1:48 F-35B Lightning II closed canopy frame for Tamiya kit

The frame that holds the whole canopy

The cockpit of the Lightning II is covered by a single part cast in one piece, without a transverse arch in the middle. All the more work therefore remains on the frame around it: it carries the seal, the hinges at the front, the locks at the rear and the cord of the severance system, which opens the transparent shell during ejection before the seat passes through it. In injection-molded plastic this part is usually too thick, because the mold does not allow a sharp edge where a rubber profile sits on the real machine.

The version for the closed canopy

This casting is shaped for a model with the canopy lowered. In this position the frame bears on the edge of the fuselage all the way round and its inner side stays hidden, so the material is concentrated into the outer outline and into the fine parting gap. A sister item of the same range covers the shape for the raised canopy, where on the contrary the inside is visible.

Why the tie to one box is so close

The frame is glued directly onto the clear part. That part has a different thickness and a differently drawn outline in every kit, so the master is taken from the particular transparent component. With canopies the dependence on one box is the hardest of the whole range of resin accessories.

Working with the clear part

Clear plastic takes super glue only where it will not remain in sight, otherwise it goes white. A glue for window panes or a thin white glue, which dries without clouding, has proved better. The frame is moreover painted before it is joined to the shell, because masking a finished assembly is tedious and a single fiber of tape leaves a visible step on the edge.