1:72 Supermarine Spifire Mk.Vc cockpit details

Cockpit detail in a small scale

The cockpit is visible through the canopy on a finished model, and in 1:72 this is exactly where it shows most clearly that a plastic part cannot be thin enough. Etched metal holds its shape even at a thickness of tenths of a millimeter, so the seat harness, the side panels, the levers and the fine surfaces look like sheet metal rather than like board. According to the name the set aims at the cockpit, which narrows the work down to a single place and makes it manageable even for a builder who has not tried etched parts before.

The real subject

The Spitfire Mk.V was the most numerously built mark of the British fighter and carried the main burden of the fighting in the middle part of the war. The letter c in the designation points to the universal wing, which made it possible to fit the aircraft with different gun armament as the unit needed, without changing the whole wing.

How to work with etched parts

• separate the parts with a sharp blade on a hard surface, not by snapping them in your fingers
• make the fold over the edge of a bending tool along the whole length at once
• bond with cyanoacrylate glue applied on the tip of a toothpick
• finish and paint the cockpit before you glue the fuselage halves together
• wash the metal before painting, degrease it and lay down a base coat

Which kit the set fits

An etched fret is drawn for one particular kit and need not fit another. Check the instructions from the manufacturer to see which 1:72 Spitfire Mk.Vc model the set is cut for and which cockpit parts it replaces.

Terms of supply

What is supplied is a photo-etched set. The aircraft kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.