1:72 A-4B 3D-Printed & coloured Interior on decal paper (Fujimi/Hobby 2000)

The A-4B Skyhawk in 1:72 with a cockpit worked out in relief

A small scale favors simplicity, except that the cockpit usually pays the highest price for it and all that is left of the instruments is a smooth surface. This sheet offers the opposite: raised elements with crisp edges, recesses and finished coloring, which transfer onto the part with water alone. The result stands up even to a close look or to macro photography of the finished model.

Advice on application

It pays to work one element at a time, with fine-tipped tweezers and over a tray where nothing can fall away. The surface under them should be dry and free of grease from your fingers. As soon as an element seats, press it gently with a moistened bristle and draw the excess water off with the corner of a paper towel.

Something about the real subject

The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk came about as a deliberately small and light carrier-based bomber whose wing was compact enough not to need folding for shipboard service. That saved weight as well as complicated mechanics, and the machine became famous as exceptionally agile. The B version belonged to the early production of the second half of the 1950s and brought, among other things, a probe for in-flight refueling and powered rudder control. Machines in this form later reached a number of foreign air forces and served long after they were withdrawn from the front line.

It suits you when

• you want an open cockpit and no appetite for micro painting
• you are building the Cold War in a small scale
• you are after a quick rise in detail without working with photo-etch
• you want a result that stays legible even under a magnifier

Plastic frames and glue are not part of the delivery.