1:48 F-16CJ Fighting Falcon (screens active) Full colour Instrument Panel.

Kits-World 1:48 F-16CJ Fighting Falcon Instrument Panel with Active Displays

The set takes the place of painting the Fighting Falcon's instrument panel with a color decal that carries the dials, the placards and the screens. This version has the displays shown as switched on. It is not an aircraft model but an accessory for a kit in 1:48 scale.

A single-seat cockpit with wide visibility

The F-16 has a cast canopy with no transverse frame, so the cockpit is visible from practically every angle and the instrument panel is the second most conspicuous detail after the seat. The set covers a single panel, so it takes little time, but every inaccuracy in its seating will show. Before applying it, dry-fit the decal and check its width against the kit part; if it overhangs, trim it while it is still on the sheet, not after it is stuck down.

Application

Sand the panel smooth, molded instruments included. Spray a dark base, which is necessary under color printing because the film is not fully opaque, and overcoat it with gloss varnish. Settle the decal, align it with the axes of the panel and blot the water away. Dose the softener drop by drop and leave the decal undisturbed for at least 45 minutes; a relief print is thicker than an ordinary decal and running a brush over it will damage it. Once it is completely dry, flatten the panel surface with matte varnish and leave out the instrument glazing and the displays so that they keep their gloss. A drop of clear gloss varnish on the individual dials makes the effect stronger still.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the F-16 in 1:48 with an open canopy
• Modelers who do not want to paint dials with a brush
• A quick lift in cockpit quality without a resin replacement
• Scenes showing an aircraft with the avionics live

The box holds decals only. It does not include the kit, paints, varnish or decal softener.