I am building a 1/72 Wessex helicopter and have decided the best way to paint the canopy bars, is the masking method. I usually use thin strips of painted invisable tape for 1/72 canopy barring as it looks just like a canopy bar! However on this Wessex model, that is not going to work. I want ot use invisable sticky tape as I think it has a finer masking edge for 1/72. Once the canopy is fully covered by tape, what is the best way to cut the tape away from the canopy bars? How do you cut around a curved corner? I have a steel straight edge and of course a suitable hobby knife, but it seems a risky bussiness! Appreciate any tips.

Get yourself a piece of glass, a flat porcelain plate bottom can be used but DO NOT let the wife see this. Tamiya tape is best for this as it is thin but regalar masking tape will do. IF the clear parts have raised frame lines, press the tape into them with a toothpick, then take a super sharp pencil and draw along the frame lines. Remove tape, tranfer to glass, now cut the masks out, using a straight edge if possible, and reapply. If the frames are not raised it's harder but still doable, hold the canopy up to strong light and draw around the frames freehand. You can straighten out any raggedy lines when cutting. IF worst comes to worst, you can just apply the tape to the glass and draw an approximation of the frame lines, cut and apply. This may require several patch-ups, but anything is better than cutting ON the canopy, which is guaranteed to result in some sort of foul-language use. Oh and always use nice sharp #11 blades. All of this leads to nice canopy masking, but I STILL hate it, but it is a necessary evil toward a nice creation.

IF you have the money and patience to wait for it, Bob Mack's method works great, too. 🙂

Thanks very much for inputs, I thought you would have to cut the masks on the canopy, never thought of the pencil then cut out on a glass surface, trick! Very good. The painted invisable sticky tape I normally use is done in the same way, I paint a piece of tape which is stuck to an old piece of glass, when dry, I cut thin strips to use as barring. Works well on gun turrets and most bomber aircraft canopies in 1/72. Yes, it does sound like a bit of bother, but as I said with this Wessex canopy, the result will be worth it. Bob Mack's reply is very tempting! Never even knew Eduard made maskings for the Wessex! Is their any kit the don't make accessory bits for?!

Thanks Ed'! Interesting input, appreciate it.

Yes, I had a good look at the canopy this evening and I think I might go for Neil Foster's method, the canopy bars are relatively straight and the thing is I want to paint them Matt RAF Blue, then after that, shoot the model with Satin finish varnish, as this was the colour of the machine in Falklands war service, satin RAF blue. My plan is to mask off all other windows and the cockpit area, then paint the whole 80% finished fuselage and canopy piece. Then will attach final rotor assemblies and cement in side windows and canopy, to basically complete. So, I think this may be the least "pain and suffering"! (Yes, I do actually do this for fun!).
Helicopter canopies are worth the effort as they are normally large "glassed" areas, due to the nature of the machine and are a focal point on the model.
what is quite fun on a helicopter model, as if you decide to add detail to the rotor head and tail rotor, they become little model kits in themselves. Not planning on anything drastic, but will add the blade drag dampers, some static earth wiring and "piping" from the central drag damper resevoir. The tail rotor looks like it has some funky blade pitch change counterweights, from looking at online pics of the Wessex, but not sure I will go that far to scratch build those!