1:48 de Havilland Vampire F.3 3D Full colour Instrument Panel

Kits-World 1:48 de Havilland Vampire F.3 Color Instrument Panel

A decal of the instrument panel for an early jet aircraft, where the panel is a group of circular dials without any screens at all. The printing is full-color and has a raised relief, so once it is applied and flattened it reads as a molded part rather than a sheet with a sticker on it. It is an accessory to a kit in 1:48 scale, not an aircraft model.

The panel as the main cockpit detail

The Vampire has a cockpit with a good field of view and a fairly simple interior, so the instrument panel carries the largest share of the detail that can be seen on the model. Painting the dials by hand in this scale is hard work and the result tends to be uneven; a color decal is therefore the quickest way to lift the cockpit to a higher level without cutting and gluing a resin part.

Application without mistakes

Sand the kit panel smooth and check against the light that the surface has no dips. Spray a dark base and gloss varnish over it; matte paint under the film causes silvering, which cannot be put right once it has dried. Settle the decal with plenty of water, align it with the edge of the panel, blot the water away and only then let the softener work, drop by drop, without running a brush over it, leaving the decal undisturbed for at least 45 minutes. Matte varnish comes only after full curing, and only onto the panel surface. Leave the dial glazing gloss, or put a drop of clear varnish on it; on panels with circular instruments this small step makes the biggest difference.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the Vampire in 1:48
• Those interested in early jets with classic dials
• Modelers who want to lift the cockpit with a single part
• Those who want to avoid bent photo-etch

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