Worth trying as if it works you've saved the canopy, if it doesn't you are in the same poisition as before so no harm done.

 

 

Good combination.   Again worth a try, cheers!

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Bite the bullet and paint the glazed area a dark colour . In the end it will give the same effect as a solid scale model. Not Ideal but  a last ditch effort.  It will of course hide any interior detail sadly.

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I will also go the way suggested by Giorgio. It should work if the structural destruction is superficial (not penetrated deeply in styrene structure). Instead of putting it into Kler you may paint with acrylic gloss varnish. 

BTW - what chemical stuff is exactly what caused damage?

Cheers

J-W

 

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16 hours ago, SeaVenom said:

It's a Hasegawa G4M2 Betty.   I think you might agree that getting a replacement from them is pretty much a lost cause.

If you're still willing to try, I've read here on BM that a letter (not email) asking them for a spare might be successful. Also try to ask your local Hasegawa dealer.

Either way, buying a vacform canopy may be your best option. Get two so you can practise with one.

Edited by Sturmovik
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Micro-Mesh is a useful product for this (and many other modelling applications).

It’s not cheap, but it’s good. 

 

Start with Giorgio’s method, continue with ever finer grades of Micro-Mesh (it goes to 12000 grit; I use it to restore clear plastic on vintage watches), then the old toothpaste or e.g Tamiya polishing compound (they do two grades at least), then the Clear/Klear or acrylic gloss varnish as suggested.

 

The process takes time, but can work really well.

 

Good luck 👍

Best regards 

TonyT

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok I used very, very fine sandpaper inside the canopy and I could see the white frosted look coming off then I finished it with toothpaste.........and it's worked.   The cloudiness has gone and it now looks pretty much as it was before the white spirit accident.   It has a very, very slight less shiny look at the moment but you can hardly notice that and I reckon I can polish it up more.....so great result.   Thanks all for the suggestions!

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Well done.  An encouragement to us all: it can happen to anyone.  Like several others, I'd recommend you give it a final dip in Klear: you'll be impressed by the difference.

 

PS What grade sandpaper did you use and di you find it easy to get?  I don't see wet and dry finer than 1200 grade in the shops.

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Get in touch with George from http://arawasi-wildeagles.blogspot.com/. He is a very helpful person and has contacts with Hasegawa. 

Btw, Falcon vacuform canopies are not so bad. A bit stiff and time-consuming, but I prefer them over the thick plastic parts every time.

Good luck, Michael

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