How can I fix this?

Easy fix. Try to get an Eduard pit set for your particular model and scale. It will benefit from the beautiful quality am parts Eduard puts out.

Is there any raised relief on the part, especially for the dials?  Or are they just round holes through the part?

If the dials have raised detail, I'd just prime the whole thing, repaint it and drybrush the details.  If the dials are just round holes, I'd still just prime it, but get some instrument decals, like Mike Grant's (I use them, they're excellent) and use the decals for the dials.

the Baron

Is there any raised relief on the part, especially for the dials?  Or are they just round holes through the part?

If the dials have raised detail, I'd just prime the whole thing, repaint it and drybrush the details.  If the dials are just round holes, I'd still just prime it, but get some instrument decals, like Mike Grant's (I use them, they're excellent) and use the decals for the dials.

 

I'll look up the Mike Grant decals. I'd like to get as much of the paint off as possible because it looks like it was applied with trowel. And the part looks like it wasn't cleaned up after being removed from the sprue.

The Eduard set mentioned above looks great, but it's double what I paid for the kit itself and there's already photoetched seatbelts in the box.

Toss the panel in some Purple Power cleaner.  Let is soak and check on it every so often.  Removal time will depend on the age, type, and thickness of the paint.  I have seen anywhere from 15 minutes to a day.  The Purple Power should not harm the clear plastic.  You might want to test a clear sprue from the kit though.  Mike Grant decals are terrific, but you will need a punch and die set unless you are realy good at trimming decal film from tiny round dianls.

I can't tell from the picture, but if the surface is smooth, you can put on a mask and sand the part back down to the plastic. If nothing else, you can certainly sand it smooth regardless of the type of paint. If you can't sand it because there are raised details, then try as suggested and soak it. Tamiya laquer thinner might be worth trying as well.

Tamiya lacquer thinner took the paint and the decals off. Thanks. Now to figure out how to get instrument dials back on the panel. I have several good suggestions to consider...

Edit: The lacquer thinner did cloud up the clear part. I think I left it soaking too long. Fortunatelty, it's not a part that needs to be clear.

I'm no expert, by any stretch of the imagination, but here's an idea that I have used on several planes that have won awards at shows.  You didn't say what scale the plane is, but because of the size of 1/72 and 1/48 planes this works.  I was making a Hobby Boss 1/72 Mig-3 and destroyed the inst. panel decal.  I searched the internet for pics of the cockpit so I could detail it and perhaps make my own panel.  Found good pics of the panel, and decided to try to copy the photo and shrink it to fit.  Long story short, it worked well with a couple light coats of Future.  Looked great.  The Mig-3 took a 3rd at the next show.  Did this on a couple more 1/72 and 1/48 planes.  Haven't built anything bigger in a long time so I don't know if it will look as well on them.  Hope that this helps a little.

Jim  

Cat Daddy

the Baron

Is there any raised relief on the part, especially for the dials?  Or are they just round holes through the part?

If the dials have raised detail, I'd just prime the whole thing, repaint it and drybrush the details.  If the dials are just round holes, I'd still just prime it, but get some instrument decals, like Mike Grant's (I use them, they're excellent) and use the decals for the dials.

 

I'll look up the Mike Grant decals. I'd like to get as much of the paint off as possible because it looks like it was applied with trowel. And the part looks like it wasn't cleaned up after being removed from the sprue.

The Eduard set mentioned above looks great, but it's double what I paid for the kit itself and there's already photoetched seatbelts in the box.

To the best of my knowledge, all you have to do to literally destroy clear plastic plastic parts is just dampen them with laquer thinner. Stay away from it!  Just about any of the cleaners noted in this thread will work for removing paint and decals.  (Having said what I said about laquer thinner, you might try dipping the damaged clear parts in Future (or what the heck they are calling it this week).