1:72 BAe Hawk T1 3D Full colour Instrument Panels (for Revell kits)

The Hawk trainer and its working station

The British BAe Hawk T1 first flew in 1974 and took over as the advanced trainer of the Royal Air Force in place of the older Gnat and Hunter types. A two-seat cockpit with the seats in tandem gave the instructor a good view forward, and the machine proved so agile and economical to operate that the Red Arrows display team took it on as well. The T1 version still keeps analog cockpit equipment, that is classic dials without the later screens, and that is exactly what makes it interesting for a modeler: the instrument panel is densely filled and markedly changes the impression a finished model makes when you look into the cockpit.

Set contents

The package carries a layered full-color print of the instrument panels. The individual layers lie one above the other, so the bezels of the dials and the controls stand above the base and look like separately made parts once glued on. The shape and the spacing come from the cockpit of the 1:72 Revell kits the set is assigned to. The carrier film is transparent, so once dry the edges of the panel blend with their surroundings and no light frame forms around them.

Application procedure

• The item is released in lukewarm water and slid off the paper backing into place.
• The base should be smooth, matte and free of grease from your fingers beforehand.
• Draw the residual water off with soft paper, otherwise bubbles will stay under the layers.
• The set replaces painting the individual dials with a brush.

It makes sense above all on a model with the canopy slid back, where the cockpit can be seen into. The result will stand up even to a macro lens, because the depth of the print creates shadows that a flat print never gives. The whole operation takes a few minutes of time and does not need even a drop of glue.