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What's worse?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 1:05 pm
by BlackSheep214
What's worse? PE or masking your own aircraft canopies?
I hate working with PE parts, no matter what it's for. Be it 1/48 scale PE cockpit parts, or whatnot. He'll, I hate folding them too.
Masking my own canopy depends on the aircraft IF Ztheyre simple enough for me to tackle. Greenhouse canopies, forget it. I'll buy AM masks for those.
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:00 pm
by Medicman71
Neither one bother me actually.
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2025 8:56 pm
by tempestjohnny
I did a Bf 110 in 72nd. Now that's tedious
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 8:25 am
by Tojo72
Medicman71 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:00 pm
Neither one bother me actually.
Well,excuuuuse us !!!
For me extensive PE like locks,hasps,levers,and the like
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 12:30 pm
by Stikpusher
I have no problem masking my own canopies. Buying pre made masks is money best spent elsewhere. Even on a large greenhouse type canopy with extensive framing as the TBD-1, it’s not that hard to do. Just time consuming. And pre made masks don’t always fit exactly right.
Bending PE is a bit more challenging, and trying to get the items positioned exactly right also can be a pain. But again, I’m not too bothered by it. I find the bigger problem with PE is dropping/launching losing the part via tweezers, and clean up of attachment nubs on those little bitty items
.
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 2:28 pm
by keavdog
I'd say PE for me - I'm addicted to precut canopy masks
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 8:36 pm
by BlackSheep214
Stikpusher wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 12:30 pm
I have no problem masking my own canopies. Buying pre made masks is money best spent elsewhere. Even on a large greenhouse type canopy with extensive framing as the TBD-1, it’s not that hard to do. Just time consuming. And pre made masks don’t always fit exactly right.
Bending PE is a bit more challenging, and trying to get the items positioned exactly right also can be a pain. But again, I’m not too bothered by it. I find the bigger problem with PE is dropping/launching losing the part via tweezers, and clean up of attachment nubs on those little bitty items
.
While doing PE on the P-51 Mustang kit I’ve been working on, I feel your pain. At one point, I lost 3 PE panels, found 2, lost 2 tiny PE bits, found the 3rd PE panel, found the tiny PE, lost it again to tweezers. Screw it, it ain’t worth adding it. LOL! It never ends. Folding PE usually isn’t an issue. Really tiny knobs and switches, I often skip on them because I know I’m gonna lose them to tweezers, or worse while nipping them off their PE fret.
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 8:37 pm
by BlackSheep214
Tojo72 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 8:25 am
Medicman71 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:00 pm
Neither one bother me actually.
Well,excuuuuse us !!!
For me extensive PE like locks,hasps,levers,and the like
Seatbelt clasps…. nope. Not bothering with them.
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 8:41 pm
by BlackSheep214
keavdog wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 2:28 pm
I'd say PE for me - I'm addicted to precut canopy masks
I will happily buy pre cut canopy masks for certain aircrafts, especially those greenhouse canopies. I make sure I get the correct mask set one for the kit brand and aircraft type.
Re: What's worse?
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2025 6:01 am
by Stuart
Masking my own canopies is tedious but it doesn't bother me too much.
I hate working with PE (and resin - I HATE resin) but it's one of those things I want to get better at.
Anyway this is all crap - the most EVIL thing in modelling is a vac-formed canopy. Those are just the spawn of Satan.