1:48 Su-25 LööK

Eduard 1:48 Su-25 LööK, Instrument Panel and Belts

On an attack aircraft the cockpit is tight and built up high around the pilot, so the viewer does not see into it from the side but from above, and the instrument panel is what stands out most from an open cockpit. This set from the Czech firm Eduard deals with it by means of a three-dimensional resin part with the dials executed in color, completed with pre-painted steel belts for the ejection seat. The extent does not reach beyond the cockpit: the set is not aimed at the outer surfaces, the landing gear bays or the external stores.

The real subject

The Su-25 is a single-seat subsonic aircraft for the close support of ground forces, with a straight wing, a pair of engines along the sides of the fuselage and a cockpit protected by an armored tub. The design is deliberately simple and rugged, and the cockpit is set forward and high, with a good view downward. A modeler building the machine with the canopy raised will see practically the whole area of the instrument panel.

Building tips

Sand or cut the original plastic panel from the kit away and try the new one dry before you reach for the glue. Wash the resin in warm water with detergent, cut the casting block off with a saw and glue with cyanoacrylate. Do not cover the colored surface with adhesive tape. Leave the steel belts folded over the edge of the seat, so that they do not look like strips of sheet metal glued on.

Who the set is for

• Builders of a model with the canopy open
• Modelers who want a three-dimensional panel instead of a flat plastic or photo-etched one
• Those who want a finished cockpit without painting dials
• Modelers used to working with resin

This is an accessory, not a model. The base kit, glue and paints are not included in the package. Eduard offers sets of other extents for this subject as well; they are told apart by the exact designation of the particular series.