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[Royden Baker]

I have an old model which I bought during my novice days two years ago.  I crashed it of course, and as I progressed with my flying and became competent at repairing I decided to rebuild it as it had some sentimental value.  The brains at the Club say it is a Thunder Tiger Champion, but the model outlets I have tried have come uop with a model where the canopy fits on the fuselage whereas my canopy fits on the top of the wing and is called a shoulder wing model.

As I am a qualified engineer, I tried to make a good job of it.  In case you feel I am blowing my own trumpet, for 'good job' read 'twice as heavy'!!

All was fine until the fateful day I ran out of fuel and tried to land on a dead stick with a fair old wind blowing.  I got it over the dyke and on the field and was congratuling myself on that feat when a gust of wind blew it sideways into the adjoining ploughed field.

After the repair I had been obliged to put a 52 engine on it to get it off the ground instead of the 40 that it originally flew on.  That should have awakened me to the danger of allowing it to run out of fuel, but it did not, and as a consequence I found it was like trying to fly a brick when the engine stopped.

 The damage was not too great, but the canopy and canopy base is wrecked, and being plastic, needs replacing.

All the foregoing is too size everybody up to ask if anyone can point me in the right direction to obtain a new one, as I have given up on all the usual sources.

Any help or suggestion would be most welcome.

 Many thanks

Roy Baker

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[Andy Green]

Hi Royden

I have used 2 methods in the past for canopies. Plastic fizzy drink bottles, there are so many shapes and sizes once cut you can usually find one to go around most shapes. The other is blue foam (I say blue as it is denser and easier to shape than white) and shape it to fit, it will sand quite smooth. For finishing cover with low temp film or tissue / glass applied with epoxy of PVA (dont forget any solvent based glue will melt the foam.

Andy

[Allan Jordan]

 Hi Royden, Further to Andy Green's posting may I be allowed to help? Some time ago there was an article devoted to the home manufacture of canopies and cowls from plastic bottles in RCME. If you care to e-mail me your address I'll send you a copy, does this help? Regards Allan J..

[Royden Baker]

Thanks for the advice Andy, Ihave tried to form another canopy using clear plastic sheets used on overhead projectors (yes, I know they are well out of date now, that's why I am using the sheets up!!)  I made a former from plaster of paris before this canopy was completely ruined because it had a small crack in it.  I was unable to get the plastic sheet to conform to the shape by playing a heat gun on it.  It flopped around the former, but was not a success.

The fact is, I am not so concerned about the canopy as the base that it fastens to.  That is quite complex and although as an 82 yr old novice I have achieved some wonderful things on fuselages and wings in the last two years, this lump of plastic is something else, and that is basically the reason I am hoping someone out there has an old broken 'plane where that one piece has survived!!

 Best wishes

Roy

[john powles]

Hi Roydon might I suggest that you make a mould out of MDF  & send it off to vortex vac forms they will make up as many as want they reasonably price to  the modeler I have used them a few times myself for cowlings & canopy's, they advertise in the model mags.

[Royden Baker]

Thank you John.  Since last November I have made some progress at repairing the canopy and base, but I will have a word with Vortex.