1:32 F-104A Starfighter (for Italeri Kit)

1:32 F-104A Starfighter, 3D cockpit decals

This is a sheet of 3D cockpit decals by Red Fox Studio in 1:32 scale, not a kit. The decals carry real relief, so once applied the instrument panel and the side consoles do not look like a flat print. The printing is on a gloss backing, thanks to which the instrument dials read as glazed. The target kit is Italeri.

The real subject

The F-104A was the first production version of the Starfighter for the US Air Force. It is a single-seat aircraft with short trapezoidal wings and a high-set tail. The single-seat cabin has one instrument panel and side consoles, which differ in equipment from the later Starfighter versions, which is why the sets for individual versions are not interchangeable.

How the set is applied

Before gluing, the raised relief of the instruments is usually sanded off the plastic parts so that the decal seats flat, and the surface is degreased. The pieces are carefully taken off the sheet and transferred to the corresponding place in the cabin; the manufacturer gives the procedure on the box. Coating with gloss varnish is not necessary, as the backing carries the gloss itself. Apply the decals before the cabin is closed with the canopy and the fuselage joined.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the Starfighter in 1:32 scale who want the cockpit to be as good as the rest of the model.
• Modelers who struggle to paint small instruments and labels with a brush.
• Those who build the model with the canopy open and the interior on view.
• An accompaniment to metal photo-etched parts and resin cockpit parts.