Trumpeter 1/32 AV-8B Harrier II+ canopy issue

[49thStateRT]

This is a not bad kit. It fit together pretty well, including the joining of front end to intake duct area. I thought. The front windshield fit perfectly (people on line said there was an issue with the HUD interfering but not on mine) . The canopy fits very well on the sides and against the windshield. But there is a very odd gap on the hinge point. I checked the minimal instructions and no part is missing, and there is no way anything will fill that gap without some scratch built fake part, I am leaving canopy up, so in the end it will look ok to most people, but for painting I wanted a tight fit. I have ruined too many canopies with spray getting in just enough thru cracks in the joints to cloud the clear plastic.
Has anybody done this kit and found this same issue?

 

[Ron2]

This is a not bad kit. It fit together pretty well, including the joining of front end to intake duct area. I thought. The front windshield fit perfectly (people on line said there was an issue with the HUD interfering but not on mine) . The canopy fits very well on the sides and against the windshield. But there is a very odd gap on the hinge point. I checked the minimal instructions and no part is missing, and there is no way anything will fill that gap without some scratch built fake part, I am leaving canopy up, so in the end it will look ok to most people, but for painting I wanted a tight fit. I have ruined too many canopies with spray getting in just enough thru cracks in the joints to cloud the clear plastic.
Has anybody done this kit and found this same issue?

Haven't done this kit but on bad canopy fits I've used pva (Elmer's) glue to fill gaps for painting purposes then pick it off when I'm done.

 

[49thStateRT]

Haven't done this kit but on bad canopy fits I've used pva (Elmer's) glue to fill gaps for painting purposes then pick it off when I'm done.

Thanks, but look closely at the gap in question. It is like the body is not shaped right for the canopy frame. It is like a triangular curved area ranging from 3/16" at widest to zero, on both sides. I will figure out how to paint it with the gap but it is just so odd and extreme of a fit issue I am curious if others have had it. I honestly see no possible mistake on my part based on the pieces and the instructions.

 

[49thStateRT]

Thanks, but look closely at the gap in question. It is like the body is not shaped right for the canopy frame. It is like a triangular curved area ranging from 3/16" at widest to zero, on both sides. I will figure out how to paint it with the gap but it is just so odd and extreme of a fit issue I am curious if others have had it. I honestly see no possible mistake on my part based on the pieces and the instructions.

Well I looked at some open and closed canopy images, both of models and real life. And that gap is always there. Somehow that PE piece in the instruction I sent should be closing off the interior from the outside air, but they never showed it bent and it is not otherwise able to fill it. If it was bent it would not be big enough to cover the area. The triangular gap is a part of the design it looks like. I am just not used to seeing such a non aerodynamic feature in relatively modern jets.

 

[Ron2]

Thanks, but look closely at the gap in question. It is like the body is not shaped right for the canopy frame. It is like a triangular curved area ranging from 3/16" at widest to zero, on both sides. I will figure out how to paint it with the gap but it is just so odd and extreme of a fit issue I am curious if others have had it. I honestly see no possible mistake on my part based on the pieces and the instructions.

Wow. Yes I should have looked at the pic first! That is a big gap. Don't think glue is going to fill that void!

 

[Ron2]

Thanks, but look closely at the gap in question. It is like the body is not shaped right for the canopy frame. It is like a triangular curved area ranging from 3/16" at widest to zero, on both sides. I will figure out how to paint it with the gap but it is just so odd and extreme of a fit issue I am curious if others have had it. I honestly see no possible mistake on my part based on the pieces and the instructions.

Did D42 fit properly before attaching the canopy?

 

[49thStateRT]

Did D42 fit properly before attaching the canopy?

I did not try it. But it all seems to fit accurately, except the rear tab thing on D42. It does not touch that little rectangle on the top of the air intake, the one between the little air inlets, but you can't tell if it is actually supposed to touch from the illustrations. Oh and it is sliding canopy not hinged, so that may explain why it sits like that when closed.