1:48 Sukhoi Su-27UB (for Kitty Hawk kit)

The Su-27UB cockpit in 1:48 scale

Red Fox Studio prints the instrument panels and cockpit details in color and with a 3D texture onto decal paper. The set replaces the smooth plastic panels from the kit and is applied as a decal — by soaking and positioning, not by gluing.

What makes the UB cockpit special

The UB is a two-seat combat trainer version and that has two fundamental consequences for the cockpit. First, there are two full stations here, not a pilot's panel plus a lightened console beside it: the instructor at the rear has to have essentially the same equipment as the pilot in front, so the panel is repeated. Second, the rear seat sits higher and because of it the canopy forms a long stepped tunnel through which both stations can be seen at once. The equipment is still classically analog — round dials, mechanical switches, no large displays — and the side consoles are long and full of small controls, which in 1:48 give the most work.

Photo-etched parts, a brush or a print

A photo-etched set for a two-seat cockpit is a double build and painting all the scales still falls to the modeler. A decal supplied with a kit usually deals only with the front panel and has no depth. Hand painting two complete panels full of gauges is a whole evening's work and it is hard to do it identically at both stations. A color print with texture makes them uniform. Apply it to a smoothly painted, matte and degreased base and settle it with a decal softener.

Who the set is for

• Builders of two-seat machines of the Su-27 family in 1:48 scale
• Modelers who do not want to paint the same thing twice
• Those building with the canopy open
• Anyone interested in analog cockpits with densely fitted consoles

This is a cockpit accessory, not a kit. The kit, paints, decal softener and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.