1:48 Bf-109 F

A canopy that does not slide

In the F version the Messerschmitt received the aerodynamically cleanest form of the whole family: rounded wingtips, a deeper engine cowling and the struts of the tail surfaces abolished. The cockpit, however, stayed solved the old way and differed from its British opponents in principle. While the Spitfire or the Hurricane had a hood sliding to the rear, here the whole middle part hinges to the side like a lid. The assembly consists of a fixed windscreen, that hinged section and a fixed rear fairing.

What follows from that for spraying

The frames on this form of canopy are wide and numerous, because they have to carry the glass without the help of guide rails. The area that has to be covered is therefore broken up into many small fields and each of them has a slightly different outline. Cutting tape by hand tends to be the most frequent place where a build is delayed by a whole evening. Pre-cut shapes are laid against the edge of the frame and you varnish straight away.

What the package offers

It contains outer covering of the panes and, separately, a sheet through which the crosses and further markings are applied. Nothing is covered from the inside here. The cut follows the plastic of the Hasegawa company; the aircraft itself is not in the box.

A small piece of advice

It is practical to varnish the hinged section separately from the fuselage and to glue it on right at the very end, ideally in a half-open position, because that is exactly how the inside of the cockpit is visible. It also helps to fit the windscreen only after the fuselage has been sprayed, because otherwise a clean edge is hard to keep around it. Remove the film with a pull along the direction of the frame, not across it.