raptor3

Stock Canopy:
First, just remember there are other ways to do it, this is the way I did it.

1. Sand the entire canopy with 180 grit sandpaper. You want to get all the shine off the plastic, and sand the seams and any blemishes a bit. You'll notice the canopy getting fuzzy from sanding. We'll get rid of that later.

2. Sand again, this time with a finer grit, like 220.

3. Spray on a coat adhesion promoter. Be careful, it is thin and goes on clear,
so it's hard to see how thick you've laid it on.

4. Spray a coat of primer. I used gray Krylon spray can.

5. After it dries, look for any blemishes or seams that need to be filled. I use Nitro-Stan (red) because I have it, but 3M makes a nice spot putty that comes in blue or mint green. Fill all blems, and sand with 320 once it cures. I wet-sand it because it keeps the dust down, and keeps the paper from filling up, plus provides a smoother finish.

6. Once all the filling is done, sand the entire canopy with 400 to smooth it out. The fuzz should be gone now. Again, I wet sand the whole thing.

7. Spray another coat of primer. Hopefully, this will be the last one. If you find any more blems, fill and sand, then primer again. Wet sand the whole thing with 600 grit until smooth. As with the entire procedure, be careful not to sand all the way down to plastic, or you'll sand off the adhesion promoter on those spots and the paint might lift there.

8. Finish coat. I used Testors spray cans from WalMart to do the white base, and the black and blue. I sprayed the canopy in my driveway on a warm, no wind day. I gave it a couple of coats of white, starting with a light mist coat, then a finish coat. Don't make it too thick, as the paint won't cure correctly. More thin coats are better than a few thick ones!

9. I let the white dry for 24 hours before taping off the black and blue. Use some sort of fine-line tape where the paint edges will be. I use 3M Fine-Line, but Great Planes makes a red tape that is similar to the 3M stuff. The GP tape is a bit more flexible for curves and corners. I painted the blue first. After it dried for 24 hrs, I did the black. The white stripe in between the colors is done by laying down a strip of 1/8" Fine Line tape against the edge of the blue. I pull all my masking tape off almost immediately after I finish painting the color. This lets the sharp edges where the tape was soften a bit before it cures. You must be careful not to drag the masking into the new paint or against anything for that matter, as you'll either wreck your new paint, or get paint on some part that's already done. Be careful!

When taping off the colors, be sure to mask off the inside of the canopy so you don't get any overspray in there, especially if you are keeping the windshield clear. I painted my windshield silver, so I wasn't so concerned with that. I painted the windshield off the canopy. I used a piece of double-stick tape and stuck it to a stick as a handle while painting.

10. After all your colors are done, it's time for clear. If you're gonna put on any decals, do it now. If you painted your windshield, install it. Clearing is easy, but like the adhesion promoter, it's hard to tell how much you've sprayed, so be careful not to over do it. I used PPG DAU 75 automotive clear with hardener. They no longer make DAU 75, so you'll have to use something similar. I don't use any of the model brands of spray cans for clearing, because to me they either yellow, or don't tolerate fuel that much. I have a spray gun, so although it's a bit more work, I think it's worth it. Do clear your paint job. The extra effort will be well worth it. It really makes the paint shine, all the paint lines go away, and it'll seal in the decals and protect it from fuel. I don't do any prep to clear except wipe the whole thing down with a tack cloth or alcohol just before painting to get rid of any dust. I don't sand before clearing because it screws up metallic paint. If you don't use any, then you might want to wet sand it with 1000 grit or something higher.

That's it!.

Painting the Fiberglass Canopy:

The canopy I used was purchased from HeliProz, and is the carbon reinforced version. Like the stock canopy, there are many methods to go about painting it, this is just the way I did mine....

1. After trimming the canopy to fit and drilling the mounting holes, the first thing to do is clean all the mold release off the canopy. I washed mine in the bathtub with warm, soapy water. After drying it, I scuffed the whole thing with 320 grit to get the shine off.

2. Spray a coat of primer on it to see all the imperfections and pinholes. Fill all imperfections with Nitro-Stan or some other finishing putty. After it dries, wet-sand the putty with 320 or 400. Lightly sand the whole thing with 400.

3. Another coat of primer. Hopefully, all the imperfections have been filled. If not, apply more putty and sand. Primer any areas you fixed. I like to have a uniform coat of primer laid down as a base for the color so the putty spots don't show through the finish coat.

4. After sanding the final coat of primer lightly with 400, you're ready for your colors. I painted the entire canopy white, then did the windshield in silver. I dusted the edges of the windshield with black tinted thinner to get the shadowy effect.

5. The blue and black stripes were done next, and the design was freehanded with 3M Fineline tape then masked off.

6. I cleared the finished canopy just as I did with the stock one. I then sprayed the inside of the canopy with semi-gloss black to hide all the overspray that was in there. It really gave it a nice finished look.

That's it!