1:32 Panavia Tornado Gr.4 (for Italeri kit)

1:32 Panavia Tornado GR.4 — 3D instrument panels on decal paper

Instrument panels printed in color and textured in relief from Red Fox Studio in 1:32 scale. The carrier is decal paper, so the print is handled just like a decal — a short soak, slide it onto the base, dry it off. No gluing of a plastic part, no sanding. The target kit is Italeri.

What is special about this cockpit

The Tornado is a two-seat machine with its crew one behind the other, and its GR.4 version is interesting because this is a cockpit on the border between two worlds. The upgrade brought in screens and new controls, but some of the classic round gauges remained alongside them — for the modeler that means a panel on which the dark glossy glass of displays mixes with matte analog dials. The operator's rear station is also not a second flight panel: it is laid out around displays and system controls. Add the long side consoles, which take up a large area in this scale.

Before the panel's turn comes

With a cockpit full of displays the order of work follows one rule: the panel goes last. First finish and paint the whole interior including the sidewalls and the seats, let the paint cure and degrease the surface. Only then lay the print on. Once it has dried, do not varnish the cockpit over the whole area — a matte varnish would take away the gloss of the displays that makes the panel look three-dimensional. If you want to even out the surface around it, spray only the areas away from the print and approach the panel behind a mask.

Who the set is for

• modelers building the large two-seat Tornado
• those who do not want to hand paint displays or small dials
• builds with open canopies, where both stations are visible
• 1:32 scale, where coarse plastic relief knocks back the whole impression of the cockpit

This is an accessory for a kit, not a model of the aircraft. The kit, paints and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise. Please check in advance that it matches your kit.