What ever happened to vac canopies?

[Bozothenutter]

Love 'm personally!

Quinta had a go at new ones, but haven't issued any new ones. 

Falcon  seems stationary as well. 

 

I still think they could be improved though.

Leave off the frames, add resin interior gubbins, add masks and you'd be left with a much more scale appearance. 

If manufacturers would produce separate frames and glass, even better!

 

Thanks for listening to my brain fart! 🤣

[Ptmvarsityfan]

I personally quite like vac canopies but a lot of people dislike them intensely  so many manufacturers

eg Special Hobby have replaced vac with injection.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Alan P]

I like using vac canopies for the thinness and clarity compared to moulded ones.

 

Canopies are one area that needs some new technology to improve it...the quality of moulding seems to be very hit and miss these days with new kit releases.

[BillF67]

I’ve mentioned on here before that, back in the dim and distant, some Airfix kits came with frames and canopies separate. The frame sort of “clipped” into indentations in the canopy. Really neat - bring it back!

[alt-92]

Mostly because these days are largely gone:
You could build a bank vault out of that thickness if it were upsized to 1:1.

 

_{1970s heller}

[BillF67]

39 minutes ago, alt-92 said:

You could build a bank vault out of that thickness if it were upsized to 1:1.

True, but the principle is sound. Vacform canopy would work, would it not? Just a thought. As you say, those days are gone😭

[Pritch]

Falcon (Clearvax) and Squadron canopies are still available. The possibly-not-quite-up-to-date website is www.falconmodels.co.nz.

In the UK get them from Hannants; in the US get them from Squadron.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Pritch

[Casey]

20 hours ago, Alan P said:

Canopies are one area that needs some new technology to improve it...the quality of moulding seems to be very hit and miss these days with new kit releases.

+1 for that.

 

I am making a nice Yak-1B model recently and it has good interior details for 1/72 scale with PE parts. And a canopy that comes with the kit makes it is kind of art just for the sake of it, since nobody will see what I place there.

 

I have models that have cockpit extra details (or those I accidentally sacrificed to Allmighty Carpet) made from rolled blu-tack slapped with paint and nobody could ever notice.

Edited November 17, 2022 by Casey

[exdraken]

I would say as a general reason,  injection moulding improved a lot, modern kits, at least in 48th hardly benefit from a vac canopy, in addition to being much more troublesome to work with...

Shape and fit issues are also less frequent nowadays...

I am happy if I do not need a vac canopy.... but use one if needed! ( Smer MiG -17s anyone??!)