1:48 HP.52 Hampden 3D-Printed & coloured Interior on decal paper (ICM)

The Flying Suitcase and its tight tube for four men

The Handley Page Hampden entered the ranks of the Royal Air Force in 1938 and immediately earned its nickname from the shape of its fuselage: it was tall but so narrow that the crew of four lined up one behind the other and nobody could change places with anybody. The machine served on the night raids of the first war years and later became a torpedo carrier. With Coastal Command it then flew low over the water, and its crews were among the most exposed in the whole of British aviation.

That narrow tube matters for the build. Everything has to be finished before the fuselage halves are glued together, and at the same time the inside is clearly visible through the extensive glazing and the side windows. The set is therefore laid out as a flat layer glued to the inner walls and bulkheads: it carries the instrument panels, the side consoles, the equipment of the individual stations and the harness.

Compared with photo-etched parts the basic difficulty falls away. Metal has to be bent, glued and only then painted, and in a narrow fuselage it is awkward to handle. A printed cut-out is transferred damp, pressed onto the wall and conforms to its shape, so that you reach into the space once instead of three times. A decal softener does not belong here, as it attacks the printed resin.

The set holds the equipment of the interior; the bomber model itself has to be ready. Before applying it, it is worth checking dry that the bulkheads really do fit into the fuselage; once damp, the position of the cut-out can be adjusted only for a short while, before the paper takes to the plastic and starts to hold firmly.