1:72 Short Stirling - 3D Full colour Instrument Panels (for Italeri kits)

The Stirling: the first four-engine heavy bomber of the RAF

The Stirling reached the units earlier than its later and more famous successors and was the very first British four-engine heavy bomber in squadron service. Its recognition features were unusually tall landing gear, on account of which it stood on the ground at a steep angle, and a fairly short wing. It was precisely the span, limited by the requirement for the size of the hangar doors of the day, that did not let it climb as high as the later types, and so the focus of its work gradually shifted to towing gliders and to supply flights.

The cockpit of a machine this large has an atmosphere of its own and the set will help give it one. The main instrument panel and the associated panels are printed in full color, in several layers and with a relief that shows as a perceptible edge on the individual dials. Hand painting would hardly achieve a similar effect at this scale.

The work starts with sanding the molded instruments down and painting the base dark. Once cured, the decal is separated in clean lukewarm water, laid with tweezers and fine-tuned with a damp brush. The subject comes from the model that Italeri offers in 1:72 scale.

The Stirling is one of the larger models in this scale and its pilot's station matches the dimensions of the machine. All the more easily can one tell in it whether the instruments are merely suggested or really drawn out. With the accessory the work can be shortened to a single afternoon and the result will still stand up to a close look.

The consignment is a printed sheet for the cockpit. The plastic parts and the model are obtained separately.