1:32 F-117A - Type 1 interior 3D decals for Trumpeter kit

The interior of the F-117A Nighthawk in a relief print

The large 1:32 scale makes the cockpit the most conspicuous place on the whole model. Relief elements bring color and depth here at once, so you do not have to paint every switch separately. The manufacturer offers two versions for this type, differing in layout; this is the first of them.

The aircraft that could not be seen

The F-117A was the first production combat machine built around a reduced radar signature. Its shape consists entirely of flat facets, because the computing technology of the time could not calculate the reflection from curved surfaces. It flew subsonically, had no radar of its own and found its targets with a set of sensors; it carried its bombs in an internal bay. The public learned of it only in 1988, although it had already been in service for several years, and it became famous over Panama and in the Persian Gulf. The cockpit therefore looks futuristic from the outside, but inside it is an honest workstation of the 1980s with a large head-up display and several screens.

Rules for applying them

• Prepare the base in advance; the elements are laid onto a finished and dry coat.
• Leave the sharp edges of the cockpit facets free, as the print belongs on flat surfaces.
• Work in good light and with tweezers, as fingers are no use on the small consoles.
• Choose a fine matte overcoat, otherwise the raised relief of the controls will be lost.

On a model this large it is worth giving the interior some time: the cockpit tends to be the first thing a viewer notices, and it stays visible even once the canopy is closed.